Discovery Time - Rajasthan (finally)

Last year, 27 jan was the same date when i began a journey to a place that gave me the most unbelievable experience.It was my trip to Karkala.Exactly an year after,I undertook another journey, to a place that has been on my mind since years, Rajasthan.Even though I am a little less satisfied as we were not taken to many places, I still think the journey was brilliant. The bus tired the shit out of everyone as intestines got overloaded, legs got stuck and sleep became an unachievable target.
I am still thinking how those little villages manage things,they are present in patches and nowhere near any city. Everything by the road side looked so cut off. Everything was so far, so distant. Even the human beings were very few. Wherever my eyes could take me, only open land was visible. It was such an aweful feeling to be in a bus for 15 plus hours,and he was still driving me insane.Till about 11 am, the patience began to give up, and he was still driving, until we saw the place where we were to stay.....
DAMN, it was like an oasis in a desert.It was a bonfire on Mt.Everest.That resort named Marugarh was something that smoked life into dead lungs.My eyes popped out at the very first look. PATIENCE actually PAID for the first time in life. And the thing that brought water into our mouths, was, Hahaha, A SWIMMING POOL. Telling the truth, this resort is a place you want to stay for life, provided winters never leave Rajasthan. The food was real tasty, the place was real cosy, the structure was real scenery and the pool was real fun. Last year's repition, it was a river that time, and now its a damn cold pool. So, with a single cloth, not knowing how to swim, water's call and for the sense of adventure, I went in. And stoppped breathing.
Mehrangarh fort looked more like The Great Wall Of China, it was soooo long. I wonder how they used to biuld these heavy structures without cranes. That fort is very lively, huge and contains lots of history in it.And since i was with many people and under time's restriction, I couldnt concentrate on a single thing. All i couild do was take pictures and manage dumb expressions while taking them. If only, I was left to wander alone, I could have had good knowledge of it. SHEH!!!
Coming back, everyone took to their beds, and I took to more unrest. That hill beside the resort got my attention since the time we arrived, and now i was feeling more affinity towards it. I found a companion in Amit, forced Kamet out and brought Rohit Kaptaan Sahab to the hill. Even though we couldnt reach the top (unwillingness of Kamet and Rohit) wes till got very close to it.Last year's repition again, it was a real jungle then, its a mysterious hill now.
DJ night wasnt much amusing except for the dance on Bheege Honth Tere and Pehla Nasha by Kamet and Me, and everybody stopped dancing only to look at us. Everyone was "HAW" "HAW" and "HAW".
Next day, Gadisar Lake, that looks wondeful in Images was present before my eyes. I hardly found it any interesting.I remember that rower telling that it was built in 13th century, traders used to rest here, where the water flows in from, water level in rainy season etc. I was rather watching birds and buffaloes at the bank of the lake. While boating, the whole laked seemed like Ganga's Ghat.Boring.
Then came the real part again, the Thar Desert. Our Mr.OOT tied to another Mr.OOT took us there.They both resembled to me as if a broken down Tata Sumo tied to another Car that we see on Delhi Roads everyday. Or A TOW AWAY TRUCK towing away an illegally parked car.It was an amazing fact that all the camels carry actor's names-Shah Rukh Khan,Amir Khan,Hrithik Roshan etc etc.But,I was increasingly getting desperate to encounter the sand. The reason was no one else but SAND COFFIN, SAND BURIAL, yeah right, GAARA. Its true, the sand has power, the more you try not to get deep, it will drag you inside. It was fun being with MCA friends more, as MBA friends were more interested in taking snaps rather than discovery.
The best part was the place where we were to reside-A tent.Nothing beats it, especially when temperatures are expected to be below 2 or 3 degrees in the night. I still dont have words to explain the excitement level when I saw these for the first time.Ahhhh....Its eternity.We played vish amrit,dog in the bone, chain chain and dumb sherards (I dnt knw how to spell) at 11 pm amongst the chilly winds in the open desert.7 of us made a course on Kambal Management, established Seedhee's (Stairs), talked Kashmir, Modi, India's youth etc etc till 6 a.m in the morning. And bid good bye to the desert at 9 am after sleeping for an hour.
Next day, it was the Jaisalmer fort, that too on a hill.Its a city,its a market, its a place of temples and its a FORT.You can see Jaisalmer's railway station from its top, the whole Jaisalmer town, Gadisar lake and a huge open sky. I shopped a little, lost more (500rs lost).The Jain temple in the fort is a thing to watch. The sculptures are mind blowing.Even some houses looked like temples, they were just so exquisite, the real Indian Style.Coming down, Salam Singh's Haveli is a time waste. You get to see nothing but a single floor, and a guide who bites more than he can chew. According to him, the 3rd floor we were on was actually the 6th as the other 3 were below the ground. Dumb head, below the ground, you dont call them floors, Idiot.
Rushing back, we came back to Gadisar again, but this time, it was cool.We got a boat to paddle on our own, so had more time to stay over the water.At 6, It was the Puppet Show time (Sasori's memories) just across the road. They play it so nicely, while all I was doing was making Non Veg jokes on puppet's act.The best act was the boy loosing his ball and getting it back.One thing i noticed there was a foreign couple with their 2 children. The smallest kid might be 2 years old only. What they did was, they gave him money and asked him to give it to the musicians while the show was still going on. That little kid didnt hesitate, found his way through the 100s of puppets lying on the floor, walked upto the musicians, gave them money and came back.This is the real difference in Indian parenting and Western parenting that I have learned over the years.I remember how a 17 year old American chat friend of mine was a baby sitter while I was school-stuck. No wonder westerners are more open and easy with their lives.
It was a great experience to watch a train pass by in the cold dark night. I hurriedly rushed out of the bus to watch it.It was, ummm, very childish. But,well well, aal izz not well. I fell into an open petrol tank in the night when rushing towards the washroom. Luckily, my one hand and face was outside so I pushed myself out.Otherwise I would have swimmed forever in the costliest fuel while the whole India is being burdened by it. All i remember are the screams of girls that were behind me. It actually felt like a ditch. I was hanging in for a few seconds freely. My left thigh's flesh is badly bruised.But as Triple H says- WHATEVER DOESNT KILL ME WILL ONLY MAKE ME STRONGER.
So, lets end the beginning. There is lot more to be discovered in Rajasthan. But this trip was good as it was my first time there. Game Over for now. Thanks to all co travellers, the driver, the peacocks, maharajas, maharanis, puppeteers, villagers, people who allowed us their washrooms for free, petrol tank lid, signboards with wrong spellings, french speaking shopkeepers, Marugarh resort, the Cat at the fort, camels, drinks, swimming pool, boat rowers, Mohit's Olympus, Neeraj's HP and My XPERIA, this trip was succesfull.
But the bus journey- WHAT A DRAG (Sorry cant conclude without it....lolz)
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