Destination: Jaipur

I went to bed Saturday night planning on an early morning train to the Taj, then an afternoon train from there to Jaipur. I went to sleep finally around 1, and was awoken by a wrong number at 5, so I decided to give the Taj a miss for now and head straight for Jaipur on a 1:30 train from the same station near my hotel (relatively). I had somewhat figured out the online system for the trains, and while I could not make an online reservation (not yet at least, I’m convinced there’s a way even though I’ve been told there is not), I did get all kinds of helpful information about available trains (trains the same folks told me were full/not available). So, feeling somewhat accomplished and anticipating a minor struggle at the station c/o ‘The Namesake’ et al, I hopped an autorickshaw and was walking into the station at about 1130.

About an hour and a few hot tears later, I sat down at the platform, general admin ticket in hand for the train I wanted. Turns out the Indian ticketing system is comparable (at least in Delhi) to Egypt, only on a massive scale – lines were 20 or 30 deep, I was sent all over the place and heard contradictory ‘advice’ at every turn. It was frankly an infuriating experience. The train turned out to be 4 hours late, with standing room only, and an Indian kid who would not stop asking questions eventually saved me from standing for 6 hours by joining me on a trek for another train leaving from another station. We took a bus (my first here – it was crowded), and hopped on the train just in time. We got seats, though they were in the very first coach most proximal to the train horn that screamed pretty much non-stop the whole time. I didn’t have a new ticket, but my 87 rupee (1.40USD) ticket from before insulated me from any ticket people – there were none. My strong suggestion for India – book your train ahead!

It was a pleasant ride – I listening to music mostly and appreciated being able to sit down and see a little countryside before dark. I chatted somewhat with some guys in my berth who were having an animated conversation about something that would drift my way, which is when I would ask what they were talking about – style in the US (why ripped jeans?), wikileaks, corruption, religion, etc. It was mostly in Hindi, but a guy next to me translated some. I enjoyed the ride and felt ready again to make my way into Jaipur to find my hotel of choice.

This next aspect of India (and a few other countries) I have not yet made my peace with. I am warned (with reason, as demonstrated in Delhi) to be wary of folks who try to direct me to another hotel giving any number of stories – everyone is looking for a commission. It is best to get picked up by the hotel. I figured I’d walk – have consistently figured I’d walk. Fail. I try to ignore the half dozen or so people who inevitably offer to find me a good hotel, good price, where all the backpackers go. Traffic is flying around, it is dark, and as always, there are people everywhere who all somehow know where they are going. The LP maps are pretty worthless for walking – more of a buckshot approximation of areas. It took two rickshaws to find the place, confusion about the price, but finally I stood in front of the Hotel Pearl Palace. In all, it can be a will-breaking endeavor.

I’ll post here a few photos of the train ride and Jaipur as I saw it the next day, having a walk around. Like Delhi it is crowded and hectic, but was for me much more manageable, maybe because I walked with no goal on two main roads - I was calmed by the reflections I will post next. Thanks for reading!