At last! An internet cafe that isn't closed, without power, or running a 4kbs connection (I'm not kidding). I've pretty much given up on my original plan to keep travel blog going. The time and effort required to find an access point on a regular basis is just not worth it. In keeping with the trend in India, I've decided to take the more labor-intensive but less technologically advanced option of a notebook and pen for my travel diary. I've also wanted to get some of the amazing photos I've been taking up but it just hasn't worked out.
I spent Christmas eve and Christmas day on a camel in the sand dunes of the desert near Jaisalmer. Much much fun, and very fitting of a traditional Christmas, although paneer, dhal, and chipati cooked over a campfire is not really a traditional Christmas lunch, but oh so tasty.
It's New Year's Day today, and I'm in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. My plan to spend New Year's Eve in Agra didn't pan out due to overbooked hotels and trains, and as it worked out, I'm glad I stayed in Jaipur for the past 5 nights. I've met up with a fellow Canadian who is also traveling alone so we've decided to spend the next week traveling not so alone. I also met up with a British couple who were interested in splurging on an Indian New Year's so we all trooped into a taxi and up to the Le Meridian Hotel in Jaipur for dinner and disco. The place is an absolute palace and certainly not something I could ever hope to afford in the west. For the paltry sum of 2999 rupee per couple (approx AUD90), we had an amazing dinner, all the drinks we could manage, and the pleasure of watching some serious Bollywood dance imitation on the dance floor. So so great. A few amusing and very Indian points:
- The power went off in the entire complex at around "Nine!", and was back on by "Two!" No one seemed to be concerned.
- A lot of Indians don't drink, so the mood was significantly lighter (and more letch-free) than it would be at a similar event in the west.
- At midnight, the four of us non-Indians exchanged the traditional New Year's kisses. We were the only ones to do so and got some odd looks.
- An amazing fireworks show was let off right over our heads. I've never seen a fireworks display launched directly over a group of people. When a tent nearby caught fire, I understood why, but it was very very beautiful.
Agra is so polluted and filthy after the clean air and rural areas of Rajistan, but I just couldn't come all the way to India and not see the Taj.
Only one week left before I head into the post-apocalyptic hell that is Delhi and onwards to the land of Oz. I'll return carrying silks from Jaipur, jewelry from Solupur, kurtas from Pune, and a sense of wonderment at this place where 1 billion people manage to live together in utter chaos, yet somehow find the ability to create small oasises of perfect harmony.
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