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We drove a long and hot 5 hours to reach Jaipur at 6:30 p.m after a stop along the way to visit a deserted sandstone city- Fatehpur which we did not appreciate in the heat of the day but it was spectacular all the same. The scenery along the way was a mixture of smoke stacks, where they manufacture bricks and agriculture. The farm workers do back breaking work hand harvesting the crops, not a machine in sight.
It's a bi yearly Hindu festival this week, the Hindus are all fasting and flocking to the temples to make offerings such as sweets, coconuts and brightly coloured mats. Jaipur (it has a population of 3 million) is heaving with people and at the Amber Fort the queues were miles long to reach the temple - men and women separate. I quite like that women are given their own security line with a curtain at airports and tourist attractions because the lines are invariably shorter! We have become savvy to the quests of our tour guides to lead us to the shops and restaurants where they make commission, you know you are in for a hard sell when they offer you a drink! It's hard to know any different when you don't know the language!
The tourist season finishes on 15 April (the monsoon arrives soon after) so it's relatively quiet here. The Indian people here like all the other areas we've visited, are eager to please. Last night Jon complained to the man in the hotel room next door that his TV was too loud; since then the man has complained to the manager as he was offended! Hence tonight the manager has requested we sleep in a different room but keep the room we have too! The lovely manager also gave Jon his own room for his quiet time in the morning!
We are driving back to New Delhi Monday (a 7 hour drive) for 3 days to connect with one of Justine's friends there. We will also say goodbye to beautiful Katrina who can't wait to see her hubby!
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