Sunday, November 27, 2005
Current status: New Delhi to Agra (Taj Mahal) to Jaipur (incredible markets) to Jodhpur (fabulous fort, and more markets) with a side trip to Osian. Tonight, back to New Delhi to finalize my flight to Guatemala and see if I can get my camera repaired. The lens stuck halfway open, and it is magna maddening to be in such a photographer's dream and not have a working camera.
The trip to Osian was a break. A 1 1/2 hour bus ride into the countryside to a village with very interesting Jain and Hindu temples. I talked with the Jain priest for about half an hour, and took lots of pictures - the camera was still working then. It was good for a day away from the horns, noise, hassle, and energy of Indian cities. Jodhpur (and so, Osian) is on the edge of the great Thar desert, which seems to explain the dust and constant haze here. The land is flat and dry, really looks a lot like the Serengeti, except that the level of agriculture is much higher. But you see very little habitation in the countryside. I am told that most of the farmers live in small villages and commute out to their fields every day.
One of the pleasures of traveling is meeting interesting people in the evening,
The trip to Osian was a break. A 1 1/2 hour bus ride into the countryside to a village with very interesting Jain and Hindu temples. I talked with the Jain priest for about half an hour, and took lots of pictures - the camera was still working then. It was good for a day away from the horns, noise, hassle, and energy of Indian cities. Jodhpur (and so, Osian) is on the edge of the great Thar desert, which seems to explain the dust and constant haze here. The land is flat and dry, really looks a lot like the Serengeti, except that the level of agriculture is much higher. But you see very little habitation in the countryside. I am told that most of the farmers live in small villages and commute out to their fields every day.
One of the pleasures of traveling is meeting interesting people in the evening,
