Having left Goa, and finding no trains we flew into Jaipur late Friday (28th March) night, arriving in Jaipur at 9pm it was still 27 C outside!! Were picked up by our hotel owner and taken through the city to our Guest House (Krishna Palace.... Not a Real one)
Spent our first night in Jaipur, up early then to see the sights of the Pink City, according to history it was painted pink by the Maharaja Ram Singh to impress the Prince of Wales (later became king Edward VII) Painted pink the colour of hospitality.
We started by taking our first ever cycle rickshaw to the centre of town, a novelty but not speedy!! took a good 10 mins....
We got a little lost but finally found the Iswari Minar Swarga Sal ( built by the then son of the Maharaja, he killed himself when about to be attacked by the Maratha Army) and as an act of love his 21!! wives killed themselves at his funeral by mutilation! nice! City Palace was our next port of call, right in the Centre of Jaipur, really old, really beautiful, really hot! Pictures of our travels are to come.....
Spent our final few hours in Jaipur back at the Palace..... Hotel Palace this time! and having been fed up with the lack of food available, unless that is you like to eat food off the street! Sorry to all the purists but we ordered Dominoes pizza 'Large Cheese Pizza just for me' (home alone) + Large Pepperoni Pizza, they even worked as breakfast the next day!
Up bright and early the next day we were sitting on a bus to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal . Not forgetting that before we got on the bus, men continue to film Susy (Susy: I know I look good with a tan but these guys are just down right pervy and it really starts to grate on you after a while, especially when dress head to toe in baggy clothes to try and hide yourself in 35C heat!!) The bus journey took 6 hours and although we slept for a lot of it when your eyes are open you really do see India... green or grey water down the streets, men pissing on the side of the road (sorry for those with weak stomachs!), litter literally everywhere you look, street children black with dirt and hungry and huge expanses of dusty land....
However, we're now in Agra and staying in an ok guesthouse called Kamal Hotel, we picked it because it was the best of a bad bunch with views of the Taj from the rooftop - looks stunning but we won't be getting up close and personal sunrise - a nice early 6am start!! India is definately one of those places where you have to preservere to get a glimpse of the good stuff!!
