India Day 10 - Ranthambore to Jaipur

Well my body didn't know what to do with 8 hours of sleep. I kept waking up thinking I had slept in. This hotel has been a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the big cities.

It was a 4 hour bus ride to Jaipur today and the time passed fairly quickly. After an ATM stop we had lunch. I ordered a boneless chicken in a tomato based sauce together with garlic naan. I am going to try my hand at making some when I get home.

Many in the group have been asking for shopping time so KV took us to a place with all types of everything made with cotton, silk and wool. We had a demo showing the process of block printing. I have picked up some wooden stamps along the way and hope to get creative with them when I return to Canada. I found a beautiful silk dressing gown, some scarves, a top and a big tablecloth. I wasn't going to get it but of course he lowered the price until resistance was futile!

Our home for the next two nights is a heritage hotel called Madhuban. There is a lovely garden in the back and the rooms' doors have the most unusual locking system (just like the last hotel). There is a long bolt and hasp on both the outside as well as the inside. You need a key to unlock the padlock as well as to lock it. The room is pretty but the walls are paper thin and I can hear unwanted noises all too well. For the first time since I’ve arrived in India, Wi-Fi is free here.

At 5:15 pm, our bus took us to the old part of the city and we walked along the sidewalks with KV helping us to sample various types of snacks and sweets. 

The streets were busy, noisy, colourful, and full of photo ops. 

We stopped at a temple and went up to the rooftop to get a good look around. There are mountains surrounding the city and we saw where we are going tomorrow.

Another great stop was a tea place and I bought some chai. The owner explained how to make it and what proportions to use of everything.

By then it was dark. We piled into rickshaws again and as as we went through the busy streets, I tried not to let the traffic get to me. It's pretty hard when you are making a turn and crossing in front of oncoming cars, motorbikes and other rickshaws. I simply don't know why large numbers of people aren't killed every day in traffic! You very rarely see ambulances or police and I have yet to see a fire truck.

Supper was at an outdoor restaurant with traditional dancing. The women dance with pots on their heads which get piled progressively higher and higher. If that isn't enough of a challenge, they are lit on fire!

Tomorrow is an early start. That's all she wrote (for tonight)!