Jodhpur->Bhopal

On November 30th, 2015, my day started inside of a tent out in the middle of the Rajasthani desert. Devina and I were in the middle of our first trip to India together and my first real international trip ever. When I woke up that morning, I had no idea this would end up being one of the longest days of my life.

It also happened to be my 28th birthday.

Devina’s aunt and uncle had arranged a short trip for us to Jodhpur as a wedding present. We took an overnight train from Dehli and spent the first day exploring the city, including the Mehrangarh fort that surrounds it. Jodhpur is a beautiful place. Many of the buildings are painted blue, which is why it is nicknamed the “Blue City”.

 

On the morning of our second day in Jodhpur, we had breakfast at the rooftop cafe of our hotel and then went on a desert safari. Our guide drove us through the Rajasthani desert and took us to a local farm. That’s where I learned that raw peanuts are kind of weird before they’re roasted.

After the safari, our guide dropped us off at our campsite and we got settled in to our tent. Well, while it technically was a tent, it was also the purest form of “glamping” that I’ve ever seen. First of all, there was a queen size bed inside the tent. Just that puts it leagues beyond the all other tent’s I’ve ever slept in. In addition to the bed, the tent also had a stone-floored bathroom, a closet, and a front porch with two chairs . It’s was nuts.

The rest of the day consisted of a camel ride, dinner, and a dance performance. We then went to bed and awoke the next morning to, as I said earlier, the longest day of my life.

Once Devina and I were up, showered, and dressed, we had breakfast and then rode back into Jodhpur. We had some time to kill before our our flight to Bhopal, so we decided to hit up the city market for souvenirs and gifts. The market – like most things in India – was complete sensory overload. Carts and stores selling all sorts of colorful bags, scarfs, trinkets, odds, ends, and everything else sprawled across the large bazaar.

I mostly just followed Devina through the shops while we picked out what would amount to the bulk of our Christmas presents that year. Devina’s deft haggling skills helped us avoid being fleeced, which definitely helped make the whole experience less stressful.

We moved through shop after shop purchasing various gifts and sundries. At one point a shopkeeper asked Devina if she was my guide. She politely explained (in Hindi) that we were married. Indian people definitely don’t have a problem asking strangers personal questions.

Our next stop was a shoe store to pick up a few pairs of jutis. We took a seat and the shopkeeper started taking shoes off the shelves and threw them on the floor in front of us. I tried on a few until I found a pair that worked for me. Devina, on the other hand, ended up with a big pile of shoes in front of her before she selected some for herself.

A couple hours (and many, many shops) later, we decided it was time to go. Devina and I jammed all of our purchases into a cab and away we went to the Jodhpur Airport. Once there, we went through security and bought a deep-fried pastry filled with various vegetables and spices that turned out to be very tasty. It wasn’t a samosa, but something very close to it. Definitely one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten inside an airport.

We boarded our flight an hour or so later and took off for Bhopal to visit Devina’s grandparents. At long last, around 7pm that evening, we arrived at their house. I was ready to have some dinner and then hit the hay for a good night’s sleep. Remember, I woke up in the middle of the dang desert that morning.

This, however, is not what happened.

The first thing that I noticed when walking up to the house was the welcome sign of colored sand they had made for us on their stoop. Devina’s grandparents then came out to greet us with huge hugs and birthday wishes. They also  placed a red tikka on my and Devina’s foreheads.

Badi Mumma (grandmother) and Badde Daddy (grandfather) are two of my favorite people in the world. That night they were both wonderfully friendly and welcoming from the moment I met them. We all moved inside the house and sat down in their living room. Some neighbors were also visiting, so I spent the next few minutes meeting everyone. They all wished me a happy birthday and then brought out a chocolate cake.

We ate some cake and then had dinner, which consisted of a delicious and hearty porridge. It was the perfect meal after a long and tiring day. By the time dinner was finished, I was stuffed, sleepy, and more ready for bed than I’ve ever been in my life.

Now, this really should be the end of the story. I was expecting to get into bed and go immediately to sleep.

This, however, is not what happened.

Instead, as my wife and I were getting ready for bed. My father-in-law came into our room. He, like his parents, is also a very warm and loving person who has always made me feel like part of the family. He and my mother-in-law are both fantastic people.

So, as we are getting ready to sleep, FIL comes into the room and says he wants to talk to us about something. We all sit down on the bed and he begins talking to us about the merits of purchasing a house.

It’s past midnight, I’ve been up for 17+ hours, and I’m having to discuss my future plans for buying real estate with my wife’s dad. I had been in a desert, an open-air market, a plane, and two different Indian cities that day. I was beyond tired and my brain was total mush.

The conversation actually stretched on for at least an hour. We talked about the pros/cons of buying a house vs renting, how the long term investment made sense now that we were married, and how to go about getting a realistic mortgage. I tried my best to pay attention, but sitting on the bed with the pillow so close was a constant distraction.

Eventually, my saint of a mother-in-law yelled at Devina’s dad to let us go to bed, so he got up and left. I was finally able to lay down and close my eyes. I had just enough time to reflect on the silliness of the conversation I’d just had and, at long last, I drifted to sleep and my 28th birthday came to an end.

Devina and I bought our first home six months later.

Lessons Learned:

  • I really can’t overstate how crowded, noisy, and amazing India really is. When I try to explain it to others, I typically tell them that if you take any American public space, add 3 to 4 times the amount of people (all of them Indian), plus constant car horns honking and you might get close to what India is like. It is overwhelming and absolutely beautiful.
  • You can haggle for just about anything in India. Certainly most cab drivers and non-westernized shop owners are willing to negotiate on price if you at least ask. When Devina would push back even a bit, most people were willing to give a better price or cut us a deal.
  • Overnight trains are a great way to get around in India if you’d like to save money on a flight. From my own personal experience, be sure to wear shoes if you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.
  • If you ever get the chance to ride a camel, be very careful about sharing the saddle with another person. When we had our ride, Devina sat in the front and I took the back. She had reins, stirrups, and an actual seat. I, on the other had, had nothing to hold on to, nothing to put my feet on, and mostly nothing to sit on. It was pretty scary being jostled about every time the camel took a step since I was constantly struggling not to fall.
  • It’s common in India to have the birthday cake before dinner, rather than afterward.
  • Wacky sleep cycles are just a part of traveling. Between jet lag and busy itineraries, you might find yourself exhausted and lethargic during your trip. My best advice is to just go with it as best you can. We usually try and sync up our sleep with the day/night cycle of our destination. That sometimes means staying up all day until the sun goes down. It stinks, but otherwise you’re sleeping when you could be out having fun and experiencing new things.