Desert Travels

This week we traveled over 2,000 km on our road trip west of Jaipur. We stopped in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer (a desert city about 60 km from Pakistan), and Bikaner and our time was filled with visits to villages, schools, hospitals, and other NGOs, rooftop restaurants, fort explorations, sand dunes, camel rides, traditional music and dance, and of course, FOOD. I will try and put pictures up soon.
In Jodhpur we had dinner on the roof of a huge fort overlooking the city. Stepping up to the wall that was still hot from the sun and looking down on the sea of blue lights below (Jodhpur is known as the Blue City), I got so dizzy just thinking about all that life down there! It was really humbling and I felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility to use my one little life in a way that brings more love and peace to the world. We visited a community of Indian refugees from Pakistan, who are waiting in an endless line for citizenship...so currently they can't get jobs and have a pretty desperate situation. We also met with a group of ashas, or women who have been elected by their villages to receive health training at one center and spread awareness in their community once they come back. It was neat to experience women's empowerment in such a way, and they were really interested in our lives. Also in Jodhpur our hotel had a pool, and I relished the silence of swimming underwater. I love India's noises and hums but I was surprised by how magical that silence was.

In Jaisalmer we stayed in nice tents in the Thar Desert. The biggest adventure there was the camel ride. Being ontop of a camel while the camel is trying to stand up is one of the most hilarious things to watch and experience. It's a multi-step process with awkward leaning and jolts involved. My friend Elizabeth and I named our camel, Choti Moti Nashpati, which means, Little Fat Pear. Unfortunately we were behind a rather flatulent camel. We reached the sand dunes, which are so smooth and sculpted, and descended from our ungainly positions to hear some traditional Rajasthani (the princely state I am in) music and see some dance while the sun set. I wish I could have some paint samples of those sun set colors. At night I couldn't sleep so I lay out and stared at the billions of stars painted across the sky. I saw two shooting stars! The next morning some friends and I got up super early and explored the desert while the sun was getting ready to come up. We were hanging out in the sand dunes when the huge, lava-like sun heavily decided to wobble out. It was a great moment of exploration and surprise. Jaisalmer also has a fort with winding, narrow streets, and a multitude of small shops and restaurants hidden in niches. It felt like Aladdin.
In Bikaner we mostly just visited NGOs- we saw a dairy cooperative and I loved seeing all the steps for the processing of milk, as it is my beverage of choice. I have been enjoying the dairy in India, especially the yogurt drinks called lassis that often are made with fruit. We also went to a girls camp that brings in about 100 girls from very poor families to go to school for 7 months. These girls otherwise probably would not have any schooling, and this is really a transformative experience for them. They sang several songs and chants for us about girls fighting for their education- it was so moving to see them so determined, especially after we had talked about our frustrations with the male-dominated society and gender inequality and segregation. We also got a chance to talk with college students our age, and we talked about music (even both groups singing songs for the other), movies, food, presidents, India, and our thoughts about arranged marriage! Connecting with Indians our age was refreshing. We stand out wherever we go, as we are obviously foreigners, but it's always interesting to see the reactions of kids and other people when a group of 16 American girls comes in to their village or school or hospital to talk especially with them. They are shy, curious, bewildered, amused by small things, but they are always fascinated and happy to see us.

Now we are back in Jaipur, and today is a big holiday called Dussehra. Papa Ji and Mami Ji's daughter Nalini told me the story, which was spell-binding. The story (through Nalini now through me) goes that a king had three sons, and Ram was the oldest so he was the heir to the throne. However, one of his other wives demanded that her son, who was younger, become the king. She also insisted that Ram go into exile in the jungle for 14 years. Ram told his father he didn't need to become king and that he would go into exile. His father refused, but Ram insisted. Ram went into the jungle with his wife Sita, and the evil demon Ravan stole her. Ravan had asked for 10 heads from another god (?) so he would be invincible, so he was basically scary and unstoppable. Ram searched the jungle for Sita, and found out that Ravan had taken her. So Ram sought out Ravan and shot an arrow into his navel, which killed him. So Dussehra is celebrated today by burning an effigy of Ravan. It is the victory of good over evil. 14 years later, or 14 days symbolically later, Divali is celebrated- the day when Ram returned from the jungle and became king. Anyway, that's what I understood from Nalini.
I hope all is well back in the States and wherever you are reading this!