Mt. Abu is Rajasthan’s “hill resort” town, nestled atop a plateau sitting at almost 3,000 feet. It’s proximity to Udaipur (about 3 hours by road) as well as to the neighboring state of Gujarat makes it a popular vacation spot for Indians and tourist alike. Nevermind the numerous signs warning of, and roads closed due to, massive rockslides; the approach is absolutely stunning! It reminded me of Highway 1 in California, but more narrow, carved out of the side of a mountain, constantly ascending, and without speed limit! Instead of Pacific blue below, it’s sprawling green plains of the Indian countryside. The city sits atop the mountains. Not a bad place to spend four days!
It worked out well that the other FSD interns decided to visit Mt. Abu the same weekend that my office planned a retreat there. It worked out even better that the interns wanted to visit on Saturday and Sunday, and the retreat ran Monday and Tuesday. It gave me a chance to get acquainted to the small town and see some of the tourist attractions the first two days. Saturday we saw the famous Delwara Jain Temples, a cluster of marble structures, relatively austere on the outside, but amazingly intricate marble carvings inside. We walked up to the top of Guru Shikhar to a Hindu temple sitting at the highest point in Rajasthan with spectacular views. In the evening the seven of us went to a place known as “Sunset Point,” expecting a relaxing, picturesque close to the day. Well apparently this place is pretty popular, because we got to watch the sunset with about 1,500 of our closest friends – followed by a 20 minute Indian/foreigner photo session afterwards at their urging. Sunday morning we went for a 3 hour guided wildlife trek through the mountains. Of course, the views were amazing, which made up for the lack of wildlife; there were no bears or panthers, but we did spot some monkeys (common), a buffalo (domesticated), and a python (wild!).
Sunday afternoon when the other interns headed home, I put up the three bucks to stay an additional night at the “budget” hotel, and met the staff from ACCESS Monday afternoon. The retreat hotel (not three bucks!) was a little more comfortable and secluded, with an expansive and serene backyard garden where we had our meetings. We discussed many things, but one of the most useful sessions involved each team member reflecting on, and sharing as a group, their goals or visions for where ACCESS South Rajasthan will be in five years. It was a great chance for me to get more acquainted with the organization and to get more comfortable with everyone on the staff (pictured left) – despite an often frustrating language barrier. It was also a great chance to spend a few extra days in Rajasthan’s most famous resort town!
