Lisa in India (3)

Before I get started, I have not sent any attachments or photos so that may very well be a worm or virus that has attached into my mail addresses. My apologies, if so. I cannot control whether these places have updated virus protection or not so do not open anything. I would forward it to you via Yahoo Photos, if I send anything.

I am now in the Rajasthan desert in a beautiful hotel with a pool....yes, it is baking hot. Sound wonderful? It is now but I was not so happy a few days ago...

My travel companions are only 5 in number - 6 including our guide Norboo who is from Kashmir in the mountains. He is 33 yr and unmarried. His English is very good and he seems to have a good grasp of our Western culture which comes in handy because we are pretty lame at understanding In! dian culture at times. Or perhaps, just not so eager to accept some of it.

You all know of my friend Michelle (from Aus). Sara is 19 yr from the Blue Mountains in Australia. She is quite the Granola girl - sweet and innocent and incredibly niave but it is sometimes very refreshing. I have a great deal of respect for her courage to travel to India alone at such a young age. I would never have done it.

Jennifer is a lovely, perky gal 32 yr old from Sweden (Greg, you would be in love with her!!). She works in risk management. She is a lovely person.

Nigel is from Aukland. He is between jobs and is currently a homemaker with a wife and 2 kids. I greatly admire his wife for letting him come on this trip. We like to tease Nigel alot but I think he enjoys it really.

We left Delhi and took a mini bus to the train sta! tion where we caught an overnight 8 hour train ride to Bikaner, in Rajasthan in the northwestern part of India. We had a 4 person sleeping berth and we were provided with towel, sheet and blanket. The toilet is as you can imagine - a hole in the floor which goes directly onto the tracks. Yes, really. It was not as bad an experience I anticipated it to be and we actually all slept well, waking to the desert sand and dunes.

We were greeted by smiling locals and necklaces made of marigolds. Norboo took us to a hotel where we showered and had some breakfast. After a few hour drive, we were into the desert heat and sand and met up with our camelmen with whom we spent the next 3 days and nights.

This is of course where Lisa gets her first dose of Delhi Belly but there is not backing out of this. Once you are in it, there is no way out except by camel. My camels name was Sula. What incredible beast of burden these camels are. They are not so glamorous but I quite admire them. They have legs as tall as me and they are don't say excuse me when they burp, grunt, shit and fart. It was quite funny actually. The desert is dotted with large round camel turds.

We had our own muscians (Carol, you will love India since you collect instruments) which was quite wonderful and distracting in the extreme heat. We were really so spoiled - our meals were good, all prepared for us, tents set up, a cup tea every morning in the tent accompanied by a bowl of washing water. Vital to the caravan was a water cart. The people must get a drum of water every 2-3 days and they store this in large vats buried in the desert sand.

We visited several homes. I just loved this and have taken some wonderful photos. The people are so warm, friendly, proud of their homes, so kind! and welcoming....it is really so difficult to find the words to describe this feeling to you. My digital camera with its large LCD viewer has become the best asset to getting pictures of people. What a great incentive because the people, especially the children and women, love to see their picture on the little screen. I hope to send some of these pictures to Norboo so I can return a gift to these people with giving them a few photos.

I awoke with nausea my first night and slept poorly. Unfortunately, I had to ride on the camel cart most of the time since the camel was rocky and worsened by nausea. The nausea developed into diarrhea that night which led to some dehyration. The water was salty tasting and drinking hot salty water when one does not have an appetite was quite challenging. I did not change my clothes for about 6 days. Why bother? Michelle was not well either - sick with a cold an! d ++ neck pain.

We did nothing - literally - from 11 am to 3 pm because it is just too damn hot. We lay under a tree on our mats sleeping and drinking hot salty water. Sound fun? I enjoyed the evenings, however, despite my woes. It was cooler and the desert life is fascinating. It made all of us wonder why anyone would live in such a harsh environment.

I am beginning to understand the caste system which is particuarly prevails in Rajasthan. We had some local dancers our last night and one of the young girls was bitten by a scorpion....a bit discerning but she is ok...

Thankfully, I am feeling much better. I should have taken the oral rehydration salts earlier.

Can I ever explain how gooooooood that shower and swim felt?? Wow, I am so lame. But it felt so good and I am enjoying this nice little hotel righ! t now. Despite the negative experience of being ill, I would not have wanted to miss this experience. It is difficult to explain.

I now have many pictures to send to the camel men, musicians and some of the locals in these little tiny villages in such a far away place. No, I would not repeat the experience if you are asking that question.

We went into Jaiselmar, an incredible old fort city in the middle of the desert. It is golden coloured and the architecuture beautiful with detailed carvings. Cows are everywhere in the narrow streets and on each side of the road path there is a gutter of grey water (not sewage, but waste water) so you must watch your step. There are quite less dense numbers of people which is somewhat refreshing. We went to a beautiful temple. The textiles are so stunningly gorgeous. I just do not have the words.

Now Sara and ! Jennifer are ill. I empathize. Michelle has not been well either but I am fine now. The desert heat zaps my energy though. How must it be in the 50 C summer heat??? I just cannot imagine.

I am feeling more adjusted to India. I still struggle with the material poverty, the smells of urine, dodging the cow patties, the number of people, ...the fact that at cow is sacred and better fed than the humans...the incredible inequality of the sexes which is especially evident here in Rajasthan. There are so many details which I cannot explain and so many feelings I am having trouble articulating now.

Hope all is well with everyone! I am safe and well.
Love lisa