Rajasthanian deserts

After venturing the incredibly chaotic streets of Delhi for a couple of days we took an 18-hour train journey out to the far western region of Rajasthan. We started in the majestic, "golden city" of Jaisalmer, and it truly is golden (think Aladin). All of the buildings are made of blocks from a local sandstone mine, and they often bare beautiful, intricate hand-chiseled designs. Behind us rises the impressive Jaisalmer Fort. Built in 1156 by the Rajputs, this massive fort contains a maze of narrow streets, temples, and palaces colored by a large population of people who still reside there.

Captivating architecture in the wandering streets of the fort. Unfortunately, the fort itself has little protection from the impact of tourism and residents and time is taking it's toll- there isn't even an entrance fee.

Also inside the fort, we joined in on a game of Indian Billiards. A cross between shuffleboard and pool, we were immediately very entertained by this game and will be designing our own board upon arrival back home.

Lauren mixing with the local people and cow population.

This is undoubtedly the most elaborate graveyard we've ever come across. Typical of other stonework in Jaisalmer, these temple-like sandstone structures are adorned with incredibly detailed hand-carved designs.

This was a ridiculous endeavor that we couldn't pass up. Westerners heading out on camels into the unbearable 110 degree heat in order to get a taste of the desert life that was and still is so prominent in many parts of Rajasthan. Camels are goofy and temperamental, and riding them has it's ups and downs: they are amusingly tall, but the ride is surprisingly bumpy and sitting requires quite a leg-spread, which Jay could only bare for about 20 minutes at a time before opting to walk.

While the daytime temperatures were suffocating, mornings and evenings were a payoff. We had a small fire and slept out on the sand dunes.

It's true, cows are indeed sacred in India. Walking narrow streets can feel perilous as we sneak between the heavy-footed animals. McDonalds is known to serve tasty Indian vegi-burgers.

The beginnings of our delicious Indian street food. On the streets it's easy to fill up on well under a dollar, though we have to choose carefully so we don't end up bed-ridden. Also, as you may have guessed, the food can be very spicy. The Indian people don't hide their laughter at the sight of our nontraditional, clumsy eating, and the sweat pouring down us.

After Jaisalmer we bussed east to Jodhpur, home to busy markets and overlooked by the mighty Mehrangarh. This castle is truly an architectural masterpiece and we took an impressive tour through it's elaborate complex of battle gates, courtyards, museums, palaces, and temples. It is still run by the descendants of the Maharaja of Jodhpur.

An example of the intricately carved, latticed-walls inside the castle.

The muscular walls of the Mehrangarh (still complete with war cannons) rise naturally from the cliffs and overlook the "blue city" of Jodhupur.

Though not quite as blue as it once was, it is still a captivating sight. The indigo coloring was traditionally said to keep the buildings cool in the summer heat and repel mosquitoes. We stayed with an especially welcoming family in the lower right side of this picture.

GOA

This beautiful picture marks my birthday morning, as we make our way down south to Goa on a sleeper bus- windy and restless. Goa is known as a wonderful beach and yoga-retreat getaway, and as such it attracts a western "hippie and hedonist" crowd. It was undoubtedly gorgeous and relaxing, though it was a bit removed from the India we came to see.

We prearranged to volunteer for about a week at a yoga retreat-guesthouse. We lived in this beautiful tepee amongst the gardens that we worked in during our stay. We worked from about 6:00am until noon, at which point it was too hot to do anything but swim or read in the shade.

Though the tourists were a bit bland, we were able to connect with the local staff that we worked with. This was our head chef, who with a tiny kitchen that seemed to lack ingredients, made fabulous South-Indian food.

The retreat had an excellent variety of sitting areas, including this sun deck, which we throughly enjoyed in the mornings and evenings. Behind Lauren are the beach and waves that we lived in after lunch.

Unlike much of India, Goa allowed us to enjoy a cold beer after the hard work and hot day.

MUMBAI

With the fortune to travel again, we'll be exploring India for the next couple months. This Indian-version of the fiat 500 took us from the airport into Mumbai for our first few days. It's a rattling, tin box, and there are over 40,000 of them rampaging around the city. Interesting facts: Number of public toilets for every one million people: 17. Number of people in an 1800-person capacity train at rush hour: 7000.

One of the hundreds of rather elegant looking horse-drawn carriages spinning round in the evening (with unfortunately gaunt horses). Behind is the impressive basalt arch, Gateway of India, commemorating the visit of King George V in 1911. The square is a crowded hangout for tourists, locals, and all sorts of touts and vendors (I will bring back a 5-foot balloon back for anyone who is interested).

We took a colorful ferry out to Elephant Island, a Unesco World Heritage site composed of a labyrinth of basalt cave-temples built in AD 450-750 (see below).

Sailing back to the Gateway after Elephant Island.

Hoards of Indian tourists- a common sight. Western tourists are a huge rarity in Mumbai, and often a novelty for locals. We will be starring in many Indian people's photo-albums. Walking around various squares we were frequently approached by giddy Indians who wanted pictures with us.