India: Jaipur
After a long day that began in Delhi, wound its afternoon through the nerve-rattling but relatively beautiful Taj Mahal, and neared its finale in a first-class, air-conditioned, filled with screeching child-demons from hell train compartment, I finally arrived in the dusty Rajasthani town of Jaipur around 11:00pm. I wearily climbed out onto the street and hired a rickshaw, which dropped me in a seedy-looking area for a short saunter to the Evergreen Guesthouse. I gladly paid the 200 Rupees (it has a pool!) and made a mad dash to my room, just in time to be sick. Whatever I had eaten during the day, be it the vittles from Naresh's mother's kitchen, the butter naan from the shack by the train station, or...hmmm... maybe the Agra vendor's lukewarm spiced lime soda half filled with tap water, did not agree with me! I immediately crashed into a long sleep in my dorm-like room.
I awoke yesterday morning still feeling the effects of the previous day's havoc on my stomach. I had breakfast and plans for the day were made, but I only made it back into my bed. I finally picked myself up around 5:00 pm, walked to the bus station to take care of onward tickets, and weakly hired a rickshaw to take me to the movies...the Raj Mandir Cinema, that is. I decided to catch a Hindi flick in the country's most famous movie theatre, so after standing in another "Ladies Only" line, I bought some popcorn and found my seat. The huge cinema was packed with a hooting and whistling audience, and I dare say the film did not disappoint. The evening's showcase was "Fanaa," which started out as a romance comedy/musical. After the fifteen-minute intermission, the film took a turn for terrorist bombings meets murder meets reunited-but-doomed love. Touching. It was all in Hindi, of course, but it was not hard to get the gist of it. After the film ended, I walked home, watched a bit of the Brazil game, and went to bed.
This morning, feeling much better, I decided to see the sights of Jaipur. On my walk to the old "Pink City," I met an Indian man named Aju, who began talking to me and asking me questions. He seemed innocent enough, and I was in a much better mood today, so I allowed him to take me to the top of a building to show me a bird's-eye-view of the city. After that, he asked me to join him for chai, and I kindly accepted his offer; to his offer of taking me on his motorbike to meet his enlightened yoga friend, I kindly declined. I said goodbye, and was soon wandering through the old city streets. I eventually smacked into the Hawa Mahal, a gorgeous medieval fort-like building with spectacular views of the busy streets below. It was a blazing hot day, so I spent as little time there before making my way to the City Palace, home of the current Rajah.
Just as I was entering the Palace grounds, four cheeky Indian girls wrapped in sarees approached me, telling me how beautiful I was, trying on my jewelry (I got over the whole sharing-earrings hygienic thing a long time ago!), and asking for money and "Chips-ee". They dragged me to a street vendor selling dal mala (or something like that...it's basically a little cup of spicy dal, tomatoes, and onions pepped up with spices and lime juice...yummy!). I bought them each a cup, one for myself, one for another hungry little boy, and together, surrounded by tons of curious rickshaw drivers, we ate. Smilingly, I told them to get lost, and made my way to the Palace entrance, which was nothing too exciting, and, unable to bear the heat any longer, I hopped on a rickshaw back to my guesthouse.
I finally indulged myself in the one thing that drew me to the Evergreen Guesthouse: the pool. It is a cloudy water pit on the terrace of my hotel, but after changing into my swimsuit, I happily jumped in (I did not put my head under, Mom!). I peacefully basked in the late afternoon sun and periodically dipped in the empty pool until my growling stomach got the best of me. I just had a huge dinner, and now it is internet time!
Well, I am happy to say that my stomach is almost back to normal, I am finally adjusting to the climate change, and my pity-party is officially over. I am even re-learning how to ignore the constant staring and molesting (my boob got poked today and I did not even have any obscenities tease my lips!). Tomorrow morning I hope to lie by the pool and relax in time to make my 1:00 pm, five-hour bus to my next stop in Rajasthan: Pushkar.
I awoke yesterday morning still feeling the effects of the previous day's havoc on my stomach. I had breakfast and plans for the day were made, but I only made it back into my bed. I finally picked myself up around 5:00 pm, walked to the bus station to take care of onward tickets, and weakly hired a rickshaw to take me to the movies...the Raj Mandir Cinema, that is. I decided to catch a Hindi flick in the country's most famous movie theatre, so after standing in another "Ladies Only" line, I bought some popcorn and found my seat. The huge cinema was packed with a hooting and whistling audience, and I dare say the film did not disappoint. The evening's showcase was "Fanaa," which started out as a romance comedy/musical. After the fifteen-minute intermission, the film took a turn for terrorist bombings meets murder meets reunited-but-doomed love. Touching. It was all in Hindi, of course, but it was not hard to get the gist of it. After the film ended, I walked home, watched a bit of the Brazil game, and went to bed.
This morning, feeling much better, I decided to see the sights of Jaipur. On my walk to the old "Pink City," I met an Indian man named Aju, who began talking to me and asking me questions. He seemed innocent enough, and I was in a much better mood today, so I allowed him to take me to the top of a building to show me a bird's-eye-view of the city. After that, he asked me to join him for chai, and I kindly accepted his offer; to his offer of taking me on his motorbike to meet his enlightened yoga friend, I kindly declined. I said goodbye, and was soon wandering through the old city streets. I eventually smacked into the Hawa Mahal, a gorgeous medieval fort-like building with spectacular views of the busy streets below. It was a blazing hot day, so I spent as little time there before making my way to the City Palace, home of the current Rajah.
Just as I was entering the Palace grounds, four cheeky Indian girls wrapped in sarees approached me, telling me how beautiful I was, trying on my jewelry (I got over the whole sharing-earrings hygienic thing a long time ago!), and asking for money and "Chips-ee". They dragged me to a street vendor selling dal mala (or something like that...it's basically a little cup of spicy dal, tomatoes, and onions pepped up with spices and lime juice...yummy!). I bought them each a cup, one for myself, one for another hungry little boy, and together, surrounded by tons of curious rickshaw drivers, we ate. Smilingly, I told them to get lost, and made my way to the Palace entrance, which was nothing too exciting, and, unable to bear the heat any longer, I hopped on a rickshaw back to my guesthouse.
I finally indulged myself in the one thing that drew me to the Evergreen Guesthouse: the pool. It is a cloudy water pit on the terrace of my hotel, but after changing into my swimsuit, I happily jumped in (I did not put my head under, Mom!). I peacefully basked in the late afternoon sun and periodically dipped in the empty pool until my growling stomach got the best of me. I just had a huge dinner, and now it is internet time!
Well, I am happy to say that my stomach is almost back to normal, I am finally adjusting to the climate change, and my pity-party is officially over. I am even re-learning how to ignore the constant staring and molesting (my boob got poked today and I did not even have any obscenities tease my lips!). Tomorrow morning I hope to lie by the pool and relax in time to make my 1:00 pm, five-hour bus to my next stop in Rajasthan: Pushkar.
posted by Tiffany Joiner at 10:34 AM
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