Day 5

Today was the day we were heading to Jaipur. But, we had a giant screw up. We set our alarm for 4:30am so we could get to the train station for our 6:10am train. Unfortuately it was a comedy of errors. Our taxi driver misunderstood and picked us up at 5:50 am instead of 5:15, but we didn't realize it until it was too late. So- when the bell rang we asked him to wait 5 minutes and quickly got dressed and grabbed our stuff. Luckily we packed the day before so it was really easy to run out the door. We were so proud, until Marcelle commented on how light it was for being 5:15am. Suddenly we realized it wasn't 5:15 but actually just after 6am. By the time we got to the station it was 6:15 and we knew we missed our train. So- the big issue... do we get out and see if we missed our train and give up our taxi, or do we go back home and make our plans from there. Obviously all these other taxi drivers were trying to coax us out of the car so they could drive us back and take as much money as possible. Needless to say it was really stressful and we couldn't believe a word anyone was saying (they kept saying..no it doesn't leave until 6:15am- yeah.. right).



We went back and tried to make other arrangements. Luckily the family that Marcelle rents the flat from had a few suggestions and we decided to take an air conditioned bus instead of a train. It worked out fine and all, but it was a bit stressful. Also adding to the nightmare-- Marcelle's phone battery isn't holding a charge, and we could not figure out how to dial with mine (also it would be $2.99 per minute for any phone calls, so I wasn't too keen on using mine). We made arrangements the night before for a hotel that would pick us up at the train station, but Marcelle found a cheaper place and we switched the reservation. The most entertaining thing about the trip- we stopped for a quick break and Marcelle and I both headed to the restroom. Okay- so when I say Western bathroom I mean.. western toilet. Outside of the western world you actually go the the bathroom in a hole in the floor that has a type of grate over it with water. I cannot explain it- I really should have taken a picture. It is gross and difficult in pants or a long skirt. I was lamenting to Marcelle and she bust out laughing- she had a western toilet and I did not. NICE.

We got into the city limits for Jaipur and suddenly realized this was going to be very similar to Delhi, which we were hoping to escape. We both got nervous about the now cheap hotel ($20.00 per night) and thought we should go with the moderately priced ($40.00 per night) instead. But- again..telephone issues. We pulled into the bus terminal and were immediately bombarded by taxi/autorickshaw drivers. It was really annoying and we basically ran to the nearest pay phone we could find. We contacted the more expensive hotel and arranged for them to pick us up. This worked out sooo well. I am so happy we made that little change. The hotel was this really nice little place with western toilets and nice little verandas.

Hotel





We hired an autorickshaw driver for the night, because we did not want to mess with finding an autorickshaw. It was the best $5.00 I have ever spent. He took us to the "Pink City" which is made up of cool old buildings/historical sites and shopping. On our way out of the hotel we met an Australian woman that was in town just for the night and so we invited her to tag along. The poor thing has blonde hair and was harrassed quite a bit more by the locals. We went to see the Hawa Mahala. It is the "house of winds".

House of Winds



General photos of Jaipur




cow in the middle of the market


yes- those are blocks of ice