Jaipur .. ah!!

M. had made it pretty clear from the beginning that we were not going to take a bus, so after saying good bye to R. - who was going back in the opposite direction, feigning urgent work  - we entered a car, complete with local driver and Hindi music galore. *hums in her head*

The drive went smoothly, with a few stops for M. to smoke and for the two of us to change between back and front seat, a process that seemed to greatly amuse our driver. We passed by a few camels on the way (well, ok, not on the highway but on smaller roads) and then we were there.

Ah Jaipur! How can you not love Jaipur! And for that matter: How can you not love Rajasthan!?! The colours, the ancient and modern buildings, the art, the clothes, the people and did I mention the colours? When we reached our hotel, there was an arts and craft festival going on, with typical Rajasthani handicraft being displayed and sold, painters at work and musicians showing their skills tirelessly. 

But even the hotel itself was a piece of art. Built in the typical Rajasthani style with open balconies looking down upon two large inner yards. The rooms furnished with appliances in the same style, wide yet cosy. This is where I acquired my new favourite colour, switching rainbow for Rajasthani. Followers of my facebook album will get an impression of all that this entails. In Jaipur, I decided that if I get the job I applied for in Bangalore, I would go back to Jaipur or any other city in that area to buy all things Rajasthani for my flat.

What did we do in Jaipur, what's there to see? On our first evening (out of  - sigh - just two), we hired an auto driver (coordinates available if you are interested) with his vehicle who took us to an ancient Hanuman temple (yes, I was allowed to take pictures and even had to buy an official ticket for my camera - M. and I were free although she donated generously after having had a good talk with the local priest). On the next day, the same auto driver drove us all over town, dropping me to the fort (and M. to a nearby café) which I climbed in the heat of the midday sun. The walk was not very steep, the sun not too merciless and my brain not too scattered to remember taking water with me. I came across a few guys, had a nice chat, one of them trying to undertake the impossible: explaining cricket to me. By now, I have a slightly better insight into the game but I still don't understand why it needs to last for five days (no, please don't waste your energy trying to make me understand that phenomenon now). 

Fort visited, others found, off to the next stop: Hava Mahal. The palace is under construction or rather repair, so there is scaffolding all over it. Although it looks less monumental this way, you still get an impression of its size and beauty. Quick picture taken (the driver would barely let me get out, claiming that this was not a good area) and we were on our way again. 

At the recommendation of my friend H. (thanks, lil one!), I asked for a quick detour to Raj Mandir, a cinema hall with beautiful mirrorwork. Since they made it impossible to take a quick peek just like that, I bought the cheapest ticket available, wandered around in the hall, took photos a-plenty and was about to sneak back out when an elderly usher asked to see my ticket and accompanied me to my seat. Whyever not, I thanked him, sat down and watched a few minutes of a presumingly new Hindi movie without any subtitles at all. A few minutes of this experience sufficed, I left and answered the usher's question whether I was coming back with a non-committal "Maybe".

Now for the less agreeable part: shopping. (All in all I must say that I've never done so much shopping in such a comparatively short time before in my life and I'm not keen on repeating the experience any time soon.). The fun part is however that I've become pretty efficient at bargaining. I'm sure I still pay tourist prices but at least I put up a fair fight.

On the last evening at our colourful jewel of a hotel, we enjoyed a lovely meal in the garden, accompanied by live music.

The next day, off to new adventures in the shape of Mumbai.