Aug 23 Udaipur

Toulouse - Just moved in!

I am now fully ensconced in my new home.  I have all new ceiling fans, bed, fridge, LED TV, and air conditioner.  The clothes pins are on the line and the landlord has fixed the water tank so I now have a constant supply of water.  Now for some furniture and transportation...maybe a scooter?  

The days are flying by as I have been so busy setting up the house and making plans for a jewelry shop.  I need to find an English speaking attorney for the agreement between Himanshu and myself before I start spending money on it.  He just bought paint and will start work on it today. The previous tenant painted it a hideous shade of pink/red that now has to be covered as well as the

View of the City Palace from my roof terrace!

concrete sealed.

Toulouse has adjusted well and looks forward to her walks 3x a day.  Everyone in the streets already knows her name and even the people on bikes passing by slow down to see this unusual dog.  The dogs here tend to have short hair and I never see any with short legs and curly hair.  They just want to feel that wooly fur.  She is due for a grooming and I have to find clippers as well.  Just finding everything you need is a challenge.

It's 7 am and I can smell the spicy food cooking already as they eat it for breakfast as well as every other meal.  My system just can't handle all that spice, so I am glad I have a semi-functioning kitchen - now to find time to cook.  Maybe I'll boil some rice this morning and find vegies to stir fry in my new pan.  You really don't have a grasp on all the conveniences we have in the states until you try to run a house here without them.

I am on the roof top terrace and the monkeys just came running across the top of my walls - Toulouse went crazy!  She has now sniffed noses with her first cow and barked at her first monkey troop.  It's a cool morning, in the 70s, cloudy, as Udaipur wakes up.  The children are in school and I can hear them singing.

Aug 14 Udaipur

Milkman

The rain continues to fall as the monsoon season is now in full swing.  It's 7am and the school children are on their way to school in their clean pressed uniforms; some in brown, some with checks of red and green, and the government school uniforms of khaki pants & blue shirts for boys, and girls in blue & white.  The street sweepers are out in the drizzle cleaning the streets & gutters, and women in saris walk past with the colorful cloth pulled over their head to ward off the rain.  Families go by on scooters, 3 deep, with umbrellas.  The milkman rides a motorcycle in full rain attire, pants & rain jacket with hood, milk cans strapped to the back sides.  There are several kayaks on the lake this morning as well; something I haven't seen before.  The weather is cool now with no need for air conditioning; a fan being sufficient. 

It's Cow's Day, the 12th day after the full moon, and the women are dressed in red saris, with trays full of flowers, are on their way to decorate the cows in the street with vermillion powder, red strings to tie on the legs, necks, & horns, and to do an arti to bless them.  There are so many of these traditions & rituals in the Hindu faith, which keeps their way of life fully integrated into their beliefs.  They truly live their religion and their faith in the Hindu gods is strong.  This is such a rich culture that I can only touch the tip of the iceberg of understanding.  It fascinates me daily and I am so glad I moved here to be a small part of this complex country.

My new house should be painted and ready either today or tomorrow and I can start shopping!  I am so excited to have my own space, top to bottom and lucky to have found a place with privacy in the old city.  It is a narrow place with all marble floors & stairs, sandwiched between 2 large houses with a living room and bath on the first level, then up to the kitchen, which has a long granite counter top, the next floor is the bedroom and the next a rooftop terrace with a half bath and a view of the City Palace - awesome!  I can hardly wait to buy plants for my outdoor space.  Once I get the basics of a hotel room (bed, sheets, fan) bought, I can move in and continue to furnish it.  Himanshu has a small gas tank with a burner on top I can borrow so I can make chai in the morning.  Life is simple here and all is as it should be.

Aug 8 Hanuman Ghat, Udaipur

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Camels on Parade

I just witnessed the most wonderful celebration / parade on the street in front of Himanshu's shop!  A decorated elephant, floats, lovely girls in costume, horses with embellished harnesses, Policemen standing by, women and children watching from windows, and camels to pull the floats.  Oh yes, we can't forget the jamming music in tow with young men gyrating to the sound. Fun times!  Now I am in Millets of Mewar having a banana date shake with coconut milk...life is truly sweet! 

Rajasthani Man in Turban

This morning as I walked Toulouse at 7 am, before the sidewalk cafes on the waterfront opened, there where the tables and chairs normally sit, were 2 rats about 6" long, not counting the tail, on their hind legs playing!  I just stood there for a few minutes and watched, they reminded me of a couple of kittens at play.  I don't particularly like rats, but it was the cutest thing!  Of course Toulouse wanted to chase them and they scampered away trying to climb a metal pole, not, and the nearby wall.  I pulled on her leash and we walked on.

Now the eagle size bats fill the sky on their night journey helping reduce the mosquito population.  Such an important task here, especially during the monsoon. Go, bats, go!

August 6 Udaipur

Himanshu

As I sit having chai at Raju's haveli on the corner, the school children in their uniforms, backpacks full of books & papers, pile into the small auto rickshaws, sitting on each others laps on their way to class.  Toulouse is at my feet as is Raju's dog, Bruno, her new best friend.  When I walk her, he always comes with us and protects her from the street dogs.  

I can hear the worshipers chanting at the nearby temple as cows stroll by looking for food thrown out on the streets for them.  Their diet seems to consist of people's leftovers, whatever they can forage from the trash cans, and the occasional bundle of grass carried in by the local women.  I think the camels have it a bit better as they pull the carts and look well fed.

Life slips by in peace as I look for a more permanent home. We have looked at 3 places so far and haven't quite found what we are looking for...one was in someone's home, one turned out to be great, but was in a bad neighborhood, and the 3rd one was just too small.  I feel sure we can find something in our budget as all of these were less than I expected. I can't believe I have been here almost 3 weeks.

Camel - Udaipur

The monkeys are playing in the temple and I see a new black baby.  Although the languor monkey has grey hair with a black face, the little ones are solid black, and so cute.  They scamper around and one jumped off the platform only to find it could not get back up as it was too tall.  His mother promptly jumped down to collect him.  I could watch them for hours, and sometimes do.

Although we are not officially in tourist season, they are here, as Udaipur is one of the main tourist attractions in the state of Rajasthan.  We have palaces and forts, ghats and shopping, monkeys and parrots, and lakes in the middle of town.  The sun sets behind the Aravali mountains, highlighting the Monsoon Palace perched on the precipice of the tallest one.  Peace and beauty!

July 31 Udaipur

Room #108, Hanuman Ghat Hotel

I awoke to the sound of rain falling with Toulouse cuddled by my side.  My new room, I changed hotels yesterday, has screened windows on 2 sides as I have the room on the top floor corner.  I get a view of the lake on one side and the temple on the other...life is good!  Now the rain has stopped, I walked he dog, and am waiting in the restaurant for my milk coffee and papaya porridge.   Shared a table and conversation with Lin from China.  Unfortunately, she is getting ready to check out and is on her way to Mumbai tonight on the night train.

It is still drizzling rain and of course, Toulouse had to go out the minute I got back.  I am so glad I brought an umbrella.  They are putting a flat screen in today and taking this large dinosaur of a TV they just put in here, out.  That will free up the entire corner of the room and with all this luggage, I could use the space.

I am so thrilled with the new battery I got for this netbook - the charge lasts 6 1/2 hours, and with a modem stick I am good when the power cut happens and can still use the internet.  Speaking of which, the grid for northern India had an outage that affected the entire northern part of India, 22 states, including Rajasthan.  It went out a 2:30am yesterday and didn't come back on until late afternoon.  It was like a steam bath in the room.  I was glad to be checking out.

March 15, 2012 Bus from Agra to Delhi - Stranded!

I wish I had a picture of the bus, after it hit the car in front of us.  After a late start, the bus made its way from Agra, where we visited the Taj Mahal, to Delhi.  Unfortunately, it rear-ended the car in front of it around 9 pm and the car's driver and passengers got out with pipes and proceeded to bust out the front windshield of the bus in anger.  Then they started down the sides, breaking glass and sending it flying inside.  Himanshu pulled me down to protect me, then someone shouted, "stop it! there are children in here!"  The mayhem stopped, except now we were stranded about an hour south of Delhi with a bus driver who was no where to be found!

Thank goodness we were only on a day trip and had no luggage locked in the back.  No one spoke English, so I was doubly thankful for Himanshu who managed to get us a rickshaw to the bus station.  Although it was closed, a bus going to Delhi pulled in with seats available.  We finally arrived back at the hotel around midnight!  Quite a day trip!

July 29, 2012 Udaipur

Elephant on Street in Udaipur

There is a bird here that sounds like a cat meowing!  I finally saw one yesterday, but still don't know the name of it.  It is a large bird with a long bill; black with white & brown. 

I went to Hanuman Ghat yesterday, my old stomping ground, and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who greeted me with a "so glad to see you back".  It gave me that warm & fuzzy feeling of coming home after being away a long time.  The hotel I stayed in when I first arrived is under new management and insisted on showing me a room.  It was large with a nice view, bath, AC, my very own tiny hot water heater, and they will put a flat screen on the wall - all for 100 rupees less than I am paying here.  There is everything you need in that area; good restaurants, small stores, local vegies & fruit, Himanshu's shop, and most importantly, friends!  The streets were unbelievably clean, no cow poop everywhere, clean swept, and it is much closer to town.  Walking back, an elephant strolled past me on the street...I love India!

Toulouse

Himanshu & Dinesh Cooking

his morning as I walked to my favorite chai stand with Toulouse, five, skinny Jain priests walked in front of me; three completely naked, one with a diaper-looking cloth on, and one with a shawl...all righty then!  They believe covering the body is unnecessary...to each his own.  Most of the population here is Hindu, with a sprinkling of Buddhists, and the temples are numerous.  These were the first Jain priests I have seen.  There is a day trip from here to Ranakpur, where there is a famous Jain temple.  It contains 1,444 columns, each exquisitely carved with different scenes and very elaborate.  I still need to go see it; perhaps when my friends visit this winter we can go.  I hear it is a "must see" for this area. 

July 25 Udaipur

Temple on Lake Palace Road

As I sit on the roof top of the Shambhu Vilas Hotel, the brilliant green parrots fly across the sky and alight on the cell tower close by.  My sweet dog, Toulouse is at my feet and a cup of chai sits before me.  I am quite a ways from my old neighborhood of Hanuman Ghat on the other side of the lake, but right next to a huge park that has not only a lovely rose garden, but a public library in an ornate, old building.  I haven't been in it yet, but will have to explore it at some point.  There is also a zoo, which was closed yesterday when I walked through with Alexandra, a young woman staying at the same hotel.  She trains and owns horses in her homeland of Germany.  As is usually the case with the travelers I meet, she is quite a bit younger than I, but we found we have a lot in common.

It is great to be with Himanshu again after 4 months of emails, calls, texts, and Skype...not quite like being able to have someone's arms around you.   Due to the tourist police here, we have not been able to go anywhere on the bike together.  Since he does not have a guide's license, he cannot be seen traveling with me as they are quite aggressive about stopping you for no other reason than to harass you and in fact, they would take him to jail claiming he was working as a guide without a license.  I feel so restricted by this new phenomenon of tourist "protection" that began this year.  They actually slap these guys when they stop them!  Unbelievable!  Consequently, he has been taking my list to the market to pick up the things I need.  He has helped me so much by finding me a hotel that will take my dog, to all the little things I would be hard pressed to do on my own.

Vidya & Alexandra

Although we are in monsoon season, the state of Rajasthan does not get the torrential downpour like other parts of the country - it has only rained once since I arrived on the 20th of this month.  However, the season is much cooler and the mornings are breezy with no need for air conditioning.

I am practicing my patience as the laws here are not what I was lead to believe - not by deception, but lack of knowledge.  I had hopes of putting in a guesthouse/hotel, but everything here is so convoluted in comparison to the states; not to mention the corruption.  It would simplify things if we got married, but the judge doesn't even like it if they marry someone who is not from India!  This has put my apartment hunting on hold as well, as I may have to leave the country in 6 months for a 2 month period before I can return...yes, another very different law. 

Feb. 26 Udaipur

Ancient Carved Stone in Wheat Field

We took an hour and a half ride through the country side to the reach the village of my friend, Himanshu's, maternal uncle.  The road went from highway to gravel as we drove further into India's interior. 

The village was a quiet one which is not visited often, and quite possibly never by westerners.  People came from their homes to see the stranger - children giggled and adults unabashedly stared at my blue eyes, light hair, and white skin. 

Making Paparie

His uncle's home was a 150 year old home and was built with a stable downstairs for the cow and newborn calf, and the residence upstairs.  The bull lay in the walkway outside the gate; protecting his interest, no doubt.  The roof was rough tile and the walls brick, covered with a smooth surface of concrete and white paint. As we lie in the sun to warm up, his cousin laid out paparie (like a thin corn tortilla with spices) on straw to dry in the sun.  After drying, they are stored in a tin box to be deep fried as needed.  Very tasty, I might say.  I liked them so much, she cooked some up to send with me! Yum!

Irrigation Well

After a relaxing lunch, Himanshu, his uncle, and I hopped on the motorcycle to head out to the fields to see his farm land.  He had wheat fields, and various vegetables & herbs, with natural fences of cactus to separate the plots.  There was a deep kund (large well with steps leading into the water), that had a spring in the bottom for irrigation.  Quite a nice set-up!

On the ride back, we stopped at the local museum, which told the history of the Mewar Maharaja who was fierce in battle turning back the Mughal invasion many times, and his horse, Chetak, who was fearless and ran 5km with a fatal injury to save his master, after which time he lay down and died.  There is a statue in the traffic circle commemorating him in Udaipur - Chetak Circle.

Feb. 20 Udaipur

Shiva's Birthday Celebration

Today is Shiva's birthday and there was a large celebration here in Hanuman Ghat.  I saw blocks of ice being carved and thought it would be something elaborate.  Instead, they just made a dip in the top and painted and decorated the sides of the huge blocks of ice.  



It looked very interesting, but the rice pudding they were dishing out was the best part!  I do love the lifestyle here.