I had trouble securing a seat on a train to Agra to see the Taj, so I changed my plan and decided to just fly on to Rajasthan. Jaipur seemed quite different than anything I'd seen in India before; vastly different from Varanasi! It was really just a starting point in Rajasthan rather than a prime destination, though I did spend 3 days wandering around the city, seeing the sights and, inevitably, buying stuff. The architecture was gorgeous; so many beautiful buildings and palaces. But it's a big city, traffic was heavy and everybody wanted money everywhere I went, every time I turned around. I'm getting weary of the place that my foreignness puts me in; I miss being able to walk down the street without getting hassled. Anyway, on a brighter note - I took off the wrist splint as scheduled and started using my hand a little more. I was very happy to remove that hot, itchy thing - and now it looks like I have a normal arm, though my hand and wrist are still a bit swollen - I'm hoping all is well; will have to get it rechecked as soon as I can find a good hospital. Next stop is Pushkar.
