« Into The Deep - part I »
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 4:05AM into the deep of rajasthan has been a journey well worth it.
india has this magnetic pull that draws you in.. a seduction that you do not even realize has taken over you.. and most probably until much later will i feel the full effect but i can say here and now, it has seeped into me somehow, some way. you have to take it all -- and allow for the parts that may be a bit intolerable to just sit within you.. and then, somehow, some way the beauty of it all reveals itself to me like a chameleon.
india has a level of service i have not experienced before - you ask and you shall receive. a request to make a dress in an afternoon, a request to change/alter custom silver jewelry, a request to call in anything and it will come.
and then there is the people - beautiful. as we moved from one town to the next and going deeper into rajasthan, i witnessed communities and ways of life that were intoxicating in all their ways. yes simple for sure but how they did it, the way in which they do it is mesmerizing. and to deal with them all - you have to go in with all heart. the colors vivid against the muted backgrounds, the contrast stepped up - sandy flax backdrops against hot flashes of fuchsia and indigo.
on this part of the trip we covered ground on...
JAIPUR
- amber fort, old bazaar, palace of the winds, terrace nights looking over the city
NIMAJ BAGH
- orchard estate, jeep safari, village walk, guijars, nimaj palace
JODHPUR
- meherangarh fort, maharaja, on the rocks, sardar market, jain temple
UDAIPUR
- lake pichola, jagish temple, monsoon palace, city palace, monsoon rains
DELHI - mosque, bazaars, khal market, lotus temple, vasant vihar
On our last night in Udaipur, the rains came.
We were having dinner at a restaurant on the other side of the lake, sitting outside, looking at majestic city palace... and then, with all the hopes for the rains to come, they finally did. it was a downpour - fierce and stunning. we all fled to the kitchen for some time and enjoyed the company of guests and staff alike. everyone gleamed with joy - a sparkle in their eyes and a thankfulness that it finally came. they say, it had been a year of waiting for the rains - well its first mark was a magnificent one. we piled into rickshaws (ours had a box of rescued swallows in the back to keep us company) and gingerly made our way back to the hotel - through the flooding streets, dodging cows searching for shelter, everyone soaked to the bone and smiling with joy. at one point, i could not resist and lean outside the rickshaw, skim my hand along the watery streets and let the rains come down... what a perfect ending to our stay in rajasthan. we stayed up until dawn along with geese flying in formation above, while below tortoises and bats were scurrying around the garden.
it was all memorable.
the rains were very much welcomed.
the last leg of the trip was an overnight train to delhi... and i was a bit reluctant to leave rajasthan - i hope to come back to it some day. and as india has shown me so far, especially this past week, it's seduction will stay with me and seep into me much stronger with time.
Into The Deep - part II
photos to follow
Reader Comments (1)
nice post