Wednesday, October 21, 2009


famous movie theatre in Jaipur


saree shop


outside of a saree shop




bazaar


gate into old city, Jaipur






Jaipur


fabulous private ceramics shop of famous potter Mr. Kripal Singh (all that stuff on the table is coming home with me)


Jaipur traffic




city palace


city palace


city palace


city palace


trash-eating cows


old city, Jaipur


bazaar and cow


lassi shop from inside


crossing the tracks in Agra

After an easy train ride through increasingly desert-like countryside, I'm in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Of course the hotel in Jaipur lost my reservation, so I ended up sharing a room one night with an Australian girl I met in the train station. No problem--she and I shared a great cheap lunch of butter masala and naan bread, which I followed up with a lassi nearby. I love Jaipur; I don't think the 'sights' are all that amazing, at least not the City Palace, which I found very underwhelming for 300 rupees. But the shopping is great. I love wandering the bazaars of the old city. I think I've seen more saree shops today than most people will see in a lifetime. Finally, I have found where all the women in India are--they are in the bazaars. I had been wondering, because everywhere I go, it is 90% men, and I thought that perhaps the women were locked in a closet somewhere at home. But, no, they are shopping for sarees. Hordes of women. It's so refreshing. Jaipur seems more wealthy than other Indian cities I've been to thus far. It is a really tourist-focused city, that is clear, but there is also more development, more banks, more chain stores, a McDonalds, it is somewhat cleaner (less garbage piled everywhere), and there are more nice cars. I'm sure I'm just in the better part of town, but still I notice a difference.

1 comment:

  1. After an easy train ride through increasingly desert-like countryside, I'm in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Of course the hotel in Jaipur lost my reservation, so I ended up sharing a room one night with an Australian girl I met in the train station. No problem--she and I shared a great cheap lunch of butter masala and naan bread, which I followed up with a lassi nearby. I love Jaipur; I don't think the 'sights' are all that amazing, at least not the City Palace, which I found very underwhelming for 300 rupees. But the shopping is great. I love wandering the bazaars of the old city. I think I've seen more saree shops today than most people will see in a lifetime. Finally, I have found where all the women in India are--they are in the bazaars. I had been wondering, because everywhere I go, it is 90% men, and I thought that perhaps the women were locked in a closet somewhere at home. But, no, they are shopping for sarees. Hordes of women. It's so refreshing. Jaipur seems more wealthy than other Indian cities I've been to thus far. It is a really tourist-focused city, that is clear, but there is also more development, more banks, more chain stores, a McDonalds, it is somewhat cleaner (less garbage piled everywhere), and there are more nice cars. I'm sure I'm just in the better part of town, but still I notice a difference.

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