The train ride to Jaipur from Udaipur was even shakier than the one on the way down. So the way I described that ride would better fit on this ride.
I took a taxi to my hotel and took it a little easy for a while. I agreed to having a taxi tour of the city by Sameer, the taxi driver who drove me from the train station. He seemed like a nice guy and I got a good price. Very good price. I ate, showered, and took a short nap before being picked up by Sameer.
I have to say that I was quiet satisfied with the tour, and what we covered during that time. Well... maybe I spent a little too much time shopping ..again. One of the things was a handmade carpet made out of camel hair. A nice smaller mat (that I had shipped home). I even got a little tour of the various processes of the carpet making by some dude there ...and of course I had to tip him (as with almost everything and everyone in this country). I won't list the other things that I bought. But at least it wasn't as much as in Udaipur.
Sameer took me to various sights around Jaipur, even called the "Pink City" because of the pinkish painted Old Town. The Old Town was really nice, but at the same time not really as cool as I imagined. ...but on the other hand I didn't spend as much time there ether. Maybe if I had walked around more.
Some sights were really interesting, others were so and so (especially since I saw cooler versions of them in Udaipur). I really, really liked the big sand coloured fort in Amber, a little north of Jaipur. As I went out of the car in order to take some photos, a snake charmer run in front of me and opened his basket and started to play on his traditional snake charmer flute. There was a real live cobra in that basket... somewhat passive though. It was soooo touristy and so cliche, but at the same time it was exciting to finally have seen a real snake charmer, and be able to take photo of it. I ignored the fact that the poor snake ether had its teeth pulled out, or had its mouth sown partially together in order to prevent it from giving a deadly bite. I later found out that snake charming is illegal too. I did pose with him though, holding my own snake (not a cobra though). Now afterward, I regret that I didn't pet that poor cobra. I mean, it would have been safe and all (I think).
As I stepped in to the car, some strange guru dude stood outside my car window and mumbled something.. then, suddenly, he just pulled down his loin cloth and showed me his pierced genital with something wrapped around it. I had no interest in looking further so Sameer drove away. He told me later that the man said "You don't think that I am a holy man? I'll show you that I am a holy man!" The pierced genital part had to do with some self mortification or self suffering thing. I try not to visualize that experience again too much. Yuuuuck! The fort visit was nice though ...other than dealing with a persistent young salesman trying to sell a poor quality turban to me on the way up to the fort ..and on the way down.
The next really cool visit was to Galta, The Temple of the Sun God, even called the Monkey Temple. The temple itself was so and so, and the view was nice, but the really cool and bizarre thing was the trip up the mountain on the way to the temple. I passed an other snake charmer... that spanked his cobra and wanted me to take a photo. The snake obviously didn't like to be spanked. I declined and went on. I passed beggar families that seemed to be living along the path up. I passed other types of interesting people that I haven't seen too much elsewhere yet. I passed cows that were friendlier than I was used to... and then I came to the parts were the monkeys were ... maybe hundred plus of them spread out. They liked to show up there at dusk. I had bought a bag of peanuts that I gave to the monkeys that were brave enough to take them from my hand. That was a really fun experience... getting so close to the monkeys.
Sameer and I ended the day at a roof top restaurant of a hotel. The food was delicious.
The next day Sameer was supposed to take me on a tour far up north, some some villages and small towns in the Shekhawati region. But instead of Sameer, a friend of his, Vishnu, showed up. Sameer was persuaded by his family to attend a wedding. It might have, or might not have, been true. But there I was, ready for the tour. The trip turned out to be a lot further away than expected, but it was pretty cool. Not spectacular, but cool. It was nice to travel through the countryside of savanna like Northern Rajasthan. We visited the towns of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, but also the driver's home village Palsana on the way up, and on the way down.
Vishnu didn't speak English that well unfortunately, so that limited our communication and all the questions that I had. Good thing that he was playing some cool Rajasthani music with some nice beats on the car stereo. It would have been an awkward silence otherwise.
It was Diwali by the way, the big Hindu holiday (like Christmas), so on the way back I was invited over for dinner at his house, before heading back to Jaipur. I accepted the invitation. He had a huge family, and many of his younger brothers were really curious about me. ..and some of the sisters, but they hid somewhere in the background. It was a really friendly family. I liked them. I sensed that I would get problems in my stomach from the food though... being home made in a village. But what the heck.
After the dinner, Vishnu and one of his older his older brothers sat down and took a joint of some Indian grass together. The offered me one too, but I declined of course. I was surprised that they smoked with their younger brothers around them. But I guess that's how their culture is. Sad.
The Diwali celebrations were still going on in Jaipur, with fireworks and fire crackers. Young children were playing with very loud fire crackers, the type that most likely would e illegal in most Western European countries. I didn't feel safe walking the streets so I stayed at the hotel.
I didn't sleep well that night because of all the noise, plus that I had to get up early in the morning in order to catch my flight back to Bombay.
Well... I arrived to Bombay... and while sitting in the taxi from the airport, I got my worst case of homesickness so far ...and I wasn't too happy about being back in claustrophobic Bombay.
I took a taxi to my hotel and took it a little easy for a while. I agreed to having a taxi tour of the city by Sameer, the taxi driver who drove me from the train station. He seemed like a nice guy and I got a good price. Very good price. I ate, showered, and took a short nap before being picked up by Sameer.
I have to say that I was quiet satisfied with the tour, and what we covered during that time. Well... maybe I spent a little too much time shopping ..again. One of the things was a handmade carpet made out of camel hair. A nice smaller mat (that I had shipped home). I even got a little tour of the various processes of the carpet making by some dude there ...and of course I had to tip him (as with almost everything and everyone in this country). I won't list the other things that I bought. But at least it wasn't as much as in Udaipur.
Sameer took me to various sights around Jaipur, even called the "Pink City" because of the pinkish painted Old Town. The Old Town was really nice, but at the same time not really as cool as I imagined. ...but on the other hand I didn't spend as much time there ether. Maybe if I had walked around more.
Some sights were really interesting, others were so and so (especially since I saw cooler versions of them in Udaipur). I really, really liked the big sand coloured fort in Amber, a little north of Jaipur. As I went out of the car in order to take some photos, a snake charmer run in front of me and opened his basket and started to play on his traditional snake charmer flute. There was a real live cobra in that basket... somewhat passive though. It was soooo touristy and so cliche, but at the same time it was exciting to finally have seen a real snake charmer, and be able to take photo of it. I ignored the fact that the poor snake ether had its teeth pulled out, or had its mouth sown partially together in order to prevent it from giving a deadly bite. I later found out that snake charming is illegal too. I did pose with him though, holding my own snake (not a cobra though). Now afterward, I regret that I didn't pet that poor cobra. I mean, it would have been safe and all (I think).
As I stepped in to the car, some strange guru dude stood outside my car window and mumbled something.. then, suddenly, he just pulled down his loin cloth and showed me his pierced genital with something wrapped around it. I had no interest in looking further so Sameer drove away. He told me later that the man said "You don't think that I am a holy man? I'll show you that I am a holy man!" The pierced genital part had to do with some self mortification or self suffering thing. I try not to visualize that experience again too much. Yuuuuck! The fort visit was nice though ...other than dealing with a persistent young salesman trying to sell a poor quality turban to me on the way up to the fort ..and on the way down.
The next really cool visit was to Galta, The Temple of the Sun God, even called the Monkey Temple. The temple itself was so and so, and the view was nice, but the really cool and bizarre thing was the trip up the mountain on the way to the temple. I passed an other snake charmer... that spanked his cobra and wanted me to take a photo. The snake obviously didn't like to be spanked. I declined and went on. I passed beggar families that seemed to be living along the path up. I passed other types of interesting people that I haven't seen too much elsewhere yet. I passed cows that were friendlier than I was used to... and then I came to the parts were the monkeys were ... maybe hundred plus of them spread out. They liked to show up there at dusk. I had bought a bag of peanuts that I gave to the monkeys that were brave enough to take them from my hand. That was a really fun experience... getting so close to the monkeys.
Sameer and I ended the day at a roof top restaurant of a hotel. The food was delicious.
The next day Sameer was supposed to take me on a tour far up north, some some villages and small towns in the Shekhawati region. But instead of Sameer, a friend of his, Vishnu, showed up. Sameer was persuaded by his family to attend a wedding. It might have, or might not have, been true. But there I was, ready for the tour. The trip turned out to be a lot further away than expected, but it was pretty cool. Not spectacular, but cool. It was nice to travel through the countryside of savanna like Northern Rajasthan. We visited the towns of Nawalgarh and Mandawa, but also the driver's home village Palsana on the way up, and on the way down.
Vishnu didn't speak English that well unfortunately, so that limited our communication and all the questions that I had. Good thing that he was playing some cool Rajasthani music with some nice beats on the car stereo. It would have been an awkward silence otherwise.
It was Diwali by the way, the big Hindu holiday (like Christmas), so on the way back I was invited over for dinner at his house, before heading back to Jaipur. I accepted the invitation. He had a huge family, and many of his younger brothers were really curious about me. ..and some of the sisters, but they hid somewhere in the background. It was a really friendly family. I liked them. I sensed that I would get problems in my stomach from the food though... being home made in a village. But what the heck.
After the dinner, Vishnu and one of his older his older brothers sat down and took a joint of some Indian grass together. The offered me one too, but I declined of course. I was surprised that they smoked with their younger brothers around them. But I guess that's how their culture is. Sad.
The Diwali celebrations were still going on in Jaipur, with fireworks and fire crackers. Young children were playing with very loud fire crackers, the type that most likely would e illegal in most Western European countries. I didn't feel safe walking the streets so I stayed at the hotel.
I didn't sleep well that night because of all the noise, plus that I had to get up early in the morning in order to catch my flight back to Bombay.
Well... I arrived to Bombay... and while sitting in the taxi from the airport, I got my worst case of homesickness so far ...and I wasn't too happy about being back in claustrophobic Bombay.
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