We began our last day in Jaipur and India bright and early mostly because we were headed to the Amber Fort and the earlier we got there, the better chance we had of getting an elephant ride!
Below are some videos to give you a better idea of what we witnessed on the streets of Jaipur
Another Piggy
This is some scaffolding!
One of the reasons Jaipur is called "the Pink City"....Hawa Mahal or "Hall of the Winds"
Items for sale
We drove to the edge of town and we've now got the Amber Fort in sight...we're hoping to get an elephant ride!!!
All of the elephant's trunks were painted
Score!! We got one!
Starting the trek up....I guess I didn't really think it through because I thought it sounded so cool..but honestly, it was a bit scary up there. The "seat" we were in kept moving and it would not have been too hard to fall out of the "straps" we were securely put in by our guide.
I started to get a bit less nervous but then you see how number 94 is in front of us...not on there too well! Plus, we were told they only allow the elephants to go up and down a few times each day because a few years ago, an elephant got annoyed and frustrated that he trampled one of the patrons! Glad there is some regulation in India!!
Getting higher
Our awesome "driver" who taught us about the ways of guiding an elephant kindly without using too much force. He had a very sweet, nurturing way about him and was very good to his elephant.
almost at the top!
We made it!
One of the most beautiful forts we saw in India
Video of us being led through a maze...very long and boring but I wanted to include for my own memory :)
A few shots from outside the grounds on the way out.
Deep in thought
She was as well
Views on the way down
We started our drive towards downtown Jaipur and ran into another elephant. Our driver, Ved wanted to show us how some elephants are trained well. He gave a rupee to the elephant to hold in his mouth. In turn, his master commanded the elephant to strike a pose.
Amber Fort from the bottom
Jal Mahal by day
We met this very suave little boy in front of the Jal Mahal. He asked us if we wanted to see some magic. We said yes, but that we did not have any money. He then instructed us where the nearest banks were located. We figured he'd leave us after that. We headed to the car, and then to the bank, because we needed cash anyway, and this boy turned up. He actually was quite good and we were happy to give him some rupees for his impressive magic tricks.
We then went to a gemstone production facility
These guys are polishing the stones
Goods for sale
Now we're off to a park called Jantar Matar which has a collection of astronomical instruments that were used by a man called Maharaja Jai Singh II. Many gave us the time, accurately and predict the weather. Pretty cool.
My fellow leo husband
All of the grounds in Jaipur were so clean and well kept. They really take a lot of pride in their land. City Palace is in the background.
Yes, we are dorks! But they were accurate!
Okay, this part was at the exit of the park...seriously, this guy had a cobra and it "danced" to the music
On to Mirror Palace
A wedding
A quick stop at Birla Mandir, a beautiful temple
It was almost time for us to say goodbye to our faithful driver, Ved. I felt so badly about leaving him...we were supposed to drive back to Delhi with him (6 hours) but we planned ahead of time to fly as we were off to the Maldives next and wanted to get there sooner than later. As we got to know Ved a few days into the trip...he shared his story with us told us about the little money he makes and that he is required to use his own money to pay for gas, housing (he wasn't allowed to stay at the hotels where we stayed) and anything else incurred while driving us. Believe me, the wear and tear on his car was not a small amount..those roads are rough. Before we were even told his story, we were giving him tips each day and ignored the "recommended" tipping amount...2 USD/day and gave him 10USD/day mostly because as Eric said, he got us everywhere safely and without his driving skills, our holiday would not have been what it was.
The second to last day he told us how much the hotels cost and basically that he loses money when he is forced to stay in other hotels as drivers are not allowed to stay in the same hotel as us. I got so annoyed that I was prepared to write a letter to the tour company and demand that the drivers get paid fair wages, etc, etc, etc. Based on what our hotel cost per night, it was 1/4 cheaper for Ved's hotel so it seemed reasonable. I spent one of our last nights in India very teary and feeling so awful that here we are, living such a wonderful life, with little worry and many luxuries, and now heading to the Maldives, one of the most beautiful places on earth and he is left to barely have anything. I felt so much guilt, sadness and unfairness. It made me wonder how we can have so much, and other so little. I felt ashamed for taking such a holiday. I insisted to Eric that we give him a tip on the final day large enough to cover his night in a hotel and a little extra. In the end, it wasn't such a large sum of money, maybe 80 USD, but for him, it was huge.
Once we got to the airport, he hugged us tightly and thanked us. He took our email address so his daughter could share his story with us...he did not speak English terribly well. I felt better that we had given him a large amount of money and that he was not out of pocket due to us.
The saddest part, is that when we arrived in the Maldives and we were waiting for our "sea plane" in the departures lounge for our hotel, we met the sweetest couple from the UK (Jane and John) who spend months in India each year and we were sharing our story of Ved. John informed us that there was absolutely no way that Ved had to spend the amount he claimed on a hotel. He told us that his son, not Indian, spent months in India paying 1 USD/night for decent accommodations with food, so there was no way that Ved, an Indian man/driver was paying that much. Again, I was crying, but this time, tears of anger that we were "taken" by Ved.
It's sad that India is such a poor nation but the people see foreigners and see dollar signs (maybe even more than other places, not sure). They all were very aware of how to finagle a buck (as seen in our photos) but it still makes me sad, that there is such a discrepancy between the rich and poor. I'm not sure what I will do with this feeling, but for now, I feel at the very least, we helped this "I" part of the BRIC nations by going to their country, speaking positively about their country to our friends and promoting their tourism. It certainly won't be our last trip there, either. Aside from my fleeting thoughts about the money and taking advantage, we really enjoyed India and the people. It is one of few places in the world that many religions can come together. The color and the energy are things we will not soon forget.
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