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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2013 9:36:21 GMT
I love the street life photos as always.
In the market place, it looks like there could be a big problem if someone pulls out the wrong vessel from that big pile.
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Post by htmb on Jun 2, 2013 10:41:58 GMT
Do the cattle find their own food sources, or do people feed them?
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Post by fumobici on Jun 2, 2013 18:20:03 GMT
This is really a fascinating glimpse into a what is to me a very alien culture. Can't see myself going to India but I'm game for viewing at a distance.
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Post by lugg on Jun 4, 2013 19:44:19 GMT
I am interested in Htmb's cattle question too.
I continue to enjoy your posts and photos about this fascinating country, Deyana. Thank you .
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:08:49 GMT
Does the owner of the car in the second last photo have to wait for the cows to go away to move his car? Did you have any language problems, Deyana? Did everyone you spoke to speak English or do you speak any of the Indian languages? I think he would, bjd. Unless he chases them off somehow ;D I did have some communication issues, but more in the South, which is furthermost away from where I come from, the North. I found that the nearer to the North I was, the less trouble I had understanding people. Some people do speak English, and some very well indeed, while others speak none. So it all depends on who you bump into. In the end no matter if we had any languages in common or not, I mostly made myself understood.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:10:57 GMT
as for the blueish tint of the photos - could it be that you by mistake changed the white balance setting of your camera? That might have been it, Rikita. I did keep changing the settings on it, to try and get a decent photo. But it was a lost cause mostly, the camera is simply too old. I no longer use it now.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:11:43 GMT
I love the street life photos as always. In the market place, it looks like there could be a big problem if someone pulls out the wrong vessel from that big pile. haha... my thoughts exactly! And how do they put them all up there in the first place?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:15:53 GMT
Do the cattle find their own food sources, or do people feed them? htmb, without looking more into it, I actually don't know. Maybe ansh can answer this question? I remember inquiring about the same thing and I kept getting contradicting answers from various people. I did see some of the cows (and goats etc) being fed some kind of grain. It was just dropped outside of their door and somehow the cows knew to go and get it from there. One man did this and then got a stick out to shoo away a cow, that didn't belong to him. Other times I saw cows wondering around aimlessly and wondered who owned them and who fed them (if anyone).. I am very curious about this question as well. In the past I've been told simply, that they all come home at the end of the day. And yet other times I saw cows tied up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:18:21 GMT
This is really a fascinating glimpse into a what is to me a very alien culture. Can't see myself going to India but I'm game for viewing at a distance. Glad you are finding these essays of interest, fumobici. I'm glad I am putting it all down on this forum, while it's still all reasonably fresh in my mind. It will be interesting looking back and reading back on his again in a few years time.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:20:04 GMT
I am interested in Htmb's cattle question too. I continue to enjoy your posts and photos about this fascinating country, Deyana. Thank you . You are welcome, lugg. There is more to come, I just haven't had much time lately, but the whole journey will all be documented eventually.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2013 23:22:46 GMT
The main reason we had traveled to Jaisalmer was to be able to go on a desert safari. I guess we could have done that in Jodphur as well, but this here was the real desert. A little information about the Thar Desert: 'The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is a large, arid region in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent and forms a natural boundary running along the border between India and Pakistan. With an area of more than 200,000 km2, it is the world's 18th largest subtropical desert. It lies mostly in Rajasthan, and extends into the southern portion of Haryana and Punjab states and into northern Gujarat state. Stretches of sand in the desert are interspersed by hillocks and sandy and gravel plains. Due to the diversified habitat and ecosystem, the vegetation, human culture and animal life in this arid region is very rich in contrast to the other deserts of the world. About 23 species of lizard and 25 species of snakes are found here and several of them are endemic to the region. Thar Desert provides the recreational value in terms of desert festivals organized every year. Rajasthan desert festivals are celebrated with great zest and zeal. This festival is held once a year during winters. Dressed in brilliantly hued costumes, the people of the desert dance and sing haunting ballads of valor, romance and tragedy. The fair has snake charmers, puppeteers, acrobats and folk performers. Camels, of course, play a stellar role in this festival, where the rich and colorful folk culture of Rajasthan can be seen. camels are an integral part of the desert life and the camel events during the Desert Festival confirm this fact. Special efforts go into dressing the animal for entering the spectacular competition of the best-dressed camel. Other interesting competitions on the fringes are the moustache and turban tying competitions, which not only demonstrate a glorious tradition but also inspire its preservation. Both the turban and the moustache have been centuries old symbols of honor in Rajasthan. Evenings are meant for the main shows of music and dance. Continuing till late into the night, the number of spectators swells up each night and the grand finale, on the full moon night, takes place by silvery sand dunes.' In fact there was a Camel festival happening during our stay in Jaisalmer. This area certainly has something quite special, an atmosphere if you like, that I didn't find anywhere else in India. No wonder so many traveled here for the various festivals, not only from other parts of India and Asia but from around the world. We booked our safari through the hotel itself, it just seemed simpler to do it that way. We were to be picked up by Jeep with a party of other people, and taken to the desert. Here we would go on a desert safari and then be picked up by same jeep and taken to a place for the night. Our stay would include meals, accommodation and entertainment. Our transport: My camel - cute or what huh? His name was Raj and he was the biggest camel there. At first it felt strange riding on him, but I soon got used to it. One of the girls in our group looking over the wonderful sandy landscape. She was visiting India and had traveled all the way from Mexico to come here: Later on we would bump into Julian again. He would pass be coming back from a camel ride as we were just leaving on one! He later told us that he had spent that night out in the desert and had gotten sick as he got stuck in a big rain storm. It was one of those freak things, it hardly ever rains in the desert and that night it did! We met the only other Canadian that I would come across during during this whole trip. He was a man from Alberta who was traveling around India. He was all set up to spend many nights in the desert, together with a couple of guides and a few stray desert dogs. He planned to sleep out under the stars. Unfortunately he would also get stuck out there tonight in that severe storm that came to be. We watched the sunset come over the landscape and my sons went on a camel run. There were a few guides, the one that was assigned to us told us of his hard life and lack of finances. From what he told us he was paid a pittance, I'm not sure how he survived and he had a wife and kids too. At this point I just didn't know what to believe anymore. But one of my boys handed over a 500 rupee note to him and the other one gave him 100. This was more than half a months wages for our guide. They were not shy about openly asking for tips, and I noticed that we were the only ones to give them any. I must have been getting a bit cynical. Anywhere we went, everyone but everyone was out to get paid for something or sometimes for nothing! I told my sons not be taken in by every sob story they heard. The tales were simply never ending. Later on the jeep picked us up and took us to an place where little round abodes were on one side. On the other side were tents. We had a choice we could spend the night in the brick abodes or in the tent. We could even have one little hut each! Sounded good. Our jeep driver left and told us he'd pick us up the next day. We were directed to the main area outside and sat on chairs, waiting for the show to begin. My view from where I sat: It was cold, so they gave us blankets, it was easy to tell the weather was taking a turn for the worst. Here are the girls that danced for us. At one point, they danced on glass, bare-feet: Here is a video I took of the part of the show: During the entertainment that was laid out for us, we were served our meal. It was typical vegetarian curry. unfortunately not only my son (this time), but one of the girls from our group would be quite sick for the next couple of days due to the food. Eventually we all went to our little huts for the night. Just in time. The storm that came down that night made me glad I was not out sleeping under the stars! It came down all of a sudden and was ferocious. The next day, we had breakfast and the Jeep came to pick us up. I got talking to the driver and he told me of the various deserted villages that there were dotted around this area. Now this fascinated me no end. And I asked him if we could go and see one before setting off back to the hotel. He agreed.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 4:35:13 GMT
Was it a sand storm or did it rain?
I love the camel pictures. Camels always seem to have a sardonic look and an opinion about their job, while horses hide their thoughts on the matter.
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Post by bjd on Jun 9, 2013 5:31:13 GMT
Is this anywhere near the white Thar desert that the BBC has been running ads for these days? I mean on the BBC news website, when you want to see a video, you get a tourism ad for this white desert.
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Post by nycgirl on Jun 9, 2013 16:39:22 GMT
Cute photos of the camels. I also like the photo of the girl from Mexico.
Sorry to hear about the food sickness. That must have been miserable for them.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:45:18 GMT
K, it was a rain storm. Earlier on, at the end of the safari, but while still out there, the beginnings of the storm were already starting to pick up and we got pelted with sand as well.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:49:52 GMT
bjd, I can't be sure, but if the Thar desert was in India, it must have been the one and the same.
nycgirl, I think camels are cute too. Strange as that may seem. They have these comical faces don't they? Getting sick from the food we eat when in another country is never any fun, we did the best we could to eat what we thought was a good bet. But sometimes you just don't know how food is prepared, so in that way, no matter if you are in a nice restaurant or picking up a snack on a road-side stall, you take your chances.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:52:05 GMT
btw - regarding those dancing girls, they did all sorts of dances and tricks. And at one time even danced on hot coals. It made me squirm.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:52:39 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2013 20:56:01 GMT
So we set off back to the City of Jaisalmer and to our hotel. A few more photos I took from the road as we went past. I was very curious about this whole area, but the only person I could present my questions to was the Jeep driver and unfortunately he seemed to know next to nothing. I was surprised to see wind-power in action here. A good and efficient way to produce electricity. There were a few odd buildings dotted around here and there, some were quite big and seemed to be in good condition, but uninhabited. And more remnants of structures that belonged to yesteryear: Back in the city, the next day, we went to this Desert festival come fair. The thing I most remember about this place was the very nicely dressed boy who followed us around all the time we were there, begging for money from us. By this time, I was getting very jaded about the motives of most people. This boy had nice clothes and looked like he was well looked-after. What was he after? Pocket money? We didn't give him any. My random charity days were slowly coming to an end. I had simply had enough. Especially when I inquired about these people who seemed to constantly bug you for money wherever you went. I was told they were actually not as poor as they made out, some even had their own homes. They had help from the government if needed, but begged anyway. What to believe? One thing worth mentioning about Jaisalmer are the great little shops they have in the main market area. So many interesting things to buy. Which I didn't, because I didn't want to have to carry stuff all the way South of India and back. Exception being some clothes and jewelry. Rajasthan is known for it's large abundance of precious stones. And I couldn't leave without buying a few rings and a necklace. Some were for gifts. They were so well made and quite beautiful, I had a hard time choosing the ones I wanted. Later on in Mumbai and Goa I would go to a professional jewelers and have the pieces appraised. I couldn't believe what a great deal I had gotten. Incredible prices. If anyone is considering buying jewelry, either gold, silver or precious stones, I recommend shop in Jaisalmer, it really is the best place for it. The one thing to remember though is it's a hit and miss thing, because even the shop owners who sell you these rings etc. don't know for sure which of the pieces are real and which are not. I was lucky, mine turned out to be the real thing, but I heard, all too often they can be fake. The shop owners buy them in bulk and take their chances.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jun 10, 2013 4:00:36 GMT
That contraption looks like a broken down rickshaw. Not the motorised ones, but the manually-pulled ones. But of course I'm not sure.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 21:31:50 GMT
ansh, of course that has to be it
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2013 3:53:16 GMT
Yes, it looks like a collapsed cart to me as well. The deserted village is fascinating -- I would love to visit a place like that. Do you know why it was deserted? Climate change or just the urbanization of India? The steps really intrigue me (picture 2, reply 47) -- they look like the construction/assembly of them was more sophisticated than it first appears. And the stone walls in the other pictures force admiration -- the one in picture 1 really shows how much care is taken in selecting the appropriate building block for each piece of the wall. Having helped a friend in France maintain some of the old stone walls around his property, I know from personal experience that it is no job for amateurs!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2013 12:47:35 GMT
Many factors really, Kerouac, from what I can understand. In centuries gone by it was ruled by Muslim royalty of one form or another. When that kind hierarchy began to dissolve, and add to that wars and conflicts, people started to migrate out of the region. Definitely the region does not hold the same importance as it once did.
More recently the lack of work opportunities, people go where there is work. And perhaps a better climate.
I'm sure it took a lot of effort to develop and construct those stone and cement structures. Kind of sad that they were just abandoned like that. And yet in other parts of India there are so many homeless. But I guess that's just how it works out. Maybe the buildings that are in better condition could be bought by those with money as holiday homes? Some people really do love the desert. Maybe there is a whole new vacation industry over there just waiting for someone with a bit of imagination to make a go of it?
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Post by nycgirl on Jun 15, 2013 0:09:32 GMT
Yikes, the dance performance would have made me squirm.
I like the portrait of the two women.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 21:41:31 GMT
They were very squirm-inducing, nycgirl
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