Jaipur

Monday, October 21, 2013
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
And so we've begun our first home stay in India, and as shocking as Delhi's streets and people were for all of us, Jaipur definitely has a softer feel. 

Obviously, or maybe not for all of you back home who haven't ventured to India, a "softer feel" is still unbelievably hectic, and that's coming from a born and bred New Yorker! A word to those who think New York is overwhelming: commit to preparing yourself to be blown away, or rather prepare yourself to participate in the giant game that is the streets of India (which we've decided is strangely similar to the rules of Mario Kart ... don't get hit, and get wherever you're going as fast as you can). 

Actually on the subject of road rules, there seem to be none. Period. It's one of the craziest things, getting into a rickshaw because it is mildly terrifying when there's literally an inch of space between you and the car next to you. However, we have to put our confidence in the drivers for several reasons:
1. It's one of the major ways of travel.
2. Its just a great experience overall, bartering for an actually reasonable price and all that.
3. Walking is scarier than rickshaw-ing.
Crossing streets on foot is... completely inexplicable. Another tip: Be quick and decisive because otherwise the cars will not stop for you. 

For fear of discouraging anyone from coming to this country, I'll move on to the fantastic things we've seen/done here so far:

1. The Amber Fort- An absolutely huge structure built in the 1500's that we were given free time to roam around . Needless to say a few of us got hopelessly lost in the Ladies Quarters because I was determined to find the top and just kept going up and up any sets of stairs I could find. The view from the top was absolutely worth it though. It had a completely clear view of the hills around and the lake below with the gardens that had been built on a mad-made island in the center. 

2. The Pink City- So technically Jaipur IS the Pink City, but we've driven through, and stopped in the Old City where you can see the pink color of the buildings that created the name for the city. We walked around the Johari Bazaar among grocery stores, Sari and Salwar Suit shops, flanked by jewelry stores and flower and fragrance tables where we were actually accosted by people wielding glass perfume tops, a situation which made us smell like a combination of Jasmine, Rose, Frangipani and so many other things we couldn't name if we tried. 

3 . We went to an artist colony here where apparently all the kids are born with an artistic ability which we all tried bits and pieces of as they had 15 minutes to teach us something. There were dancers, puppeteers, jewelry and craft making and another style of dance we all tried to do but couldn't really...

4. We went to a great cafe atop a mountain overlooking the city. I'm risking sounding completely cliche but it was an amazing sight. We all drank our tea and sat overlooking what seemed to be the entirety of India. Even though India is about 2.5 times smaller than America, the fact that it is exponentially more populated makes it seem bigger by far. The headlights seemed innumerable and every street looked like the festival of light was taking place. (FYI the festival of lights, known as Diwali, is actually on Nov. 3rd) 

Namaste. Ram Ram. Goodbye and all that. 

Nicola

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