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Saturday, January 18th – Jaipur to Bhaisala, 16,522 km
Once we have had breakfast at the youth hostel, Frank and I load up our bikes and head out of town. It is perfect cycling day, pleasantly warm with only a slight breeze and mostly clear skies. The broad avenue in front of the Hawa Mahal and the City Palace, Nirwan Marg, becomes Kalwar Road and Hwy 11 as it leads us west out of the city. Within ten kilometres farmlands appear on either side of the road, and in the distance beyond them, low rolling hills covered in scrub or uncultivated grasslands. It is an arid landscape. The traffic is still quite heavy here for the first few kilometres, until we are well beyond the city.
An hour west of Jaipur, as the bicycle flies, we come to the village of Kalwad, which has a ranch-style palace in white stone. I take a shot of it but we don't go in. We only pause here five minutes before continuing on. The highway continues by the villages of Pachar and Laipura and through the village of Bassi Naaga. Forty minutes later, the highway makes a 90-degree turn north at the town of Jobner.
Jobner has a busy street market where we buy our lunch. Our bicycles, loaded with gear attract the attention of several youths and men who gather around us. They each try to play with my gear shifts, not knowing that changing the speed while I am not moving may cause the chain to come off when I start to ride again. Indians do not have the same respect of personal space that Westerners do. We would not think of reaching over and fiddling with someone else's equipment without asking, but no one here ever asks. Frank is especially irritated by their behaviour and is more forceful in telling them to leave his bike alone.
Frank likes to take pictures. He snaps a few of the crowds and one of a proprietor in his shop, which is more like a moving crate with doors that open like an armoire. It is painted pink inside. The old merchant is selling various small trinkets and house wares. He is sitting cross-legged and poses as Frank shoots him. There's a mirror on the back wall and Frank catches his own reflection in the photo.
Frank also loves taking pictures of women. He catches a group of them of different ages coming back from the fields just outside the town. He is great at composing pictures and especially likes taking pictures of the people we meet, their colourful turbans and their camels with their decorative tassels and beads. The camels are adorned lavishly and carry themselves as though they are loved, like noble but stupid princes. The farmers here take great care of their personal appearance, waxing their beards and mustaches and wearing clean and colourful clothing. They are kind and humble too, never pasting on a false smile for a photograph.
There is a steep outcropping of rock that rises above the town. On top there is a temple called Jwala Maiya. It is a small temple and the hill is way too steep to negotiate with our loaded bicycles.
We leave the highway at Jobner to continue west on a small dirt road that leads through the villages of Deodi and Laakhan Pura. It's a long, dusty ride that lasts two hours before reach Hwy 2 at Bhatipura. The wind has picked up and is blowing a sandy wind in our faces so we decide to stop here for the night. Frank is also choked because he has another broken spoke on his rear wheel. He can't deal with it now so he says he will fix it first thing in the morning.
Bhatipura is a smaller town. It looks much like other Indian towns with rickshaws and livestock, but there are definitely more camels and goats. It has a couple small inns, and there are plenty of small stalls and restaurants for dinner. Rajasthanis in the streets are more colourful too, so the street scenes are more interesting. I much prefer Rajasthan over the lush green pastures of Haryana or Punjab for this reason, but it also much more attractive than the towns and cities of western Pakistan. We are well off the beaten path here. Western travelers and tourists keep to the better-known areas of this largely rural and mysterious country. The locals smile at up that are both welcoming and shy.
PHOTO 1: Kalwad Palace
PHOTO 2: shop in a crate, Jobner
PHOTO 3: Jawala Ji Mata temple in Jobner
PHOTO 4: women, girls coming home from work in the fields
PHOTO 5: goats and Rajasthani sky
PHOTO 6: man with a red turban
PHOTO 7: an 'elephant mount' with big steps in Bhatipura
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