Day 59 - Jaipur

A very early stat this morning for our 06:00 bike tour around the back streets of Jaipur to see how the locals live. It was a packed three hours involving feeding the cows, laughing yoga in the park (apparently it's very good for you, or maybe it's just a way of laughing at the tourists), a visit to main Hindu temple for some enthusiastic clapping and chanting, a walk around the vegetable and flower markets, a look inside an abandoned havelli (an old style grand house) - our guide was an architect and had plans to restore it, and a wander down utensil alley to watch the various craftsmen at work. We also stopped for various roadside drinks and snacks on the way. Despite all the rubbish, there are some initiatives here to reduce single use plastics. Instead of plastic cups lots of places use one-time-use pottery mugs which you then smash into a bin after using. This helps support the pottery industry and the broken pots decompose or can easily be recycled into something else. Cycling through the traffic was a bit intimidating to start with but we soon got the hang of weaving our way through, with our 'minder' making sure no-one ran into the back of us. Really enjoyed the tour!
We were back at the homestay in time for a late breakfast, then headed back into the old city to visit Jantar Mantar. This has the world's largest sundial and lots of other large astronomical instruments - all constructed in the 1700s!
After that we went to the World Trade Park, a modern western-style shopping mall on the outskirts of Jaipur, to buy some warm clothes for Bhutan. This was a world away from the rest of Jaipur and really highlighted the difference between the rich and the poor in India.
All round, it's been a good but tiring day.Read more