From the Himalayas to the Sea: Traveling the Silk Road

Water buffalos in their wallows

Jodhpur is only 150 miles from Pakistan and sixty percent of its population is the Indian army. A 310 KM drive meant 7 hours with one stop. The drive was a visual feast of country life in Rajasthan. Pilgrims walked along side the road carrying banners and flags making the annual trek of over 250 km on foot. Women carried clay water jars on their heads, old men herded goats, colorful trucks labored over potholes, families of five rode along on one motorcycle and the ever present cows lay in the road slowing traffic more effectively than speed bumps. We traveled to Jodhpur to the never ending beep beep of horns. Drivers here honk their horns any time the car changes lanes or passes anything alive or motorized. Large overburdened trucks have 'horn please" painted on their back fenders because their rearview mirrors are useless and they relied on the honking. Alongside the highway, the fields stretched away across the plain planted with lentils and potatoes and dotted with muddy water buffalo wallows.

Family motorcycle outing

We arrived early in the evening and had time to swim in a giant pool that we had all to ourselves with the exception of a gaggle of peacocks their distinctive calls reminded us we were not alone.

Mom ready to zip!

Next we went to a Hindu temple built of white marble where the royalty is cremated. It gave us a excellent view of the Mehrangarh Fort. We arrived at the Mehrangarh Fort amongst a sea of pilgrims that were going to worship at a temple in the fort. But we did not join them or take a tour of the fort. We went zip lining from the fort's towers and over moats and rocky slopes. A unique way to appreciate the monolithic structure.

The blue city from the palace walls

Then we ventured to a local restaurant and had the best naan ever as well as other tasty morsels. That afternoon we drove in a Land Rover out over a dirt “road” to the countryside to visit some small villages. First we stop at the potter’s house. He makes the water containers that the women carry on their heads, the clay pots that food is cooked in, and a variety of decorative pieces. He demonstrated how he throws the clay on his pottery wheel. The wheel is totally different from the kind we use. The potter squats beside it (the way people squat in India is amazing, a contortionist feat) and uses a stick placed in the top of the wheel to turn the lopsided wheel. When he gets it going he drops the stick and throws the clay. The wheel maintains enough speed for two pots to be made. Next we went to see a family farm. We saw where they kept their animals, grew their crops, cooked their meals the and slept.We finished up the afternoon tour with a visit to a durries rug cooperative. Way out in the farming communities is a collective of rug makers that weave rugs at night under solar powered fluorescent lights in their mud and brick houses. The rugs were beautiful and Mark had to pull me a way to keep me from bringing home yet another rug As we left the village we were chased by children with their hands out shouting “one pen!” Out there they have schools but not enough pencils or pens. When families buy school supplies they will cut pencils into thirds so that the kids can have more than one. A pen is a highly coveted luxury. We pulled all we had out of our pack packs and gave them to smiling children who waved us along. After the hot and dusty drive back to town we took an evening swim and sat watching a lightening storm in the distance that went on for over an hour. An amazing end to the day.

The next day we returned to the fort to explore on foot. The Jodhpur fort lookout over the blue city, so called because members of the higher castes to keep their homes cool. The entry way was painted with a parade of gods and is approached by a steep ramp lined by imposing walls. Inside, the palace was brightly decorated with glass and gold and frescoes. Outside, the fort was veiled in a tapestry of carved sandstone screens. Hallways contained royal furniture and a collection of palanquins and elephant seats used to transfer the maharaja and his ladies about the city.

Elaborate stone jalis screen

Elephant saddle

Ceiling paintings

Knife hilt

Indian tourists looking at artifacts from the former kingdom of Jodhpur

From the top ramparts of the old palace, we could look across the valley and see the maharaja's new palace rising above the city skyline. This new palace, built to provide jobs in a stagnant economy, is magnificent and still inhabited by the maharaja and his family today. The building embodies the charisma and energy of the royal family in its graceful art deco expansiveness. This charisma is evidence in the famous story of Jodhpurs it was said that hte Raja travelled to England to visit the King and his clothes were lost at sea. He hired a tailor to make him pants, trying to describe the Indian fashion of long flowing leggings. The tailor tried his best but the version he produced were far to roomy at the top and far to tight at the bottom. Dismayed the raja asked the tailor what he expected him to do with the misshapen pants. The tailor replied that he the raja was a king and if he wore his pants with royal confidence they would be transformed into fashion. It was in this way the Raja of Jodhpur set a trend that lasted throughout the empire for years. Seeing the old and the new on their opposite mountaintops brought to life the full span of history that animates India.