Pinky meets the Golden Triangle

Jaipur was a completely different world.

It was under ten degrees in Srinigar, and we were still wearing our winter clothes when we left the airport and breathed in the desert air. It was thirty five degrees in Jaipur.

The beautiful lakes had been replaced with sand. The Himalayas and lakes- something which really made me think of Vancouver- no longer bordered the horizon. The well-cultivated Mughal gardens dotting the landscape had been replaced with ancient Rajashtani-style palaces and homes.

Our first order of business was finding a hotel. After saying goodbye to Joe at the airport, Shirish and I were backpacking together. Many hotels refused to let us stay together- something which frustrated me endlessly, but Shirish took with the grace of someone who is used to it.

By the time we were sorted in our hotel it was late. I was desperate to see the famous Jaipur markets so we set off despite the hour. The markets themselves are in the center of the old city, spanning many kilometers and separated in to blocks of different merchandise- fabrics, jewellery, art, cutlery, hardware. Each stall is built in to the pink-washed compounds that make up Jaipur's old city.

Hand-made, hand-printed, hand-everything Jaipur puppets

The flower market

I found the merchants to be incredibly unfriendly. Some of them refused to serve Shirish because he was an Indian. They had grown accustomed to busloads of tourists getting driven up from Delhi for the day who would pay almost any price named, and would therefore refuse to bargain with me.

Hoping for better luck souvenir shopping and a friendlier reception, we boarded the public bus early the next morning to Pushkar, just in time to catch the Pushkar Camel Fair.

Bradley, me, and Liam in our various camel-buying poses

We met up with friends from Pune: Bradley and Liam, two Canadians from Ottawa.

Pushkar itself is a small town, bulging with an overflow of people. The camel trading takes place just outside of town- although you can hardly tell because the rows and rows of stalls never stop.  Most of the trading had happened in the first two days of the festival, but there were still hundreds of camels and horses milling around-  mostly the old, skinny ones or the ones who were too expensive to buy. While we were there a horse was sold for over $200,000.

Although I didn't know it until we got there, Pushkar is also a very important religious site. It is built around a lake which is very important to Hindus- the actual story is very long and you can Wikipedia it. I don't quite understand the story, so I feel as if I would not be doing it justice by writing about it.

We happened to be in Pushkar right before Kartik Poornima. Thousands of people flock to the lake at this time of the year to bathe in one of the 52 ghats during the full moon to cleanse themselves of sin and, conveniently, skin diseases.

I wasn't quite convinced that jumping in the lake was going to cure me of any skin diseases I had managed to accumulate- I was more convinced that it would give me a bacterial infection- so I did not take the plunge.

During our stay, Bradley and I got cajoled in to getting henna done on our hands by some of the many gypsy women flocking the streets. Liam had already been tricked in to getting it done earlier- he had shaken the hand of a local, who promptly whipped her hand away and drew a henna design faster than he could jump back, for a payment of 200 rupees.

We agreed to pay 100 rupees for our henna- already twice the price of what it should normally cost. Bradley's henna artist immediately began working on an intricate design along his hands and fingers. My lady quickly drew a henna design on my hand.

I didn't intend to pay her any more than 50 for her terrible henna job. But as I opened up my wallet I could see her eye my money. Guilt gripped me and I gave her 200 rupees (around $4).

The effect was instantaneous. Bradley's henna artist followed us for the next half hour, trying to squeeze extra money out of him. Her shouts drew the attention of other gypsies, who promptly joined in. I don't think they knew what the fight was about, but they seemed to enjoy heckling and hollering at us as we walked down the street.

Sorry Bradley! : )

We had only spent the day in Pushkar, but the day was enough from me- although it was fun to be in the desert, and I definitely enjoyed the camels, Pushkar has turned in to a major tourist attraction. Some of its charm was lost to me among the crowds of photo-snapping tourists and hawkers that follow you wherever you go.

As Shirish and I walked out of the town in search for a bus that would take us to Jaipur, we passed thousands of pilgrims as they slowly headed towards the lake. They looked exhausted, but full of hope- their journey was almost over.  Passing them, seeing parents pull their children (suffering from the sin of having physical differences, or Down's Syndrome, or other incurable conditions) towards the lake, I felt slightly bitter. What would happen to those children, to the hopes of those parents, when nothing cured their children? I can't claim as a Canadian that our situation is that much better, but seeing this gave me some definite food for thought during the rest of our two days in Jaipur.

City Palace- I met an incredibly friendly local artist here who gifted me a drawing. 

Part of the Jantar Mantar- an incredibly clever observatory built  between 1727 and 1734.  The different devices inside can predict eclipses, tell you the correct time within 2 seconds, track the stars' location as the earth moves, and there are many more instruments that I did not understand in the slightest, but sounded very smart. If you are a fan of 'The Fall', the labyrinth was filmed in here.

The Hawa Mahal- Palace of Winds. It forms part of the City Palace, and is where the royal ladies lived.

The view from Hawa Mahal- you can see the  Jantar Mantar. Further behind it to the right is the main part of the City Palace- although the Jantar Mantar and the Hawa Mahal are still considered to be part of the palace.

Amber Fort

The view from Amber Fort. 

The Jal Mahal- a large palace just outside the city. Unfortunately, it is closed to visitors. However, I was so disappointed Shirish promised to build me one. Prepare to visit it on your next trip to India.

The Taj at sunrise

We finished our trip with a quick night stop in Agra in order to see the Taj. We arrived in Agra late, and then woke up early to see the Taj at sunrise.

By this point both Shirish and I were sick. It was a huge relief to get to Delhi and stay in the Tibetan quarters there- another highlight of my trip. We stayed in the Hotel Ama, a hotel recommended to us by a friend because she had been sick on the train and the owner let her stay there for free until she recovered.  We found the staff and owners to be just as hospitable for us as they were for her, going as far as to try and not let us pay for our last day in Delhi.

I recovered from my illness by feasting on Tibetan bread, momos, and noodle soup. I had never had Tibetan bread, Tibetan momos, or Tibetan noodle soup before, and I'm pretty sure that I ate my weight in it during out weekend stay.

Less than three weeks left in India now- I can't believe how fast it's gone, with still so much I want to see and do.

I'm working up at the Deep Griha rural school for the next two weeks, setting up a program for their students with disabilities, and then am taking the last week off for myself to fit in one more mini trip. I would welcome suggestions!