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Rajasthan (November 2007) - By Sam Oppenheim

	"Look, I really don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive, you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, you've got to make a lot of noise, because life is the very opposite of death." - Mel Brooks
	I. ---- RAJASTHAN WITH FRIENDS After attending a Sikh wedding in Punjab, I returned to Delhi to meet the first friends to ever visit me in India. Christina, who I have known since 1999, and her friend Katie were both living abroad in Europe. They scheduled a ten-day vacation coinciding with my first forays into Rajasthan. Rajasthan, a state bordering Pakistan and famous for tourism, was an obvious destination I had oddly procrastinated visiting. Its eminence in tourism is such that many people fallaciously equate Rajasthan alone with all of India. Its people, culture, food, architecture, and climate are used to promote tourism and these images are what most people picture when they think of India. I prefer to travel a little off the beaten path, and it was with some trepidation that I noticed our air-conditioned train compartment was chock full of pale foreigners speaking a plethora of languages and overloaded with more cameras than the paparazzi. I was nonetheless excited about finally seeing the famous Rajput palaces, forts, colorful clothing, and the Pushkar Mela - a huge festival showcasing the livestock, arts, and culture of Rajasthan. We were also lucky enough to be the guests of a royal family and planned our visit to coincide with the Diwali holiday. Diwali is a festival of lights celebrating family and symbolically warding off the coming dark, cold nights of winter.
	II. ---- JAIPUR & PUSHKAR Jaipur welcomed us with municipal events for this holiday season. On our first night we saw huge groups of circle-dancers on a closed-off avenue, and got permission to sit on a roof for viewing. Another night we attended a private party at a decorated royal palace, now a hotel, with a plentiful bar and savory buffet diner. On Diwali eve itself we set off fireworks with locals and walked the decorated streets that were closed to vehicles and full of Indians celebrating.
	During the day we toured the local highlights beginning with the nearly mandatory elephant ride up to the Amber Fort, then the City Palace, museums, and the old "Pink City" section of Jaipur. The deeper we went into Rajasthan, the more we enjoyed its Indian-ness. I guided my friends around explaining the significance of rituals such as the puja in a temple and the red tilak dot placed on the forehead. Incidentally, it is similar to the ash on Ash Wednesday, signifying completion of daily prayers. The girls giggled at cows and took the mandatory "Look I'm in India" photos. This helped me to enjoy India's novelty all over again through fresh eyes.
	The highlights of Pushkar were getting "Puja'd" by priests at the holy lake and trying a Bhang Lassi -a marijuana-yoghurt-milkshake preparation that is a psychedelic trip. III. ---- JODHPUR Jodhpur, famous for its "Blue city" and enormous ancient fort dominating the skyline, was awesome. We wandered through backstreets purposely getting "lost", and in the evening toured the commanding castle above. Looming over the city, the fortress casts its shadows across the whole landscape at dusk, and the small blue houses look like square fungi clinging to its edges and spreading below. Inside the fort is a royal palace. There we took the requisite guided tour of magnificent treasures and stunning architecture. We marveled at intricately carved stone screens which let in the breeze but not the direct sunlight, dashing decorated rooflines, and harmonious masonry in reds, yellows, and whites. The architecture of desert kingdoms is fantastic.
	After sunset we splurged on the most expensive meal thus far at the terrace restaurant. Atop this fortress we had a candlelight dinner under the stars with live music and red wine. Not my usual backpacker's India. Because it was Diwali season we were also showered with occasional fireworks. Perhaps it was the wine and heavy food, but seated on the rampart with cannons alongside us and booming echoes below, when I closed my eyes I imagined Christina and Katie were veiled ladies of the Haarem and I was defending them from the British attack. Our second day we left the city and visited the hinterland. In Osiya I showed the girls a Jain temple and a step well reaching deep into the desert floor. Then I directed our driver to go 10 miles out of town and stop at a random farm.
	The villagers said we were the first foreigners ever to visit them. They made us tea, showed us their houses and granaries, took photos with us, and then let us play with their baby goats. What a scene we made! They spoke a local dialect to our driver who told it to me in Hindi and I translated for Chris & Katie. Before leaving we gave them candy, post-it notes, and European chewing gum. It was good wholesome fun and a cultural exchange for all of us. The only downside was when that they were distracted by us and didn't notice their cow getting into a pile of freshly threshed grain. She had to be chased off with beads of golden grain stuck to her guilty wet black nose. I took the girls back to Delhi via Agra and the Taj Mahal. In Delhi, before they left India, we checked out the Qutab Minar ruins and danced with the Hare Krishnas at the ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple. I then returned alone to Rajasthan to see the rest of the state.
	"If you have just one or two spiritual friends with whom you can share your highest aspirations, you should consider yourself richly blessed" - Kriyananda IV. ---- UDAIPUR I had heard so much about this town famous for the floating lake palace that I figured it would certainly disappoint me. It didn't! 2 nights and 1.5 days left me exhausted from "Doing it all". One morning I drove up to The Monsoon Palace. Built atop a hill overlooking the whole region the farmland and forest are arrayed below. This palace, now abandoned, was ghostly empty and decaying, yet beautiful. Next, the central City Palace was like all other Rajasthani Palaces - ornate and filled with guided tours, but so opulent it is a must-see.
	At sunset I ran to the waterfront to photograph the lake palace, but missed the last ferry. Determined, I hired a plastic paddle-boat and began pedaling in earnest until I was sweating like a woman giving birth, could barely see through salty-eyes, and then pushed on some more. Now was not the time for turning back. The golden-honey last light of the sun painted the palace and was fading fast. Circling the palace completely for maximum photographic potential, I finally got my "money shot" when the sun dipped behind Mother Earth alongside the palace. Next thing I knew, I was getting yelled at by a motorboat that almost sunk me. Apparently I was too far from shore for a plastic dinghy.
	Back on land I was congratulated on my seamanship by the rental agency, and offered a backrub. Exhausted from cycling 2-3 miles through water I couldn't resist an Ayurvedic massage for just $5.00. Then I watched a traditional dance performance held nightly in a restored Haveli (Nobleman's lakeside mansion). What a spectacle! Don't try this at home: dancing on broken glass, balancing fires, towering pots on heads, and all the while jingling bells & bangles. V. ---- MT. ABU This mountain vacation spot in the middle of a fertile valley reminds me of Mt. Diablo in California. Mt. Abu dominates the landscape and may similarly be an old volcano. People visit it for the cooler climate, a beautiful mountaintop lake, and the magnificently carved white marble Jain temple. Again I wished I had stayed longer, but I did see it all. Darling couples held hands walking or cuddled in boats. I saw no foreigners on my whole walk around the lake. Cameras are not allowed inside the gorgeous temple renowned as India's best stone carving, so you'll have to go yourself! Like Jodhpur's farm, the highlight for me was an encounter with the locals. I snapped photos from a distance of some shy women working on building a dam. When I approached them they were reluctant to be photographed, so I helped the build the dam. It was fun, even though I had difficulty balancing the dirt on my head, and I gained their trust! Later I returned from a walk and brought them cold bottled water and mango juice. Last month I mailed them copies of their photographs.
	I ended my last night at sunset point. It was nice to see the last rays of red glint off reservoirs and set behind a seemingly infinite expanse of flat farmland, but more interesting was crowd watching. Leaving after sunset was like Time's Square on New Year's Eve, but with horses, too! I nearly got trampled photographing the crowd with my back to the flow. They yelled "ghora!" (horse) and i stupidly thought they were saying "gora," which means white man! VI. ---- JAISALMER Jaisalmer is India's last fort on the edges of the Thar Desert. It is an outpost of a lost kingdom, near the border with present-day Pakistan. The area is famous for camel safaris, but it is most unique for being Rajasthan's only living fort. Unlike the museum-preserved edifices in other areas, this fort is filled with privately owned houses and occupied day and night as a city within walls above the desert. Walking the crenellated rampart walls was peaceful, and wandering inside the city was pleasant, but visiting the ancient Jain temples was exquisite. I checked out the local desert one night and a lake far below the fort on my last evening.
	Before leaving town I also went to the famous government Bhang shop. This one sold not only marijuana-lassi drinks, but also marijuana-pineapple-juice, and pot-cookies. All legal and government certified. However, this is one of the only places where marijuana is legal in all of India. As I sat inside the shop with other patrons, I asked the owner about the cookies. He took out two airtight bins and opened them. "These are normal strength for normal people," he said of the first. Then opening the box of noticeably darker and tougher cookies, he explained, "These are for Israelis and camels!" We laughed - even the Israelis. Then I asked, "Oh, you mean for eating while on a camel safari, right?" "Ah, yes, it is good to have on a safari also," he began, "When you eat you feel like on flying carpet, not stinky bumpy camel - the desert is more beautiful then, too. But also to feed to camel. They, too, like to eat. When your camel has strong cookie he walks more smooth, no more bump-bump. It is like camel swimming in oasis under moonlight." VII. ---- THE PUSHKAR MELA Once a year Pushkar - a small dusty town surrounding a holy lake - explodes with tourists while hosting a huge festival. There are 3 parts to the event. First there is the 4-day animal market where camels, horses, and other livestock are shown and sold. Secondly, the government, to encourage tourism, began hosting daily entertainment events and even built a stadium on one side of the town. Finally, on the last day at sunrise after the full moon in November, every Hindu, including many holy men, take a dip in the lake to cleanse their body and soul.
	Wandering around, it at times reminded me of the Kumbha Mela - tents, crowds, dust, animals, street food - but not as interesting. The municipal stadium, however, hosted great fun events including buffalo milking competitions, camel races, mustache-pulling-a-car, water-filled-earthen-pot relay races, horse dances, tug of war, and every night a plethora of talent showcased on a bandstand.
	I participated in the tug-of-war foreigners vs. Indians, and a pot-breaking contest. Afterward I was featured on TV as the turbaned Hindi-speaking American and enjoyed some degree of notoriety. On my return journey locals recognized me on the train platform, and asked me a barrage of questions about my being on TV and knowing Hindi.
	Other highlights included renting a scooter, tying tefillin in a local Hasidic Jew outpost, and playing with a baby goat some fellow borders in my hostel bought as a pet. I also visited a local village one afternoon where an adorable old man in pink danced with his wife while friends improvised instruments. One day I met a fellow Columbia Alum at sunset on a temple-topped hill. Overall, Pushkar was really fun and at times crazy.
	The last 2 days, after all the animal sellers had packed up their tents and started their long march home, sometimes a week by foot, yet there were still many tourists. Finally the crowds built up to a crescendo on the final day. All the streets became safety hazards. Only foot traffic was allowed, and it was regulated by police into one-way paths. I returned my rented scooter and fought the crowds clutching my wallet and camera bag tightly. Photography is forbidden at the ghats (steps to water) to respect bathing women, but I took some anyway from a distance, and others with the explicit permission of holy men.
	Finally I left Rajasthan, exhausted, with some sights unseen including the "Rat-Temple", but overall feeling very successful at photographically documenting most of the state. "How you spend your time is more important than how you spend your money. Money mistakes can be corrected, but time is gone forever" - David Norris