Happy Birthday Mohammad

Typical Tuk-Tuk loaded with people

Camel Altert

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Fireworks over the city

Watching the fireworks and Kites from the Rooftop 

View of Outdoor Bar where we listen to the Call to Prayer while drinking our wine

We left our hotel in Gwalior  and started the 8 hour drive to Jaipur. I knew it was going to be a boring ride but it went fairly fast. The road was far superior when compared to the road from Orchha to Gwailor. Along the way I practiced reading Hindi signs, Vijay our driver said I hadn’t improved much in the last year, but at least I hadn’t gone backwards. We reviewed, numbers and foods in Hindi. We were stopped for a period of time in traffic at one point and had no idea why, festival blocking the street, accident, we just didn’t know. Eventually a Muslim protest march came down the street blocking our way. They were surrounded by police, we had no idea what they were protesting, but since we were caught in the middle, we were glad for the protection of the police. Such is India.

We read the English Indian Newspapers everyday and all they mention is the new AAP party that sprung out of nowhere and is reshaping Indian Politics. It is dedicated to anti-corruption (which is rampant in India) and has touched a nerve. They just captured the government of Delhi and are surging in popularity everywhere. It will be amazing to see what happens.

I am still astonished at how many people can cram into vehicles in India. Busses, auto-rickshaws and cars can be packed full of people. We stopped many times to ask directions and everyone is helpful. This helpfulness of the people is everywhere. It is like a human GPS. In-fact I have never been in a vehicle in India that has GPS. People simply roll down a window and ask someone which direction to take to get somewhere. It all seems to work.

We arrived in Jaipur around 5pm just as the sun was setting. Today is a double holiday in Jaipur. It is the annual Festival: Makar Sankranti. The Hindus take a ceremonial dip in the holy waters. Then they all fly kites. Thousands of kites are flown from rooftops all over Jaipur. It is an amazing sight. In addition, balloons are sent aloft with fire in them flying high into the sky.

We checked into our hotel just at sunset and climbed up to the rooftop to watch the setting of the sun and flight of the kites across the sky.

But that wasn’t all. We are staying in the Muslim area of Jaipur and today is Mohammad’s birthday. Happy Birthday to you! The only way to celebrate apparently is to send up fireworks from everywhere. There was a constant barrage from all over the neighborhood and city. It was like a special greeting to us, Kites in the air, fireworks and fire balloons. It was a fabulous first night in Jaipur.

We shared a bottle of wine with John down by the pool where they have a very nice bar. We love being outside by the pool and listening to the Call to Prayer from all of the neighborhood mosques. We then went to dinner here at the Samode Haveli, where we are staying for the 4^th time. To add to the spontaneous pleasure of the day we ordered a Spinach dish (among other things) that we have never had before. It was a fried spinach served with yogurt, and it was delicious. It turns out to be the specialty of the restaurant. I doubt we will ever have it anywhere else. How unfortunate. The good news is we will be eating many more dinners here before we leave Jaipur.