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Rajasthan Rules
Jaipur, Rajasthan, india
January, 2005
Rajasthan is definitely my favorite place in India. Ancient forts, ancient villages and ancient people. A place in India not to be missed.
Yesterday I was in Agra, a city to the east that is famous for the Taj Mahal. There is nothing to do in Agra besides visiting the Tomb, so I decided not to dedicate a whole story about Agra. Let's just say that the Taj Mahal was outstanding and you have to see it if you come to India. Wonder of the world #2 on my trip (Ankor Wat was #1). Really fantastic.
Back to Rajasthan. After Agra I took the bus to Jaipur, the capitol of Rajasthan. India is insane. Jaipur is only 120 km from Jaipur and it took us 8 hours on the bus. Luckily, I was sitting next to a really nice Indian Guy and we chatted the whole way.
We talked about Indian Culture and the differences from the west. Here is an excerpt from one of our more interesting conversations:
"Are you married?" asked Dhanesh.
"No, are you?" I replied.
"No, why you not married?"
"Well, I just haven't found the right girl. I have had many girlfriends."
"We don't have girlfriends in India." he stated. "We just get married."
"In America, we often live with a girl before we get married to see if we get along."
He looked at me astonished. "Here we often do not even know the girl we are marrying."
"Wow, that's crazy." I said. "What if you don't get along?"
He looked at me and shook his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, in America, even when people know each other really well, they still don't get along and end up splitting up, and get a divorce."
He smiled and said, "In India you marry for life. There is no such thing as divorce."
Dhanesh was really cool. He taught me a lot about his culture. He lives at home with his large extended family; brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, everyone.
"Its like America was 200 years ago." I told him.
When we finally arrived in Jaipur, Dhanesh and I exchanged email's and I found a Tuk Tuk to take me to my hotel. I pre-booked a hotel and one day tour from Agra.
The hotel was great and the guys that ran it were really cool. We even joked around. I was finally comfortable in India.
The next day was incredible. We toured all of the ancient temples and forts around Jaipur. The street of Jaipur remind me of Morocco. Dusty, half paved and animals everywhere. Camels, goats, horses and cows are a regular part of the traffic in Jaipur.
The last place we went on the tour was the Amber Fort. It was unbelievable. A gigantic Fort built from red sandstone surrounded by many other forts. There was also an ancient wall that ran along all of the hill tops in the area. I really felt like I was in another world. I would really like to return and spend a couple weeks hiking around those spectacular hills.
The people of Rajasthan look ancient just like the city. They all wear traditional outfits. The men have long beards and head scarves and the women have painted faces and wear colorful wrap arounds. Best of all, there are hardly and touts. I could actually walk down the street unmolested for my first time in India.
Here's and example of how cool the people were. On the day trip I bought some bed covers from a state store. At the end of the tour I got off the bus really fast and forgot my jacket and the covers I bought. I thought they were gone for sure.
I told the guys at the hotel and they quickly got on the phone and assured me they would get my stuff back. Even in America there would be a slim chance getting anything back you left on a bus. But, can you believe it, the next morning my stuff was at the hotel and they didn't charge me a dime. How cool.
What can I say besides, "Rajasthan Rules!"
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