Jaipur

Click on the above image to view more.

On our trip through Rajasthan, Jaipur was our first stop. It is the capital city of Rajasthan and essentially the hub for touring the rest of the state. We decided to fly which at the very least made the first and last travel plans relatively hassle free. After checking into our guesthouse we ventured over to the train station. This was our first mistake, looking at our map we thought that we could simply walk to the station and take in the scenery along the way. Fooled by our many miscalculations, our trip to the train station became a wandering nightmare. We did finally purchase some overnight train tickets that would take us to Jaisalmer the following night.

Still thinking it was a short distance to some of the sights from the train station we planned to walk. It soon became clear that we were lost, tired; but we did witness some quite bizarre things (see Roadside Dentistry below). It was twilight before we reached the Old City wall. The Old City, also referred to as the Pink City because of its pink paint job, was a grid of bazaars and trinket stalls. Hannah and I wandered around a little, got lost again and decided to head back to our guesthouse (we ventured on a bicycle rickshaw this time).

Our second day, we took an auto rickshaw to the Pink City and went straight to the City Palace. Nested at the center of the Old City, the City Palace houses several museums, a palace once for visiting dignitaries, and the residence of the current maharaja. The majestic entrances, and intricate carved marble work were very impressive.

When we left the City Palace, we stumbled upon another pretty cool sight. I guess we hadn’t paid very good attention to our Lonely Planet because we almost missed the Jantar Mantar, an astrological garden created by an ambitious and brilliant architect. Here, we wandered among the various larger-than-life sundials, and other instruments that were built to map the heavens. We still remain confused about how it all worked, but the entire complex was fascinating.

Hannah and I really can’t decide if we liked Jaipur or not. The city was big and crowded and lacked the intimacy we were expecting. Just walking down the street, we were constantly harassed by people and rickshaw wallahs fighting for our attention and money. We found the best way to avoid the hollering was to commission one rickshaw to take us rather than walking. But unlike Mumbai, even the transportation in Jaipur requires some bargaining — no one uses their meters. After only a day in Jaipur we were ready to move on.

A Desert is a Desert

Click on the above image to view more.

It’s funny how Hannah and I were in the middle of the desert in India and thinking how similar the landscape in Rajasthan was to California. In some places we could have been driving through Ramona or on our way to Death Valley. The dry, dusty land was the same; the small, rocky mountains were the same.

It reminds me of all I take for granted having lived all my life in California. In California, we can drive one or two hours and be in a completely different environment, and look over a wonderful new landscape. California is so geologically varied.

In a village in Rajasthan, Hannah and I met a girl from Ireland who had never seen desert sand dunes. This really shocked me at first, but then I realized how I’d taken for granted my trips to the Californian desert or even the beach. The dunes themselves didn’t seem to impress us as much as they did our friend. But for Hannah and I, it was more the thought of how far we were away from home. Although it was familiar, I guess you won’t find people in bright saris and turbans walking camels down the road in California.

Roadside Dentistry

Click on the above image to view more.

We recently made our way up to Rajasthan and discovered many new things in India. One of our discoveries, which must be shared on the blog, is the roadside dentist.

If you are walking down the street in Jaipur, and happen to be in need of some dental work, you are in the right place. Here, you can find many street side places to get fitted for dentures or countless other oral procedures. The tools include: pliers, scrapers, picks, metal wire, and pre-fab artificial teeth. As if dental work isn't scary enough, India has kicked it up a few notches. I'm surprised we didn't run into any back alley plastic surgeons.