After leaving the Pushkar Camel Fair, I retraced my steps and headed back northeast. My destination was Jaipur, the capital of India’s Rajasthan state and a major tourist site. This would normally be enough to keep me away entirely, but I felt like it was too iconic to axe from the itinerary completely. Unfortunately, between the constant focus required to avoid injury/death by cow (or tuk-tuk, horse, monkey, etc.) and sleeping about 75% fewer hours than doctors recommend, I neglected to stay up-to-date on Jaipur’s political event calendar. Silly me. Upon arrival, I learned that elections were taking place that week and essentially all tourist sites (including the ones that brought me here in the first place) were closed for the remainder of my visit. Well, might as well go fill up on a healthy amount of beer and contemplate my next move, I thought. Wrong—alcohol was also illegal for the entire week! Wouldn’t want anyone voting while intoxicated. Maybe the US should adopt this policy? Anyway, I digress.
Things weren’t off to a good start, and I’d be lying if I said they got a whole lot better. I decided to make the most of my time there and at least go admire some of the architecture for which Jaipur is so famous. The first night’s journey ended with a pack of street dogs approaching menacingly on a dark street, which was as good a sign as any to head back to the hotel.
To kick off the second day, I took an hour-plus tuk-tuk ride to the Amber Fort which was, of course, closed, despite the internet’s fervent claims that it remained open. While walking around the area, I accidentally cast a ballot for a candidate in the election—I’m not even sure how to articulate how this happened, but rest assured it wasn’t intentional. After performing my civic duty, I hung out with some monkeys and then attempted to go check out a distant hilltop viewpoint for sunset—the primary motivation behind my visit to Jaipur. I spent nearly an hour haggling for a ride with a tuk-tuk driver, to whom I then agreed to pay 5x the going rate after it became clear he was not going to budge. It didn’t help that his buddies kept chiming in to tell him to charge me more in Hindi. After expending too much time, money, and brain cells, I arrived at the viewpoint to find it…blocked by a giant wall. Normally you can bypass it via an entrance gate, but not during election week! I was left surrounded by no photo opportunities, rapidly dwindling daylight, and a bruised ego. It was a long and quiet tuk-tuk ride back down to the city, the silence punctuated only by a few “I told you so’s” from my driver every few minutes.
So, my experience in Jaipur? Not the best. I’m sure it’s a wonderful city with much to offer, just maybe not to me. My karma reserves must have been depleted by the time I arrived. I still came away with a few photos I’m happy with, and on a photography trip, I guess that’s more important than museums and beers. Enjoy!
