Into India
We arrived in Jaipur at around 10am on the 24th of January after a thirty hour journey from Heathrow. It was our honeymoon at last, only 18 months after our wedding! Much earlier that morning we had been dropped at Old Dehli Station. It was 1am and a miscommunication with our driver had led us to believe that the station was closed. So we waited outside. We acted very cool as we sat outside in the dark, trying not to seem nervous as the rats and dogs drew ever closer. Eventually pair of Indian guys came up and showed us in to the bright, welcoming waiting room. We thanked them and breathed more easily. At 4am we found our train and slept our way across the Country.
Arriving in Jaipur I spotted a Black Kite and was excited. I had no idea at the time that they are as prolific as crows in the City. We stayed at The Jaipur Inn, it was a fantastic choice. The hotel is run by Pushpendra and his family, who are so welcoming. The Inn has several shady gardens as well as a roof terrace. It’s an ideal bolt-hole to rest from the hectic city.
After a little rest we began our Jaipur adventure with a trip to the Pink City. I will admit that I found the traffic a little intimidating at first, it makes Bangkok look peaceful. We went everywhere by TukTuk and once we had got used to the traffic, it was a really exhilarating way to travel. The Pink City was bustling and looked glorious in the late afternoon light.
Monkeys, Monkeys Everywhere
We visited all of the obvious tourist destinations on our first full day. We began at The Monkey Temple, guides showed us which monkeys were friendly. They all seemed very fond of Chris! I’m still not really sure about the wisdom of cavorting with wild monkeys, no matter what the guides say, but we came away unscathed and it was definitely an experience! Monkeys are sacred here and are fed by locals so that they remain nearby. Consequently relatively few venture into the city. We climbed the monkey laden mountain with no idea about what was on the other side. Coming over the hill to the view of the temples was astounding. Afterwards we headed out to The Amer Fort and ate Parantha from a street vendor. We walked miles through amber coloured pathways and corridors.
The following days were spent exploring Jaipur’s block-print factories and spice shops. We ate in the shade and had an adventure with a TukTuk Driver, a diamond merchant and a Guru.
Our time in Jaipur was hectic, crazy, vibrant and fragrant. We left heading for the countryside feeling so grateful for the experience..
