Rajasthan is as different as it is similar to the rest of India. It is distinctly Indian, yet the atmosphere, food, and people are all unique to the rest of India. It is surprisingly a bit less hot in Jodhpur, or at least the mornings usually have a cool breeze. While the autos in Delhi and Agra all run almost exclusively off Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as an answer to pollution, Jodhpur's autos are slightly bulkier and run on normal gas (all CNG autos are green, while the ones here are black). Many of them are decorated, usually religiously, but don't be surprised if you see a heart shape cutout on the back of the driver's seat with a picture from his favorite movie or the name of his girlfriend.
The day before yesterday, which would have been Sunday for us (like I said the dates on here are not right) we ate dinner at a restaurant called On the Rocks, which had excellent Indian food, unfortunately, our gin and tonics were not served "on the rocks" and though the liquor was probably no stronger than normal gin, it was quite a stiff drink. Our auto driver agreed to take us to our hotel for Rs 50, but he didn't know exactly where it was, so we were nice enough to let him stop a little early so he didn't have to search for it down the narrow streets (it was a short walk, but would have been hard for an auto). He then insisted on Rs 50 a person and wanted Rs 100. I had half a mind not to pay him a single rupee, but instead Brittany and I gave him a stern talking to, which he probably didn't understand, but I'm sure he got the message. I then gave him the 50 rupees agreed and stormed off.
We got back to our hotel late and crashed. All throughout the night Brittany was sick and we unfortunately had to stay in the whole day yesterday. Not all was lost as I got some good reading done and finished the Chronicles of Narnia. If you have kids, these are a must read, surpassing Harry Potter in depth and story. Of course, CS Lewis was a well known writer and theologian, so the Christian allegories might be a turn off, however, I have strong feelings that Christian or non-Christian, these stories are significant and amazing for children of any belief. As for adults, as a Christian, Narnia never meant to me what it means to me now, but seeing Aslan, the Great Lion, throughout the books was moving and put many things in perspective for me.
After reading, Brittany and I spent a great deal of time in intense prayer. I wouldn't say that God healed her on the spot, but we were soon very tired and sleep came pretty easily. Throughout the night the power went off, and without the rumble of the air condition, the sounds of the city awoke us several times. Every dog in the city must have been barking, and we heard dog fights several times that sounded like it would have been right outside our door. When you have no power, and the eerie sounds of dogs howling and fighting start it is hard not to be scared. Furthermore a repeating, but not rhythmic, pounding arose, which we still don't know what it could have been. Suddenly the dogs stopped howling and the power came on within a minute of that.
It rained this morning when we first woke up, but by the time we were taking an auto to town the rain had stopped. Things don't open up until at least 9:00am here, but usually later than that. Today we'll try and see the fort/palace on the mountain and tomorrow we will try and bus to Udaipur. I like this city, but the streets are narrow and there is dung everywhere. Shop keepers spend a lot of time cleaning outside their shops in the morning, but if they do anything, they partake in throwing trash all over the ground. India was used to being able to cast disposable things like banana leaves made into plates, but Western society overtook is so fast the habit was never broken when non-biodegradable materials started coming into use.
I attempted to upload pictures here, but no success. There is one more internet cafe to try it at here in Jodhpur, otherwise we'll have to hope for the best in Udaipur, but I'm excited for you all to see them as they are of us at the Taj Mahal.
Of course, Brittany and I both wish our respective and each other's mothers happy Mother's Day.
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