I am determined to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE India so I decide to go with Intrepid again. I love that our groups are small so it is more like a group of friends traveling rather than a "tour" group. My Intrepid group consists of: 3 couples, 1 married for 55 years (David and Margaret), 1 for 45 years(Jim and Agnes) and 1 for 6 months(Kevin and Dora), and my roomie, Belinda who is from where? AUSTRALIA!!!! oh yea and Nitin, our gorgeous Indian leader. We get acquainted over dinner and because I am sick, I pass up the chance to travel back to Old Delhi by subway (boo hoo). It is for the best because we head out at the buttcrack of dawn for Jaipur.
The fan base in India is intense. Especially without my 6' 2" German escort I was hanging with. I don't understand the staring, I AM NOT ANY DARKER THAN YOU!!!!!!! Granted I have nappy hair but come on!
We train it and then bus it into Jaipur, our hotel is Bissau Palace which use to be a royal residence of some kind. It is incredibly beautiful with gorgeous artwork everywhere. I met the artist as he was stenciling in some of the beautiful work all over the grounds. There are peacocks and hens walking around and they are beautiful. Apparently they are native to India and have a place in Indian folklore. This is my first time hearing Adhan or call to prayer and I find it quite beautiful.
We take to the streets and there are tons of sights, sounds and smells. I am not really phased but i can see the shock on the faces of people in my group. One side of the street is a beautiful, colorful market, the other side is what looks like the bowels of some animal. I remember thinking, that looks like chitlins!
The fans are intense and there are so many people in such a tight place. Day two I pass on the Amber fort and the Bollywood love story.
Tomorrow we are off to the last of what brought me to Asia. The Taj Mahal.
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