An Indian Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I write to you from Jaisalmer-it is sunny and pleasant here, but I am missing the snow.  Never thought I’d say that, but I DO like a White Christmas (even if I’m sick of winter as soon as Dec. 26^th hits).  For now, I hope you are all enjoying your holiday whether you are having a White Christmas or not.

My last blog post left off at our arrival in Jodphur, AKA “The Blue City”.  To date, Jodphur was our favourite city. However, that could be because we spent most of the day OUTSIDE of the city.  

We were staying at an old house that had been converted into a hotel.  When we first showed up, there was nobody in the lobby for a solid 20 minutes.  I ended up having to call the manager from booking.com to eventually get us checked in.  So random.  Anyway, Dad sort of bonded with the manager (he was a young guy who thought everything Dad said was funny) and he offered to take us cycling in the city the following morning at 7 AM (before the traffic starts).  Of course, Dad is never one to say no to a cycling opportunity, so we were up at the crack of dawn the next day, ready for our excursion.  There were supposed to be two Indian tourists joining us, but they just didn’t show up.  We asked the manager if he knew why they didn’t come and he responded with “That is India”.  Got it.

As excited as Dad was to get on the bike, I think it was quite a shock once he actually sat on the largest bike they had.  I’m pretty sure it was built for someone that was about 5’5”.  Even I felt like I was riding a clown bike because my knees came up to my chin each time I pedaled.  Anyway, we rode around town and saw a few sights.  I can safely say that by the end of the two hours, Dad and I were not wishing that we had decided to cycle through India.  I cannot explain how many things are happening in each narrow alley.  The potholes, the vegetable carts, the motorcycles, and of course, all the people!  It was quite a stressful ride, but it was good to be able to see a city with a local guide.  We even got to go to a very nice lookout point which was a real treat.

Dad's buddy

Away we go!

Morning Lookout

"The Blue City"

After the tour, we ate breakfast on the rooftop balcony.  This was a nice feature for the hotel and I enjoyed many hours in the sun up there.  Then, we hiked up to the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park.  This is not necessarily a tourist destination which is why I was looking forward to getting there.  It is just behind the Mehrangarh Fort.  My idea was to skip the fort and enjoy the walking trails BEHIND it.  And it was fantastic!  We walked around for about two hours, enjoying the wildlife and fresh air.  Dad stopped at the fort on the way back, but I didn’t.  Obviously.

Checkin' out the fort I'm NOT going in...

View from the desert park!

I spent the afternoon on the rooftop enjoying the sun.  The roof was a great feature of the hotel, but unfortunately they had music playing on the stereo and for whatever reason, it was just one song that would play over and over again.  After 40 minutes, I was getting such a headache, I explained the music situation to the waiter, so he said he would change it.  As you might guess, then THAT song played on repeat.  In case you’re wondering the song was a techno version of “Take Me Home, Country Road”.  So there’s that.  After another 30 minutes went by of THIS song, I asked him to just turn off the music.  Instead, he switched the song again and…the cycle continued.  Eventually I had to leave.  What was hilarious was that when we came up for dinner 4 hours later, the same song was STILL playing. 

ANYWAY, as soon as I left the rooftop, Dad arrived back at the hotel after his trip to the fort.  Nothing interesting to report on there (surprise, surprise).  Next up was the local market.  There wasn’t much to buy but it was definitely where the locals shop.  The beggars were all over Dad.  I forgot to mention in the last post that rather than saying “no thank you” as I’ve suggested, soemtimes he looks at them after they ask him for money and says “Money? You want to give me some money? Sure, I’ll take some money”.  Of course they look at him confused and say “No, Me, money!” He responds “Ok, yeah, I’ll have some money!” while putting his hand out.  Needless to say, the exchange continues for quite some time amidst laughter and giggling from the children and confusion from everyone else.

After Jodphur, we headed to Jaisalmer.  The big tourist attraction on the way was the Indian War Museum.  It was pretty boring, but I took a few pictures anyway.

Really glad a stranger volunteered to take a picture of the two of us.  Clearly, he was really concerned about making sure my face was in the photo.

Heading out to the desert!

Jaisalmer it known as the “Golden City”.  We didn’t see much of it because we only spent one night there before heading out to the desert.  However, it was a restless night due to the number of dog fights happening outside our window.  The night was filled with howling, barking, and what sounded like... dog wrestling?  We have been here for two weeks and never thought the wild dogs would be an issue, but as we’ve learned, India is full of surprises!  Before we left Canada, our pharmacist (who was from India) told us that we didn’t need to get the rabies shot.  We would be fine as long as we didn't play with the dogs…I didn’t think it would be an issue, but apparently in Jaisalmer, the dogs are a little more feisty than usual.

The following day, we got in a jeep and headed out to the desert.  We were going on a camel safari-an excursion we had been looking forward to since we booked our trip to India!  Dad and I rode camels on our trip to Jordan and loved it, so we were excited to get away from the city and enjoy some time with the camels.

We met our guide, Lakia.  He was less of a guide and more of a “camel walker” (self described).  I don’t want to say he was unhappy to see us, but I would say his disposition was disinterested at best.  However, Dad and I were loving life being on the camels, seeing the desert landscape, enjoying the fresh air, and treasuring the fresh, unpolluted air.  After an hour of riding, we stopped at a village.  As soon as we got there, about 10 kids came running out to us.  They were so excited to show us their home.  It was great to spend some time in an actual rural Indian village even though they were asking for money the whole time. 

This was right before they began teasing me for having a large chest...so that was awkward.

We stopped for lunch at a beautiful tree.  As soon as Dad and I sat down on the blanket in the lovely shade, Lakia informed me that it was time to make lunch.  In the sun.  So there I was peeling potatoes in the sun while Dad napped in the shade.  It was a cool experience to see how they make everything, and be part of the process, but the sun paired with the hot fire was a little too much for my Canadian blood!

There I am, slaving away

While Dad LITERALLY does nothing.

Making Chapita

I (helped) make this!

A random man came out of nowhere (I think he was a shepherd?) because he was followed by many goats and he ended up eating with us as well.  A stranger that seemed to come out of nowhere joined us at every meal during our time in the desert.

I was in charge of herding the camels after lunch...

Our camel walker, Lakia

This camel was named "Michael Jackson".  So that was great!

After lunch, we rode for another 2 hours before arriving at our campsite.  Dad and I went on a walk around the dunes before watching the sun set.  You couldn’t see anyone for miles.  It was amazing! And then, out of nowhere, three figures starting walking towards us.  Two women and a small girl were singing and dancing.  They walked up to us and begged for a solid 10 minutes.  That doesn’t sound like much time, but when you’re in the middle of nowhere and you have three people asking you for money, 10 minutes goes by very slowly.  Even in the middle of nowhere, with nobody in sight, they manage to find Dad.

Waiting for the sunset

We had a fire that night after dinner and went to sleep under the sky.  It was beautiful to look up and see nothing but the stars and the moon.  Dad and I were dressed for the weather (many layers as it gets cold at night in the desert).  Just as my eyes were closing, I heard Dad saying “Go!  Get out of here, get gone!” and I wake up to see a wild dog basically on top of us.  I don’t know what it was about us (we did not have any food on us), but they kept coming back over and over again.  Eventually, after waking up an hour later to a dog sniffing around my FACE, I gave up and went to sleep in the tent.  Dad also gave up and slept in another tent. Throughout the night, they were sniffing around our tents constantly.  What is it with these dogs????  

The remnants of the sunset

Evening Fire

Attempting to sleep under the stars...

The next morning...

Dad checking out the sunrise 

I don't know if this is artsy or just really blurry.

Making Breakfast With Lakia

Technically, we didn't really sleep under the stars, but we feel we got the true Indian experience!  Which comes with dogs, I guess!  The next morning after making breakfast, we rode the camels to the highway and returned to the city.  I had a nice, long, hot shower and Dad had a nap before he went off to…you guessed it, another fort.  

Our little "friend" marking his territory as we leave...

Leaving the desert behind and heading back to Jaisalmer

Overall, our camel safari was a really great experience and certainly a highlight of the trip!  It is probably the strangest Christmas Eve I’ve had, but I was happy to spend it with my dad since I couldn’t be at home with my whole family.  Plus, it’s the most I’ve ever related to the three Wise Men, that’s for sure!  ;)

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday with family and friends.  Once the tree, the presents, the good food, and the decorations are stripped away, you really get a chance to focus on the reason for the season: Jesus’ birth!  He is a gift to us, truly unlike any other, and we are rejoicing here in India even though our Christmas experience was very different than usual this year.

Sending hugs and love to you all on Christmas!

A