We were sick of Agra before we ever left it, and I was sick in Agra before I left it. I sat at the train station on the brink of throwing up, while we waited for our two-hour late train. Two hours late is actually considered on time in India. That's why if you've seen the Darjeeling Limited it is funny that they are always late for their train, as trains are always incredibly late here. And it's no wonder as our train made frequent stops for lengthy amounts of time for no apparent reason.
But I was sick. I knew I was going to throw up, so I rushed to the train station bathroom thinking I would have to hang over the squatty-potty until I finally just puked, but there was no waiting to it. Every ounce of water and food I had had in the last few hours exited my system. I thought drinking water would help, but I only felt even more nauseated. I'm sure you don't care much to know the gross details of my 12 hour train ride as I laid in the sleeper on the brink of something-or-another the entire time. My body wasn't processing water, it went straight through me (or came back out the way it went in). At one point I even threw up on the floor in the very close area of other persons, who were fortunately completely unphased.
We finally arrived in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Rajasthan is a desert state, and we were in awe along the way to see the red sandstone desert, mountainous hills, and open desert. By the time we arrived in Jodhpur it was dark and had just rained. Of course, there were the usual touts trying to take you to their hotel. The way it works is, if you use an auto to get to a hotel, that auto gets a commission and therefore your rate is higher. So, we had an auto take us to the clock tower, a historic landmark of Jodhpur, which we agreed to for Rs 30. But he claimed the clock tower was flooded and he would take us to our guesthouse (hotel) for free. Of course he would. So we got out and he insisted we agreed to Rs 35. Brittany told him he was dishonest (I would have had a thing or two to say if I was feeling better) and we stormed off to find the clock tower nearby and not flooded in the least bit.
We used the clock tower and the map in the Lonely Planet guide book to find the hotel we were looking for, and so started to make our way in what we hoped was the right direction. The same auto driver came up and begged us to let him take us to the hotel, and then Brittany and I both gave him a piece of our mind telling him he was dishonest and had no honor because the clock tower wasn't flooded at all. He soon got the message that we weren't worth his time and left. Of course we got lost on the way to the hotel, but after a little over an hour of backtracking and asking directions in the heat of the night we finally made it. It was a nice hotel and I managed to get shower in, which was much needed. When I was on the train I was sleeping, which meant I wasn't wearing shoes, but I soon found I didn't have time to throw on my Chacos in my rushes to the restroom. Squatty potties are the last place anyone should be barefoot.
The owners of the hotel were just as our guidebook said, honest and family owned with great service. It seems that every time someone in this country is deceitful and malicious we find someone who is honest and helpful. Jodhpur is the blue city. We woke up this morning, and I was feeling a bit better, and we ventured to the rooftop of our hotel (which proved relatively high). When they say Jodhpur is blue, it is. Every building, whether faded or rich, is blue. It sits at the foot of a mountain which is lined with a great fort called Meherangarh, which we plan to hit up tomorrow.
I hope all is going well for all of you, and I hope you are keeping up with things on this blog. This internet cafe will probably let me upload my photos onto Facebook, so next time I come I'll be sure to bring the cord to do so.
But I was sick. I knew I was going to throw up, so I rushed to the train station bathroom thinking I would have to hang over the squatty-potty until I finally just puked, but there was no waiting to it. Every ounce of water and food I had had in the last few hours exited my system. I thought drinking water would help, but I only felt even more nauseated. I'm sure you don't care much to know the gross details of my 12 hour train ride as I laid in the sleeper on the brink of something-or-another the entire time. My body wasn't processing water, it went straight through me (or came back out the way it went in). At one point I even threw up on the floor in the very close area of other persons, who were fortunately completely unphased.
We finally arrived in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Rajasthan is a desert state, and we were in awe along the way to see the red sandstone desert, mountainous hills, and open desert. By the time we arrived in Jodhpur it was dark and had just rained. Of course, there were the usual touts trying to take you to their hotel. The way it works is, if you use an auto to get to a hotel, that auto gets a commission and therefore your rate is higher. So, we had an auto take us to the clock tower, a historic landmark of Jodhpur, which we agreed to for Rs 30. But he claimed the clock tower was flooded and he would take us to our guesthouse (hotel) for free. Of course he would. So we got out and he insisted we agreed to Rs 35. Brittany told him he was dishonest (I would have had a thing or two to say if I was feeling better) and we stormed off to find the clock tower nearby and not flooded in the least bit.
We used the clock tower and the map in the Lonely Planet guide book to find the hotel we were looking for, and so started to make our way in what we hoped was the right direction. The same auto driver came up and begged us to let him take us to the hotel, and then Brittany and I both gave him a piece of our mind telling him he was dishonest and had no honor because the clock tower wasn't flooded at all. He soon got the message that we weren't worth his time and left. Of course we got lost on the way to the hotel, but after a little over an hour of backtracking and asking directions in the heat of the night we finally made it. It was a nice hotel and I managed to get shower in, which was much needed. When I was on the train I was sleeping, which meant I wasn't wearing shoes, but I soon found I didn't have time to throw on my Chacos in my rushes to the restroom. Squatty potties are the last place anyone should be barefoot.
The owners of the hotel were just as our guidebook said, honest and family owned with great service. It seems that every time someone in this country is deceitful and malicious we find someone who is honest and helpful. Jodhpur is the blue city. We woke up this morning, and I was feeling a bit better, and we ventured to the rooftop of our hotel (which proved relatively high). When they say Jodhpur is blue, it is. Every building, whether faded or rich, is blue. It sits at the foot of a mountain which is lined with a great fort called Meherangarh, which we plan to hit up tomorrow.
I hope all is going well for all of you, and I hope you are keeping up with things on this blog. This internet cafe will probably let me upload my photos onto Facebook, so next time I come I'll be sure to bring the cord to do so.
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