Sunday, January 17, 2010

Gujuarati Welcome: Jain Tantric Prayers & Salt Flats


Gujarat: One of the least visited states in India and the nicest one we've visited so far. It took a 10 hour drive to reach the city of Bhuj, the capital of the Katch Valley, home to the last nomadic tribes of India: the Rabbari. Along the drive we passed by every imaginable animal and person: indifferent cows and camels, turbaned men herding groups of fluffy black-faced sheep and spotted goats, slithering mongoose, wild boar, troops of Gibbons and peacocks, brightly dressed tribal women with amazingly large circular golden nose rings balancing baskets of sticks, water, and food atop their head, and Rabbari tribespeople perched atop camels carrying along their belongings to their next place of rest. Indians typically drive down the center of the lane in order to better avoid the above-mentioned traffic as well as vehicles driving down the wrong side of the street or otherwise parked along the road for a chat with the locals. Warmer in both weather and people than Jaisalmer, we instantly liked Bhuj. We found ourselves in the extremely welcoming and inexpensive ($5/night) City Guesthouse right in the thick of the main bazaar. Little did we know that the Guesthouse was also neighbor to the local Jain temple where devotees begin chanting and ringing bells at 6am and which last well past midnight. Thank goodness to our supply of earplugs and Ambien!

We spent 4 days in the Katch Valley accompanied by our lovely driver, Raj, who we hired in Jaisalmer and who will be with us for the next 2 weeks. The Katch Valley is situated along the Pakistani border and one needs a permit to visit many of the local villages. The villages are made up of mostly previously nomadic tribes who have now mostly settled down. There are, however, still some nomads, the Rabbari, who wander the western borders. We traveled throughout the Katch valley meeting with local artisans who weave, block-print, quilt, and generally keep alive the arts and handicrafts which make India so unique. Each village warmly greeted us and offered us amazing Kaatchi meals complete with sour butter-milk and never-ending chappatis. During lunch villagers displayed their ornate wares that we couldn't help but drool over. We thought that we were hard bargainers, but found the locals to be far better equipped with both time and diligence. Most of the time, we left empty handed, unable to afford the high prices quoted but happy with our interactions with the welcoming villagers. I think, in the end, the locals were more interested in interacting with us and less interested in a sale, thus the ridiculously high prices and hard bargaining. We did manage to leave the valley with a small stockpile of hand-woven shawls, hand-dyed and hand-block printed bedspreads, and some adorable Rabbari baby hats and dresses. We wish that we had had more time to navigate the harsh lands of the nomads and spend more time in, so far, our favorite Indian state, but alas we have a loose agenda that must be followed.

We spent another 6 hours in the car today winding our way up to the cool and quiet former British hill station of Mt. Abu for a night of rest and relaxation (hopefully far away from the tantric chanting). Tomorrow, off to the lakeside town of Udaipur.

More to come soon!

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