First, we went to the Umaid Bhawan to pick up Helen & DG. We started our city tour at the beautiful Jaswant-Thanda, the white marble memorial to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, a short distance from the Fort. It's fine architecture and the white marble is a beautiful contrast to the bright blue sky. In front of the building was a group of musicians playing Rajasthani music on a sarangi. A little four or five year old boy danced, and played on a sarangi, while his mother watched him proudly. A man of the group even explained how to play this instrument, while playing a French folk song.

Our next stop was the Meherangarh Fort. On the parking lot was a vendor selling herbs and spices. He even had a list in German, with funny spelling mistakes, e.g., "Krautzkummal" (correct spelling: Kreuzkuemmel. English: cumin.) The Fort is very large, and we took the lift to the top platform with its gorgeous view over the city. The houses of the Brahman caste were painted blue. In the distance we could see the Umaid Bhawan Palace. There was a large cart wheel in one of the walls, and I tried to take a photo of the Jaswant-Thanda, with the cart wheel as frame. I was still focussing when a squirrel jumped into the wheel and I had to take a photo, as long as it was still sitting in the wheel.

Fortunately, there were enough guides in the Fort. Inside is a whole series of pretty courtyards and palaces. They house a fantastic collection of the trappings of Indian royalty, elephant howdahs, miniature paintings, armory, furniture, costumes and even rocking cradles. The apartment's walls and ceilings are beautifully decorated and painted. The windows of red sand stone are delicately carved latticework. In the room with the little maharajas' cradles, I saw bats hanging from the ceiling. In one of the courtyards two men gave us a demonstration of "turban binding." The fabric is nine meters long and we filmed the show - for rupees, of course. From a little balcony we could see a hawk in a nest. We also saw many little green parrots, and little squirrels were everywhere.

Unfortunately, we missed the sati prints in the wall. A sati is a Hindu widow, who cremates herself or is cremated on the sati funeral pile of her husband. On her way to the cremation site she placed a red hand print on a palace wall. In the Meherangarh Fort you can see a total of 32 sati prints. When Maharaja Man Singh died in 1843, fifteen widows threw themselves upon his funeral pyre. Although the British strictly forbade this custom more than a century ago, the last sati of the royal family of Jodhpur immolated herself in 1953 (according to one of my guide books.)

For lunch we went to the Umaid Bhawan Palace, and Helen & DG showed us the Palace and their exquisite suite. I didn't like the Palace very much; its too large, very dark, cold, and impersonal. It is a mixture between Buckingham Palace and St. Peter's in Rome. We had a little snack on the terrace overlooking the Maharaja's beautiful garden.

In the afternoon we went to Mandor, once the capital of Marwar. It was captured by a Rathor Rajput Chief, from the Parihar Rajputs in the year 1381, and it served as the Rathor capital until the foundation of Jodhpur. It is a wonderful place with a beautiful garden, but very neglected. The gardens contain the cenotaphs of Jodhpur's rulers as well as a very nice temple shaped memorial to Maharaja Ajit Singh. There is also a Hall of Heroes, with sixteen figures carved out of a single natural rock, painted with bright colors. In front of the hall was a noisy religious ceremony. I liked best the beautiful bougainvillaea that covered a large wall of the old palace. Again we saw many squirrels running in the park and a beautiful blue kingfisher.

Later, we went to the bazaar, which was an adventure. It was very crowded and our car stopped right in the middle of the crowd. People, cows, dogs, cars, bicycles, rickshaws. Helen stood right in the center and filmed. In front of me a beggar (with only one leg) crept on the filthy floor. I looked away. I had to be careful now, I didn't want to step into trash, cow patties or run into a motor bike. Would-be-guides constantly offered their services, until Helen finally hired one. Good idea, he kept beggars and other guides at a distance and guided us to the shops we wanted to see. The lanes were very narrow and I walked right behind Ute. Suddenly she jumped away, and I stood in front of a cow - eye to eye. I almost fainted. Naughty Ute! She knows I'm afraid of cows! I survived - Ute, too. There were so many motor bikes in the small lanes that I couldn't breathe. I went into one of the shops to get some rest - and "fresh" air. Helen looked at some cashmere fabrics. When we came out a few minutes later, the lanes were almost empty. The Muezzin had called and all Moslems were gone.

In the evening we had dinner at our hotel. A couple, with a little baby, sat outside and sang Rajasthani folk songs (the kind of music you have to get used to before you can enjoy it - if at all.)

 
Friday, January 10, 1997: Jodhpur - Jaisalmer
Off into the desert! Our TCI chauffeur, driving us from Udaipur to Jodhpur had been a very slow driver. Now, we had a racer. He didn't care about "speed breakers" on the road. He never slowed down, so we had the privilege to appreciate the "Ambassador's" cushioning - seat and ceiling. The Ambassador is a classical Indian made car. It looks like London taxis, but it is usually white. They are considerably comfortable, even when three people have to share the back seats. We spent much of our time in India in an Ambassador, since we traveled long distances by car, and only a few by plane. It is not as comfortable as a Mercedes, but I doubt a Mercedes would survive Indian roads. Our cars did have safety belts, but they didn't work. Therefore, I preferred to sit in the back. I always had my medium sized backpack on my knees, for two reasons. First, I had all my staff and the camera handy, and second, I hoped in the event of an accident, it would serve as an "air bag." All our cars were decorated with pictures or little statues of our drivers' personal gods. This seemed to help, since we never were involved in an accident, although we saw quite a few, and very often I just closed my eyes in dangerous situations. Ute mentioned that if she lived in India, she would always carry a little dog with her, because drivers seemed to stop and slow down for animals, which they never did for pedestrians or cyclists.

When we left Jodhpur we passed an Indian military convoy on their way west. Although there was no traffic coming towards us, and we could pass the military easily, we still needed approx. 30 minutes to pass this large convoy. I felt a little uncomfortable with the military going in our direction. I wasn't keen on getting involved in border fighting. Now, we raced through the desert, with approx. 80 km/ph. After about four to five hours, Jaisalmer's Fort appeared in the distance like a mirage. This desert fortress reminds you of Tales of the Arabian Nights. The magic, incomparable romantic, and totally unspoiled city has been named the Golden City, because of the color imparted to its stone walls by the setting sun. No-one, who makes the effort to get to this remote outpost, leaves disappointed.

We went to the bank first, but the foreign exchange counter had just closed. No problem, we could borrow some rupees from Helen. So we proceeded to our hotel Himmatgarh Palace, outside the city walls. From afar it looks like a little fort. It is a new complex with one main building, housing the reception, kitchen, dining hall, etc. The guest rooms are little round stone bungalows (looked like little towers.) The only room is round, and equipped with two marble beds, a mirror and a little electric heater. The adjoining bathroom is spacious. The rooms have only one small window, so we kept the door open to get some daylight and warm air.

In the restaurant, we had a quick lunch, which was fun. We ordered spring rolls and four different pasta. The spring rolls turned out to be pancakes, filled with vegetables. The noodles were all different, in form and size, but they all had the same tomato sauce. We asked for a separate bill, which was a serious problem for the waiter. He asked someone in the kitchen for help. Then, they, accompanied by 2 additional employees, went to the receptionist. After about "only" 10 minutes they came back with the bill.

Around 4 p.m. we started for the city. The lanes of this "oriental" town are very narrow, with drains on the sides. We quickly hired a guide, Gus, the 14 year old son of the police chief. He spoke various languages, but no German. First, we went to a Cashmere shop. While Helen was looking for fabrics, Ute and I looked at the beautiful brocade bedspreads. Ute couldn't decide whether to buy the gold-red one or the purple-silver one. After a lot of bargaining, we settled on a special price, "Because tonight is the last night before Ramadan." Ute decided to buy both bedspreads. While she paid I started looking for one, much to DG's distress. I found a pretty pink-purple one with little elephants. Unfortunately, these were the wrong colors for my room and it was also too small. Not too small for Helen. Finally I found a black-gold-orange one with little parrots. I paid the same price as Ute ($100). DG was close to a nervous breakdown and wanted to leave before we started looking for more.

For dinner we went to the much praised Trio. We enjoyed the really good meals and a cold beer. When it was already dark, we drove to our hotel to sleep in our cold marble beds. (I asked for additional blankets.)

 
Saturday, January 11, 1997: Jaisalmer
Marble is cold - especially when you have to sleep on marble with only a thin mattress on it. The breakfast was ok. The bill was a problem again, so they ignored our request for two separate bills and handed us one. No problem, we'll fix it. First, we went to the bank, the foreign exchange counter was open for two hours on Saturday. I filled out various forms for two TCs. After waiting for a while, and watching our TCs passing several desks, I finally was called to the counter. They handed me seventy 100Rs bills. (Can you imagine the time we needed for counting and checking.) At the bank we met the salesman from the Cashmere shop, he was depositing our cheques. He smiled when he saw us. I'm sure he was happy with his special Ramadan price - we had bought four bedspreads, altogether.

Next we went to the Fort to meet Gus. On our way I bought a jeans hat, looks nice, even after you squeezed it in a backpack. Of course, I paid too much (50Rs,) but I was in a hurry. It's fascinating to wander around in this oriental town. Nothing has changed here for centuries. Strolling along we saw people standing in front of their houses, brushing their teeth or washing their hair. There were also many cows in the narrow lanes. I had to watch out. I could look through little gates into courts where I saw cows. The cow dung was put on the walls to dry in the desert sun. Later, it will be neatly piled up in the courts or in front of the house. Many vendors had put beautiful bedspreads and covers on the walls outside their shops. Very pretty designs and colors.

I saw many children in Jaisalmer. Several children of poor families were not going to school, but were loitering around town, or helped in their parents' shops. But, I also saw children, in pretty school uniforms, on their way to school. When these two fairly small children noticed I wanted to take a photograph, they turned to me and smiled into my camera. They really were cute.

As we continued to the Fort, some women tried to sell silver bangles - they were a real pain. They followed us for a long time. As we entered the Fort, we saw the sati prints on the wall, there were several. No vehicles were allowed inside the Fort, so it was much more quiet and we had fresh air. We didn't visit the Jain temple, we were too lazy to take off our shoes. In retrospect, I think, we missed something.

The houses have beautiful fronts, exquisitely carved from wood and sandstone. Jaisalmer is famous for its intricately latticed havelis with remarkable facades. (Havelis are traditional mansions, with interior courtyards, built by wealthy merchants, particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat.) These havelis can be found elsewhere in Rajasthan, but nowhere are they as beautiful as in Jaisalmer. Some of them are still in good condition, but some fall to ruin. The haveli we saw inside had beautifully painted and carved walls and ceilings. A pleasure to the eye. The owner told us part of the ceiling in other rooms had collapsed some time ago. Since no-one cares to repair it, the ruin will continue. A real shame. Helen found a beautiful silver frame, which she did not buy - and regretted it for the rest of the journey. For lunch we went to the Trio, again, and sat on the terrace with a nice view of a palace.

After lunch we went back to our hotel for a nap and to write some postcards. At 4 p.m. we met with Gus and went 40 km into the desert to the SAM sand dunes. During the drive Gus told some stories, about the working life of his father, e.g., about a tiger who had come into one of the villages and killed two people. When we reached the sand dunes Gus asked, "How many camels are you?" and was very embarrassed about his mistake. Actually, he wanted to ask how many camels we wished to rent. We rent two, one for Helen and Ute, and one for DG and me. Our camel wasn't in a good mood and made some trouble. I almost went back to the car. Our guide was an old skinny man in typical Rajasthan outfit. He pulled the camels on a rope. After about 1/2 hour he dropped the rope on the ground, put a stone on it, and disappeared into the desert behind me. I was too scared to move - the camel might start to walk or even run. A few minutes later our guide was back, grinned at us and explained, "Peepee." Soon we reached the SAM sand dunes, just in time to watch the spectacular sunset, with camel riders in front of the setting red sun. We had enjoyed the ride, our backsides had not.

We returned to Jaisalmer when it was getting dark. Our driver wanted to be home before it was too dark. We saw various trucks, cars, and cyclists - most of them had no lights. Near the road was a dead cow, just run over by a car - the hawks hadn't discovered it yet. In a distance we saw camp fires in the desert.

Although Gus was a nice guy, he wasn't a good guide. Later, I found out there was a lot more to be seen in and around Jaisalmer. We had missed that. It was a mistake just to follow our guide, instead of checking my guide book, which I was carrying in my backpack all the time.

Back in Jaisalmer we went to the Fort-View restaurant for dinner. It was on the 5th floor, and we had to pass a backyard, and climb various stairwells until we reached the small restaurant on the top floor. We sat at a table near the window. We enjoyed the food and the view. I told Helen & DG about Bombay's eunuchs, about which I had seen a report on TV recently. They listened attentively - so did the people at the table behind me.

 
Sunday, January 12, 1997: Jaisalmer - Jodhpur
I woke up at 4 a.m. - the hotel staff celebrated Ramadan, extremely noisily. Fortunately, I fell asleep again. After breakfast we started our way back to Jodhpur. We saw several bad accidents (trucks) and wrecks on the road. No wonder, considering the way they drive. We also saw a cow skeleton, a dead hawk, and a sheep that had just been killed by a car. The owner had secured the place of the accident the Indian way. That is, placing stones from the roadside in a half circle around the sheep, in this case. He sat near his sheep and mourned.

As usual, during long trips, I fell asleep in the car. I woke up because I heard thunder. Actually, I heard tanks. The military, we saw on our way to Jaisalmer, now had maneuvers in the desert. I saw tanks firing 1/2 mile from our road, of course, not in our direction. Jet fighters flew really low level above our heads. A remarkable demonstration of Indian military power. I was impressed, although they probably aimed at impressing their neighbors on the western side of their border.

Now, I was really awake and enjoyed our drive through the desert. The typical Rajasthan picture: sand, wild camels, flocks of sheep and goats passing our road, forcing our driver to slow down or even stop. Women in their traditional pretty costumes, walking graciously while carrying one or even two copper pots with water on their heads. (I don't look gracious carrying my shopping.) Near the road were little villages with round huts that reminded me of Africa. At a railway barrier we had to wait. Helen was happy for this opportunity to smoke a cigarette. We, too, were grateful for the chance to stretch our legs. Within seconds we were surrounded by children. Fortunately, Helen had bought a good supply of candy for such situations. We still had hours to go and I took a nap again. I was rudely awakened by a speed breaker. We were close to Jodhpur, and there were a lot of speed breakers, to show drivers they were approaching a town and should slow down. Our driver didn't care.

Ute and I checked in at the Karni Bhawan again. We had a different suite, now with color TV. Again, very pretty colonial furniture. Ute went straight to bed. She had a distorted disc some years ago, and the ride on the camel, and the following race through the desert, hadn't done her any good. We had a small snack in our room, I watched an Indian film, and wrote some more postcards.

In the evening Helen & DG had invited us to the dinner buffet at the Umaid Bhawan. First, we went for a drink at the bar. An exquisite room, British ambience, on the walls hunting trophies. The dining hall was huge, with elegant interior, servants in beautiful Indian attire. The buffet was opulent. I didn't know what to choose - everything looked, and was, delicious. We even had real coffee. Afterwards Helen & DG showed us their large suite, with beautiful antique furniture and large paintings on the walls. We had a bottle of real good wine in their Blue Room. It was a wonderful evening.

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