Today is Om Shiva’s birthday – who knew? Our helpful host, Om Sharma, helps Tim
adjust his scarf to reflect the solemnity of the day
and then directs us to the Bapu Bazaar, just
inside one of the six gates to the Pink City. It’s not pink by any stretch; it’s more like a faded adobe
or pale orange. The Old City was
painted pink to honor a visiting British monarch (late 19thc?). And never been repainted.
We know how much Tim despises touts and people in his face,
this is the worst place yet. And
this is a quiet day! The walkway
is covered and the streets lined both sides with motorbikes. Most of the shops are selling sarees,
clothes, tourist trinkets, with a few welding operations and shoe repair shops
thrown in.
These touts are right in your face, literally. I can see betel juice when they open
their mouths. Then one of them
actually grabs Tim by the shoulder – ‘Come in here. Nice stuff.
Good price for you, sir.’ - I thought it was all over. About face, and get a tuk tuk to
what is described by LP (and our host) as ‘Very nice, upmarket shop.’
Anokhi is actually part of a mini-shopping plaza, right out
of a suburban US city. Glass and
marble front, three stories, parking lot, coffee shop and, miracle of miracles,
a bookstore!! A real bookstore. Well you know where we went first – by
elevator, no less (can’t remember the last time we were on an elevator). This could have been Barnes and Noble
in miniature! Books in every
language, albeit a rather strange collection of English fiction; we have to buy
an English mystery.
Anokhi – this is the absolute, polar opposite of bazaar
shopping. We can’t even find
anyone to wait on us! Everything
is folded on shelves and so discreetly labeled I can barely tell what it is. Their claim to fame is that they
encourage and promote the ancient art of block printing for which this part of
Rajasthan is well-known. Prices
are fixed – no haggling or bargaining.
Sadly, we can’t find anything either of us like. The designs are mostly floral, nothing
to mark it as Northern Indian – or even Indian - and not a bit of bling in
sight! Quality is very fine but
style is flat. Too bad . .
We’re done with Jaipur. This is the first city on our adventure that we don’t
like. It has, for lack of a better
description, a bad ‘vibe.’ Not
sure what it is - a tension, lack of friendliness, something which we both feel
(and was confirmed by a fellow traveler we subsequently met in Jodhpur).
Friends who’ve traveled to India had warned us – ‘Don’t spend too much time in
Jaipur.’ Gentle guidance – glad we followed it.
The very best part of Jaipur has been the Hotel Anuraag
Villa – they couldn’t have been nicer, more professional, or friendlier. A big 5 stars! Tomorrow morning, the train to Jodhpur.
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