Day 10: Jains and the "Venice of the East"

Day 10 January 31st

Today was another day of transit with a stop at some very impressive Jain temples at Rankapur. A late start made our driver a bit angry with us however the sleep was much worth it. I'm sure he did mind waiting around in the beautiful morning sunlight. Leaving Jaisalmer we headed southeast towards the so-called "Venice of the East." Along the way we past a semingly infinite number of small villages and within each of these small villages you will find motorcycle repair shops, fresh produce stands, small and filthy restaurants and any other service necessary to sustain a life. As we pass by, the villages gaze into our vehicle to check the status of who has decided to pass through their precious community. The reactions are as varied as the Hindu gods. Most small children will smile and wave, a smaller number of children will don a frown while slumping and raise their hand for an offering. Young men tend to either smile and wave curiously or continue with a dull stare until we have left their sight. Older men offer the most diverse reaction, their reactions vary from begging to an enthusiastic smile. The women will always act the same due to cultural norms. They can at most flash a smile but more likely only a short look and then they return to their business.

The Jain Temples at Rankapur were very impressive. The entire building is constructed in marble and is intricately carved with religious figures and scenes to teach the illiterate.

Udaipur on first impression was cleaner and more modern than any other city we have visited in Rajasthan. En route to the hotel we even saw a western style supermarket. My travel mates were so happy to see such a business that we turned the car around to do some shopping for some more Americanized food items. I have yet to see why the city is nicknamed after Venice, there must be reason. After settling into our rooms we headed to the hotels bar for a beer on the rooftop patio. This is the firt "bar" that we have been to in India. That is becuase drinking and the here so called "Pub culture" is a bit taboo. I have peeked into other restaurant bars during our stay and they all seem to have a few things in common: No women, dim lights of often different colors and a small number of Indian men that are friendly but have a staring problem. The hotel bar last night had a lovely view overlooking the city, far in the distance you are able to see the palace that has made this city famous. We will visit that palace tomorrow. Sitting on the patio, enjoying a cold beer and the cool breeze of the desert, I notice an Indian man nearby. It seems that he was talking to himself and praying. It turns out that the man is blind and he was calling out to find out if there was anyone else in his vicinity. We started to chat, he was a very friendly man that had spent some time in Miami working as a travel agent. We chatted for a while and he gave me his number so that he could help my future travels in India if I would like any help. After asking for restaurant recommendations we pay our bill and head out to find a auto-rickshaw.

The restaurant that was recommended to us was fantastic, it was located in the garden patio of one of the nicest hotels in town, the Garden Hotel. The building was all white and painstakingly clean compared to the streets outside. All the tables were arranged along the green grass of the patio and they