JAIPUR- Aug 31 Part 1

Our trip to Jaipur was the first out of town trip that we made. Agra had been postponed due to the riots and road closures.

This was a fairly smooth adjustment. However, If ever you are booking rooms, and think you might want a flexible situation, I would not suggest going through the website AsiaRooms.com. It was confusing as we were able to change one of the hotel’s in Agra to the next weekend with NO problem, the other night was booked at the Trident Hilton. Trident Hilton was willing to just move our night up 7 days since we weren’t cancelling, but AsiaRooms made us pay for the room at Trident Hilton for the night we didn’t stay even though we were not ABLE to GET to Agra. Just a note of caution.

We started out on a Friday morning. It was a bit rainy, but all and all quite nice. I share with you some of the sites along the way.

A truck. Backs of trucks are rarely boring here.

[Small note from Joel - So, Dad Dave - this is one of your models to paint your truck, though I'm assuming that Judi may have something to say about driving around Oakdale with your truck looking like this... And the "Horn Please" will confuse the heck out of your neighbors. I'll try to get a picture of the dangly things that people tie to their bumpers as a better, less permanent feature... :) ]

Since horns are used here more as an "I'm here" rather than get the heck out of my way, they request that you use them to let them know where you are. There is a whole system of horn usage and dipping... using your brights, to let people know what you are doing. Good to keep you awake and engaged in your driving as well.

Neither Joel or I had seen spaces of vegetation for a while…

Nor hills!!...

Pretty typical looking. However, this is the rainy season, so probably greener then it is most of the year.

A little sheep herding action below

And other busy animals and people.

And pepsi ads. No space shall be undecorated with design or suggestion of purchases.

Here is where we stopped for lunch. Honestly, not my favorite place for food really.

This is kind of like the India Toby's. It lies pretty much RIGHT between Gurgaon and Jaipur... as opposed to Mpls and Duluth.

HOWEVER!!! Their choice of drinking straw colors and presentation won some points with me. (I thought of you Jim S. when they put these on our table!)

MMMM Lime water to the left of the straws. I LOVE sweet lime water!!!!!

Outside of Maharaja's there were the FINE toilets.

THIS is where the toilet paper and sanitizer in the purse comes in pretty handy. There MAY or MAY NOT be paper in the stall.
So, I walk in and there is a nice greeter at the door to welcome you. I go straight in and see the fine squatter hole in the floor. OH was I grateful for stall 2 that was western style. When you wash your hands the nice greeter gives you your towels or napkins to dry your hands. Then, you tip the nice lady and be on your way.

At least the walk to get there was quite nice.

HEY!! What's Mamane doing in INDIA!! (See black and white dog on side of road looking like our previous renter's most FABULOUS and very missed puppy dog!!)

Some peeps in a town on a road near jaipur. The fabrics women dressed in got brighter towards and at Jaipur.

Our lovely cow friends slowed us for a bit as they were not really interested in moving to the side of the road to let us pass.


As we were getting nearer Jaipur I noticed the oncoming traffic. OK, not the greatest picture but I didn't have much time.

This was not our first elephant sighting.

We were driving through Delhi on the highway and I was sitting sideways in the car and my mind took a minute to catch up with my eyes but we had passed an elephant walking down the edge of the highway. HOW COOL!!!!

Joel caught this one going down the side road or what ever that is.

So there is the first leg of our trip.

More to come.

Joel is on his way home and my tummy is all prepped for aloo gobi for supper.

We have been picking up most of our fruits and veggies at a small road side stand on the way home from Yoga. It is cool. Like they have scales and weights to figure out how much you are purchasing. No fancy-dancing scaling system. It is fun to spend $1.50 or so for a couple days worth of fruits and veggies that are FRESH and taste REALLY good. Potatoes are SO tasty here!! I don't eat them much at home in avoidance of white stuff, but they are such a tasty treat here.