Okay okay okay! I hear you! Shorter emails! I can leave the long rants and explanations and poetry recitals to my journals (yes there are multiple ones already… I'll be coming back with a bookcase. Hope it doesn't cost extra in excess luggage). Instead, here are some dot(ish) points, and you can enquire further if you want more info on a particular something or someone. Because as you know, I would be more than delighted to tell you!We've spent the weekend in Jaipur – aka 'The Pink City'. It's one of the largest cities in Rajasthan, and it definitely showed in the attitude there…
We got off the train at about 8.30am, but I don't know how long it took because it left late and arrived even later (as expected). About 11 hours though in the economy sleeper – an email in itself! Then it was into the traffic – except get this. The driver wore a seat belt; some of the bikers wore helmets; their horns weren't perpetually honked; the road was paved in places; and I even saw a set of traffic lights. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE??
We whittled away the first arvo with shopping – something I haven't done seriously yet! I bought a BEAUTIFUL chalcony ring in a back alley wholesaler who gave me chai and told me that "your mother is my mother", as well as a stunning pair of traditional Rajasthani flats in preparation for the night to come… Both I bargined down to half the original price: Go go gadget George!
We found ourselves at the 'Monkey Temple' for sunset. It's called that for a reason. Jesus. The place was in a constant state of motion!! The photos could never fully show it because you couldn't get them all in the same shot. Amongst the baboons, I met a dreadlocked Belgian backpacker who was volunteering with the WWF (not the wrestling one, the animal conservation one…) We were chatting on the steps to the temple when we saw a Sadu guru over this little cobblestone wall, wildly gesturing for us to follow him down this mountain side. Letting go and surrendering myself to India, I grabbed Jane and we descended following our loin-clothed stick-insect of a man to his 'house'. I use that term loosely because it didn't really have walls. Or a rood for that matter.
What followed was a much more spiritual experience than if I had paid 1,200 rupees to get my stars read at the observatory. The Sadus live a life of solitary meditation, only accepting food that they are offered, never money or anything else. They survive through this weird breathing technique that brings moisture and nutrients into their system (coincidently our yoga teacher had taught me about them 3 days earlier!). Still computing that broken-English hour in the mountains… Wow. Just wow.
That night, we went OUT. And I mean OUT out. Well, as OUT out as you can get in Rajasthan… It's not exactly Delhi or Goa! We didn't have anything to wear, so most of us adapted out floor length skirts to dresses and wrapped our headscarves around as belts. And with our make-do outfits, we hit the town.
We first two clubs that were recommended to us turned out to be closed in the off season, but this just made us more eager to find a decent one! It was 11.30 on a Saturday night, at the youth of Jaipur had to be somewhere… And with a little probing of some locals, we found it. Back to Basics, affectionately know as B2B.
Entry was 1,000 rupees (more expensive than Melbourne!!), but we talked our way in as 6 for 1… We got in and saw why. We were the only 6 Westerners in the entire place. And this turned out to be the 'exclusive' club for the rich/famous kids. It was pretty packed when we walked in, but an hour later, word must have got out that there were white girls out, because it became MASSIVE!! We were the centre of attention of Jaipur's most exclusive club and LOVED it! I can talk about this place for yonks, and want to, but I don't want to bore the 'elder' recipients of the email with stories… But please probe lovies!
Anywho, we were up again at 8am that morning with less than 3 hours sleep, and down to 4 girls as 2 could not pull themselves out of bed after the night before. Pity! Because the Amber fort was pretty rad! But the view was nothing compared to Kumbhalgah the weekend before…Still, there were painted elephants EVERYWHERE, but we decided that as close as we were going to get was hugging their trunks – riding them just seems a little morally off. Oh! And I forget to mention, but I was also involved in a snake-charming incident!! A little scary, but hey, it's no Brown Snake. Just a King Cobra…
The highlight though was the rickshaw driver that we spent the day with. His name was Vishu, he was 21, Punjabi, and had possibly the biggest smile and the longest eyelashes I have EVER seen! He was like an overgrown little boy, complete with a giggle that was higher than ours. He invited us to his house for chai before driving us back to the station, and becoming very used to these offers, we accepted. And his family was one of the most accommodating we have met too – his elder sisters hennaed our hands (3 times in a month I've had my henna done now!), his younger sisters took down our emails so that we could be their pen-friends, and his mother and father invited us to stay with them next time we come to Jaipur. And we will! If we go back to Jaipur that is… I'm honestly not too keen on going back. Maybe it was the way were generally treated there in the city, or that we've just grown to call Udaipur home; but I'd rather go and sit in the local incense/bangle shop with our merchant friends, or dance in the streets to Hindi pop with Meenaji's tweenage sons, or sit on a rooftop with a mango lassi, or write amoungst the beggars on the steps of Jagdish temple… I'm home J
Oh, and apparently there's all this global news about us being in a heat wave?? That's how little news we get here. We don't even know the temperature – we just know that it's pretty bloody hot!! The tarmac was gooey and melting in Jaipur… We could actually mold it with the tips of our shoes! Crossing the road became an exercise in not loosing your sandals.
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