Streets of Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan, India
Travelling for days, getting little sleep, the heat and a five-hour train ride left us in a shaky state. Nevertheless, immediately after we arrived in Jaipur, we trotted off to explore the Pink City. On foot, on boiling hot concrete, along one of Jaipur’s busiest, most congested streets… All sights were closed when we finally dragged our exhausted bodies into the Old City. Refusing to admit that this was a pretty silly start, we continued, fighting our way through the narrow alleys of the bazaar. Feet burning, mood crumbling, we wondered who would rebel first…
Paul’s way of seeking comfort was to suggest having dinner at Pizza Hut. After weeks of travelling through Nepal and North India, fair enough. But we also enjoyed the quesadillas with a strong Indian touch. Prices are certainly not “Indian”, but the place was full of them, young and less young, sucking milk shakes and digging into pizzas large and small.
A few parameters can make travelling in Rajasthan in April exhausting: the heat is already oppressive (above 40 degrees Celsius). The constant noise coming from honking busses, cars, motor-bikes or anything on wheels is exhausting. And then add some serious pollution… Most roads around the city, even the Old City center, are jam-packed with vehicles and humans. To make matters worse, instead of closing the historic area to traffic, one of the roads through the Pink City is being widened, passing right in front of the unique and most beautiful Palace of the Winds. It is absolutely ludicrous allowing even more traffic in, instead of restricting access to this historical gem!
To take some stress off the current traffic situation, a Metro is being built though, modeled after the successful New Delhi Metro. Presently, the construction sites only add to the dilemma though.
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