Josiah in Jaisalmer

This was Josiah's first time in Jaisalmer...actually it was the first time for all three of us. All I can say is "Wow! When can we move?". It was absolutely beautiful. As usual, we did some fun history stuff, but that's Aaron's department to blog about. One of my favorite things we did was go out to an area with large sand dunes and ride a camel as we watched the sun rise over the dunes. It was Josiah's first camel ride.

Josiah and Papa at Gadsisar Lake. I think this is a great picture!

Yep, that's right...it's a government authorized (look at the sign) bhang (yep, marijuana) shop. This shop serves marijuana in lassi's. For an interesting article on bhang in India go here. Don't worry, I only got a picture of the shop...I didn't actually try anything.


Josiah sitting with a camel gun in the Jaisalmer fort.


You can see the fort/city behind us.


Josiah with one of his favorite people in Jaisalmer - the owner of the guest house.


Here we are riding the camel - his name is Babbalu and he is 10 years old.


Josiah and Babbalu


Mom, Josiah and the sand dunes.

Road Trip

Last Saturday, Jesse and I decided that it would be good to have a guy’s day out; we decided on a road trip. We left Chiang Mai and headed north to the border of Thailand and Myanmar more commonly known as Burma. We crossed the border at Mae Sai and spent about three hours walking around. There are lots of shops selling mostly what is available on the Thai side of the border; the biggest difference is that it is cheaper in Myanmar.


Here is a picture of us exiting the border station in Myanmar. We are on a bridge over a river which divides Thailand and Myanmar.



On the way home, we stopped at an interesting Wat (Buddhist temple) in Chiang Rai; its name was Wat Rong Khun and it was not like any other we had ever seen. It was white and had sparkles all over it, like it was made of ice. In front of the wat, there were two figures standing before a pit with hands reaching up as if in agony. There were faces visible in the pit looking up with ghastly expressions on their faces. One of the figures was pointing at them as if he was condemning them. He had a sword and a skull was on his sash.

The inside of the wat was just as unusual. There was the typical Buddha in the back with murals but it was the mural on the inside of the wat at the front that was atypical. The wall was covered in pictures of nuclear arms racing towards other places on the earth. There was one heading for a watch face; perhaps to signal the end of time. There was an overarching face of what appeared to be a demon and in one eye was George Bush, the other eye has the face of Osama Bin Laden. There was a scene of the planes as they plunged into the WTC and general misery and chaos depicted everywhere on the wall. It was a truly different piece of art, one of which I have never seen. I wanted to take a picture but they did not allow them inside the wat. If you are ever in Chiang Rai, you should check out Wat Rong Khun.


Here is a picture with Wat Rong Khun in the background.



Here is a picture of Jesse looking down at the hands and faces, you can see the figures on the sides of the steps; the one on the right is the one with the pointed finger, sword and sash with a skull on it.



Here are a few pictures of the hands, some of the faces are visible in the second picture.

Weaver Village, Untouchable Village and Shepherd Village

The day when I (Aaron) went to the Bishnoi village (in May), I also went to a weavers village, untouchables village and a shepherds village.

This picture is from the weavers village. This is a weaver working on a rug known as a "durrie". These type of rugs look different depending on which part of the state and/country they are made. The ones in this area look remarkably like Native American. The workmanship here was amazing and by far the best that I have seen anywhere. The durrie in the picture will take two men working together a couple of weeks to complete; larger ones can take months.


This picture is also from the weavers village. Here is a picture of some of the finished products. They are made from various materials such as sheep wool, camel wool, goat wool and cotton.


This man is a weaver but he is in the untouchable village. He is the only weaver left in this village. The work is long and hard and the finished product is not profitable because of modern machinery. Notice the difference in the weaving style as well as the tools used from the weavers in the pictures above. It was interesting to see that this man sits inside the floor and works the loom with his feet as well as his hands. The materials used by this man were mainly goat wool; the shepherd village was very close and so goat wool is readily available.

The untouchables were called "harijans" which means "Children of God" by Ghandiji ("ji" is a respect marker- Ghandiji is a honorific way to refer to him). Ghandiji fought for the rights of all Indians but especially those who were in such dire straights as the untouchables. They had terrible existences and were harshly treated. By referring to them as the "Children of God", Ghandiji was showing that they were also humans who deserved to be treated fairly and have opportunities that were only for those not of untouchable status.

Walking through the untouchable village there was a stark contrast to the shepherds village that was just across the dirt road. The homes in the untouchable village were better built, had wells and the whole area was extremely clean. There was no trash thrown on the paths, the buildings were not in disrepair and the living conditions were very sanitary. This was in part to the work of Ghandiji who worked to educate them on cleanliness and sanitation and also worked to see them eligible for government assistance for needs such as wells and housing. These people were unable to get work because of their social position and therefore could not afford basic necessities of life.


This is a view one of the homes in the shepherds village taken from the roof of another home. The untouchable village is just through the trees. The fences are made of scrap sandstone which is readily available. A full trailer load of this stone pulled by a tractor is only about Rupees 400 (US $ 10).


This is a home shrine/altar to Pabuji in the shepherd village. I was excited to see this because I had just read about Pabuji as well as the epic written about him.

Below is an excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pabuji.

Pabuji is a folk deity of Rajasthan in India. He lived in the 14th century in Rajasthan. He was one of four children of Dhadal Rathore of village Kolu, two boys (Buro and Pabuji) and two girls (Sona and Pema). The historical Pabuji was a mediaeval Rajput prince; he is now widely worshipped as a deity by Rabari herdsmen and others throughout the Rajasthan countryside; and he is served by low-caste Nayak priests.

Pabuji lived in the remote desert village of Kolu, and in that village are to be found the only well-known conventional temples to him -- two small temples within a single compound, where puja (worship) is offered to the deity. Small shrines, commemorative stones etc. abound, but, outside Kolu itself, the absence of actual temples is conspicuous. There are two reasons for it: first, Pabuji has yet to achieve sufficient prestige as a god to warrant the construction of pieces of architecture; and, second, many of his worshippers -- in particular, many Rabaris -- are semi-nomadic, and are thus not in a position regularly to visit a temple in a fixed spot.

Bishnoi Village

When we were in Jodhpur last May, I (Aaron) returned to a Bishnoi village to meet with some families, observe daily life and ask questions for my research. The temperature was 49 C / 119 F so Melanie stayed at the hotel while I went to the village with a friend. Melanie went later that evening after dark so that we could eat dinner with our friend. It is much cooler in the desert at night and we sat out under the stars. The food and company was a real treat.

This metal contraption which looks like a cage was what food and milk was kept under in the courtyard; this was so the animals would not eat or drink it. It is common to see one of these in the courtyards of many villagers homes. The ground in the picture is a mixture of cow dung and mud; it is mixed, dried and smoothed out on the ground. It remains cool even in the intense heat and it is said to have an ayurvedic quality. Everyone walks on it in their bare feet since it is considered part of the house and nobody wears shoes in their homes.


This is a traditional Bishnoi home. Inside was a large storage urn for grain as well as farming tools. The inside as well as the outside were painted white and were decorated with red paintings of peacocks and other scenes from village life. The natural materials used for the roof keep the inside of the building very cool in the summer.


This is a picture of their main staple- millet (inside the bowl on the lower right). They harvest it and then they put it into a hole on the top center of the grinder (top left). The wooden handle is then turned and the millet is ground between the top and bottom stones. The ground product is then released into the trough running around the side and scooped from the section where the side is very low (lower left side of grinder).


This is a picture of the lady of the home. She is standing in the doorway leading to the courtyard and the house.


Here is one of the daughters preparing food inside the courtyard. They have a kitchen but it is much cooler to cook outside in the summer. They do not burn wood so everything is cooked over burning cow and buffalo dung (formed into patties and dried in the sun). I was able to have chai (tea) which was prepared over a dung fire. It was very tasty and for once I was grateful for cow poop.

Lal Qila (Red Fort)

Last week when we were in Delhi, I (Aaron) went to see Lal Qila more commonly known as the Red Fort. This was also the day that I visited Jama Masjid.

The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital from Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests. The Red Fort gets its name from the massive wall of red sandstone that defines its four sides. The wall is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) long, and varies in height from 60ft (16m) on the river side to 110 ft (33 m) towards the city. Measurements have shown that the plan was generated using a square grid of 82 m.

The fort lies along the Yamuna River, which fed the moats that surround most of the wall. The Yamuna no longer flows near the fort and the moats are now empty. Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and was complete by 1648.

The Red Fort was conceived as a whole, and subsequent modifications have not taken away from the overall unity of the scheme. In the 18th century, however, occupiers and looters damaged some sections of the palace.

After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 (the first of the great Indian mutinees), when the Fort was used as a headquarters, the British Army occupied and destroyed many of its pavilions and gardens. A program for restoring the surviving parts of the fort began in 1903.

The Red Fort is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi, attracting millions of visitors every year. The fort is also the site from which the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation on August 15, the day India achieved independence from the United Kingdom (1947).

At one point of time, more than 3000 people lived within the premises of the Delhi Fort complex. But after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the fort was captured by Britain and was made the headquarters of the British Indian Army. After India was given independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, the Indian Army took control over the fort. In December 2003 the Indian Army handed the fort over to the Indian tourist authorities.

View of the front of the fort. In the front is the large outer wall topped with green grass. In front of this wall was the moat which surrounded the fort. Behind the wall is one of the gates, topped by the fluttering flag of India; this is now the entrance for the general public.



This is a view looking from left to right of the wall shown in the picture above, the area which is covered in green grass is what remains of the moat.



One thing that is hard to get used to is the military presence in the fort. I was walking and bumped something, I looked and it was a fully automatic rifle mounted on a platform similar to this one. I could see through the clear magazine that the weapon was loaded. There are soldiers with weapons roaming the entire premises. This particular Sikh gaurd with his weapon was near the entrance.



There were many buildings in the fort although not all of them are open to the general public. These are three of the original building and were all very interesting. I tried to imagine what they looked like when they were richly decorated and painted. Shah Jahan sitting on his royal throne and entertaining guests. The opulence would have truly been something to behold.



This is a picture of the inside of the Rang Mahal (Palace of Color). The outside of this building can be seen in the picture above; it is the building on the right. This palace was also called the Palace of Distinction during the time of Shah Jahan. Originally it would have been richly painted and there were small pieces of mirror embedded in the walls and especially the ceiling, when the light hit them it would glitter and present an awesome sight. I have been in some palaces here decorated the same way; it would be dark within and then someone would light a single candle- the entire room would light up. Through the center of this room there is a trough-like channel running through the building. This was called the Stream of Paradise because it once was filled with running water. This was not only for visual affect. The flowing water would have the breeze blow over it and would act like an air cooler; it was quite affective.

Jama Masjid

Last week I (Aaron) went to see Masjid-i-Jahan Numa in Old Delhi. This is the largest mosque in India and one of the largest in the world. I took a couple of pictures from outside as well as the bazaar in front of the mosque. The admission is free but I could not bring myself to pay the 200 Rupee (US $5) camera fee so I do not have any pictures of the inside of the Mosque. One of these days I may find the strength to pry the rupees from my tight fist, just not that day.

Masjid-i-Jahan Numa means "the mosque commanding a view of the world" it is commonly called Jama Masjid of Delhi. It was completed by Shah Jahan (the builder of the Taj Mahal) in 1656. The courtyard within the walls is so large that it can hold 25,000 people. For more information and pictures on Jama Masjid you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama_Masjid,_Delhi.



View of the entrance with the mosque behind. Just below the entrance are the high and wide steps from the bazaar that lead up to the mosque.



Gate at the top of the steps, by going through this gate you enter the large courtyard which lies in front of the mosque.



This picture is taken from the gate at the top of the steps with my back toward the mosque. As far as can be seen in this picure is a bazaar with people selling everything from water to toys.

Ranbanka Palace

While we were in Jodhpur we took a few days to relax and celebrate our 5th anniversary (June 1st). Aaron made all the arrangements and found a beautiful palace (built for the Maharajah's younger brother) for us to stay for 2 days and 2 nights. I have to start by saying that when you live in a place like India, you learn to have very low - if any - expectations...ESPECIALLY when it comes to a hotel. The pictures on the website are almost NEVER what the place really looks like, so don't be fooled. With this in mind, Aaron and I arrived skeptically. The lobby was beautiful and reminded us of a castle. As we entered our room, I was amazed to see that it actually looked like the pictures on the website. The room was beautiful and the service was amazing. The restaurant offered some of the best food we've had in India. We were pleasantly surprised with the whole experience.

Our favorite memories:

1. Aaron bought me a body massage, which was wonderful!
2. Romantic candlelight dinners on the lawn.
3. Fried ice cream!! That's right...just like we used to get at the Mexican restaurants at home.
4. Swimming in the pool.
5. Drinking chai in the traditional Rajasthani sitting area.

It was the best anniversary we've had yet. We both had a great time of relaxation - it almost felt like we weren't in India anymore.

View of our room from the sitting area.


Our room was decorated nicely.


Where we spent quite a bit of time...the pool!


This is the beautiful lawn where we had our candlelight dinners.


This is the traditional Rajasthani sitting area where we had our chai every afternoon.

Adventure?

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."
- Lao Tzu (Philosopher)

This blog is appropriately titled, but I admit that sometimes I become tired of the adventure! We left on Wednesday (May 23rd) for Jodhpur and were planning to return the following Wednesday (May 30th). The first five days were spent with work, Aaron went out to the villages and did some research. Two days were spent relaxing in a beautiful palace for our anniversary and then we were supposed to go home. We arrived at the train station on Wednesday (May 30th) at 9 AM to catch our train but we were told that due to rioting between Jodhpur and our home city, the train was running late and would not arrive until 1:00PM. We checked back later and the train wasn't coming until sometime in the evening and then the train was canceled. We checked into a fairly nice hotel that we had stayed in before and arranged for a car and driver to pick us up Thursday morning and drive us home. We got in the car on Thursday morning and made it to a city about two and a half hours from our home but were stopped by police and men with guns and sticks and told that we couldn't go any further. The road we were traveling was too dangerous and people were torching cars and trucks that tried to pass. So we found a hotel and settled in for the rest of the day and night. The hotel we stayed in was an adventure in itself, but we'll talk about that in another post. The next morning we heard that the road was opened and so we arranged for another car and driver to take us home. The train tracks had been ripped up and no buses were running to our city, so this was our only chance to make it home. Thankfully, we finally made it home Friday afternoon. There is still a lot of unrest in our city and I don't think we've seen the last of this rioting, but at least we're home!

We'll be posting about our trip for the next few days so be sure to check back soon.

Wat Buppharam

This past January we had the great opportunity to visit Chiang Mai, Thailand. Someone told us that coming from South Asia, Chiang Mai would be like Disneyland and they weren't kidding. We absolutely loved it. It reminded me so much of home, slightly resembling Florida. We were there for 3 weeks but I was unable to do much touring as I was on bed rest for two of those three weeks. Aaron rented a scooter and was able to see a lot more of the city than I did.

As you may know, Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country and there are Wats (or Buddhist temples) on every street corner. We were blown away by the detail and beauty of every wat we saw. Here are pictures from Wat Bupharam - they're breathtaking!

This is actually a small wat in comparison to most others.


This is supposed to be a pure jade budda.


View from the inside.


There are dragons and other reptiles on all the wats.


More reptiles

Jodhpur

This was our first trip to Jodhpur and we did not know what to expect. We were very pleased and excited that it was a beautiful city with a rich history and quite a few interesting historical sights to see.

The city was founded by Rao Jodha in AD 1459 who was the Rajput chieftain of the fierce and powerful Rathores. The name of the city Jodhpur means "Jodhas place" or "place of Jodha" ("Jodha" the name of the king and "pur" meaning place).

For those of you wondering the word "jodhpurs" owes its etymology to this city. (riding breeches, cut at the hips but tight fitting from knee to ankle, usually worn while riding horses or playing polo). They were worn for riding horses and the color was the same as the local sand, this was so that they would not show dirt.

Jodhpur is also known as the Blue City, an apt name as most houses in the old city are shades of blue. This is particularly noticeable on the north side of the town, known as Brahmpur for the many Brahmins (highest caste) that live there. Other names for the city are "Gateway to Thar" (the city is just inside the Thar desert) and "Sun City" (because the sun shines very bright and very hot year round).


A picture of the winding and narrow streets inside of the old section of the city. The blue buildings and wildlife are everywhere.

This is the clock tower that is one of the famous landmarks in the old section of the city. The view from in the clock tower is very nice and well worth the 5 rupees (about 8 cents) that it costs to go up the observation deck.

The city's main shopping drag is Nai Sadak, lined mostly with sari and shoe shops and leading straight into Sardar Market (the picture above is the gate into the Sardar Market), a typical bustling Indian market with a barely contained riot of sights, sounds and stinks. The clock tower in the center is a useful orientation point. Popular souvenirs include:

• Bandhej sarees and dress material
• Mojris or Jootis. Shoes with a pointed front, a must-have accessory if you plan on dressing like a Rajput Maharaja (king).
• Handicrafts, these are handmade (made to look like old antiques), the handicraft industry is a booming industry in this city.
• Antiques (real as well as fake) are plentiful in the city. We learned a lot about the culture and history just by visiting a couple of the local antique shops.
  

This is a picture of one of the water tanks in the old city. The water, which is precious in the desert, is a main source of water for the city. People can be seen bathing and swimming in the green water amidst the trash. I was excited to see fish swimming in the water, I have never seen fish swimming anywhere in the country.

Village Life

On Thursday we went on a village tour with a man who grew up in the villages of Jodhpur. It was so interesting! We learned so much about the people and how different their lives are in the villages. We went several places but our two favorites was the Muslim potter village and the Bishnoi village.

Beating the clay pots - while they're wet - to make them round.

You can't see it in this picture, but the round cement block is spinning while this potter forms the clay. Also, the pots behind him are drying in the sun before they are fired in a kiln. After they are completed they can be painted and sold.

Our next stop was a Bishnoi village. The Bishnoi people are Hindu, but they're founder, Guru Jambheshwar, gave them a list of 29 laws that they must follow. The name "Bishnoi" means 29 in the Marwar language. One of the most famous of their 29 laws is that they are to protect the wildlife and land, so trees and animals are sacred to the Bishnoi people.

History of the Bishnoi people:
On a Tuesday in 1730 A.D., Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman was at her home with her three daughters (Asu, Ratni and Bhagu bai) when she came to know that a number of people had descended on their otherwise sleepy village of Khejarli. The people were a party of men sent by Maharaja Abhay Singh, the ruler of the kingdom of Jodhpur in the Marwar region, who wanted to fell green Khejri trees to burn lime for the construction of the Maharaja's new palace. Since there was a lot of greenery in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of the Thar Desert, the king ordered his men to get the wood by cutting the Khejri trees. Amrita Devi protested against the Maharaja's men who were attempting to cut green trees as it was prohibited according to Bishnoi principles. The malevolent feudal party told her that if she wanted the trees to be spared, she would have to give them money as bribe. She refused to acknowledge this demand and told them that she would consider it as an act of insult to her religious faith and would rather give away her life to save the green trees. It is at that stage she spoke these words: Sar santey rookh rahe to bhi sasto jaan (If a tree is saved even at the cost of one's head, it's worth it).Saying these words, she offered her head. The axes, which were brought to cut the trees, severed her head. The three young girls Asu, Ratni and Bhagu were not daunted, and offered their heads too. When the Maharaja heard of her devotion to the protection of these trees, he wrote a decree to protect the trees and wildlife in the Bishnoi villages that is still enforced today.
There is a famous Bollywood actor, Salman Khan, who shot a black buck in the Bishnoi villages and was prosecuted after being turned in by the Bishnoi people. (We got to see the exact place where he shot the deer and was apprehended by some local villagers.)

This is the Bishnoi family that we visited with. The Bishnoi men always wear white to symbolize peace and the women wear red to draw others to the Bishnoi people and their way of life, the color is also for good luck. The women wear those large nose rings from the time they get married until their husband dies...it's used to signify a long life for the husband.

This is the Bishnoi opium ceremony. Although their 29 laws require them to be hospitable to guests, they are not allowed to partake of it (opium) themselves. They crush up the opium and add water, then they filter it and offer it to their guests in the palm of their hands. It's a sign of hospitality toward the guest.

Here is the female nilgai that we saw in the Bishnoi villages. The females are brown, but the males are blue. They are the largest antelope found in Asia.
The Bishnoi are well known not only for their protection of trees but also animals (especially the black buck). The Bishnoi villages are full of cinkara (antelope), black buck and nilgai (blue bull); these animals can be seen wandering throughout the Bishnoi villages.