So far, Jaipur has been my favorite of all the places we have traveled in India. The "Pink City" has been a wonderful reprieve from the trash and poverty of Agra. Do not get me wrong- the trip began with the typical scene of kids banging on the car window for money which always sends me into a panic but I shortly saw all this magical city had to offer. I cannot remember if I touched on this in my last blog but I loved seeing all the country villages on the way from Agra to Jaipur- I had no idea the poverty could get much worse than it was in the city but it can. Yet, while these people seemingly have nothing, you can still see them smiling and sharing a joke as they carry buckets of water on their heads to their homes miles away. In Jaipur, however, it seems fairly modern and most conveniences can be had. I delighted in my hot water shower each morning at our hotel (Karni Niwas is great!) and I am still able to find the occasional bag of sour cream and onion chips. Brad and i jokingly call them sour cream and gold because they are so wonderful for a taste of home! I am sorry to admit we have also eaten Dominos several times- but I just cannot eat Indian food twice a day no matter how much I like it. Today we ate an incredible Indian feast and I hope the spicy food doesn't come back to haunt me later!
Yesterday we went on the tourist track and hired an awesome tuk-tuk driver by the name of Abdul to show us the city. For the bargain price of $10 he was with us for the day and took us to the City Palace, the tombs of the kings, the Amber Fort, all around the walled Pink City, and more. The Pink City was painted so because it is the color of welcome and was done for the Prince of Wales back in the day. We also climbed hundreds of steps to the temple of Ganesh and had a killer view of the city. Hitler stole the sign of the swastika and here in India it is the sign of Ganesh and is actually a symbol of peace, which can be seen all over. However, the most exciting moment of the day happened right at the end when we visited the fort and I was reminded that I should always listen to Brad because most of the time he knows what he is talking about. There were these crazy looking monkeys that were about two feet tall just hanging out around. They had super cute black faces and amazingly long tails. I had a granola bar in my purse and I asked Brad if he thought the monkey would like some. He told me no, not to feed the monkey, that it was not hungry and not a good idea. Like a giant idiot I decided I wanted to eat the granola bar right then and watch the monkey for a bit. The moment I pulled that thing out of my purse the monkey's beady little eyes locked with mine and he leaped forward towards me. Startled, I shoved the bar back in my purse and started to run. I ran in a full circle and realized that crazy eyed monkey was still chasing me, around the bricks like idiots we ran. I shrieked for help, saw my life flash before my eyes and imagined how an Indian hospital would look when I had to go in for a monkey bite. Brad shook his water bottle at the monkey but to no avail- he wanted that purse and he wanted that snack. After another shrieking lap or two the monkey eventually lost interest and went back to his perch but I saw that little monkey smirk on his face. He lost, but he had won. I left with my purse but not my dignity. I was quite the spectacle for the thirty or so people watching and several people commented to me on the walk, "Monkey! Ha ha!" later in the day. At least I left a legacy....and I learned to stay far from those freaking monkeys.
Tomorrow we head back to Delhi on the train. Although India has been an eye opener and I would not take back this experience for the world I think I am ready to move on to the next place. There is beauty, hell, love, chauvinism, poverty, garbage, and kindness all wrapped up in this place. I truly feel like i will be back someday, and please look forward to my next blog, which I will be titling "Man Love". Just wait for that one...
Love you all and thank you for your well wished and thoughts. I miss everyone but am cherishing my time here. XO
Yesterday we went on the tourist track and hired an awesome tuk-tuk driver by the name of Abdul to show us the city. For the bargain price of $10 he was with us for the day and took us to the City Palace, the tombs of the kings, the Amber Fort, all around the walled Pink City, and more. The Pink City was painted so because it is the color of welcome and was done for the Prince of Wales back in the day. We also climbed hundreds of steps to the temple of Ganesh and had a killer view of the city. Hitler stole the sign of the swastika and here in India it is the sign of Ganesh and is actually a symbol of peace, which can be seen all over. However, the most exciting moment of the day happened right at the end when we visited the fort and I was reminded that I should always listen to Brad because most of the time he knows what he is talking about. There were these crazy looking monkeys that were about two feet tall just hanging out around. They had super cute black faces and amazingly long tails. I had a granola bar in my purse and I asked Brad if he thought the monkey would like some. He told me no, not to feed the monkey, that it was not hungry and not a good idea. Like a giant idiot I decided I wanted to eat the granola bar right then and watch the monkey for a bit. The moment I pulled that thing out of my purse the monkey's beady little eyes locked with mine and he leaped forward towards me. Startled, I shoved the bar back in my purse and started to run. I ran in a full circle and realized that crazy eyed monkey was still chasing me, around the bricks like idiots we ran. I shrieked for help, saw my life flash before my eyes and imagined how an Indian hospital would look when I had to go in for a monkey bite. Brad shook his water bottle at the monkey but to no avail- he wanted that purse and he wanted that snack. After another shrieking lap or two the monkey eventually lost interest and went back to his perch but I saw that little monkey smirk on his face. He lost, but he had won. I left with my purse but not my dignity. I was quite the spectacle for the thirty or so people watching and several people commented to me on the walk, "Monkey! Ha ha!" later in the day. At least I left a legacy....and I learned to stay far from those freaking monkeys.
Tomorrow we head back to Delhi on the train. Although India has been an eye opener and I would not take back this experience for the world I think I am ready to move on to the next place. There is beauty, hell, love, chauvinism, poverty, garbage, and kindness all wrapped up in this place. I truly feel like i will be back someday, and please look forward to my next blog, which I will be titling "Man Love". Just wait for that one...
Love you all and thank you for your well wished and thoughts. I miss everyone but am cherishing my time here. XO
You must find a beverage called "Pulpy Orange"... They have it in most groceries and convienience stores. It was my favorite thing while I was there. Your comment about the chips made me think of the things that you can only get in India that are so delightful!
ReplyDeleteLove to you both! -Tenille
hey lady!! we're really enjoying reading all your posts, sounds like you 2 are having a great time!! we miss you so much (and i miss you MORE!) but look forward to reading all about your grand adventures!! give brad a great big hug and we hope that you both stay safe, healthy and happy for the duration of your trip. ps- did you salt your domino's pizza like you used to do?? just curious if old habits really do die hard! =) xoxoxoxoxo erica and jeremy
ReplyDeleteoh and did you tell them you had a coupon??? =)
ReplyDelete