Rip-roaring through resplendent Rajasthan

Boy, was Rajasthan a blur! We wanted to see a handful of cities in this Indian state, but every day seemed to be hotter than the last, so we accelerated our timetable and spent just 2-3 nights in each place. Here's a rundown of the best and worst of each:

• Jaipur: After being conned off of our bus too early by a conniving rickshaw driver and then witnessing another driver be bitch-slapped by a crowd of his peers, we safely made it to our wonderful guesthouse, the Explorer's Nest. Arvind, the owner, was incredibly sweet and accomodating and our room felt like one you'd pay hundreds of dollars for at a B&B in the States. We were walled into our room the first night by a cheeky monkey who just wouldn't let us down the stairs. He eventually relented, and this was the first in what has been a series of monkey incidents since. After a nice walk though the colorful bizzares of the Pink City and a hike up to a fort atop a mountain, we were ready to move on to our next stop.

• Pushkar: This city is considered holy and many Hindu pilgrams come here in order to wash their sins away among the ghats of the sacred lake. Ironically, however, this was also where we encountered the most unholy of things: fake priests conning people out of their money for "a family blessing," the sacred lake a polluted mess and the holiest of animals, the cow, allowed to starve (forced to eat the trash and drink thier own urine while peeing- gross!). Business men were cheating fellow shop owners, we were constantly approached by drug peddlers and it never was easier to get an illegal beer (referred to as "special juice" on the reciept). Despite all this, we had one of the best views yet from our balcony - it's still a breathtaking city - and we also had a great time hanging out with the group we'd formed with Vanty, Katy and Danielle.

• Udaipur: We instantly took a liking to Udiapur, perhaps because it's the most European-feeling city we'd been to yet. We weren't hassled by touts like everywhere else, and we saw cows being fed fresh greens (our new barometer for how friendly a city will be is how healthy the cows look...accurate so far). The architecture was really pleasant, with nice mixes of in and outdoor areas and rooftops providing great views of the city. We caught a boat ride to Jalismir Island and enjoyed a traditional Rajasthani dance performance.
  

• Mt.Abu: We traveled to this city atop a mile-high mountain in order to take a meditation class with the Brahma Kumaris. Neither of us took a liking to the town itself, which felt like an Indian version of the Jersey Shore. We had planned on staying to complete the full introductory course, but by the end of our first session, we both had decided the organization was not for us. Our teacher was lovely and very open to our feedback and the organization seemed to be legit and involved in some great community and environmental activities, but the religious aspect didn't gel with our beliefs, so we ended our stay and began our loooooong bus ride to Agra.

Rebecca's pics: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Rajasthan-Rebecca/

Nick's pics: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Rajasthan%20-%20Nick/