Days 228-230 -- Jaipur

My train journey to Jaipur was interesting to say the least. Went with third class AC, the cheapest AC option. At 400 rupees (47 rupees = 1USD) for an 7 hour journey, not a bad deal. Glad I went with the AC since its still blazing outside, 110+ everyday. Anyways, back to the train...so the agent sold me an upper berth seat which I didnt realize until there were more people with seats assigned in my section than we had seats...so basically I had a foldout bed/seat up top for the entire journey...not too bad since I could nap, but it would have been nice to know beforehand, more importantly have a seat to sit in when I didn't feel like laying down....no big deal, all part of the experience. Got into Jaipur at about 9pm and checked into a nearby guesthouse, Krishna Palace. Basically a family's home where they converted extra rooms into a small guesthouse...really nice vibe and very clean. Food took FOREVER since they basically cooked it in their kitchen, but at least it was fresh and home-cooked. Didn't do much the first evening since I was pretty tired so just had some dinner and went to sleep early...

Woke up at about 7AM since the sun was shining straight in my room. No air-con in my accomodation budget so it gets pretty hot early in the morning. Decided to wander around the city and to my surprise it was very quiet. Sundays I came to find out are a peaceful day with most people staying home or going to religous services. It was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of India as I've come to see the past week. In fact, tuk-tuk drivers were begging for business more than I had experienced since it was such a quiet day. No tuk-tuk this morning and I made the 5km trek into the old city of Jaipur...not a good idea! By the time I arrived I was covered in sweat and craving a cold drink, but nothing was open! Found a hotel that had a restaurant, got some cold water, ice cream and just relaxed for about an hour before heading back out. Wandered through the old city, checked out some bazaars, made a stroll around City Palace and then to the Jantar Mantar observatory where they built all sorts of devices to tell time and predict how heavy the rains will be each year...pretty fascinating! Found one of the few restaurants that sold beer and stepped inside for a beer to get away from the heat. Afterwards, I headed back to the guesthouse and called it an early night. Up early the next morning I headed to the Amber fort about 15 minutes outside of town perched atop a hill overlooking the city. India is full of forts from the olden days since each state had their own army, etc. This fort was pretty impressive, very detailed and massive! Too bad it was 43/114 degrees otherwise I would have wandered around for a lot longer. After the fort it was back to the city center to do some shopping, eat some ice cream and just wander around and soak in India.

The cities here are too hard to put into words. First off, the locals throw trash everywhere...no such thing as trash cans. Then you have the cows and elephants wandering around taking care of their business in the road. Beggars coming at every corner tugging at your shirt for money. The street is also the local toilet with kids and adults doing both #1 and #2 just off the side of the road in alleys and sometimes even on the big streets! But dont get me wrong, I'm not complaining about it, but I think its just crazy how many different sides to this country there are...truly is fascinating and I think all of this is what makes this such a special place. Tradition exists and its still really strong and Western influence hasn't taken over like so many other places I have been. Anyways, finished up my tour of Jaipur and caught a bus to Ajmer...time for some family time!