Travel to Jaipur Indian

• Travel to Indian Jaipur

In Jaipur we arrived hours at 5-6 in the morning, at dawn, exhausted, angry and sleepy. We took tuk to the hotel, without haggling. Our hotel (rather a hostel) was the first pleasant place in India.

Generally book hotels in India - is something special. When choosing and booking hotels we were guided by several criteria: 1) purity; 2) the presence of a hot showers and WI-FI; 3) the price. In this case, the third criterion is not in any way connected with the first two, and no relationship between the price of the room and clean it, or, say, the presence in the room, hot water, no. The hotel and for $ 5., And 20 can be like a pretty nice place, and a rare barn with absolutely equal chances. The main thing to understand is to travel and to choose the number, respectively. Many people prefer to look for a hotel on the site. This is not our case. I do not know at the expense of children, but this option does not suit me at all. Firstly, I alarmist, secondly, we always came to town almost dark. Of course, it's great when you can and force to spend a few hours to choose the hotel in which spend 1-2 nights, especially when you come to a new place at 5 am. And all this in order to save a few bucks on the reservation, rather than to explore the city. But all the rooms in which we stayed in India, we have chosen through hostelworld (except Chittorgarh, where we the hotel in general did not plan to take) on the reviews in advance, and to none of them serious complaints we did not.

The rooms we tried to choose the triple (it was more convenient, cheaper and safer) at a price of $ 2-5. For a bed. Expensive (much) were the only hotels in Goa, but they are chosen on the booking and agoda for lack of acceptable options on hostelworld (resort areas - not horse hostelworld).

In short, our first hotel in Jaipur gave us great hope and faith in life. We were given a room immediately, although settling time was either 10 or 11 in the morning. I understand that hotels all over the world it is normal practice, some from India, we could expect to have anything. Although the room was small, but very cozy and clean. And we went to bed with the firm intention to wake up at 8 o'clock, a maximum of 9. We woke up at 11-30, but much refreshed. Hot shower and coffee cheered us even more (not for nothing that we took a kettle, thermos and coffee bags).

The plan for today, we had a sort of modest - only Chand Baori. General plan for Jaipur we had no ordinary tourist. As a rule, Jaipur tour includes Amer Fort and Jaigarh, sometimes Nahargarh, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Museum "Albert Hall", Jantar Mantar, tower Svargasuli and so on. D. That is, most of the time goes in the city. Our plan was also designed so that most of the attractions were either out of town or just a secluded location. Firstly, we threw all the palaces and the observatory, as they have generally not impressed. Plus we do not like museums. Svargasuli beautiful outside, but the view of Jaipur - not the most interesting thing in the world. Forts we have left, although there is the plan we had to explore some more. But in India every fort - the construction is very individual, much more individual of a palace. To this we have added Galt, well, Chand Baori and just walk around the city.

We started with Chand Baori, because time just for them in that day, and left. The hotel owner called us a taxi, honestly warned that far and well worth the trip will be expensive. We knew, at home in Ukraine, we have calculated the exact cost of even a taxi ride - 2200 rupees for economy class taxi with air conditioning. It proved to be only slightly lower than requested by the company, and at the expense of toll roads - 2500 rupees, but the whole day and apart from the points hotel-Abaneri hotel we visited also the market where we bought fruit and shop, where we bought everything for dinner.

Baori - the general name of step wells in India. Their peculiarity is that most of it is not quite the wells in the classical sense, as they are rarely fed by groundwater and are more receptacles for the collection of rainwater. Accordingly, the level of water in them is constantly changing, and therefore, steps are needed to ensure that even when it did not rain for a long time to get to the water. Chand Baori, - the large, deep and well known of all; Located in the village Abaneri 95 km from Jaipur. Its depth - more than 30 meters. To make it clear, 27 - 30 meters - the height of a 9-storey building. That is, the construction itself is very impressive scale. In other reports, it was called "Places of power", but whether we are refractory, or the mood was not the same, but we have not felt anything like that. Stories about the "place of power", by the way, actively feeding retellings of local legends that this well was built in one night by giants. Be sure any local will try to push you this story for a very reasonable price of Rs 200-300. Although it is unlikely he will tell you something new, but the impression of walking may spoil much, so try to prevent such harassment in the bud.

Each of the three "floors" well fenced. And not only because the stairs are steep, but also because of the standing water is the amount of bacteria that even if, falling, will be able to reach the water without breaking his neck, the case will complete these same bacteria that are "capable of killing a person for 2- 3 days "(so, for example, says Wikipedia).

If you are lucky, then after going to the well and fighting off competition from local, you will be left alone in silence. This means that in this case you can grossly neglect safety rules and climb over the fence, that walk up the steps and pofotkat enough. Note that while it is not a museum and nature reserve, which means that the entry fee is not taken, there is no caretakers, and ban you no one can. A fall into the well with the carnivorous bacteria - your sacred right. But we were just so uncomfortable to ignore the rules in front of strangers. But when we were almost all alone (there was only a group of three Indian boys 18 years), we immediately climbed to vandalize. The boys then climbed behind us as if only waiting for our permission. In general, an hour and a half - two oncoming and we nafotkal enough.

The road back took about 2 hours, and, having bought fruit, sandwiches (a shame, of course), cola and rum Rajasthan, we went to the hotel, where we spent a very pleasant rest of the evening. Rum, by the way, we drank the whole trip in small portions (20-30 g) before each meal. Remember: in India the water is not chlorinated. So when you wash your hands, then you have a fairly high chance fasten bacteria even more than before washing. A portion of food in India, you will anyway take arms. As memories of India in addition to gallery and gift you would not want to bring hepatitis or at least suffer indigestion. Therefore, every time when eating regardless of the type of food and the place we piously observe the ritual: 20-30 grams of alcohol (often mixed with cola), hand disinfection special means (according to the label on the bottle that kills all living things) and wiping cutlery rubbing alcohol, stuck out of the house. But we were calm and well the entire trip. Fruit is better to take in the skin, such as bananas. But we ate and cape gooseberry, showering it with boiling water from a thermos. Alcohol purchase is not as easy as at home, he sold only in special shops Vine, and they are not so much. If we had to buy a set, we usually ask the taxi driver to call on the road. Vials were taking small - 200 ml, so as not to be dragged with excess weight.

The next morning we left the main backpacks at the hotel, and have gone to the fort. With Tucker immediately agreed to stop near Jal Mahal. The palace itself is not allowed, so that it is sufficient and a 5-minute stop on the waterfront.

And then in the fort. The most famous fort in Jaipur - Amber, which is somewhere in the 11 km from the center. No relation to the amber of his name does not (although the color really looks like the warm amber) and even correctly pronounce all the same Amer (but I am accustomed to Amber). Amer, by the way, it's not a fort, that is not a military fortification. Even I had a glance at him to know that he would not be able to withstand any siege or assault. This palace of the Rajput princes. And that's a real fort is a mile away up the mountain - it Jaigarh. They are connected by a network of underground tunnels. Jaigarh, by the way, half the existing military base.

I do not know what it was, but I liked Jaigarh. Maybe because Amer well, just some puppet. While Lesha, for example, it is more like Amer. One way or another, but they win it together: a view of the Jaigarh with Amer and Amer with a view of the Jaigarh quite wonderful.

Here we must be prepared for the fact that this place - terrible pop. Nemeryannom tourists here, all the old decorations. Up to the fact that up to the Amer from the parking lot, you can ride on the elephant ornamented. Only a completely stupid waste of money in my opinion: go there only about three hundred meters. By the way, the irony is that to Jaigarh to which is three times more, on an elephant not proedesh. But though it is pop, but the place is well worth a visit.

And then we went to Galt. I have already mentioned that we originally had planned everything so that for a long time in the city not to stay. Galt in this sense, a very good place.

This is a kind of monkey temple complex, which is located in a secluded area behind a hill, inside which is a sacred source. By the way, if you arrive early in the morning, where you can see a lot of naked women, who make ritual ablution - a phenomenon for India unthinkable, are due to a naked woman, not a ceremony, of course. Still Galt known thanks to the monkeys. On the approaches to the hill to your local nabezhit bunch: some will offer peanuts, while others - security services, from monkeys. Nuts we bought from the rest abandoned: we have not heard of cases of devouring tourists monkeys. As soon as we approached the first group of monkeys, among them began unhealthy excitement. We were immediately ran several, including a pair of rather large and unpleasant primates, and demanded tribute. Well Gopnik, and only. The remaining pieces of 20 monkeys in the field of view of interest to us are not shown: they are clearly fed recently, because some of them are still sitting with eggplant and tomatoes in teeth. The group, standing next to us received their share, and stepped aside. One healthy fellow, however, tried to grab the package, but soon released and for the extraction is not fought.

Head, has cho?

In the complex have all the attention paid no attention to us: we were in the midst of feeding. But on we focused the attention of Indian teenagers: they asked us fotkatsya together and alone.

And in general in Galt quietly and well, so if you have time in Jaipur, make sure you visit this place.

And it's time we had to go back to the city. In preparation we have the impression of Jaipur as a very noisy and rather dirty place. And it has to be quite justified. Although part of the guides (the same Dorling Kindersley, for example) have drawn quite a quiet idyllic picture of the old Pink City with pottery shops, we were not inclined to trust them after Agra. We did not want to go either to the palace or in the Jantar Mantar, because we are not at all interested. So we stopped at the inspection of the Hawa Mahal, the famous Palace of the Winds, Jaipur is actually a character. Since we did not go inside, the whole examination we took 10 minutes at most.

So ​​we decided to have a snack before you go to the hotel for the bags. Here we first used the recommendation of Lonely Planet - this was for us a very healthy habit for the whole journey. In China, we do not have to choose the restaurant itself, because we were all the time in the caring hands of Hao. And here, in India, to do without this it was impossible. The nearest restaurant to us was Ganesh Restaurant, highly recommended. Imagine our surprise when we saw not quite what fits the meaning of the word "restaurant". And even under the meaning of "café" and "eatery" it came up slightly. But there was nothing, and we have decided.

Ugh, how yummy :)

It turned out very tasty, the first time we liked Indian food, especially bread of different kinds - chapati, roti, naany - and lassi. Lassi there are simply stunning! And yet it is quite cheap - lunch cost at Rs 300-350 for three.