Today I left Jaipur and arrived in Agra. The bus ride here was uneventful, aside from driving the wrong way down a busy dual carriageway because the alternative was driving for 5 miles in the correct direction to a slip road. My comfort zone is quite loosely defined, but so far travelling in any kind of vehicle here has pushed me outside of it.
Yesterday wasn't entirely spent observing horrific poverty and feeling complicit in it, although it definitely felt like it when I wrote my last post. I visited the Amber Fort, and the Glass Palace within it which were both impressive. I also went to a block printing factory (aka a shed with 2 old boys working in it) and watched them make fantastically intricate fabric from dye and a wooden stamp. The factory had a shop next door selling the finished products, and I got myself some Indian clobber made from the fabric they sold.
I'd hoped to see a lot more of Jaipur but (and this part can only be published in a place where Megan can see it now we know the outcome, for me at least, is "it turned out fine") there have been recent riots in the city between Hindus and Muslims, and the police 'accidentally' killed some people. Since then the riots have escalated, parts of the city are in lockdown with a curfew on the parts that aren't, mobile internet (which is all most locals have) has been blocked, and I'm sure I could hear gunfire from our hotel rooms both nights we spent here. It sounds bad, but was fine!
In the evening, a group of us braved a fairly tame tuk tuk ride to get to a vegetarian restaurant which had been recommended to us by a local. As much as I love paneer, I'm sick of eating it for every meal by sticking to what I know, so my new strategy is picking something I've never heard of and hoping for the best - it's worked out brilliantly so far!
Tuk tuks work in a strange way: the assumption is that all journeys are return journeys, so the drivers will wait outside a bar or restaurant for you until you're finished no matter how much you protest, and well aware that it's likely to be hours, as that way they're guaranteed a job later. The guy who drove us back from the restaurant took a disproportionate amount of pride in his driving skills, and kept turning around to sing to us, and reassure us in the back that his driving was safe. His evidence for this relied on once being reviewed in a Chinese guide book, so I'd like to double his claims to fame by reviewing him on an English blog:
"Have you ever simultaneously been seduced whilst being driven the wrong way down a dual carriageway screaming "MIND THAT COW!!"? No? And nor should you. Two parts terror; one part "this story is so good that no-one will believe me, assuming I live to tell it", this niche opportunity can be experienced by hopping on Raj's tuk tuk. Hurtling through obstacle course featuring canyon sized potholes, fearless pedestrians and sleeping cattle - locally known as 'the roads' - the experience will leave your knuckles white, your throat sore, and your pants soiled. For a nominal fee of 200 rupees Raj will provide a truly personalised service: bordering on stalking by adamantly waiting whilst you eat, serenading you with Enrique Iglasias, and selflessly sacrificing the opportunity to focus on the road to gaze into your eyes. Insisting on driving you to bars and shops, no matter how much you protest, Raj will give you the best tour of Jaipur you didn't want. He guarantees to deliver you to your destination alive, although is cagey about whether that's in this life or next. A once in a lifetime opportunity - and believe me, it will only happen the once! 6/10"
Love Emily x
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