Rajasthan- Day 8- Pushkar to Jaipur

I woke up early (to the sound of explosions) and got ready to hike up to the Sharavi Temple. It was about an hour hike up and then another hour back down. It was a lot more challenging than anticipated, because part of the hike was an old stone staircase which was very steep and uneven. My thighs really felt the burn, and after getting to the top my lungs needed a break (which they got thanks to a few puffs of the inhaler). The hike up was gorgeous though, especially since it was still early and the air was cool. I passed a lot of monkeys, and unfortunately, a snake (ew!).

After the hike I went back to the room and we created a plan for getting out of Pushkar. Pushkar is a religious center, and is usually a quiet, calm place... with the exception, apparently, of Diwali. So we all wanted to get out of there. We learned however that since it was Diwali, there were NO buses leaving the town that day! We had to regroup and wound up hiring a car to take us the 4 hours to Jaipur. On the way out we were hassled by a group of little boys, one boy was playing a little stringed instrument, playing "Brother John" repeatedly and asking for money, saying "Don't broke my little heart." Carey wound up giving him a Rupee, but he wasn't satisfied, wanted more money from the rest of us, Rachel offered money, but instead he decided he wanted an ice cream. So finally we just got in the car, managed to see a snake charmer across the street, and headed out.

Our driver did not speak any English, but miraculously we found our way. I think he may have been going for a world record of fastest travel time to Jaipur because he drove like a maniac. Which I suppose most Indian drivers could be categorized as. He sped on the highway, around obstacles, in between trucks, and over speed bumps. We made the trip in record time but I was griping on to the door the entire time. My favorite part was when he was driving full speed and opened his door to spit out whatever drug he was chewing on (a popular past time for all here). We finally arrived in one piece to the Sunder Palace Hotel. And while the hotel doesn't compare to the ambiance of the last few places, it is by far the cleanest place we have stayed with the nicest bathroom, so that was a relief.

Jaipur, however, is probably a good transition back to Mumbai as this city is much like Mumbai (minus the size and height of buildings). The traffic here is equally crazy, although faster moving. I checked in, enjoyed some Cheese Nan on the rooftop restaurant and three of us trucked into the old city to do some sight seeing. We went to the Hawa Mahal, which was a building (connected to the palace by underground passageways) where the king, queen, harem, and concubines would sit to watch the festivals in the street, since the women weren't allowed out in the street. It was a really pretty building. We ironically ran into one of the guys we had met at our dinner on the fort in Jodphur. Small world!

Jaipur is the Pink City and the buildings are for the most part, really pretty. I'm not so sure I would call it Pink, it's more of a Salmon color... but I guess that doesn't have the same ring. We walked around the city for a bit looking for the astrologer, but I finally got frustrated and headed back to the guest house. It's tiring to have every single merchant call out to you, and have the feeling that when you ignore them, they mutter bad things about you under their breath. We also had a slew of children following us around the city which made me uncomfortable. Walking down the street, it's almost as if you trip a sensor as you walk down the street, and every shop you pass lights up as you walk by with promises of the greatest bargains and the best quality. It's best when you catch them unaware and they haven't been staring at you walking down the street preparing for the moment you stand before their shop, because it's funny to see them scramble to get a shawl to display for you and then ask why you don't want to spend money in their shop. I was finally fed up with the chaos, and since we didn't have a plan until dinner a few hours later, I bowed out and headed back to read my latest book, Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. It took 5 rickshaws before I finally found one that would take me back to the guest house for the same price that I got to the old city for.

I rested for a bit and met the group at Niro's for dinner. I then headed back, talked to my Mom for the second time that day and fell asleep relatively early. We didn't have a plan for the morning and I was looking forward to finally sleeping in past 6 or 7.

(It's Sunday morning now, and I'll wait to tell about my day until I get back to Mumbai and more has happened. I've been hopping on the internet when I get the chance at guest houses, and use my time updating my blog, so haven't checked my email since I left. I think our plan today is to do more touring in the city, which I'm not sure I'm a fan of, and then heading to a restaurant to celebrate Rachel's birthday. I'm off to continue reading and waiting for everyone to get ready for the day!... Wishing I could go home after vacation, although I suppose the benefit of traveling India via trains, buses, and hostels, it makes going back to Mumbai easier than experiencing India through the lens of a Marriott (which I prefer), at this point, ironically, I am looking forward to a nice camp meal in a bag, and semi-non hard bed, and a shower that occasional works and is not in the bucket-form. However, I am even more looking forward to going home... I want to go there so badly. But no point in bailing now, with only 38 or so days to go. I can do it. I just don't want to).