What a weekend! It was filled with culture, food, history and experiencing each end of the economic spectrum in India. By Sunday night I was exhausted both mentally and physically and need a few hours of quiet time to sit and reflect. This will be a long entry, you are forewarned!
Friday after work, our group of 11 went to the "famous" sound and light show at Amber (pronounced Am-er) Fort. It's the Indian version of the Stone Mountain laser light show (I'm assuming, I've never actually been), where they tell a story, showcasing the history of the fort and playing music and lighting up the Fort along the way. It was sort of cheesy, sort of interesting and quite annoying because the group of men sitting behind us were talking on their cell phone the whole time. Courtesy is different here I guess. We sat outside under the stars on these benches, it was really nice just to be outside, was a beautiful, clear, cool night. It was fun, I can say I did it once, don't need to go again. :-) We then all went out for dinner at the Little Italy/Little India restaurant down the street from the homestay, I had pizza (which I must say wasn't too bad, vegetarian of course) and a Kingfisher beer.
Saturday we got up early, the van was leaving at 8:30 for our tour. Considering I don't leave for work until 9:45-10 am, this was early! We went back to the Amber Fort, this time to actually tour the place. There are a few options to get to the top, either walk, take a jeep, or elephant ride. I opted for walking, though I knew I'd be regretting it later (for those that don't know, I have been having problems with my achilles since last October and I finally had an MRI two days before I left. I have a sprained achilles and should be wearing a boot, but I've decided to just be careful instead, the boot can be quite annoying and I just ice it in the evenings. Will heal over time) I've been on an elephant before, as a kid, at the Bronx Zoo. I know, I know, that's different than India, but I just couldn't do it, the poor elephants, just walking up and down all day, I am sure they are treated well, but I didn't want to encourage it anymore than necessary.
Charo (from Spain) and our guide and I walked to the top, while everyone else took the elephants. Along the way we passed a group of local village women who all were staring and smiling at me, some of them came up to me and shook my hand and asked me my name. It was very sweet, but I also know to be wary. This was the start to my celebrity status in India. I just think they aren't used to seeing tall, dark haired westerners in shorts and a tshirt? we also saw a snake charmer, that was pretty cool. Once at the top, the views of Jaipur and the surrounding area are beautiful. The Fort dates back to as early as 1590 and was used as the home of the kings for a while, until take over by Mughals, after which the home of the king was moved in Jaipur City itself. The architecture and paintings are amazing, they are so precise for being hand built, it's a work of art. The place is huge, more what we would consider a palace, than a fort, was a good start to the day.
After the Amber Fort we went to the "Monkey Temple". It is a decent hike up to the top, and along the way there are hundreds of macaques monkeys that live on the mountain. They are known to be very aggressive and we were warned to watch our sunglasses, cameras and to not have anything in our pockets. You hire a local boy at the bottom to accompany you with the sole purpose of swatting the monkeys away. If you are bitten you have to worry about rabies and we weren't in the mood for 14 shots in the stomach. I posted a lot of pictures of the monkeys, they are cute, but we did not feed them or encourage them. It is sad though, there is a lot of trash all over the place and they find things to eat and drink. Our guide told us that there is a high rate of diabetes now amongst the monkeys because they are eating the human food. We saw one walking with a sunkist bottle and trying to figure out how to open it. In the process he punctured it and all the soda fell out before he could drink it. Amusing, yet quite sad. Our monkey swatter was a boy about 12, named Ganesh. Smart kid, he spoke excellent English as well as French, Spanish, German and a few other languages. He knew enough to woo the tourists in whatever language they spoke. He goes to school during the week and does this on the weekends to make money. He's been bitten twice by the monkeys, but they don't give them rabies shots here, they treat for infection and hope it doesn't get worse, I guess. At the top, there is a small temple, where we all received a blessing and of course made an offering. There were expansive views of Jaipur. It was nice, we were the only tourists there, so was quiet for once. Ganesh did a good job, no one got hurt. Our guide told him to tip him 50 rupees (about $1), but we gave him 100 and told him to make sure he finishes school!
After lunch at a local restaurant, I had Dal (lentils) and Roti, we visited the Albert Hall museum. It was very crowded with college groups and was filled with India art and antiquities. Not really my thing, some pretty pottery, but by then I was just exhausted and my foot was bothering me so I sat down to take a rest. Now, I must preface this with I have noticed that people have been randomly taking pictures of me (probably our group too) without asking. They just kind of walk next to me and their friend will snap a quick pic and they walk away. They think I don't notice but I do. Jaakko in our group is from Finland and is tall and blonde, I think he gets the same thing. After I sat down, one of the girls in this college group came up to me and asked if she could get a picture. I obliged, I thought it was funny. Oh my goodness, the flood started. There was a crowd of about 30 people and I bet my face is all over India now. I just sat in my chair and held court, quite amusing. Then they surrounded me and started asking questions, where are you from, how do you like India. They were in their last semester of school to be teachers. They wanted to know why I was here and if it was true that Westerners thought they were dirty (their words), finally they asked if I had ever seen a negro (their words). I saw no end in sight and I was causing a crowd control problem, so I kindly said I needed to meet my group and left. My friend Dassa in US (from Sri Lanka) says that they must think I look like Priyanka (Gandhi) Vadra, the much loved daughter of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Thanks Dassa, while that is flattering, I just think I look Western and have a warm inviting smile haha. I really don't mind, might as well enjoy while I can, because once back home, I won't get the same treatment. hehe
We finally made it back to the homestay, and after a quick rest, made our way over to the Rambagh Palace hotel for a drink at the Polo Bar. This is a Taj Group hotel and was absolutely magnificent. Rooms start at $600 a night. We just had a drink and watched all of the posh guests milling around and then made our way over to "the Rock" for dinner/drinks. This is a quick walk from the homestay and was so funny. It's a bar/disco/outdoor hangout where all the waiters wear cowboy hats and big belt buckles. The India/SA cricket match was on, so was amusing to hear/watch the locals watching the tvs. We ate pub like food (tandoori chicken, samosas, roti, cheese sandwiches, etc) and walked home. What a long day!
That was Saturday, on tap for Sunday...astronomy meets astrology and observing human kindness
Friday after work, our group of 11 went to the "famous" sound and light show at Amber (pronounced Am-er) Fort. It's the Indian version of the Stone Mountain laser light show (I'm assuming, I've never actually been), where they tell a story, showcasing the history of the fort and playing music and lighting up the Fort along the way. It was sort of cheesy, sort of interesting and quite annoying because the group of men sitting behind us were talking on their cell phone the whole time. Courtesy is different here I guess. We sat outside under the stars on these benches, it was really nice just to be outside, was a beautiful, clear, cool night. It was fun, I can say I did it once, don't need to go again. :-) We then all went out for dinner at the Little Italy/Little India restaurant down the street from the homestay, I had pizza (which I must say wasn't too bad, vegetarian of course) and a Kingfisher beer.
Saturday we got up early, the van was leaving at 8:30 for our tour. Considering I don't leave for work until 9:45-10 am, this was early! We went back to the Amber Fort, this time to actually tour the place. There are a few options to get to the top, either walk, take a jeep, or elephant ride. I opted for walking, though I knew I'd be regretting it later (for those that don't know, I have been having problems with my achilles since last October and I finally had an MRI two days before I left. I have a sprained achilles and should be wearing a boot, but I've decided to just be careful instead, the boot can be quite annoying and I just ice it in the evenings. Will heal over time) I've been on an elephant before, as a kid, at the Bronx Zoo. I know, I know, that's different than India, but I just couldn't do it, the poor elephants, just walking up and down all day, I am sure they are treated well, but I didn't want to encourage it anymore than necessary.
Charo (from Spain) and our guide and I walked to the top, while everyone else took the elephants. Along the way we passed a group of local village women who all were staring and smiling at me, some of them came up to me and shook my hand and asked me my name. It was very sweet, but I also know to be wary. This was the start to my celebrity status in India. I just think they aren't used to seeing tall, dark haired westerners in shorts and a tshirt? we also saw a snake charmer, that was pretty cool. Once at the top, the views of Jaipur and the surrounding area are beautiful. The Fort dates back to as early as 1590 and was used as the home of the kings for a while, until take over by Mughals, after which the home of the king was moved in Jaipur City itself. The architecture and paintings are amazing, they are so precise for being hand built, it's a work of art. The place is huge, more what we would consider a palace, than a fort, was a good start to the day.
After the Amber Fort we went to the "Monkey Temple". It is a decent hike up to the top, and along the way there are hundreds of macaques monkeys that live on the mountain. They are known to be very aggressive and we were warned to watch our sunglasses, cameras and to not have anything in our pockets. You hire a local boy at the bottom to accompany you with the sole purpose of swatting the monkeys away. If you are bitten you have to worry about rabies and we weren't in the mood for 14 shots in the stomach. I posted a lot of pictures of the monkeys, they are cute, but we did not feed them or encourage them. It is sad though, there is a lot of trash all over the place and they find things to eat and drink. Our guide told us that there is a high rate of diabetes now amongst the monkeys because they are eating the human food. We saw one walking with a sunkist bottle and trying to figure out how to open it. In the process he punctured it and all the soda fell out before he could drink it. Amusing, yet quite sad. Our monkey swatter was a boy about 12, named Ganesh. Smart kid, he spoke excellent English as well as French, Spanish, German and a few other languages. He knew enough to woo the tourists in whatever language they spoke. He goes to school during the week and does this on the weekends to make money. He's been bitten twice by the monkeys, but they don't give them rabies shots here, they treat for infection and hope it doesn't get worse, I guess. At the top, there is a small temple, where we all received a blessing and of course made an offering. There were expansive views of Jaipur. It was nice, we were the only tourists there, so was quiet for once. Ganesh did a good job, no one got hurt. Our guide told him to tip him 50 rupees (about $1), but we gave him 100 and told him to make sure he finishes school!
After lunch at a local restaurant, I had Dal (lentils) and Roti, we visited the Albert Hall museum. It was very crowded with college groups and was filled with India art and antiquities. Not really my thing, some pretty pottery, but by then I was just exhausted and my foot was bothering me so I sat down to take a rest. Now, I must preface this with I have noticed that people have been randomly taking pictures of me (probably our group too) without asking. They just kind of walk next to me and their friend will snap a quick pic and they walk away. They think I don't notice but I do. Jaakko in our group is from Finland and is tall and blonde, I think he gets the same thing. After I sat down, one of the girls in this college group came up to me and asked if she could get a picture. I obliged, I thought it was funny. Oh my goodness, the flood started. There was a crowd of about 30 people and I bet my face is all over India now. I just sat in my chair and held court, quite amusing. Then they surrounded me and started asking questions, where are you from, how do you like India. They were in their last semester of school to be teachers. They wanted to know why I was here and if it was true that Westerners thought they were dirty (their words), finally they asked if I had ever seen a negro (their words). I saw no end in sight and I was causing a crowd control problem, so I kindly said I needed to meet my group and left. My friend Dassa in US (from Sri Lanka) says that they must think I look like Priyanka (Gandhi) Vadra, the much loved daughter of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. Thanks Dassa, while that is flattering, I just think I look Western and have a warm inviting smile haha. I really don't mind, might as well enjoy while I can, because once back home, I won't get the same treatment. hehe
We finally made it back to the homestay, and after a quick rest, made our way over to the Rambagh Palace hotel for a drink at the Polo Bar. This is a Taj Group hotel and was absolutely magnificent. Rooms start at $600 a night. We just had a drink and watched all of the posh guests milling around and then made our way over to "the Rock" for dinner/drinks. This is a quick walk from the homestay and was so funny. It's a bar/disco/outdoor hangout where all the waiters wear cowboy hats and big belt buckles. The India/SA cricket match was on, so was amusing to hear/watch the locals watching the tvs. We ate pub like food (tandoori chicken, samosas, roti, cheese sandwiches, etc) and walked home. What a long day!
That was Saturday, on tap for Sunday...astronomy meets astrology and observing human kindness
Love your account, Sash! I've heard about the dichotomy you describe about the country many times -I think it is more evident in India than other countries because it is so highly populated. Keep it coming!
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