From the pink city to the blue city

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  Jodphur, India
Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Well, Jaipur is everything it promised to be! The old city is indeed an off colour of pink and it is lined with bazaars selling everything from silver jewellery to beautiful sari material to handmade leather shoes(which will set you back just 2quid....and thats before you start haggling)! We picked up a few things but somehow, no matter how good a deal it seems, we always leave feeling ripped off. It is true that there is no set price in india and we were offered all kinds of discount, ranging from morning discount to student discount to irish discount!

After being in Delhi & Agra, we decided to take a break from forts and temples and instead visited Jaipur's modern art gallery...if you can call it that. Perhaps, we hit it on an off day but the work wasnt up to much and the paintings were laid out on the floor in the gallery's one room. Having said that, it was interesting to see something 'modern' among the never-ending historical sites. We also took in the obsrvatory which we would highly recommend. It was used over 200years ago to survey astrological movements but to the untrained eye, its like a mathematical/architectural theme park! Which, needless to say, suited us both down to the ground....

Our next stop was Pushkar, a touristy little, walking-friendly village. It has a hippy-ish reputation which is clear to see from the crowd it attracts. Scruffy haired backpackers can zoom about on motorcycles, chill out by the lake, have a massage or indulge in some henna painting. The shops also deserve a mention and are geared more towards westerners. We stayed at a family run guest house which was a delightful change from previous accomodation. They were probably the nicest people we've met since we arrived and were only too happy to share their beliefs and opinions with us. The mother ran the reception, the father was the masseuse and the chef was none other than their 12year old son! The food was all fresh and organic and the atmosphere on the rooftop restaurant was just lovely...the eldest son was very proud of his lighting design and if he gets his way, the whole of Pushkar will be lit up like a xmas tree this time next year!! It was from this family that we got an insight into Hindu customs and the amazing, yet humble pride they have in their religion and home.

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