Random bits

Spending some time in this internet cubicle while we wait for our midnight train to Geo...er, Jaisalmer, the Golden City. Rajasthan has this tourist schtick (okay, okay, they might have some historical significance) of naming its cities after the predominant color of the houses. Jaipur is the pink city, Jodhpur is blue, and Jaisalmer is golden. Here are a few stray crumbs of thoughts from over the past few days, in not particular order. No new pix posted yet, since this is a really slow connection (and old computer!).

-Had an interesting conversation on the busride to Nawalgarh with an overly-earnest (but very sweet & kind) 22-yr old guy by the name of Peeyush. Among many truisms that he spouted about India and its people was that Indians take inter-personal relationships and connections very seriously. While this is a wonderful trait (and something I hope to comment on more in another post), it also makes for little privacy or anonymity in the public arena! Perhaps in the US, we are overly concerned with our privacy, but the flipside is a bit of an overwhelming sense that all the world wants to speak to you and will...such as the 2+ hour conversation we had with this guy, straining to hear over the car horn and road noise.

-There are religious ascetics roaming the streets in varying states of dress all over this land. These are folks that have cast off the trappings of society to dedicate themselves to attaining enlightenment. In the US, we might call them crazy and lock them up or, even more likely, let them roam the streets. Now, I don't mean to say that all ascetics are lunatics or conversely, that all US homeless are relentlessly pursuing enlightenment, but the contrast in the way we treat these folks here and there is striking. There seems to be a certain recognition of grace accorded the ascetics here that is totally lacking in the 'States. Much like the famous sacred cows of India, the ascetics are cared for by the community, their basic needs provided for by what we might call begging...

-There is a brand of car (I think is) exclusive to India called the Ambassador. It was the kind of taxi we took from the airport in Delhi and the car our guide had on our haveli tour (see Amberly's post). Besides being awfully cute (picture to come later), they seem uniquely suited to negotiating teeny alleyways not meant for four-wheeled motor vehicles.

-Some thoughts on the traffic going to and around Shekhawati: Best not to look out the window on the buses! It's a perpetual game of chicken being played on the center divider between the larger, faster moving vehicles--cars, buses--with the horn strategically (read frequently) blown to get the slower traffic--camel-carts, donkey-carts, bikes, scooters--out of the way. Lots of camel-carts! Also, trucks carrying a bulging load (twice the width of the truck) of a giant burlap sack stuffed with what seemed to be hay.

-Walking the side streets in Jaipur's old city recalls similar walks in Siracusa (Sicily) or Marseilles: people living their lives and conducting business much as they have for generations past.

-There are many people here engaged in seemingly senseless tasks designed to keep them employed (or perhaps deliberately under-employed, depending on your view). A few examples: man cutting grass with a pair of scissors, eight waiters in an empty restaurant, woman sweeping trash from one side of an alley to another.

That's all for now. I have some more stuff to tell you about, but it'll have to wait!