Adventures in International Education

There is so much to do in Jaipur that I opted for some tourist-y activities to get a feel for the city. On Monday, I scheduled a day-long tour through RTDC, a government agency. It meant going to the train station to sign up but I found the process refreshingly simple. A guide assembled the group, we walked through the streets, boarded an air-conditioned bus, and left. 

The day, however, was incredibly long and hot. It began with a stop at a temple around 9:30, moved on to a textile factory, continued to one of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Janata Mangar, an astronomical observation site constructed of precisely fitted masonry built in the 1700s by. Prince Jai Singh II. UNESCO provided the following summary in 2010 when it announced the designation of the Janata Mangar site:

Jantar Mantar (India)

The Jantar Mantar, in Jaipur, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18^thcentury. It includes a set of some 20 main fixed instruments. They are monumental examples in masonry of known instruments but which in many cases have specific characteristics of their own. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye, they embody several architectural and instrumental innovations. This is the most significant, most comprehensive, and the best preserved of India’s historic observatories. It is an expression of the astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at the end of the Mughal period (UNESCO: “World Heritage Committee inscribes seven cultural sites on World Heritage List.“ 
31 July 2010).

We enjoyed lunch at Nahargarh, at the top of a mountain with some breathtaking views of Jaipur, which we earned by hiking up one kilometer from the entrance. The afternoon was consumed with a tour of the Amber Fort, with its walled exterior, rooms for warriors and women, parade grounds, and endless chambers for bathing, sleeping, and mass audiences.

The third-longest wall in the world surrounds the Amber Fort (only the Great Wall in China and the 38 kilometer wall in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan are longer). We could see the wall clearly—it is in good repair—as we took an electric taxi to the parade ground. Also in the fort is the “world’s largest cannon,” constructed in the eighteenth century and only fired once.

The Jaivana Cannon, said to be the world’s largest cannon, resides in the Jaigarh Fort, which was designed to protect the Amber Fort. Underground tunnels connect the two forts.

We concluded the Amber Fort visit at the temple within the walls. The priest receiving offerings there paid particular attention to me. He gave me a marigold garland, a tika, and the sweet wheat flour treat offered to special visitors. We ended the day in another temple and walked though some gardens with fountains before boarding the bus for the train station. It was around 6:30 and the station was full of tuk-tuks, and travelers. 

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Although beautiful in its architecture, Jaipur tends to wear on visitors (in my humble opinion). A turbaned guard at the palace poses for a picture then demands a tip. Guides offer their services to anyone who is walking alone. Merchants accost anyone passing by to see their wares. And the tuk-tuk drivers will stop their vehicle in the middle of the street with a “Hello. Take you for a ride? Where are you from?” Multiple fees are charged at the same site for the tour and the museum.

It was a relief to return to the hotel for a cool shower and get ready for the next day.

Tuesday: Bicycle Tour of the Old City

My Tuesday morning tour began and ended with a tuk-tuk adventure. I had to reach another hotel by 6:30 and I went through several drivers before I found someone who knew how to get there. When I finally found a driver who said he knew, he had to stop another driver and ask him. The second driver knew the destination so I leapt across the seat into the new rickshaw. The first driver objected but I told him he didn’t know how to get there so I was going with the man who did. While the second driver may have known the way, he also needed petrol and then his rickshaw wouldn’t start. I was late for the tour and the group already had left.

Fortunately, Cyclin’ Jaipur had a representative at the hotel and a tour guide came back to get me. I quickly found that riding a bicycle in Jaipur is a challenge unlike any other driving I’ve done. The horns, the crush of people, the driving against the traffic to make a turn, the narrow alleys with just enough room for one, and the desire for a motorcycle to pass or a cow to cross the road all impede progress and imperil the rider. The bell on my bicycle didn’t work so I was defenseless when crossing streets or warning pedestrians of my passage.

I became the fourth member of the group. A woman named Christina greeted me at the first stop. She works in an embassy for the State Department and was touring Jaipur before beginning a bicycle tour in the north. Nitin was the man who greeted me and Proveen was in charge. One rode ahead and the other rode behind as we made our way to a vegetable market, where huge bags of produce and flowers were brought in from the countryside. No one could buy less than a five or ten kilogram bag, so most of this food was destined for restaurants. The market opens around 5:00 a.m. and stays open all morning. Men sit and smoke while women carry these huge bundles on their heads. Praveen blamed the lack of education for women on this practice of women working. It seemed to me that the women carried some pretty large bags on their heads while the men talked and smoked.

We had a croissant-type of crumbly biscuit and chai tea as the market hummed around us. We saw bushels of marigolds and roses, which some workers were weaving into garlands. We walked though bushels of fresh mint that produced a heavy, oh-so-pleasant, heavenly smell.

We visited the temple to Shiva, removed our shoes, and rang the bell to wake up the god. It was crowded, with believers lighting incense and chanting. Some sprinkled water around the shrine. It was a cacaphony of sound, color, and incredible sanctity. As a visitor, I felt most respectful of a people who could worship at this level.

Next we visited Nitin’s home where his mother served us a bowl of lentils with ghee and a wheat ball. This was a traditinal greeting for a visitor. In Hindi culture, the guest is God and is treated quite respectually. We sat on the ground and ate our meal, while Praveen discussed gender issues in India with us.

We visited a marble carver and watched as he sliced out pieces from his latest work using a small sander with a cutting blade. After scoring the block, he would hit the section with a mallet to remove that small block. The floor was thick with marble dust and sculptures in all stages of completion lined the walls. Many gods were represented in the small shop, including a half-life size version of Gandhi. I worried about the carver breathing all the marble dust for so many years; he wore no protection.

The tour ended with a pulse-racing ride down alleyways to our starting point. Truly, I experienced the depth and breadth of the Old City of Jaipur.

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The Old City fascinated me and I wandered around by myself for a while. Then, I got lost on the way back to my hotel, and then again when I got into my neighborhood. A simple walk around the neighborhood turned me totally around. One auto-rickshaw ride was followed by lots of walking then I hired a bicycle rickshaw to take me to my door. On a hot day in Jaipur, it is not a good idea to get lost. At 41 C (106 F), I felt exhausted from the heat and drank four liters of water before 9:00 a.m.

Rigors of Train Travel

Any train station in India is crowded and seemingly disorganized. In Bikaner, I had to schlep my bags up and down two sets of stairs because the platform for my train had changed. I was sopping wet by the time I reached my berth.

Jaipur was little different but larger, and an aggressive collection of touts promoted their tuk-tuk (auto-rickshaw) services. These guys (they’re all men) would win the award for persistence in any U.S. school. They do not hear the word “no” and continue to ask questions. At the end of my day on Monday, I was tired and just wanted to get back to the hotel. After one particularly persistent driver refused to leave me alone, I told him to “get the f___ away from me.” The retort helped momentarily but I felt bad I had to resort to that level of unpleasantness. Unfortunately, the touts circled me and I ended up almost getting “taken for a ride” by a group of drivers and their manipulative leader. After they changed the price they had agreed on, I got out of the rickshaw. Another driver approached me in a better fashion and ended up taking me to the hotel. What a relief!

The Lonely Planet guidebook says that the drivers and merchants in Jaipur are probably the most aggressive in India, and I believe it. The merchants at the textile store wanted me to see jewelry, tablecloths, scarves…. The list was amazing. I bought one kurta (a long shirt, which I love to wear but which does not come in my size very often), and managed to negotiate so I didn’t have to buy the trousers that came with it. But the merchants persisted until I simply left the store and got on the bus.

Later that day, as I walked to my hotel after dinner, a driver who said he knew the driver who picked me up from the station on Sunday night (did you get all those connections?), got off his scooter and approached me on the street to solicit my business. It was after 9:00, on a dark and lonely street, and the last thing I wanted to do was give someone my name and have a conversation about driving around Jaipur. I was rude again, just without the profanity. It is taking me some effort to get used to life in Jaipur.

On Wednesday, I got ready to leave and got to the train station two hours before the train to New Delhi. The train was delayed, the track numbers changed, and I ended up lugging my bags up and down another set of stairs and then down the length of the train. Fortunately for me, I decided to travel in Class 2, AC (second class, air conditioned). There are four bunks, which serve as seats or beds, depending on what the passenger wants to do. A train worker comes around with clean sheets and blankets (the air conditioned cars can get downright cold) while other workers travel the aisles shouting their wares: “Chai. Chai,” (the cup of tea and steamed milk with sugar and spices, served in a tiny cup) or “Samosas,” a fried pastry with potato filling. Instead of the snacks, I had ordered a meal brought to me at Alwar by RailYatri. The train stopped, a restaurant employee gave me my food, I enjoyed curry, the Indian version of a green salad, rice and chapati on my journey into New Delhi: Exactly what a long-distance train traveler needs.

In New Delhi at 8:00 p.m., I managed to climb the stairs to the exit and find a sympathetic driver (after rejecting three drivers). But traffic was gridlocked and all we could do was sit until it cleared. I arrived at the a small tourist hotel, stayed the night, and left for the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the morning for the flight to the United Kingdom and London.