Day 2, Rajasthan trip

Ok -- I digress from Rajasthan for a minute to note that the hotel grapevine here at the fine Crowne Plaza is working well; seems like the entire staff knew we went on a 10 day excursion out west. They all seem to know where we went and what we did, too...did someone pass on our itinerary?!?

After breakfast with Simon we left Manvar, headed for Bikaner. We stopped at a village just outside Manvar to explore a few more havelis, led by an English guide who met us there. One haveli was the size of a city block, again with lovely frescoes inside and out.

As we wandered the village the morning hustle and bustle was in full swing, people doing their housekeeping, pigs, goats, cows (one that got up close and personal w/ Claire), horse-pulled cart (more of a rarity here -- we've seen most pulled by donkeys, camels, the occasional oxen). The market was getting going; we stopped at a stall to watch how a craftsman -- small wizened fellow with dyed hair (sort of orange/red -- makes bracelets. (Btw since we've been in India we've seen quite a few red dye jobs on men).

He showed us how he made them using some kind of metal (?), rolling it over a hot plate until it became long and thin, melding color into it -- orange and green. When he judged it long enough and the same circumference around he cut it, dipped the ends in hot charcoal and fused them. The piece was then dropped in water for cooling and given to Ava, whose wrist it fit beautifully. He made one for Claire too. (No, this wasn't free, of course, but cheap!).

Afterward we saw an immaculately restored haveli, and were invited to climb to the top of another for a view of the city by the family living in it.

Into the car again we headed to Bikaner, which is less than 100 miles east of the Pakistan border (and heavily fortified w/ military presence given its proximity to its neighbor country).

A note about covering faces -- I saw many women doing so throughout Rajasthan (not sure if they were formally following perdah, wherein they cover their faces in front of strangers and men other than their family) or protecting skin from sun or both, but it seems to run contrary to how open many men are with performing their ablutions (sp?). (Bathroom has taken on a whole new definition in my mind after being here for a few weeks -- as has house in general. The whole emphasis on outdoor living space need not be marketed here.)

The aridness, sand and dry brush of the desert became more apparent as we traversed westward to Bikaner. The city has a 9% Moslem population (significantly lower than Manvar and the other village we visited).

From the road we saw what looked like sagebrush and tumbleweeds -- certainly very dry and hot. People were more sparsely distributed throughout the countryside, few villages to pass through (but a far better road!). Apparently a real road and electricity made their way into the area in the '70's. Until then it was limited train access and getting up in the night to travel via camel from village to village so as to avoid the heat of the day.

I expressed interest in the grass huts so low and behold 10 minutes later we were walking up to one, asking the ladies in the field, adorned in brightly colored saris, if we could have a look. (They were gathering mustard seed stems in bunches to be picked up by the men with tractor on the other side of the field.)

(Jai, our escort, led the charge on this quest for viewing -- the women spoke no English. He said they had to check w/ their husbands first; I missed that chapter.)

We were told to have a look, and several kids came out of the hut as we came up to it. Inside was a sleeping/living area (one room). The hut was made of some kind of brushy grass – not sure how it was held together, but no doubt it was fortified to handle sand storms.

Inside food was lined up ready to be cooked: a big hunk of bread dough and some vegetables.

According to Jai families like these (and we saw many huts sprinkled across the countryside) grow only to sustain themselves, not selling their harvests.

Outside the hut was a fire pit for cooking, looked like a small one inside, too.

A stone structure sat to the right of the hut; inside was wiring for electricity… and a TV!

A few cows milled around; more wandered over as one of the boys drew water for them. As we walked away Jai asked if the women would like their photo taken. They came up the hill, adjusted their saris and posed – very endearing.

We then schlepped across the road for a look at the hut on the other side. There a man held a baby and waved us in for a look, nodding yes to photos while his shy daughter looked on. Very neat and orderly, they had 2 grass structures, one low to the ground with what looked like the trunk of a tree in the center for a base. A cot was set outside for relaxing/sleeping.

A bit later we arrived in Bikaner, which is less than 100 miles from the Pakistan border (and heavily fortified w/ military presence, I might add). We found wide streets lined beautifully with trees. Where we entered the city the surroundings were well kept, with lovely clay buildings, fountains and green space. Our hotel was a beautiful, recently opened facility outside Bikaner(cool, inviting courtyard in the center and green grass/flowers in the grounds around it – nice contrast to the dry, barren areas we’d passed en route).

We had lunch – a buffet of Rajasthani specialties (with Indian style chips that looked like cheese puffs, which the kids of course enjoyed) – near Bikaner’s main attraction: the Junagarh Fort. (It was built by Raja Rai Singh, one of Mughal emperor Akbar's trusted generals.)

Added on or completed over several centuries, the building featured various styles of architecture. It is still owned by royalty and proceeds from tourism go to local schools.

With courtyards throughout for meetings, entertainment and events ( parts of the fort are still used for royal weddings and viewings, and it has been featured in movies and Bollywood films)it was magnificent.

One courtyard has a swimming pool w/ screens to ensure ladies’ modesty. We also saw summer and winter bedrooms (more ventilation in summer, less in winter), wooden ceilings (better insulation) and exquisitely detailed paintings on every wall and ceiling. Delicate brushes made from hair were used to yield such tiny, perfect artwork, with a wide array of colors, plus silver and gold throughout.

Restoration was taking place on ceilings and other aspects of the fort. As it was never attacked it is in quite good condition.

Two elevators are in the fort, along with a museum, hosting ancient manuscripts, gems and jewels, exquisite carpets, treaties, arms and royal weaponry.


From the Junagarh Fort we went to the Camel Breeding Station, the only facility of its kind in the world, according to our guide. It was founded several years ago after public concern grew about the treatment of camels (illness, sores, injuries, etc.). The government set up this station to learn more about camels’ needs and to provide free medical attention/medicine to the villagers with ailing camels. It’s also been used to help educate the owners on diet and nutrition, care, breeding, etc.
Begun with 20 camels, the facility now has well over 100, with a variety of breeds and studs for replication of specific traits.

We got to see many eating in the corrals, as they’d spent the morning grazing in nearby fields. We also saw mothers with their young and lots of pregnant camels.
About the camel:

They have a 13-month gestation period, live about 25 years, have 9 – 10 calves in their lifetime, no twins. They can carry 20 % of their weight but can pull much more (quite literally pulling their weight, I guess)

From the Camel Breeding Station we made 2 more stops: a silk shop where we got another big sales pitch on handiwork from ladies of the desert (I guess there is no way to cut to the chase; I had hoped…).

After seeing what seemed like a representation of everything in the shop – including a wedding dress used by royalty in the 19th century (it took 2-3 years to make, woven with gold and silver and must have weighed 15 pounds – Claire and I got to pick it up), we did actually leave with a blanket. (Nothing too elephanty, though – can’t quite see that working in my suburban North Carolina home.)

I had to laugh at the wedding dress; the guy would have sold it for $2,000, even though it represents a lost skill and should be part of a museum collection given its history and value. Just think what I could have done w/ that on ebay…

Last, we popped into an art gallery and met an artist whose work was chosen by UNICEF for one of their cards. He specializes in miniatures of trees, using a delicate paintbrush made from hair. His works have appeared in various books and art shows throughout the world.

He showed us his brushes and how he mixes minerals with water to create paint. Nice art lesson.

And we collapsed shortly after ending the evening w/ a meal at the hotel – big day!