Dare to drive in India
Before leaving for Rishikesh, we booked a driver and a car to pick us up and drive us back to Delhi and for the entire trip through Rajahstan. Jaypal Singh was a tall guy, a former high school long jumper to be exact, and had this litely colored red patch of hair in the middle of his head. We learned a lot about Singh and the capabilities of his Tata (like a geo metro) during the 6 hour ride back to Delhi. For one, NO ONE CAN PASS him. He could be a formula one race car driver if team India ever discovered him. The man was an animal. Before he picked us up, he had just completed a 22hour driving shift. Driving regulations in India are flexible you see.
The next morning, he picked us back up from the Surie household and we began another 7 hour journey to Pushkar. Now, in general, I try not to travel so hard, but what choice did we have? I wanted to see everything. Only a private car could do the trick. In case you are wondering, it is not expensive to do such a thing here, it only seems ultra classy.
Our first stop was Pushkar. Pushkar is a holy city in the province of Rajahstan. This literally means, “land of the Rajas, (or kings)” The Raj’s gave up control of their fifedoms back 50 years ago when India democratized. And with that went the lap of luxery: wild orgies, ultimate power, and palatial estates. However, many of the children and grandchildren of these Maharajas do quite well today, enjoying second homes in foreign ports, playing polo matches, and marriage engagements to other international royalty.
Pushkar has become famous over the years because of the annual camel and cattle trading fair that takes place here. Right or wrong we decided to go. With over 20,000 camels attending, how could we miss out on the fun. For your information, a cheap camel may go for 5,000 Rs ($130) up to 22,000 Rs. ($600) These are not like Hamood Altooqi’s racing camels that fetch upwards of $500,000. The price is based on age and strength. These are work animlas in this part of the world.
Our accomodations were more than average. We stayed in this three room canves tent with running water and a sitting room. Everyone’s tent was within the government compound that included all meals and 24hr security. Just imagine the setup for officials organising a PGA tournament. Most of the other tourists were French, American, and German. We must have been the youngest people there. All in all, I do not recommed the event. Although the largest in the world, tourism has affected the essence of the event, and subsequently, the government has had to subsidize many of the traders to encourage their involvement with the event. When the government has such a good moneymaker its easy to see why they would do anything to keep the foreigners coming.
Probably the best thing that came out of it was the chance to visit a local Rajahstani family. Singh took us on a ride through some local villiges. We were getting hot and decided to stop in front of a traditional looking home to rehydrate. Next thing I new, we were invited inside the home to allow me to take pictures of the family. I hope to send some of these photos out when they are developed. Ethan’s dream come true: the opportunity for a private photoshoot with traditionally dressed Rajahstani woman.
Our next stop was Jaipur, the city of precious stones.
Tags: Travel
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sounds fun ethan….
Hey ethan, well sounds like you had quite a voyage this time around not like the ones when we were young. Your writing is good, fluent and charming. See yea sometime we cross paths again. cheers tom-
miss u much!