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109 - Jaipur, India

The plan was to get to Jaipur at about 2pm. See a couple of the interesting places before they close at 4:30pm and then have a rest before getting the night train to Jaisalmer. Our train was delayed and instead of lazing on a comfy bed, we sat around at the Jaipur railway station till about 9am waiting for the 7:20am train. Julie was suffering from a cold and I was suffering even more from late trains.

The only thing that makes it bearable for me is people watching. What a big part superstitions, double standards and hypocrisy play in people's lives make me look at myself more. Old habits and parental guidance make me unconsciously follow certain patterns of behaviour which I never question. It then makes me realise that I am no better or worse than anyone else when it comes to doing meaningless things out of habit.

I usually don't get off my seat during these journies, preferring to sit and guard my property from the ever sticky hands of the passers by. I therefore have little experience of train toilets. It was with reluctance and curiosity that I went to the squat toilet for a piss. Someone had used it squatting back to front and had missed the hole completely to leave a big pile just outside flushing distance. Another person or persons had stepped on this heap and had made nice orangey brown foot print patterns all over the floor. I could feel my dinner coming up to say hello but I decided to stay and finish the job at hand. As often the case when leaving a toilet in a disgraceful state, there was someone waiting outside. This person passed me later on the corridor and gave me a real dirty look.

We arrived at Jaipur at about 4pm. By the time we put our rucksacks into storage at the rat infested left luggage area is was after closing time at most of the monuments. Coming back to the rats, the rats wouldn't even get out of the way as you walked through the left luggage area. There were so many running around that Julie refused to come in.

We hired a rickshaw driver for an hour. He took us all around the famous sites of this small town. The town is also famous for its terracotta colour buildings. The dusky pink city is supposed to change colour at sunset. It certainly did that at about 6pm when the heavens opened and it rained cats and dogs.

**Hawa Mahal
**Old city
**City Palace
**Maharani Palace
**Iswari Minar Swarga Sal (heaven piecing minaret)


We finished off at the Jaipur Inn. The roof top restaurant gave us a good view of the city. The rain had stopped by now. A wedding party was on full swing down below at a nearby garden. A brass band played on while the guests danced. They were dressed even more colourfully than usual. By the end of the meal, our clothes were dry in the hair dryer like breeze.

We then continued our recently developed habit of waiting about 4 hours for the train that finally arrived at 1am. The waiting room was crowded but comfortable. The usual snorers, snorters, criers and moaners were all there. There was a mother trying to calm down a crying child by breast feeding. Nothing unusual in that except this child seemed far too old. I thought there was a risk of her getting stubble rash on her sensitive nips.

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