The Pink City, Jaipur

So the van that transported us to Jaipur was quite, how to say this, shitty.  That’s what we get for just going where the hawkers said we should go.  We did get dropped off in front of the Amber Place, which was nice.  During our few days in Jaipur we didn’t end up going there together.  I went later with our rickshaw driver Raj.  

 We met Raj in front of the amber palace.  He was great!  He liked to sing a lot, and could take us any where we wanted.  We ended up hiring his service for a few days, and did not regret it.  I’m so glad we met him. 

So the first order of business when you get to a new place is the guest house.  Raj dropped us off at a pretty nice one.  We had wifi, hot showers, a balcony, food… I liked it.  The next thing was a tour of city provided by Raj.  Of course he gets a bit of commission if he takes us to specific shops.  I don’t mind this so much.  You gotta do what you gotta do.  Before he took us to shops and what not, we just drove around.  We saw the Pink Palace and the swimming pool of the royals. 

Then he took us to a fabric shop, because we needed to get our saris fitted.  The shop was nice.  I wished I had a house so I could fill it up with all the things… this was a continuous theme for me in India.  If only I had a house, or if only I had space in my bag.  India is so cheap, when I get a house I will go there to decorate and just generally shop.  This shop had beautiful quilts, sheets, wall hanging, pashminas, scarves, door hangings… anything that was made out of fabric.  We also got to see how the block printing was done and the detailed embroidery work of the wedding garb that is so popular in India.   I always enjoy seeing how things are made.  So I took a few pictures.  

After our fabric stop Raj took us to monkey temple to watch the sunset.  He warned us to only have one guide, but little did we know out guides would be children.  The kid that claimed us, jumped right onto the rickshaw before we even parked.  He was nice, but there was a lot of bickering between him and the other children. :/  This irritated me a bit, but I understand, everyone got to make their own living.  So we wandered up to the temple, bought some peanuts to feed the monkeys and just enjoyed watching the little guys run around and take peanuts from us.  On the way up we saw a snake charmer.  Evey and Leo both held the snake, and Leo even pretended to be snake charmer for pictures.  I didn’t feel any inclination to hold the snake.  I’m not scared, I just didn’t care enough.  Weird.  Usually I like weird photo opts.  We went up the top, watched the sunset and then headed back to the guest house.  We arranged with Raj to pick us up in hour, so we could see some of the night life.

That night Raj had arranged a special treat, hanging out with the locals.  We started the night just hanging out in rickshaw and drinking with Raj.  He took us to get more beer and an omelet as well.  While we were hanging out we met his friends, played music and did improve karaoke.  After that little bit of fun we got to meet his family.  The women were all singing, I got to sit with them and listen for a little bit.  After that we went to Raj’s house had dinner and met his niece and cousin he takes care of.  He also made us some dinner. It was very unique.  We headed back to the guest house and I realized that it might be the last time I saw Leo (he headed out to Mumbai in the AM).  We said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch, then headed off to bed.
 

In the morning Evey and I just chilled out, ate breakfast then went to the airport to drop her off.  She had a flight down to Kochi to meet up with some friends she met in Thailand.  We had already decided I would meet her after another day in Jaipur and a day in Delhi (to get my x-rays).  

On the way back from the airport Raj took me to get some tea from one of the locals, and also a curry filled pastry, then we headed out to the Amber fort.  This place was nice.  There were a lot of hawkers, como la India, but I didn’t mind that too much.  When I’m by myself I like to chat with them.   I feel like I get a bit of everyone’s perspective and story this way.  Sometimes this is awkward when they want you to look at wears and you know you don’t want to buy any, and they get disappointed.

 Inside the amber palace was pretty cool.  The main event was the hall of mirrors.  It was just beautiful; there were so many inlayed mirrors and precious stones.  I just loved it.  The rest of the palace was like a game.  There were a lot of twists, turns and darkened staircases.  I wished someone else was there with me, so we could play hide and seek.  Sometimes I just want to be a kid.  I had a hard enough time getting un-lost by myself, imagine putting Evey or Leo into the equation.  We would have never left because we would have always been looking for each other. 

One interesting thing I noted was that the Indians loved my sari.  I always try and blend when I travel, but it was very usual for a westerner to dress like an Indian.  I had a few people take pictures with me and lots of people say I looked good.  I love saris I wish they were appropriate for everyday wear.  

After the Amber palace we headed to the spice shop.  I didn’t really need spices, but I got suckered in and bought marsala tea (chai).  It was a world of smells in there.  I don’t think I have ever been somewhere more pungent.  I was amazed at everything they had, but traveling always restricts what I can buy.

Next was the guru.  I’m not sure what to think of this part.  I had no idea what a guru was, I just went because Raj was adamant that this guy would change my life.  He said people often cry after they see him.  I was skeptical, and gave everything he said a grain of salt.  The guru said some general things, and some things that made me think he was judgmental.  I didn’t like him in the end.  I thought he was pushy and arrogant.  He said he doesn’t give two shits about tourists, but he felt like he needed to help me.   After I left Jaipur every person I met that went there saw him.  He is full of shit.  He owns a jewelry store, and at the end of our session he told me what precious stone I should buy to meditate and help me center myself.  I didn’t buy one.    

 The last thing Raj and I did together was the maharaja tombs.  It was very nice and deserted.  Rather appropriate for a cemetery. 

 Raj dropped me off for my beauty sleep and said he’s come back in the morning to take me to the bus station.  We left bright and early and I almost missed the bus.  It was way nicer and cheaper than the bus we booked down.  Live and learn.