Entry Completed from The Bone Rattler (What I Named My Bus to Jodhpur) on February 5, 2014
I really should be reflecting on what will soon be the halfway point in my sabbatical. I just completed my time in Mumbai and my day-job office hours with my volunteer stint at Dasra. Some serious reflection and thinking is in order about how I have grown over the past few months and how I can meaningfully direct the last half of my sabbatical.
Instead of going through this necessary reflection, I’m writing this blog because writing about my past events and random ruminations is much easier than thinking about myself. The things I do to procrastinate what really matters…
On the Road Again
I am back on the backpacking trail after 3 months in Mumbai. There is a huge Dasra conference that I won’t miss for the world coming up in a month, but until then, India is my oyster. My plan is to cover Rajasthan in Northern India before shifting towards Southern India to visit some social businesses. I am really seeking to understand the solution ecosystem and to learn first-hand what makes impactful organizations tick.
Long bus and train rides are back, along with the blogging that comes with it!
A Day of Toilet Shenanigans in Udaipur – February 2, 2014
I never thought toilets would be the theme of an adventurous day in the life of Henry but today was the day. For the first time ever in my life, my room had a toilet built so close to the wall that I couldn’t sit down on it. There was about 6 inches of clearance from the front of the toilet, and despite completely defying any sense of logic I had, I tried to give it a shot figuring there must have been some method to the madness. Nope. It is impossible for a grown man to sit on that toilet.
Why oh why did someone invent this cruelty???
Luckily, my guest house had a toilet I could use at its rooftop restaurant. It was a squatter toilet… a toilet design I really consider the bane of my existence because my legs can’t squat for shit (literally).
So, fast forward about 3 hours and I was having lunch at what looked like a decent place before exploring the epic city palace. I haven’t been frugal with food lately because I’ve had enough recent run-ins with bad stomachs. My fatal mistake: the food was really spicy and I needed just a sip of water to cool my palette. The server delivered what he promised was a glass of filtered water but I’m 99% sure that’s what hit me.
Looks delicious. Tasted delicious. But it was a stealthy killer.
They didn’t have a toilet at all. The nearest one was at the palace. I was in emergency mode. The cost to get in was about 300 rupees and I gave the ticket counter guy a 500 rupee note. Since that’s a larger denomination, he inspected the note for about 7 excruciating seconds. Then he ran it through a counterfeit detection machine not once, nor twice, but three times. I was dying.
Imagine a beautiful Indian palace entrance courtyard. Now imagine a Chinese guy running like a mad man across the courtyard towards the nearest toilet sign with his arms flailing through the air. That was me. I arrived at another squatter toilet but I didn’t care.
Most washrooms in India don’t supply toilet paper. Luckily, I had toilet paper in my pocket from using the restaurant toilet earlier in the morning. I guess I was using a staff toilet because as I was leaving I noticed a whole roll of toilet paper sitting in a nook outside the washroom. I grabbed about 8 sheets just in case. The gamble paid off.
About 200m into the palace, I had to go again and ran to the next washroom. I had just enough toilet paper to finish the job and walked back to the first toilet again to grab more. This time, I think I stashed about a whole metre of the stuff. By the time I re-entered the palace I had to go again. I usually try to avoid drugs but I had no choice but to pop some Imodium (a critical day bag supply in India) and continued with my day.
Nice looking courtyard right? I know it quite well. I paced across it several times in a state of emergency.
A throne fit for a king. This is an old-school toilet I found in the palace.
Fast forward another 3 hours and I’m at the palace reception hall which they converted into a convention centre. One thing I learned from my first backpacking trip is that convention centres have amazing toilets. Also, they have these things in India called potty showers which are effectively hoses you can use on your ass for a “wet yet clean” finish. Given a full day of diarrhoea, I was pretty excited for an opportunity to proactively stay ahead of the bowel curve. In my excitement, I kind of went in the ladies washroom by accident…
What a day.
The rewards for my day of flatulence: opulent interior designs
An island palace AND a mountain top palace
Beautiful sunsets
Phenomenal city views
Romantic Candle-lit Dinner, for One, Please
There are definitely moments when it sucks big time to travel alone. I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner at a posh restaurant overlooking Lake Pichola and two of the gorgeous palaces of Udaipur. The electricity was out so only the most beautiful parts of the city with backup generators were lit up. The sky was filled with an ocean of stars and fireworks were being launched around the city (kids playing with fireworks I presume but beautiful nonetheless). And I was enjoying it all for myself. Moments, like that, are meant to be shared.
The palace view I had all to myself
My situation is completely self-inflicted for opting to roll solo. It’s a little harder to find company in India than anywhere else because hostels are much less common here. They say you have to really like yourself to travel in India. I’m starting to learn.
This couple looked quite great together. The shot was irresistable.
Kumbhalgarh: The Real Life Helms Deep
Remember that super bad-ass fort in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? I think I saw a real life version of it today. This is one massive fort perched atop a mountain 1100m above sea level. It winds into the distance for 36km making it the world’s second largest wall, usurped only by the Great Wall of China.
Whoooooaaaaaaaa
Like Helms Deep, Kumbhalgarh was only taken once in its entire history, and even then, its invaders only held onto the fort for two days. I guess it would have been taken back quicker if they had a wizard and a bunch of horse dudes for backup.
The definitive moment I realized that I am starting to look like a Korean pop star. I need to 1) stop doing touristy shit 2) get a hair cut
Marble, Marble Everywhere
I site visited one of Dasra’s portfolio organizations, Educate Girls, located in a town called Pali roughly 3 hours from Udaipur. The organization does amazing work and I will definitely blog about my NGO experiences once as I learn more about the sector and can speak intelligently to it.
What impressed me along the way was marble. Imagine miles upon miles of marble wholesalers lining a freeway for an entire 30 minute stretch. Rajasthan is extremely rich in marble and there seemed to be no shortage of it. By the time the material reaches North American shores, it is an item of luxury, but this is not the case at all at its source.
A massive slab of marble, enough for a kitchen island countertop, would go for only $40 here. Even basic homes in rural areas have walls and ceilings lined with marble. It was out of my reality to see such an abundance of this exquisite white stone used so sparingly as a building material here.
The final feast for my eyes was the Jain temple of Ranakpur. It is an incredibly temple, covering nearly an acre in land area, made entirely of… you guessed it. Marble.
Alluring Ranakpur. The panorama highlights only a quarter of the entire temple.
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