Navigating the Unexpected in Rajasthan's Capital

After the dusty chaos of the Pushkar Camel Fair, I made my way northeast to Jaipur—Rajasthan’s capital and a major tourist magnet. This would normally be enough to keep me away entirely, but I just couldn’t bring myself to cut it from the itinerary. Unfortunately, between the constant focus required to avoid injury by cow (or tuk-tuk, horse, monkey, etc.) and sleeping about 75% less 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. Nearly all tourist sites (including the ones that brought me here in the first place) were closed for the rest of my visit. Well, time to go indulge in a few beers and reassess. Nope—alcohol was also banned 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 the architecture for which Jaipur is so famous. The first night’s photo walk culminated in a pack of street dogs emerging menacingly from the shadows—about as good a sign as any to head back to the hotel.

I kicked off the second day with an hour-plus tuk-tuk ride to the Amber Fort. Closed, of course, despite the internet’s fervent claims that it remained open. A word of advice: Never trust Redditors. While walking around the area, I was somehow coerced into casting a ballot for a candidate in the election—it’s tough to even articulate how this happened, but rest assured it wasn’t intentional. After performing my civic duty, I hung out with some local monkeys and then attempted to go check out a distant hilltop viewpoint for sunset—the primary motivation behind my visit to Jaipur.

I then spent nearly an hour haggling for a ride with a tuk-tuk driver. I ultimately agreed to pay him 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. After expending too much time and money, along with the remainder of my brain cells, I finally made it to the viewpoint. And when I arrived? Blocked by a giant wall. You can usually bypass it through an entrance gate, but not during election week! I was left with zero 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. I must have burned through my karma reserves by the time I got there. I still came away with a few photos I’m happy with, which ended up being mostly from the train station. But on a photography trip, I guess that’s more important than museums and beers.