Jhalrapatan 2

Went to a gigantic temple in the middle of the city today. It was an unexpected visit (oh look, there's a six story shrine by that motorcycle shop) but I think the architecture and sheer quantity of relief sculpture is more impressive than the Frankfurt cathedral (a building I looked forward to seeing for three months). Surely it is older by at least a few hundred years.



While inside, two men began to argue with Saroji and we left a bit after. They had wanted us to leave because we were foreigners, and Sarochi had told them off until they caused a scene. It should be noted that there were probably about 15 other people in the temple not creating religious tension, but instead simply resting calmly (isn't that what temples were built for?)



We walked through the main market under the 100+ degree sunlight. One of the British girls we stayed overnight with in Jaipur said being white in India is like being a celebrity because everyone stares at you. If I keep my shades on, I blend in enough to avoid such attention (with the exception that I am the only person over 10 years old I have seen my entire time here wearing shorts), but there are constantly people watching Rick and Magnus no matter what. India, and especially Rajasthan, is not very diverse. The first volunteers sent to Jhalrapatan in 2007 were amongst the first foreigners to be seen in the area. The district is staunchly traditional and without an excess of Western influence. Ah, vacation.


In the city, people ask to take pictures of us. Throughout the trip, young twenty somethings (dressed as if ready to go out to a nice American restuarant) eagerly approach and try to make conversation about the West. Two boys followed me for half an hour talking about English and trying to get me to give them my sunglasses. These babies were a $10 half off sale at UrbanOutfitters, my god are you crazy?!

Saroji also took us to see the hospital. A crowd gathers and the nurses ask where we are from. India's hospitals (like its bus stations and utilities) are government run and provide free universal health care. In a back room of the ward, gigantic boxes of condoms are stored; free for anyone interested. I wonder how many people actually take up such an offer and know that I'll never know because talking about such things is strictly taboo. As is talking about eating beef and inquiring why cows are holy, fyi.

We went into a medium sized fabric shop (probably about the size of the front of the old side of Barley's) and sat on the padded floor with 5 or so employees as Devo chose some cloth to have tailored into a shirt and trous- erm, pants. The store owner came over from his house to talk about America and whatever else and had us served chai tea (I drink alot of it daily.) There was something very cool about three foreigners, a translator/house cook, a wealthy shop owner, and two male employees and a young son of their's surrounded by walls of expensive cloth drinking tea and chatting with the sounds of the street in the background.



At night it starts to rain a bit, and off in the distance Magnus shows me you can see huge monsoon storms rolling over the desertous land. The lightning flashes brilliantly, and highlights for a split second the dozen or so temples, radio towers, buildings of the wealthy, and ancient structures that are visible above the canopy of Jhalrapatan, a city with a population half the size of Council Bluffs but plenty more lively streets and live animals.



Pictures:
Three temple pics.
Random street pic.
Devo and Saroji order their cloth to be cut.
Saroji looks to the street for the fabric shop.



A guy moves a dozer full of gravel a block and half through an alleyway via one bowl of rocks at a time on his head (you can see the city drains I'm so obsessed with on either side of him).