We decided it was time for a break from the crowds, and headed for the hippie enclave of Goa for some Indian surf and sun.
In India, this is what passes for a break from the crowds.
People aren’t the only ones who escape to Goa for some relaxation.
Cows take their relaxation very seriously. Jessie got in this one’s way and received a firm headbutt for interrupting her long walk on the beach.
These dogs had pretty good seats for the sunset,
but ours were even more spectacular.
Before leaving Goa, Phil decided he didn’t want to look like one of the hippies on the beach,
but apparently the American gesture for “haircut” is the Indian gesture for “mullet”.
Our next stop was in Jaipur, known as the Pink City because all of the buildings are painted pink.
But it really should be known as the Kickass Astronomical Garden City, because it has a kickass astronomical garden! The 300 year old Jantar Mantar is filled with 18 massive astronomical devices that do things like measure the rotation of the earth and even the intensity of moonshine.
The centerpiece is a 27 meter high sundial that can measure time within 2 seconds.
We also visited the City Palace,
but we were mostly just impressed with the guards’ uniforms.
We also took a tuktuk tour of the city. Let’s take a moment to talk about the roads in India. There are no rules, you can drive any direction you want, in any vehicle you want. The only requirements are: good horn, good brakes, and good luck.
Our tuktuk tour was a mini safari, as we saw dogs, cats, goats, pigs, cows, horses, camels, and even elephants wandering through the streets and/or pulling vehicles.
Growing weary of the roads, we took a train to Jodhpur, home of the massive Mehrangarh Fort,
which towers over the city.
Jodhpur is very different than Jaipur, because they paint the buildings blue instead of pink.
The blue city was beautiful, but we were there to see the fort, so we got up first thing in the morning and stormed the castle.
Walking through the gates, we saw the handprints of the widows of Maharaja Man Singh, who left their mark on the wall before commiting sati on his funeral pyre. Unfortunately, unlike Khaleesi, they did not walk out of the fire covered strategically by baby dragons.
The fort was grand and beautifully constructed,
Full of elaborate decorations, colorful windows,
And intricately framed doors.
They even had a guy who was very serious about his opium pipe demonstration.
And a cat in the city market who was very serious about cardboard boxes.
-Phil & Jessie
Katz 