Friday, March 31, 2017

Part 3, the Jaisalmer Extravaganza

Holy hell
It's been is a trip.

Let me regail you with one of what I imagine will be many stories.

So, on Tuesday the 28th we started our trek from Delhi to Jaisalmer. We got a good breakfast, packed our small bags, and walked whistfuly into our destination upon the crazy train.
Loading up.

The traffic here still is amazing to me.

Presidency Residency.

Parliament.

India Gate, framed nicely by the cabbie that knew exactly the fresh hell we were getting into.

Local infrastructure, clean coal?

If it works, right?
So, before I get into the next section, I need to explain a bit. Delhi is a city of a population of 25 million plus, and has highs and lows much like any large city. Most people hear of New Delhi. We took a train out of Old Delhi, which is to say, an area that is very Indian in it's operation. (And utterly bonkers if you're a foreigner).


Befuddled.

Starting to panic.

*Mild panic*
So, it was about at this point that we fully realized the weight of taking a train out of Old Delhi. A cornucopia of sensual experiences mostly revolving around dust and undefined feeces, with a pairing of general human smells to round out the meal.

We huddled up around our bags and stuck it out for the extra 2 hours we were early. In the interim there appeared 3 figures on the horizon, and my journeyman Bostonian senses tingled. The British were coming!

The Bristol Boys
Our fist contact with other Rickshaw Runners. 2 of these gents had even done the Mongol Rally (Racing across Eastern Europe in a POS sub compact), which made this their sophomore adventurist institution. You'll most likely see more of these mad lads later in the blog.

Getting comfortable

A little more comfortable.

Neat!
Anyways, we loaded onto our sleeper car and started our 18 hour journey to an oasis in the Thar Desert. With the wind at our backs (Read: AC, blessed) we starting rolling southward by westward. Thankfully the lower bunk on the isle had a window, and Morrie was kind enough to let me set and stare out of it.



Humanity was everywhere in Delhi.
As we rolled down the tracks it was an eye opening experience to the sheer difference from what I'd seen of India this far. Everything moved so quickly past, but it showcased so many different ways if being and I was allowed to see it as observer. Fortunately for us, one of the near bunks was occupied by an gentleman that was able to lend context to some of the sights we didn't understand. Most of the hovels along the tracks were occupied by Sri Lankan or Bangladeshi illegal immigrants, or by the large population of smack addicts within Delhi. But the encampments along the way were all homes, each painted and decorated to distinguish from it's neighbor.



As we got into our 3rd hour it started to get dark, and the day had put a suggestion in our head that we may want to rest. Out came the bedding and off to sleep we went, rocked less than gently by the uneven tracks beneath.


Queen of Shiba sleep system courtesy of Julie Pierce.
Bed time.


A halting 9 hours punctuated by the chai guy selling his wears late into the night later, we rose to a much dryer landscape around us.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Yup, that's sand. And a camel.
We'd made it into the desert. And Jaisalmer came shortly after.

A little more dust, a lot less grime.

Celebrating ?
We were in the start city, and maybe a touch more prepared than before for what's in store.

More soon.
Until then, cheers!

Mac

1 comment:

  1. Thank Mac for the great stories! Will enjoy them along the way... (Kyle's mom)

    ReplyDelete