Up early again today. I slept very well. We had breakfast in the hotel at 7:30.
It was buffet style and they had a lot of English food. Toast, cereal, baked beans, fried tomatoes. They even had french fries. There was naan and fried bread too. I was digging this. The naan bread I got had a spicy potato filling that I didn't like but besides that this has been one of my favorite meals so far.
We got on the bus at 8:30. We were going to the Amber Fort!
The drive would take maybe half an hour. I sat in the back and looked out the window. There are lots of camels in Jaipur.
I saw an elephant at one point and got a little emotional. I absolutely love elephants, they're one of my top 3 favorite animals. We stopped outside this palace where women used to live. It's very beautiful.
As soon as we got off the bus we were hit with beggars and performers. A little girl kept tapping one of my group members on the arm, asking for money. She was this dirty little girl, maybe six or seven, with a nose piercing. This was my biggest fear for this trip, seeing children beggars. I knew going into this I wouldn't give them money, and Abhi told us not to give them money, but it's surprisingly a lot easier to ignore them than I thought it would be. And that makes me sad.
One of the performers was a snake charmer. He was sitting on the ground with a small bag and opened it. A cobra came out and the man began playing music.
I took a picture and he wanted money. HAH! I think the fuck not. I have a bit of a bleeding heart for animals and believe cobra charmers are mean. Once we got back on the bus Abhi confirmed that. He said they remove the cobra's fangs, take out their poison gland, blind the cobras, then make them live in those tiny boxes. Abhi said a lot of former snake charmers now catch cobras and milk the venom to make anti-venom, then release the snakes back into the wild.
Back on the bus we went. Around 9:30 we got off again at our destination.
We could either take elephants up to the Palace or jeeps. Abhi told us on day one we would not be riding any elephants on this trip because they're abused and GEEO doesn't support that. I would sooner walk up the mountain than ride an elephant. Obviously we took jeeps. The ride was fun! I really like these adrenaline rush vehicle rides.
We got off the jeep next to a wild oinker.
There's loads of people trying to sell you items. It's all cheap (both in price and quality). If you say "No thank you" that's an invite to keep being asked. I shake my head or ignore them completely and no one bothers me.
You can see the City Wall of Jaipur from here. It's like the Indian Great Wall of China.
There were goats walking around too.
We walked under the entrance and they played music. Back in the olden days the music welcomed honored guests and they would drop flowers on you. Now flowers are expensive because of lack of water so no petals rained down on us.
Abhi gathered our group under a shaded tree and he talked about... something. I don't remember, I was really distracted by the elephants. Several elephants came out and walked around this area we were in. They weren't close enough to freak us out but I could see tourists riding them. I know they're tourists because most were white. A few were Asian, I think Chinese. I was disgusted by them all.
Abhi set us lose to explore. MJ wanted a picture of Sam and I next to this one tree atop some steps. We climbed maybe 3 steps before a guard stopped us and said we can't go there. I got a little separated from the fam and this old guy swooped in on me. He was talking to me really close and I could barely understand what he was saying. What I did comprehend was that he was telling me history of the palace. He kept showing me a badge like I was suppose to care then he kept pointing to different areas of the palace, telling me I have to buy a ticket to enter that area. It was weird. I didn't feel threatened. I was annoyed.
He could very well have been an employee being nice to me. Or he could have been a scammer. Better safe than raped is my motto. I ditched the guy and he followed me but I'm faster so it was ok.
I met back up with Sam and MJ. Some young guys asked Sam for a picture. He's a good sport about it. They two guys posed really macho and cool dude like while Sam is smiling and adorable. They asked for a picture with me right after and I said "Nah I'm good." and walked away. They were actually kinda cute.
People want pictures with Sam I think because he is blond and handsome. I get that I'm not a troll but I don't understand why they want pictures with me. Sam thinks people think he and I are dating so they asked Sam for a picture to disarm him and get a picture with me right after, like they're using him to get to me, but I don't think so. People want pictures with Theresa (blonde) and Kelly (ginger) and they're both older than I and heavier.
Close to the edge, there is a lovely view of the town.
We walked through a temple where you can't take pictures but that's okay because I couldn't even tell it was a temple. Abhi sat us down outside and talked about the fresco paintings we would see on the walls and the materials used to make the colors. Apparently cow piss makes a great shade of yellow. The paintings are mostly original and over 400 years old.
We got a group photo outside the Ganesh Pol or Ganesh Gate. Lord Ganesh is a deity who removes obstructions that people encounter in every day life. People paint his picture over main entrances of buildings.
We wandered about and took pictures of the palace.
Abhi talked to us about how people used to cool off back in the day. Basically they used large bodies of water and garden and shade. There was a nice garden with people trimming hedges and watering the grass.
A family made their little child come over and stand with us so they could take our picture. It was weird and I pretended to be interested in the wall behind me so my face wouldn't be in the shot.
Later when we left the garden, the family asked me for a selfie and I told them no which Abhi said is perfectly fine to do.
After that we went to the Hall of Mirrors which sounded badass. There was thousands of tiny mirrors all over the wall and ceiling.
There were some plaques that had descriptions of what we were looking at. There was always an English version.
We saw the ladies apartments where the Raja's "consorts" lived, we saw tulsi which is holy basil (it's worshipped in India and used in rituals and for medicinal purposes), and we ended with looking at a giant water storage that looked like and egg and could hold a couple of me in there.
We left to get food. I saw more camels hanging out in the heat.
Lunch was at 1 at this sit down restaurant where they bring us food. I ordered another sweet lime soda and like last night they brought me the soda water, lime juice, and sugar separate. I put the sugar in and it fizzed up all over the table.
Then they brought us tomato soup! It was very good!
Lunch was an assortment of items. We had chicken, naan, these baked potatoes, chutley (fecking nasty), coconut curry (also nasty) and some other stuff. Lunch was whatever. It was Indian food. At this point I don't even think about spaghetti and a salad. I just think about a head of iceberg lettuce and it sounds so lovely.
They gave us dessert too. It was this hot ball of carbs. I think chickpea flower soaked in sugar syrup. It wasn't my thing.
It cost 430 rupees.
After lunch we went around the corner from our restaurant over to a fabric shop. They showed us how they stamp the materials to make the print.
It's all done by hand and was very cool to watch. I did feel bad for the two guys doing it. They had many a callous on their hands when they hit the stamp and they looked hot and tired and old.
They showed us how they do layers of stamps to get the colors and overall picture. I enjoyed it! At the end they asked if we wanted any of our clothes stamped and MJ offered them her shirt.
They gave her an elephant stamp!
Then we were taken inside and shown some materials.
And then they showed us like a 10,000 more.
They showed us stuff for about 15 solid minutes before setting us free. Then an employee swooped in and showed me more blankets.
They had a couple I really liked. It was patchwork, hand stitched, elephant duvet cover. 12,500 rupees which is about $200. I didn't love it that much. Then I looked at skirts since I need more clothe for this trip. I didn't love any of the skirts and they were at least $40 or 2,500 rupees. I did buy a tie for my dad.
It cost 600 rupees or a little over $9.
I helped MJ pick out some scarves. A couple girls were fitted for saris and a few ladies did buy the blankets so we did some damage as a whole. I think we left around 2:45.
We got back on the bus to return to the hotel. Abhi talked to us (because someone asked) about homosexuality in India. I already knew everything he said but somehow we got on the subject of eunuchs and that was interesting. There are a lot of eunuchs in India and Abhi said they're that way because it's their choice but I don't know. It sounds more like a gay kids parents choice.
At one point we passed by an area that was covered in these flyers.
Then the crowds started getting intense. There was a shit ton of people down this one road.
I figured people were voting for something. At one point the bus got stopped and there were a ton of dudes standing right next to the bus watching me and trying to get my attention. So I waved and Sam thought they were going to tip the bus. I ended up taking some of their pictures.
We got back to the hotel and I took a shower and washed my white shirt (since I've been wearing it for 2 days like a savage). I got some typing done.
At 5:30 we all met up and took the bus to the movie theater. We were seeing a movie called Bank Chor which means bank heist. We were told it was a comedy about a bank robbery.
The inside of the theater was nice. Everyone was hanging out in the lobby, which was huge, while they waited for the theater to open. It was only playing the 1 movie. I bought a bag of chips for 25 rupees which is like less than fifty cents.
While we waited a guy tried to take a selfie with me so I just walked away real quick. Miss me with that shit bro. I did take a picture next to a mini version of our movie theater. Everyone was taking their picture with it so why not.
We went into the theater at 6:30. I sat next to Sam.
They pulled up the curtains and it was showtime!
First thing that happened was the national anthem started and everyone jumped out of their seats. The anthem played and we stared at a picture of the Indian flag waving in the wind. Then we saw a commercial for wearing your seatbelt and wearing a helmet when driving a motorcycle. They showed footage of a car running into a bunch of people on motorcycles and it was really funny.
Then we watched a trailer for a movie about a guy who wants to be a soldier real bad but he's not very good but he is good at dancing in choreography. I would watch that movie.
Then our movie started!
It was about these 3 guys who rob a bank and they muck it up or something. That's all I know. It was completely in Hindu with no English subtitles. It was so boring. I mean I guess there were funny parts where other people laughed. There was no singing! There was no dancing! An hour into the movie there was an intermission so our group went to the lobby and Abhi called a tuk-tuk for the fam and I while the rest of the group stayed behind to finish that movie.
Our tuk-tuk driver was the same guy from last night! He took us on the shortcut again and he and Sam chatted it up. He thought Sam and I were dating and that's probably what most people assume. I'm going to start telling people he's my brother since most people don't know what cousin means.
Back at the hotel, I got caught up on typing while the others went to the bar. When the movie gets out the rest of our group is having dinner there. I'm mostly tired, not really hungry. I have no appetite this trip. I stayed up until 9:45 before calling it a night as I was falling asleep sitting up.
It was buffet style and they had a lot of English food. Toast, cereal, baked beans, fried tomatoes. They even had french fries. There was naan and fried bread too. I was digging this. The naan bread I got had a spicy potato filling that I didn't like but besides that this has been one of my favorite meals so far.
We got on the bus at 8:30. We were going to the Amber Fort!
The drive would take maybe half an hour. I sat in the back and looked out the window. There are lots of camels in Jaipur.
I saw an elephant at one point and got a little emotional. I absolutely love elephants, they're one of my top 3 favorite animals. We stopped outside this palace where women used to live. It's very beautiful.
As soon as we got off the bus we were hit with beggars and performers. A little girl kept tapping one of my group members on the arm, asking for money. She was this dirty little girl, maybe six or seven, with a nose piercing. This was my biggest fear for this trip, seeing children beggars. I knew going into this I wouldn't give them money, and Abhi told us not to give them money, but it's surprisingly a lot easier to ignore them than I thought it would be. And that makes me sad.
One of the performers was a snake charmer. He was sitting on the ground with a small bag and opened it. A cobra came out and the man began playing music.
I took a picture and he wanted money. HAH! I think the fuck not. I have a bit of a bleeding heart for animals and believe cobra charmers are mean. Once we got back on the bus Abhi confirmed that. He said they remove the cobra's fangs, take out their poison gland, blind the cobras, then make them live in those tiny boxes. Abhi said a lot of former snake charmers now catch cobras and milk the venom to make anti-venom, then release the snakes back into the wild.
Back on the bus we went. Around 9:30 we got off again at our destination.
We could either take elephants up to the Palace or jeeps. Abhi told us on day one we would not be riding any elephants on this trip because they're abused and GEEO doesn't support that. I would sooner walk up the mountain than ride an elephant. Obviously we took jeeps. The ride was fun! I really like these adrenaline rush vehicle rides.
Jeep life yo
We got off the jeep next to a wild oinker.
This little piggy went to Jaipur
There's loads of people trying to sell you items. It's all cheap (both in price and quality). If you say "No thank you" that's an invite to keep being asked. I shake my head or ignore them completely and no one bothers me.
You can see the City Wall of Jaipur from here. It's like the Indian Great Wall of China.
Selfie time
There were goats walking around too.
We walked under the entrance and they played music. Back in the olden days the music welcomed honored guests and they would drop flowers on you. Now flowers are expensive because of lack of water so no petals rained down on us.
Abhi gathered our group under a shaded tree and he talked about... something. I don't remember, I was really distracted by the elephants. Several elephants came out and walked around this area we were in. They weren't close enough to freak us out but I could see tourists riding them. I know they're tourists because most were white. A few were Asian, I think Chinese. I was disgusted by them all.
Abhi set us lose to explore. MJ wanted a picture of Sam and I next to this one tree atop some steps. We climbed maybe 3 steps before a guard stopped us and said we can't go there. I got a little separated from the fam and this old guy swooped in on me. He was talking to me really close and I could barely understand what he was saying. What I did comprehend was that he was telling me history of the palace. He kept showing me a badge like I was suppose to care then he kept pointing to different areas of the palace, telling me I have to buy a ticket to enter that area. It was weird. I didn't feel threatened. I was annoyed.
"That's the wall, whitey"
He could very well have been an employee being nice to me. Or he could have been a scammer. Better safe than raped is my motto. I ditched the guy and he followed me but I'm faster so it was ok.
I met back up with Sam and MJ. Some young guys asked Sam for a picture. He's a good sport about it. They two guys posed really macho and cool dude like while Sam is smiling and adorable. They asked for a picture with me right after and I said "Nah I'm good." and walked away. They were actually kinda cute.
People want pictures with Sam I think because he is blond and handsome. I get that I'm not a troll but I don't understand why they want pictures with me. Sam thinks people think he and I are dating so they asked Sam for a picture to disarm him and get a picture with me right after, like they're using him to get to me, but I don't think so. People want pictures with Theresa (blonde) and Kelly (ginger) and they're both older than I and heavier.
Close to the edge, there is a lovely view of the town.
We walked through a temple where you can't take pictures but that's okay because I couldn't even tell it was a temple. Abhi sat us down outside and talked about the fresco paintings we would see on the walls and the materials used to make the colors. Apparently cow piss makes a great shade of yellow. The paintings are mostly original and over 400 years old.
We got a group photo outside the Ganesh Pol or Ganesh Gate. Lord Ganesh is a deity who removes obstructions that people encounter in every day life. People paint his picture over main entrances of buildings.
Guess who left their sunglasses in Montana
We wandered about and took pictures of the palace.
Abhi talked to us about how people used to cool off back in the day. Basically they used large bodies of water and garden and shade. There was a nice garden with people trimming hedges and watering the grass.
A family made their little child come over and stand with us so they could take our picture. It was weird and I pretended to be interested in the wall behind me so my face wouldn't be in the shot.
Later when we left the garden, the family asked me for a selfie and I told them no which Abhi said is perfectly fine to do.
After that we went to the Hall of Mirrors which sounded badass. There was thousands of tiny mirrors all over the wall and ceiling.
There were some plaques that had descriptions of what we were looking at. There was always an English version.
We saw the ladies apartments where the Raja's "consorts" lived, we saw tulsi which is holy basil (it's worshipped in India and used in rituals and for medicinal purposes), and we ended with looking at a giant water storage that looked like and egg and could hold a couple of me in there.
We left to get food. I saw more camels hanging out in the heat.
Lunch was at 1 at this sit down restaurant where they bring us food. I ordered another sweet lime soda and like last night they brought me the soda water, lime juice, and sugar separate. I put the sugar in and it fizzed up all over the table.
Then they brought us tomato soup! It was very good!
Ignore my big soda spill mark there
Lunch was an assortment of items. We had chicken, naan, these baked potatoes, chutley (fecking nasty), coconut curry (also nasty) and some other stuff. Lunch was whatever. It was Indian food. At this point I don't even think about spaghetti and a salad. I just think about a head of iceberg lettuce and it sounds so lovely.
They gave us dessert too. It was this hot ball of carbs. I think chickpea flower soaked in sugar syrup. It wasn't my thing.
It cost 430 rupees.
After lunch we went around the corner from our restaurant over to a fabric shop. They showed us how they stamp the materials to make the print.
STAMP!
It's all done by hand and was very cool to watch. I did feel bad for the two guys doing it. They had many a callous on their hands when they hit the stamp and they looked hot and tired and old.
They showed us how they do layers of stamps to get the colors and overall picture. I enjoyed it! At the end they asked if we wanted any of our clothes stamped and MJ offered them her shirt.
"Will you stamp this?" "Yea"
"Stamp here?" "Yea"
"STAMP!"
"Here you go" "yay I love it"
They gave her an elephant stamp!
Then we were taken inside and shown some materials.
"This is a blanket"
And then they showed us like a 10,000 more.
"This is also a blanket"
They showed us stuff for about 15 solid minutes before setting us free. Then an employee swooped in and showed me more blankets.
"How 'bout this blanket"
They had a couple I really liked. It was patchwork, hand stitched, elephant duvet cover. 12,500 rupees which is about $200. I didn't love it that much. Then I looked at skirts since I need more clothe for this trip. I didn't love any of the skirts and they were at least $40 or 2,500 rupees. I did buy a tie for my dad.
Happy Fathers Day!
It cost 600 rupees or a little over $9.
I helped MJ pick out some scarves. A couple girls were fitted for saris and a few ladies did buy the blankets so we did some damage as a whole. I think we left around 2:45.
We got back on the bus to return to the hotel. Abhi talked to us (because someone asked) about homosexuality in India. I already knew everything he said but somehow we got on the subject of eunuchs and that was interesting. There are a lot of eunuchs in India and Abhi said they're that way because it's their choice but I don't know. It sounds more like a gay kids parents choice.
At one point we passed by an area that was covered in these flyers.
All the pollution!
Then the crowds started getting intense. There was a shit ton of people down this one road.
I figured people were voting for something. At one point the bus got stopped and there were a ton of dudes standing right next to the bus watching me and trying to get my attention. So I waved and Sam thought they were going to tip the bus. I ended up taking some of their pictures.
We got back to the hotel and I took a shower and washed my white shirt (since I've been wearing it for 2 days like a savage). I got some typing done.
At 5:30 we all met up and took the bus to the movie theater. We were seeing a movie called Bank Chor which means bank heist. We were told it was a comedy about a bank robbery.
Bollywood!
The inside of the theater was nice. Everyone was hanging out in the lobby, which was huge, while they waited for the theater to open. It was only playing the 1 movie. I bought a bag of chips for 25 rupees which is like less than fifty cents.
American Style
While we waited a guy tried to take a selfie with me so I just walked away real quick. Miss me with that shit bro. I did take a picture next to a mini version of our movie theater. Everyone was taking their picture with it so why not.
The name's Nelson. Calla Nelson.
We went into the theater at 6:30. I sat next to Sam.
They pulled up the curtains and it was showtime!
wtf does this say
First thing that happened was the national anthem started and everyone jumped out of their seats. The anthem played and we stared at a picture of the Indian flag waving in the wind. Then we saw a commercial for wearing your seatbelt and wearing a helmet when driving a motorcycle. They showed footage of a car running into a bunch of people on motorcycles and it was really funny.
Then we watched a trailer for a movie about a guy who wants to be a soldier real bad but he's not very good but he is good at dancing in choreography. I would watch that movie.
Then our movie started!
It was about these 3 guys who rob a bank and they muck it up or something. That's all I know. It was completely in Hindu with no English subtitles. It was so boring. I mean I guess there were funny parts where other people laughed. There was no singing! There was no dancing! An hour into the movie there was an intermission so our group went to the lobby and Abhi called a tuk-tuk for the fam and I while the rest of the group stayed behind to finish that movie.
Our tuk-tuk driver was the same guy from last night! He took us on the shortcut again and he and Sam chatted it up. He thought Sam and I were dating and that's probably what most people assume. I'm going to start telling people he's my brother since most people don't know what cousin means.
Back at the hotel, I got caught up on typing while the others went to the bar. When the movie gets out the rest of our group is having dinner there. I'm mostly tired, not really hungry. I have no appetite this trip. I stayed up until 9:45 before calling it a night as I was falling asleep sitting up.
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