Just wound up three blissful days in a rural area called the Shekhawati region, north of Jaipur. We stayed in an "eco-resort," called Apani Dhani, with solar lights and hot water, an organic garden supplying most of the ingredients for the amazing meals, compostable everything, and bungalows with traditional grass-thatched roofs and mud bricks, which keep things cool during the hot desert days. The owner, Ramesh Jangid, has invested decades of work promoting social, economic and environmental sustainability programs in the region, and five percent of Apani Dhani's profits go to this work.
Many of the villages in Shekhawati have big old houses, called havelis, built in the 1800s and early 1900s for the families of a wealthy merchant class, but abandoned decades ago. Their outer walls and inner courtyards are covered with amazing frescoes with subjects ranging from Hindu mythology to portraits of maharajas to "modern inventions" like automobiles and airplanes--often done by an artist who'd been told of such things but had never seen them himself. Today many are being restored, in part with support from Apani Dhani.
One day we went on a tour of havelis in a few of the surrounding villages. Our guide, Ramesh's son, is very passionate about this artistic heritage and its preservation. The second day we rented bicycles and got slightly lost riding around the narrow streets of Nawalgarh, the town we were staying in. Fun, but very tricky to navigate, manage the INSANE Indian road rules (see David's recent post), and take in a bit of the streetside scenery. I nearly collided with an oncoming motorcycle when I turned my head to gawk at a man in a gorilla suit (with fangs!) in a candy store. Still wondering what that was about ...
Today we took a cooking class at Apani Dhani--the food here is the best we've had anywhere in India so far--and i got some great recipes. We had a hard time leaving today, as we were really getting into the peacefulness: the sounds of birds, goats and people instead of buses, trucks and autorickshaws; rooftop sunrises; and quiet afternoons reading in the bougainville-covered gazebo in the courtyard of Apani Dhani.
Tonight we catch a midnight train to Jaisalmer, an ancient fort city in the middle of desert (a 12-hour train ride away).
p.s. Photos of Shekhawati will have to wait till next time--we're currently in an Internet cafe with dial-up and Windows 98!
Amberly,
The look on your face when the snake was around your neck was priceless! You also looked great with the red dot on your forehead. So many other great pictures.
love,
Nora
Posted by: Nora | February 26, 2006 at 12:28 AM