Taj Mahal, the Best Exotic City of Jaipur, and 'running scared'


Advertisement
India's flag
Asia » India » Rajasthan » Pushkar
February 18th 2015
Published: February 18th 2015
Edit Blog Post

The first thing I have to tell you is that I've been for a run, in Rajasthan! The running app on my smartphone even mapped the eventful five miles along Adinath Nagar and Ranthambore Road. The town of Sawai Madhopur hasn't got a huge tourist footfall, its few visitors coming specifically for the tiger safari. Ours was a well organised and adventurous Jeep ride showing us monkeys, deer, peacocks, birds of prey...but nothing striped!

Anyway...you get noticed 'walking' through this town, but try being the white boy in singlet, shorts and florescent running shoes, in 31c, when everyone else is wearing thick tunics, trousers and sandals! Every...head...turned. Cars, motorbikes, street traders even walked into the road to watch. Then, disaster, right alongside me! A motorbike with 2 passengers (not the normal 3 or 4 thankfully) collided head on with a cyclist! My First Aider instinct kicked in immediately and I ran over, first on the scene. It became immediately apparent that no one spoke any English, this wasn't Delhi, and by now many locals had joined me with arms in the air.

Chaos descended on the middle of the road, but I soon realised this was how they handle it. The poor female motorbike passenger stayed lying on the road where she had fallen, responsiveresponsive thank goodness with no obvious injuries. I admit to being slightly relieved that (1) she was wearing a helmet; and (2) she hasn't tried to get up, which any first aider will tell you is the right thing. Clearly I was surplus to requirements, and probably just a glaring reminder of how this happened in the first place. So I ran...literally.

The remainder of my 5 miles was uneventful by comparison, just puzzled stares, the occasional wave and a very friendly wort-hog. On the way back however, I was about 2 minutes from 'the incident' when an ambulance with blue light (they only have one) zipped past me. Unconnected? I guess I'll never know.

Just 24 hours previously everyone had spoken English. We were in Agra, still Rajistan, and home to the Taj Mahal. Arriving late afternoon by car, Moben our driver took us straight to the back of the Taj, to watch the sun set on this wonder of the world. Decadent, opulent, I don't know, but it took 22 years to build with elephants carrying every piece of marble from the north of the country. And this was all for a dead person! My reason for saying this is simply the abject poverty right on the Tajs back door. To say this is a country of 'haves' and 'have nots' would be the understatement of the year!

Sunrise next morning saw Moben weaving through the already suicidal traffic to meet our official Taj Mahal tour guide. As an optional extra we could have a professional photographer join us. Ever vain I was up for this, and even Colin relented for 'one photo'. Two and a half hours later we'd had the tour of our lives, been pushed to the front of every prime photo spot, and even had some 'down time' and marvel, moodily like Lady Di, at a true wonder of the modern world.

<em style="line-height: 1.42857143;">Colin and I both bought the full album and digital CD by the way!

This was only a one night stop, and we were soon on our way to the home of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. An eventful mornings drive saw us face to face with a truck in the fast lane of a dual carriageway. We were going the right way...he definately wasn't! Moben says they will go 3-5 km like this, looking for a gap in the central reservation.

On arrival in Jaipur we went straight to the Sun Temple, not for any reverence to the goddess Surya, but for transcending views right across the sprawling city. And it sure is a city of temples. We saw the Gatore Ki Chhatriyan, Temple of the goddess Shilla, the Jaleb Chowk, the Hawai Mahal, City Palace, Amber Fort, Jantar Kantar and the Albert Hall! We even squeezed in some cool weaving and jewellery crafting places, so you all know what gifts to expect!

Turns out Judy Dench doesn't live in Jaipur after all! Although the frenetic street scenes from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel were filmed here, the hotel itself is in Khempur, about an hour from our next destination.

Meanwhile I'm in Pushkar, a small but vibrant town with a real hippie feeling to it. The hotel is beautifully relaxing and laid back. It has a pool, and I've had my first swim of 2015. Why does it feel hippie? I hear you ask. Turns out this is the oldest and holiest settlement in the country with a total ban on meat and alcohol. How could no one tell me this?

Advertisement



19th February 2015

Enjoying
I am SO enjoying the photos and diary. Will be good for you too when you home and it will be a distant memory, but these words will be a reminder that you were actually there.
19th February 2015

Thankyou for reading...
Hi Nicola. Glad you enjoy the random disarray and chaos of the blog. Its easy to write it like this because that's what I'm experiencing every day. Each place is totally different, a bit of an adventure, and FUN. Really pleased I could share some of it with you. Much love, Jamie

Tot: 0.139s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.1008s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb