There's not a lot you can say about eight hours on a long, dusty road to somewhere only a little south of Nowhere. But rest assured Rock will do his best to serve up the usual cheap stocking stuffers that keep this pile of bytes reluctantly grinding along.
Traffic comes in all shapes and sizes out here in Rajasthan. This is the only vehicle more reliable than the hearty Toyota. And about as ubiquitous too.
A Tata Motors truck carries a load of Tata Steel along a logistics path carefully mapped out by Tata Consultancy while the driver chatters away merrily about Tendulkar's push for a ton of tons on his Tata Communications mobile whilst sipping his freshly brewed Tata Tea. The only thing he won't be doing is overnighting at the plush Taj Hotel, owned by, surprise surprise, Tata. In Econ 101 they call it concurrent horizontal and vertical integration; in J00ster 101 they call it world domination.
If you're going to spend endless hours traversing desolate desert roads, you might as well do it in style. It may not have four legs and go two weeks without a fill up, but on the plus side it does have a/c.
Looks kind of hot out there.
Holy cow, it is hot out there. Plus this is cobra territory.
Finally a shimmering oasis appears through the distant haze where scorched earth melts into burnished sky. Also know as the horizon for the poetically challenged. Anyway, it turns out the oasis is the pilgrim drawcard of Pushkar, an intoxicating but oxymoronic blend of wild west frontier town and religious sanctuary.
Another block, another temple. These pilgrims sure do have stamina; visiting every one is like buying a pack of M&Ms at every Duane Reade in New York. Albeit with a slightly more spiritual outcome.
Sunset over the sacred lake. Unfortunately, the place is almost overrun with Western hippies, even more so now that their Occupy sites have been shut down. Except here they're the 1%, so draw up some new placards dudes.
How can you make a sacred lake more sacred? By putting a sacred cow in front of course.
Regardless of your religion or first world skepticism, there is something peaceful about this place. Maybe because all the hippies have moseyed off to get their daily weed lassis.
The best way to beat the crowd is to follow a cow and watch the masses part before you. Unfortunately, following a cow also involves a delicate game of hopscotch...
Is it finally time for some bargaining practice? 4000 rupees, are you crazy? I can get a better blue at home, and it would come with a Kate Spade logo attached!
Modes of transportation through the narrow streets are pretty limited. Especially since riding cows is frowned upon in these parts.
The Pushkar market is a kaleidoscopic blend of garishly colored saris, bubbling vats of curry, and mounds of exotic spices. Makes Amazon.com look a tad bit boring.
It would be easy to get lost in here. Unless you're Mei, in which case you're already lost.
Remember Temple of Doom? I bet this fellow does.
As the sun sets, the bargaining is only just getting started. Except for Rock, who already got suckered.
Things get cold quickly out here in the desert. Time to find a warm haveli to refuel. The Seventh Heaven Haveli fits the bill nicely, serving up steaming curries and creamy lassis out of a rooftop eatery.
Rise and shine folks. Yes, that includes those blog readers who have drifted off waiting for something worth reading to come along.
Magnificent desolation. Out here you really feel you're in a world where even Google maps can't reach. Until you fire it up on your Blackberry and find that it can. Sigh. Is there anywhere left uncharted in this world?
Team J00ster's overnight accommodation looks cool from the outside. It's cool on the inside too... like when you turn on the hot water tap for example...
One beast to rule them all. No live elephant sightings yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Waiting to hit the road to Jodhpur. Or rather, hit the endless string of potholes that masquerades as the road to Jodhpur.
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