The Desert is a Wonderous Place

Yesterday we climbed a small mountain on the outskirts of a tiny desert-town called Pushkar and watched the sun turn the sandy clouds around us from a orange-red glow to bright golden whisps that streaked the sky to a fading reddish purple before dissapearing behind some nearby hills and getting terribly dark. I find the desert mysteriously appealing. Gypsie women and their piercing eyes make me uneasy. The lake here is dried up, but bright colors line the streets and barefoot children play cricket alongside oblivious cows. Smells take turns infiltrating your senses as you walk - spices, incense, fried foods, and feces. Old wrinkly dark faced men drink chai together and chat, wrapped in airy white cloths that resemble diapers and huge colorful, intricately wrapped head cloths (not turbans) that resemble oversized helmets. We made friends with a jolly, very fat, shirtless man who wears an orange cloth around his waist, likes to dance and hasn't slopen a word in several months. He wears large Hindu prayer beads and shoos away gypsies that love to come and bother us. He seems to understand what we say to him, and somehow he responds with his eyes and hand motions - he has a loud friendly laugh and we can never help but join in. We eat at Saleem and Niza's "Honeydew Cafe", and after, we linger, drinking chai, people watching, and talking with our kind chef and host, Niza (he talks a lot, and has an honest smile) and occasional children who stop by.

I never told you about Jaipur. THere is a lot to see in that old, pink city, and the people are friendly and calm. THere is also a lot to buy, but we rarely ever buy anything anywhere we go (we're not big shoppers). Our favorite part was the enormous Amber Fort, where we got lost inside the maze of narrow dark hallways and then suddenly popped out in the middle of a hip, modern cafe, where we drank iced coffess and iced teas and felt uneasy afterwards (it's always the hip, nice places that upset your stomach the most. no joke). We met and talked with an old priest who showed us his temple and let us rest on his roof, overlooking the city. We had dinner with an Irish couple in our simple Guest House, Devi Niwas, and gave travelling advice to another german couple who were just starting their own Indian adventure. French people are always pretty cold, but polite, towards us.

Next we go deeper into the desert, to Jaisalmer. THere we look forward to riding camels and sleeping under the stars. The end of our adventure is creeping up on us too quickly, like the sun who slowly progresses through the sky over the course of the day and then quickly falls away behind faraway hills before you know it. Catch you later,

NPW