Jaipur pushes us to the peak of irritation.

My first diary entry of the day was written in the angriest implicative tone of voice possible...

'Alicia has lost our first aid kit, I still have the drugs (paracetamol etc.).

We both have sore feet and need plasters!'

It is followed rather quickly with a sense of self congratulation, 

'All is fine, I found it on the bed after all.'

After this minor fiasco we take our usual walk into town with the relentless rickshaw drivers and tour guides snapping at our heels the whole way. The sun is sweltering and I feel much like a shrivelled tomato worthy of a Mediterranean dinner. 

Happy Birthday Tom Bristow x

Alicia 'Do you think if I marry an optician I can get cheap glasses?' 'Why dont you just marry a rich man?'

2/4/11
After our meander into and out of town yesterday we were ravenous. Unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to see it, we walked into Nero's which happens to have the iciest air-conditioning and the iciest iced tea I have ever known. It also happens to be rather pricey but what can you do when you have entered the room? The alternate of stepping back outside into the scorching sun was worth paying to avoid, so we stayed and had a pricey yet delicious meal.

3/4/11
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
The walk to town was in no way improved and we have come to the conclusion there is nothing you can do in Jaipur to deter the rickshaw drivers and young men from pestering you. We resiliently plough forth and make our way to 'The Palace of Winds' or 'Hawa Mahal'

'you look like shakira' , 'nice boobs' , 'shit, wakka wakka', ''what country is missing you' 'can i take your photo, can i have a kiss?'...Jaipur, the city apparently inhabited by the most irritating men in the world.

1st April, am sad to miss April fools day :( because it is one of the best days of the year, i suspect it may not be met with such jollity by ususpecting Indians. We didnt do very much today  except walk around and watch the 9pm movie  (the TV signal is fixed).

2nd April, We had breakfast at our hotel...the only good thing about  being at this hotel is we can order room service to our clean room.   I was entertained by a TV advert that told me something was 'Bloody cool'. We  spent our first day wondering around...the city is busy!!! Out of all the places we have been this is by far the worst place for rickshaw drivers, they relentlessly follow you down the street, sure that you cannot possibly walk two kilometers and as soon as you shake off one, another appears. The streets are also swarmed with young men asking you for chai and 'why do you always say no?' it makes getting from a to b, trying at best.

I did however love walking through the bazaars, the streets within the pink city (named because it is pinkish) are well ordered and so its almost like a crazy open air department store (really bad analogy). The textiles area was my favorite because the street was just a throng of colour and sequins. Dazzling.

In these streets though, there are some really harrowing moments that take you away. As a tourist it  becomes easy to rush around, metaphorically closing your eyes, there is a stray dog, pile of  rubbish and beggar on every corner, it would be too easy to breakdown and become absorbed with the sadness here so you put up a wall and walk by because you're not really sure what to do, but sometimes it really hits you whether you want to let it or not. In Jaipur we walked past a guy staring at the ground and following his gaze, saw a thin old man, there is a clear difference between a sleeping man and a dead body and if this man was alive, he was barely hanging on. A few more people came over and began to look so we walked away. You cannot escape from anything here, life, death, ecstasy, misery, it is all thrust into your face in the most unforgiving way you can imagine.