| Tips and photos for State of Rajasthan vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and State of Rajasthan locals. Map |
 | State of Rajasthan General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 35 |  |
The Ghoomar dance from Udaipur and Fire dances of Jaisalmer have their own distinct style and portray the cultural heritage of Rajasthan. The music is simple but compelling, and the dances depict personal relationships and daily life, often focused around collecting water from wells. Female dancers twirl while balancing up to 6 pots on their heads. The grace and balance displayed in these whirling dances is breathtaking. The top most pot has a fire burning in it.(It is often called Fire-Dancing)
Folk music is also a vital part of Rajasthani culture. Folk songs are commonly ballads which relate heroic deeds and love stories. Religious or devotional songs known as bhajans and banis (often accompanied by musical instruments like dholak, sitar and sarangi ) are also part of the repartoire.
The songs are plaintive, and even if one does not understand the words- the story told through the dance is easy to understand and follow.
The Colours, Music and Dancing are so completely different from the other states in India.
Rajasthani turbans are tied in distinctly different ways, and the colours of the turbans usually are indicative of caste.
Rajasthani traditional dress for women is usually an ankle length skirt and a short top, known as a choli. A shawl is used to cover the head, both for protection from heat and maintenance of modesty. Rajasthani dresses are in bright-in colours of yellow, orange red and blue. The women are graceful, and they have amazing posture- even in old age. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
 Clothes iron by herzog63
The iron was very cool...It used fire red hot coals to heat it up! I don't think my wife would want one of these for an anniversary gift though!
Maybe this should be under warnings and dangers for "Don't take pictures of clothes irons"!! Leave a Comment
|
 Lep preparing a tasty dish by Bonobo2005
1. At sunrise: preparing breakfast, doing dishes, saddling and packing the camels;
2. Riding for about 3 hours;
3. Unloading the camels, preparing lunch, doing dishes, saddle and pack the camels;
4. Riding for about 2,5 hours;
5. Before sunset: unloading the camels, preparing supper, doing dishes and making up sleeping spot (open air);
Lep always consulted me what I wished to eat, but the choice was, of course, limited.
The common menu was:
Breakfast: Indian tea (Chai), followed by toast with jam, porridge and fruit (banana or orange)
Lunch: Chai, instant noodles with fresh vegetables or lentils and herbs, together with chapatti (Indian flat bread);
Supper: Chai, rice with fresh vegetables or lentils and herbs (richer than lunch), and chapatti;
Since he cooked on a small fire, he first made tea, then noodles or rice, then the sauce and vegetables and finally the chapatti. The meals were fantastic, a great job!
Without exception, he waited with eating until I had enough. When he finished his meal, he cleaned the dishes using the fine desert sand, that was miraculously suitable for that job in a environment that water is very scarce.
All in all, Lep was busy from sunrise to sunset and I couldn’t be angry with him that he wasn’t interested in having a good time together.
For him this trip was no more than a job. He did all the work and I only had to rest, ride the camel, eat and enjoy the serenity of the desert. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 locals around for a chat by Bonobo2005
I was allowed to help with collecting wood, though, a 2 times daily job. Then he could already start with preparing tea.
Also when (un-)saddling and (un-)packing the camels he demanded my help. This is an extensive and accurate job, that is repeated 2 times a day. It’s really a craft to distribute the load correctly over the camels. If the job’s done not well, the camels feel very uncomfortable and they’re not nice to ride on.
And we brought a lot into the desert. A big bag of fodder for the camels, food for us enough for 6 days, 2 small tanks of water, numerous blankets, 24 bottles of drinking water and my own backpack.
And everywhere we stopped locals came around. They know from experience that tourists bring a lot of delicacies.
Lep was very generous. He knew it was a good idea to be friends with the locals around the camp sites and moreover we had more than enough! Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 by Bonobo2005
This dog followed us all the time and defended it’s territory heroically. Suddenly a man stood besides my sleeping bag, who started arguing heavily with Lep.
The man left and Lep told me; “this man is crazy, he will come back soon”! It frightened me a bit. It were so vulnerable here, sleeping in the sand!
The stranger came back at sunrise and turned out to be, besides curious, aiming at no more than a share in our breakfast!
We always slept in the dunes, under the amazingly star filled sky. After some nights I could even recognise them and calculate the actual time! Leave a Comment
|
 at the drink water place by Bonobo2005
People from nearby settlements came to fill up their water bags, and also huge numbers of camels, cows, sheep and goats –that usually hang around more fertile area’s- cover large distances for their daily drink.
Of course our camels had to drink as well (daily or once in 2 days) and Lep took that into account when planning our route. For me this always was some kind of highlight.
As there was an opportunity to visit the villages, I could observe desert life closely and mingle with the friendly people.
Kids approached me and took me to their parents houses, where I had to take their pictures and where they offered local products like opium, desert wine or crafts products. Leave a Comment
|
 village people by Bonobo2005
I tried to make a bit of conversation, but he always replied with "yes", "no" or "nothing". This attitude didn’t change much during the next 5 days.
Lep was a 22-year old man from a nearby settlement, who worked for the camel owner. Despite his age he was very experienced and carried out his tough job perfectly. But I realised soon that I shouldn’t expect too much more than that.
Instead I found it much more satisfying to enjoy the slow and monotonous movements of the camel and the ultimate silence in which I almost reached some state of trance.
We passed Lep’s home village, picturesque mud houses in mushroom shape. Sometimes the people also use stones of nearby ancient ruined settlements.
The turbaned men in their sarongs sang cheerfully “No chapatti , No chay”. Leave a Comment
|
 finally we found a chicken by Bonobo2005
That’s what I had negotiated with Mieerh! But according to Lep it was not that easy to find one. He had already informed at the village the day before, but no chickens there!
Chickens are not common in the desert and are only eaten at very special occasions!
Eventually we obtained one at an abandoned settlement where only one family still lived.
After lunch he skilfully slaughtered the animal and when he wanted to halt in the vicinity of a group of houses that evening, I refused staying there. While the kids already came out to beg, I felt so much ashamed of the chicken (locals only eat chicken at very rare occasions, like weddings), and there would never be enough for all.
The 6th day I was fed up with the solitude and I told Lep that I wanted be back in Jaisalmer before lunch, something that he approved heartily. Of course he expected a tip. He already had enquired after my fleece, but instead I gave him Rs. 300 ($7), a very nice extra for him and his family! Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 desert trader by Bonobo2005
A bigger surprise was even that he had a plastic bag with sodas on offer! Although he didn’t succeeded in keeping them cold, I bought 2 cola from him, stimulating local economy :-)!
In the evening we had company again, this time an old shepherd, who was attracted by the fire.
He was also glad with my bottle of rum (and I as well, finally someone to drink with, and soon he drank enough to fall down asleep in our camp.
Next morning, when I woke up, he had already disappeared. Leave a Comment
|
 tranquillity by Bonobo2005
He told me that we couldn’t complete our itinerary, since the area where we were up to had been seized by Indian troops and it’s inhabitants were evacuated. Lep was scared.
I wasn’t very happy with that but had not much choice. Lying under a bush that afternoon, I experienced something mystical: Absolute silence for hours! Absence of all sound. I doubted that I felt this ever before in my life.
Later that day we encountered a small caravan with 2 tourists, the only time in 5 days that we met other foreigners. Leave a Comment
|
More State of Rajasthan Tips |
More State of Rajasthan Travel Deals Rajasthan Honeymoons
Romantic Escapes in Royal Rajasthan Book Direct w/ Local Agents & Save Rajasthan Tours
Explore Forts, Palaces, Wildlife, Culture & Heritage Of Rajasthan. Rajasthan India Tour
Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Agra. 9N/10D w/ All Top Destination. Yes! Sponsored Links
|
