This is India...

After viewing the Taj, we left Agra on our first Indian train, and the experience didn’t disappoint. Not having a clue what to expect from the train station or how things would work, we opted to arrive at the station 1 hour early….then our train ended up being 3 hours late. Good start. While the monsoon rains threatened outside we sat on our backpacks beside the platform and indulged in some of the finest people watching imaginable. The train stations represent a true cross section of Indian society, especially when you’re all waiting on the platform and not yet separated into one of the 4 available classes. So we waited and waited, watching people walk across the incredibly filthy and rat infested tracks, then clamber back up the other side with luggage (despite the available pedestrian overpass). At one point a man lost his footing while trying to board the train from the non-platform side and we watched his leg disappear into a black sludge filled pool up to his knee, when it remerged he was minus one sandal.

When we finally boarded our 7:25 PM train at 10:50PM we made our way to our assigned berths and awkwardly climbed up over the already sleeping passengers to our top bunks. The 4 hour train ride went smoothly enough and we managed to get off at the right station at about 3:00 AM despite the lack of any announcements or station name signs. Realizing we were going to be very late arriving to our hostel, we’d phoned ahead to let them know and we were adamantly advised to take a pre-paid auto rickshaw, rather than just hiring one off the streets, as the drivers can be “tricky” in the late night. So we followed the signs to the pre-paid stand, past swarms of rickshaw touts attempting to gain our business. When we told them we wanted a pre-paid they insisted they were pre-paid drivers and led us to a very closed looking shack, with the words “pre-paid” written on it, explaining that the official stand was closed due to recent festival.  Not buying this standard line of Indian B.S. we went back into the train station and asked about the pre-paid stand, we were directed outside, to where we had just come from and informed it was open. Confused we went back outside, happened to find a police man, and asked him about the stand, telling him it was closed. He insisted it was open and finally agreed to show us. The cop lead us back toward the same stand, managing to fart once very loudly as we walked behind, perhaps indicating how he felt about assisting us. When we arrived at the stand, the “pre-paid” drivers had all magically vanished, the cop banged loudly on the shacks counter several times and slowly a man appeared from a dark corner below some blankets “you see? Open”. But of course. This is India.

The rest of our time in Jaipur went very smoothly and we’re growing more accustomed by the hour, with our price haggling for rickshaws improving by about.

Jaipur, known as the “pink city” the old city walls encompass an endless number of bazaars flowing into one another selling every variety of jewelry, clothing and household accessories imaginable.

The old city palace built between 1729 and 1732 by the Sawai Jai Singher II, the ruler of Amber.

The largest silver object in the world according to Guinness book of world record weighing about 345 kgs.

Sue trying on a Saree

A short trip out of Jaipur, we visited the Amer (pronounced Amber) fort .  The city of Amer was Rajasthan’s capital from 1037 to 1727 and the current structure was built in 1592.