We left our homestay in Agra at 6am. We had arranged a tuk-tuk with our hotel, which turned out to be one of the homestay employees using the homestay's very own tuk-tuk. We were pleased to find the driver ready and waiting for us, and the cost of the tuk-tuk was very reasonable, considering it was early in the morning and supplied by our hotel, who would usually have some kind of mark-up price.

We had an uneventful trip to the train station, and arrived in plenty of time . We headed into the station to find our platform.

The screens and monitors in the station were not working, so we stopped at an information booth to find out which platform we were supposed to be on before heading that way. The platforms were not free from beggars so we walked cautiously along our platform looking for an area of peace and quiet. On the way we met another British couple, Fiona and Millen, who we would later join. We asked them if they were also heading to Jaipur and together we confirmed that we were in the right place.

The train was over an hour late, during which time we caught up with Fiona and Millen, who were lovely. They too had had an awful time of it in Delhi, despite Millen saying that the number of touts approaching them was probably less than we had encountered as he himself was half Indian, which may have deterred them a little. It transpired that they too had ended up in a 'Government tourist office' and were pressured into buying things they didn't want or need . We also exchanged stories about the dead-eyed stare that Fiona and Jayna were experiencing, in particular from young men.

Eventually a call came for us to change platforms, and the train finally arrived. We were in class A3, which turned out to be a sleeper carriage. One of our bunks ran along the side of the carriage and had a window and only one other bunk above it. This is where we made our camp. The other bunk was the bottom of three orientated across the carriage, facing another three bunks. This we used for our bags, as all of the other luggage space nearby was taken and we wanted to keep them in visual range. For some reason the train waited at the station for another hour, so we were two hours delayed when we finally started out for Jaipur.

We bought omelette sandwiches from a vendor passing through the train, and bought cups of chai tea from subsequent vendors until our change ran out. As the morning progressed people started emerging from their bunks and converting the bunks into seats. We spent our time alternately napping and watching the scenery change as we headed towards Rajasthan.

Finally, three hours later than the five hour journey should have taken, we arrived in Jaipur. Our hotel had contacted us the day before to let us know that we would have a free pick up waiting for us, so we fought our way through the tuk-tuk touts until we found a man holding Ken's name on a piece of paper . His name was Firoz and even though he had been waiting for us for three hours the ride to our hotel was free. He did not even ask for a tip. Maybe, just maybe, we could leave the horrors and distrust of Delhi behind us...

During the short ride to our hotel Firoz did, however, mention a tuk-tuk tour of the outlying sights of Jaipur that he offered. With Delhi still lingering in our heads we refused to commit to anything, and to our pleasure he dropped the subject, at least until we reached the hotel. When we left the tuk-tuk he brought it up again and we asked a price. It was a very good price for what he was offering, but we were still having trust issues, so we still did not commit to anything. We said we would let the hotel manager know if we wanted his services, and left it at that.

The hotel in Jaipur was the best we had stayed in so far in India. The place was clean, with a large bed (and ample sheet to cover it!) and the greatest thing of all - an actual hot shower! Also Vipin, the hotel manager, was nice and polite and very welcoming . We were very happy with our choice of hotel.

By this time it was about 4pm, and we had not eaten anything for several hours. The sights of Jaipur were going to have to wait while we plied ourselves with food, water, showers and sleep. While eating delicious food in a nearby restaurant we discussed Firoz and his offer and decided that it was a good deal for some of the things we wanted to see outside of the city itself. We resolved to speak to Vipin when we returned to the hotel, but it proved unnecessary. We passed by Firoz on the way back to the hotel and booked everything with him, there and then. To appease our obvious worries and suspicions, Firoz, his colleagues and Vipin continually reassured us that we were safe in Jaipur, that we didn't have to worry about being ripped off or anything. As we were heading to the end of our road for snacks and supplies, they then warned us not to trust anyone on that road... so much for building the trust.

On Sunday 8th we had breakfast served in our room (the hotel provided food but did not have a restaurant) and prepared for the days activities . Firoz picked us up on time and took us out of the city to our first stop, the Royal Gaitor. Here were some very beautiful cenotaphs for the royal family of Rajasthan. Also, the site was almost deserted, so we had a lovely time wandering among the marble and sandstone tombs.

When we were done we headed back to Firoz, who was waiting outside. The next stop on his itinerary was a market/ factory street, but we were just not interested in ending up in a gem shop (another scam), so we skipped ahead to Amber Fort, which was the ancient capital of Jaipur state. It was built on a hillside overlooking a lake. To reach the main fort and palace we had to walk up some steep roads inside of impressive walls. On the way we were passed by a number of elephants giving rides to tourists, but Firoz had warned us that these elephant rides were expensive and short, and that the elephants were not treated very well. At the top of the hill was the fort entrance where we were required to buy tickets and avoid the usual guides for hire .

Amber Fort was a maze. We began in areas filled with tourists, including the bath areas, gardens, royal apartments and the beautiful Jai Mandir (Hall of Victory). Jai Mandir was stunningly decorated with inlaid mirror panels and fragments seemingly woven into the intricate carvings of the stonework, so the whole place seemed to glitter. We lingered here for a while before taking a few small corridors and soon found ourselves wandering through corridors, halls and balconies seemingly on our own. Eventually we found people again, and descended to a large courtyard filled with tourists. On following the exit signs we found ourselves in an avenue with two snake charmers, who we watched with interest for some time.

We had planned to walk from Amber Fort to Jaigarh Fort, which was just above Amber Fort on the same hill, and from a distance was just as impressive. However, every time we had glimpsed Jaigarh Fort on our trip around Amber Fort we had not seen anyone else up there . We decided not to risk it - our fort cravings were suitably sated and we did not want to risk walking somewhere on our own that may provide a security risk for us. So we headed back down the hill to Firoz, who was waiting patiently by the road.

By this time Ken was hungry, so we stopped in a nearby restaurant for fast food style curried veggie burgers, which were very nice. Then we headed to our next destination, and one that we were not quite certain about - the elephant farm.

An elephant farm was not something we associated with Jaipur. Firoz had included it in his itinerary from the start, but it was not something we would have asked for ourselves, so we approached the activity with caution. Firoz drove us further from the city into a small farming village and beyond to the elephant farm. Here there was a small business offering elephant feeding, painting, washing, and riding.

Initially we were very distrusting. Ken was concerned that being brought to an elephant farm was no different than being led to a travel agency in Delhi or a gem shop in Agra. We spoke at length about whether this was something we actually wanted to do or if we were just going along with Firoz's itinerary while he reaped commission from the elephant farm. Eventually we decided that although Firoz was probably getting commission, he had been open with us from the start, and had not led us there against our wishes . Also, although the farm owners were obviously keen for our custom, they insisted that there was no pressure and that we could leave if we were not interested.

In the end, elephants are cool, and these seemed to be treated well, so we went with it. We weren't that interested in painting or washing, so we opted for feeding and riding. The feeding enabled us to interact with the elephant before riding it, so that it would be familiar with us. In this way it was a more intimate elephant experience than the riding we did we in Chitwan in Nepal. Also, in the Jaipur elephant farm, we were the only people on the elephant, and we were able to ride it bare-back, instead of on a square platform like in Chitwan. We rode the elephant, called Safiya, for about 30 minutes through some peaceful scrubland around the farm, accompanied only by the elephant minder who encouraged the elephant from the ground, and his son, who played with him on the way. The elephant did seem to be treated well - there were no metal hooks in sight, and the elephant seemed to heed the minder's verbal commands with no need for ear-tugging and hardly any physical contact at all .

During our walk we experienced something that we could not have noticed riding on the square platform on the elephant in Chitwan. Occasionally the elephant would very gently vibrate, as though growling or purring. We asked the farm owner about it, and he told us some things about good energy and karma and such. We figured it was actually a form of communication for the elephants, so low pitched that we couldn't hear it.

Pleased that we had taken the elephant ride, we hopped back into Firoz's tuk-tuk (that he called the Helicopter) and headed to our final destination - the Jal Mahal, or Water Palace. This is so named because the whole palace is built in the middle of a lake. Unfortunately it is not possible to get into it and there are no longer any boat rides around it, so we just enjoyed the view from the lake side.

After that it was time to head back to the hotel. After Firoz dropped us off we relaxed and showered. Unfortunately, Jayna had started to feel unwell on the return journey, so she headed straight to bed. Ken stayed up for some food on the roof top before also retiring a little later.

On Monday 9th, Jayna was very sick. Delhi Belly had finally struck. We had planned to explore the centre of Jaipur (known as the Pink City), but this was not going to be possible. Jayna rested during the day and Ken stayed nearby in case she needed anything.

Ken spoke to an Aussie couple who were also staying in the hotel, and who were also several months into their travelling adventure. They too had ended up in a 'Government tourist office', which made us feel less bad about being duped in Delhi, but more angry that it happens to seemingly everyone who visits the place.

The following day was another early start for a flight to the next destination - Goa!