Last Day in Jaipur

This morning we all slept in. It was a big change for me- I’ve been getting up early every day of this whole trip to make some arrangement or the other. I’m the kind of person who feels bad about sleeping in, so even though I probably needed it, it felt a little wrong. We had breakfast at the Hotel’s restaurant and then we hung out a little bit and waited for our driver. No Roop

RAM today- we’ve got a fill-in driver today. He’s not as good. He took us to Hawa Mahal first- which is basically a pretty building facade (you can’t go in) in down town Jaipur and while we were there, I picked up a few kurtas, and a Rajasthani bag. He then took us to the City Palace, which is where the King of Jaipur lives (and he was in Residence today). The King’s title is a title only. He has no Kingdom. It’s an interesting place, although I have been there before. In the gallery, I saw a piece of 18th Century Mixed Media art. It was a painting of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and it incorporated ribbon, fabric, paint and beads.

This is Hawa Mahal.

We then went to lunch at a place our mediocre driver recommended, and it was clear he was getting a cut of our lunch bill, as the place was filled to the brim with other tourists. I did a crazy thing that I immediately regretted. I ordered a banana lassi (a lassi is a yogurt drink, pronounced “lussy”), and I sipped it before I thought about whether or not it was pasteurized or not. I was then plagued all day with worries about the state of my tummy and whether or not I’m going to suffer for that sip I took. (Flash forward to the future, when my tummy is really not in such a good state at all...I’m regretting that sip.)

Me, at the CIty Palace.

After lunch, was just one big shopping trip. Mostly for big-spender-Abby. :) She’s definitely got the hang of it now. We went to some little shops, as well as a huge fixed price government-run shop that had just about every Rajasthani handicraft under one roof.

At the government-run shop, there was a salesman who showed me a real first-hand demonstration of Block Printing---but unfortunately, there was a huge sign that said “No Photography- Secret Process”, or something like that. It was so cool, though. At this shop, the salesmen showed me all kinds of stuff, but what my husband and I fell in love with was an 8’x10’ blue and brown kashmiri rug with double elephants on it, which would’ve looked so great on the floor of my living room. WHY did it have to cost $1000? $500, and we could’ve made a deal, but at $1000 fixed price, we couldn’t do business. It was a beautiful rug. I can’t tell you HOW long we’ve been looking for a rug for our living room.

Usha, Aai and my husband at the City Palace.

We went to a few more shops, then it was time to go to the airport to fly back to Bombay. We got into Bombay past midnight and checked into the Hotel after 1 am. It was a long day.

Oh, wait! The Monkey Temple! How could I forget the Monkey Temple? Maybe it's because I didn't get out of the car at the Monkey Temple! Between going to shops, our driver, who turned out to be Roop RAM's cousin, took us out into the boonies again to what's known as the Monkey Temple, which is a Temple for the Hindu god, Hanuman. A small tribe of spoiled monkeys lives there, and from what I was told after the group got back, they will "smile for the camera" only if you give them a little treat. The reason I didn't get out of the car is that I am a whimp and I am scared of monkeys because I believe they will rip your face off if they are given the chance. Plus, it gave me some time to write this blog. We both win. :)

So that was our last day in Jaipur. Next post: I have serious Tummy Trouble.