Post#4
People watching on Day 6 and 7 with a mosh posh of days past....
After wandering the rural and perceivably uninhabited places of raajsthan for 4 days we arrive to our first major city, Jaipur, aka the pink city.
Riding in back of horn requesting trucks for 6 sun baking hours, we crampily notice a change in the dust: The usual beeping of the arts and crafted mobiles now grow into a uncoordinated concert, accompanied of course by the longer more mazelike embankments at every important corner. This is what a 4 million plus City in india feels like.
feeling infinitely surrounded by surprise movements from all kind of road runners-- on foot, motorbike, people cow or camel wagons, hand peddling chairs, tuc tucs, cars, buses (Props to our driver)-- i was entertainingly kept in tennis tournament head turning style.
Here are some I cant believe my eyes sightings (soon tbp on facebook):
- friendly decorated Elephant swaying by as they return from a days work of transporting tourists onto the amber fort.
- more men holding hands (normal here) and westernized eomen out of the tradtnl sari and bangled wear.
- Monkeys stealing fruit from market and running onto streets as well as wild boar squeeking thru trash bins, and the nonchelant sacred cows sitting on main intersections.... simply because they can!
- motorcyclists sharingtheir single seater with another 2 grownups with a baby and grocerysof the day stuffed in all ethe avaiblable cracks; OR with one other person holding a larger than both of them combined cushioned bag in between. I both chuckled over and prayed for these death defying street riders.
As this happens in most cities, we also witnessed more trash and some unsightly sympathy provoking scenes. Whereas thr rural communities we were arriving from demonstrated a manageable "poverty" (altho strictly relying on monsoon seasons), the urban setting depicted them as trapped in inopportune lives. the rural communities: the vishnus (earth loving), Brahmans (hindu priests), shephards and farmers, we did witness poverty there, but within a system that worked, a system to be admired.
In rojergar (butchering name) the vishnus we met, a family of 28 total (3 generatns) that lived in a 400sq m area, owned 25 acres for farming and cattle, lived off their crops of cucumber, melons, and millet as well as dairy from their cattle. Nothing goes to waste. Inspiring. Similarily, the shepard village in NIJAN of 2000+, everyone had a sustaining role, systematically placed to fuel their community 1) the potter who provides allnthe water fetching bins for the women, already set for new business during the holidays duvila and color festival, marking the 6 month cycle 2) the knive sharpener, who we witnessed showing the ropes to his 7ish yr old son as he hammered tooths one by one into and old saw in zig zag style . 3) the barber, 4.... )the jewler.... Even the only male goat in the village.... Serving as the macho head breeder of the herd and the sandlot beast dog for dozens of kids to mischievously play with and taunt as they untie it and run to b chased. The entire villaged is managed primarily by trade, no money exchange, not even to us very curious and wanting to contirbute visitors. We are welcome, only as an arrangement with the chatri gar owners, as observers only, appaently only affceting the community by introducing the kids to digital camera. "Hello mam, pichur plis, yes, again mam, pichur plis.... Hehehee" as they point to their shots....
Awww the fortune to have witnessed all the above.
Continuing on to city people, yees. There was more of the what my predecessing tourists have nervously been warningnme of... And although shock, oh no's, and tighter purse holding and pushy bargaining arrrrre in the mix.... I think my city experience is still carried primarily with intrigue, fascination, and s heavy dose of curiosity.
Each glimpse into every corner shares a novel starting opportunity and all i want is to find out more about these city dwellers. So i begin ny investigatn on modern women, arranged marriages and the unspoken cast system. More of this to come.
While all this picara pondering is occuring, we are also getting our doses of the following, all wrapped in saffron sprinkled gold leafed ribbons:
1) culture @ a) enhoki where we learned about traditional amber print blocking designs and work. b) the city palace, thru reets connections being allowed to contunue on our royal shenanigans: sipping tea in the royal living room, and playing kings in the mirror mosaiced sheesh mahal, c) foothills of the ambar fort and lake palace.
2) shopping @ aandraab (the operas favorite things for pashminas) and b) some jewlery disneyland, where again thru reets influences we were given 50- 300 g titanic rose skzed jems to play dress up in.
3) dinner @ rambagh, the most gorgeous palace flipped hotel, dining in the golden room.... You can use ur snazzy imagination to picture why it was called that way.
4) sleeping @ Devyratn, a new supposed wowzer of a hotel, unfortunately falling short to our jaded but very tastleful expactstions. Picture fifth element futuristic mixed with cesars palace of 1980s mosiac. But the beds did their jobs and the gym or yoga area did its naan, lalmass and paneer disappearing trick too.
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