Jaipur, India

Jaipur was about a five hour drive from New Delhi. As soon as we arrived, we were amazed. There were painted elephants walking alongside our car as we entered Jaipur, also known as the “Pink City”. I didn’t think it was possible, but Jaipur was even less developed than New Delhi. All the buildings were warn down and rustic looking. It looked as if they started building a house and then would just give up half way through. There wasn’t a single street light or sign in sight. When we first got there, Mr. Singh dropped us off at the market. The markets were probably the best ones I have been to since being in Asia. Each store was so colourful and full, it was overwhelming. Fabrics, scarves, table matts, saris, bangles, earrings, turbans, purses, temple pants…anything you can imagine. Each item was available in every colour of the rainbow. The salespeople were aggressive like we were expecting, but almost in a fun and friendly way (so friendly we got asked to go for beers and disco multiple times…but declined politely). At night, Shelby, Mr. Singh and I sat on the rooftop patio and watched the sky light up with fireworks in every directions. According to Mr. Singh, just a typical night in Jaipur with at least 50 wedding celebrations going on at once.

Just some fun market times

Black out? The next morning, we were off to Amber Fort. It almost looks like The Great Wall of China in the way it outlines the mountains. The wall was built at the entrance to the city for protection. It was absolutely beautiful as it consisted of painted patterns, silver mosaics, mirrors, gardens and endless entrance ways and doors. It was quite easy to get lost in the fort with the excessive amount of secret passage ways and doors at every turn.

Next up we visited Jantar Mantar, various Hindu temples, and the Monkey Temple. Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments built by a late King. These instruments were used for measuring time, predicting eclipses, tracking stars' location as the earth orbits around the sun and determining the celestial altitudes. The whole place had quite a weird feel with the odd shaped structures, which made it even more fascinating.

Jantar Mantar

Casual camel ride

The Monkey Temple was a lookout point of Jaipur. The view was spectacular! At the top, we got blessed by a family that was actually living in the temple. The lady that lived there then painted henna on Shelby and my hands, which ended up lasting for the rest of the trip!

Monkeys always making an appearance

Loving our new hands We made sure to get to bed early with our big day to Agra to see the Taj Mahal!

New Delhi, India

Where to begin…Before going to India, I had so many mixed feelings. I have wanted to go to India all year and the opportunity finally arrived. I have to admit I was a bit more nervous than excited. It seemed a lot more foreign to me than any other country I had visited in Southeast Asia. After asking a few people that have been, they had a few tips: cover your legs, don’t drink the water, don’t eat the meat, and don’t trust anyone. Easy enough. We arrived in New Delhi and the airport was surprisingly beautiful. After ten minutes of driving towards our hostel, it became exactly what I had imagined. Complete chaos! The roads were filled with tuktuks, bicycles, buses, cars, pedestrians, cows, dogs…pretty much anything you can imagine. How did we never get in an accident? I still couldn’t tell you.

Welcome to India, the New Delhi aiport

The chaotic streets The next day, Shelby and I a little intimidated, decided to go out and conquer the city. We hired a driver for the first leg of our trip to take us around New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. His name was Mr. Singh and he ended up being great! In the morning he took us to Humayun’s tomb, which is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. It was absolutely beautiful and the first taste of the types of beautiful temples we were going to see. We then went to the India Gate and different temples and mosques around the city. The whole day really give us a taste of India along with quite the culture shock. Mr. Singh was nice enough to invite us back to his village to meet his family and make us a homemade dinner. His village had rundown buildings, shops, wild animals and crowded alleyways. Which seemed to be the typical living arrangements for most people in the city.

Typical New Delhi streets

Humayuns Tomb

India Gate, where Shelby and I officially became local celebrities His house was very small with concrete walls and two rooms. One room for the kitchen and the other room for himself, his “Misses”, daughter and son to sleep. He did have a television and fridge, which was quite surprising. His wife made us a delicious meal with fresh naan bread, Ali Goobi (cauliflower and potatoes), mutter paneer (peas and cheese) and Indian sweets. It was one of the best meals we had on the trip. What was also interesting was the way they sit down to a meal in Indian culture. First the guests eat, than the males, than the females and than the children. Definitely not like home. The dinner was lovely and truly an authentic experience for Shelby and I. Next up Jaipur!

The Singh family cooking dinner

"Your not that good at it"- Mr Singh

Yum!

Us and the family!