Rajasthan

It is the most known Indian state. In a small space, you can get a variety hard to match in another region of India. In a society with little time available, this is very valuable. After a month in Magic South, I was curious to discover this state. I was afraid it would end up being too touristic. But as with everything in India, turns out that a surprise was heading my way.

Udaipur

It's a city full of small streets and courtyards. A sense of being in a village. A never-ending one. It has a Moorish flavor, lots of cables and colors. It has cows and beggars. It has a magnificent lake. On its banks, restaurants, hotels and a great palace. One of those that enchant us and steals our time. Worthy of hero stories it is delight to see it. You end up getting lost in multiple rooms and halls. In all, a very rich taste for ornament. You want everything to be so. If this wasn't enough, you end up being overwhelmed by the view over the lake on one side, and the city on the other. A city composed of blue, rose and white-colored buildings.

But Udaipur is also colored by the friendliness of its inhabitants. You have the pressure from sellers, as elsewhere in India. But what is a potential sale, becomes a good conversation and you get to know a little more of the people. An exchange, not of merchandise, but of moments. And the unthinkable happens, when the store owner confides where there is a market with cheaper prices. One used by the Indians and a few curious tourists. Here not only the prices are different, as the rules also are. We find marked prices. A breath of fresh air for those who have no taste, or art, in the negotiation. I end up losing time, going from shop to shop and buying what I need. In this case, a blanket, a sweater, pants, workout apparel, gloves and hat. In a color variety that I never imagined myself using, and even stranger, liking it.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur came up with a musical note. This was destined to come the theme of my visit to the blue city. It started when I first arrived. I got off the bus from Udaipur, and was left in a place where there were only rickshaws. Amid the confusion, I was guided into one. Another person went to the same Haveli (mansion converted into a Guesthouse) and we ended up sharing a rickshaw. I find in the middle of presentations she is a singer and very friendly.

Jodphur is magical. Its narrow streets lead us to a place of imagination. Blue is dominant, guiving purpose to its nickname: Blue City. Overseeing all this maze of life is a imposing and beautiful stronghold. The first day I went straight to him. Almost by attraction. Along the way I find the India we used to hear. Children who approach us, cows that wander, beautiful women in colorful saris and a smile on every face.

I entered by a secondary door. All was calm. I was transported to medieval times. The entire complex is made of rock. The walls, the red sandstone dominates reflecting the sun in a magnificent way. I decide to follow them. They stand up quickly and allow a fine view of the city. Beneath, the blue is broken by the white towers of the temples and red clock tower. You can see the palace that the Rajas used at the time of the monsoon. After this moment, I choose to follow the road that enters the complex. Before the entry I see a family of street musicians. I let myself be. Once the Indian guitar starts playing everything changes. Their voices are perfect. Merging with the scenery around you.

I saw the stronghold complex on the following day. And while I admired the tracery of the walls of this stronghold I start to hear a drum beat. After, a flute and when I realize I'm on near the musicians. And magic happens when a picture becomes a collective Indian dance. The moment is unique. I am amazed by the undulating dancing. And those minutes give a deeper beauty to an already beautiful space. Inside we can see the wealth of the palace. The various weapons and chariots. We can spend hours admiring the interior courtyards. But it was the musical moment that changed everything. I like how it is universal and always brings a smile to the listener. That was a real and beautiful moment.

Finally I decided to lose myself in the streets. Full of commerce, life and colors. There was no goal besides walking. Nor I needed one. Streets are full of details, making it a highlight of this city in its own right. We find all the streets covered with wires. A small grocery store, a bicycle repair shop or the seller of food, or the maker of leis. In their midst the traffic seems to have its own pace. Sometimes immersing yourself in motorbikes and rickshaws, sometimes leaving you the streets desert for you to just walk on them.

Khuri

I came to this small village by the council and company of Hannah. I wanted a small village to stay a few days and she had the perfect suggestion. Without hesitation I put this place on my itinerary. After a trip of an hour in a typical crowded bus - in which two seats are actually three - and with time for a curious child, I arrive in this village.

Khuri presents itself as a resort town. Many renovations and guesthouse in each house. However, as we approached the house of our gracious host, we began to leave the resort feeling and get into the village. The goats and cows outnumber the villagers that have a pace and rhythm of sweet oblivion. With the house presented - a complex consisting of three bedrooms and some desert huts. The decision was obvious: I'm want a hut.

The desert was calling me. I never had entered the desert. I have already met him in Egypt, but didn't got to know him personally. And following the road that goes into the dune, we meet and entered the magic silky dunes for the first time. The colors and shapes of undulating dunes enchant and mesmerize you. But is the feeling of abandonment that grabs you. Here you have nothing, and that's why it is so fascinating. You can concentrate on your life. All that civilization is left behind and you have only a blue sky and shades of yellow in front of you.

It's hard to capture the beauty of the desert in words. Because beauty is in absence of elements. Silence is only interrupted by the sound of camels brought by the wind. In the absence of vegetation, except for one tree. Or a sun that, when it disappears, turns and changes the colors of the scenery around you.

The desert here is not the Sahara. It is one made up of dunes and arid lands. Raisins between the "Savannah" and the Sahara desert at a walking distance. But it is inhospitable place we used to associate the word desert. And it has the power to make you appreciate the beauty in the little you have. Living in Khuri is a minimalist experience. Without much, you value more the food, companionship and the beautiful landscape.

Jaisalmer-Pushkar-Bundi

I ended the week at an accelerated pace. With little more than two days per site, I just saw a glimpse of these three sites. But it was still intense.

If the blue city is Jodhpur, this will be yellow counter-part. A surrounding desert shows its function. Today Jaisalmer is a tourist outpost that serves as a passage for desert safaris. Despite this aspect, she maintains a hectic and arid beauty that makes it unique. It is true that once you place your foot off the bus, you are led by a flood of requests, which only ends when you get out. But if you manage this Indian "drama", you end up by finding the narrow slender streets, the beautiful havelis or one of those strongholds where you enjoy getting lost. And beyond the tourist shops are traditional games, the friendly smiles and spontaneous conversations that make you remember the true nature of India.

Pushkar is also touristic, but much quieter. It is a small religious town. At its center a sacred lake, where many people bathe or wash their clothes. Tourists walk while children give eating to thousands of pigeons. Their air-dances whenever someone passes by pigeons, gives a beautiful backdrop for the music you're listening. Beyond the lake, there is a market. Too tempting not to buy something you did not know you needed. Surrounding all this village is mountain, giving a magic touch to the entire landscape. I ended up going to a concert of traditional musicians of Rajasthan. And there are no words to describe it. Played in a small room specially prepared for this occasion - in a religious complex – I had moments that only music allows. In the end, a smile from ear to ear and an ecstasy that turns everything around us. Pushkar was more beautiful after this concert, and with the music in my head, nothing better than finishing a visit seeing the sunset on top of one of its mountains.

And then came one place that anyone has to go when passing through Rajasthan. I speak of Bundi. This town receives you with a villager smile and a generous hug. If the fort that falls upon the town steals the first smile. If the narrow and medieval streets make you shine your eyes. It is the people who will steal your heart. They are genuine and beautiful. With a humility that is contagious and enables you to grow as a human being. Perhaps, as nowhere else, this place keeps the best that Rajasthan has to offer. You have a strong, street shops, the confusion, the desert landscape and lush greenery in a short distance. And to weave all these scenarios you have the souls of the colored people reflected in their eyes, smiles and brightness of saris. Bundi was undoubtedly the best way to say goodbye to this state.

Rajasthan is India's best known state. I was curious to know why. After spending some time I understand the reason. In one state you have a multitude of sights and emotions. Somehow turns out to be the state that can best convey what India has to offer. However, like everything else in India, Rajasthan is this and it is its opposite. It is also a place with genuine features that you don't find more anywhere else. And this is what most appeals in such a beautiful Indian state.