Tuesday 27th November
Having spoken to an English guy at the hotel in Agra about Jaipur, it didn't seem like a place to stay for too long. I was keen to enjoy the hotel and make the most of what I had paid for, but it would have been a pity not to take a look around the town while I was there. I took a rickshaw in and was once again offered the services of the driver for the day. He was a pushy little bastard too. He was so persistent that that he even suggested that I earn some money as a courier for his friend's business. Unbelievable! I have no idea what I might have been given or where to take it, but - call me odd for looking such a gifthorse in the mouth - but I had taken the decision before I left home not to act as anyone's mule on this trip, and wasn't about to change my mind for this guy.
Jaipur is called 'The Pink City', and obviously the source of many hilarious jokes and puns, none of which will be attempted here. It takes this name for no other reason than that the buildings within the boundaries of the old town walls are painted a reddish-pink colour. Streets set out on grids are lined with stalls and shops, with different goods and services being sold in different parts of the town. In one part there are rows of mechanics shops which repair the many motorbikes that swarm the city. Rajasthan is famous for selling and exporting textiles, jewellery, precious stones and all the other tat that, thankfully, I have no interest in buying myself. My dislike of shopping is going to save me a few bob on this trip!
The city itself is as over-crowded and polluted as many others, although some parts have a more modern look to them. After looking around the fort, I decided to head back to the hotel to chill out and escape the crowds and traders touting for business.
I was approached by one rickshaw driver who I managed to shake earlier in the day by promising to come back and see him after my visit to the fort, thinking that there might be a different exit I could leave through in order to avoid him at the other side. Alas, there was only one way in and one way out, and inevitably the guy was waiting for me an hour later! I could have dug a tunnel out of Jaipur and the guy would have been standing at the tunnel exit waiting for me! There is never any escape from these guys, they will always find you!
It was quite a warm day and the sun was strong, so I got back to the hotel and took a nice swim in the pool and chilled out for the rest of the evening. The next day would take me further west into Rajasthan and the desert town of Pushkar.
