Jaipur

Rajahstan is the place that you always see in photos and movies about India. Rajahstan is colorful, beautiful, and fun. Located in western India, and sharing a long border with Pakistan, Rajahstan is an Indian state whose most popular cities (for tourists anyway) are Jaipur and Udaipur. The movie “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" was filmed in both of these cities. Although I didn’t have time to make it to Udaipur, I did have a chance to go to Jaipur.

It so happened that Wake Forest University, the college I attend, hosts a class, which travels around India for six weeks. The communications professor who taught my first year seminar and is from Kolkata was leading this trip. I have spent many dinners at his house and have really loved getting to know him and his wife. So I arranged it so that I would hang out with them, both when they came to Mumbai and then later when they traveled to Jaipur.

Entrance to Umaid Mahal hotel.

When they came to Mumbai, Arnav and I took them around to see all the sites. Then I flew to Jaipur, and got a room at the hotel they were staying in. The hotel provided transportation, and the driver waiting for me at the airport had a sign that read, “Mr. Hannah Dobie.” That’s a new one... For two nights the hotel cost $67.89, with free wi-fi and complimentary breakfast. Formerly a palace that had been refurbished into a hotel, it was absolutely beautiful, stunning, and comfortable. I mean, you are sleeping in an old palace.

Jaipur is famous for its many forts and palaces. Founded in 1727, it was the first planned city in India, built by a king who wanted to commemorate a bunch of military victories. Although it is a little too touristy for my liking, it is an extremely beautiful city. When I got there, I was so happy not to be stuck in traffic. Everything in Jaipur is incredibly colorful. The women’s clothing is a mish-mash of neon colors and unusual patterns, but they masterfully put these pieces together and the different parts match perfectly. The same goes for the colors of the buildings and the houses and everything else.

Elephants at the base of Amber fort.

I enjoyed seeing Rajasthani traditional dance (lots of ankle bracelets, and women balancing buckets of fire on their heads while dancing), eating Rajasthani food (lots of dry veggies), and being a complete tourist. I visited, along with my new Wake Forest friends, most of the top places, restaurants and shops found in Lonely Planet. We rode an elephant to the top of Amber fort, visited the Monkey temple, and enjoyed other sights. See the photos below; these sights are extremely old yet very well taken care of because Jaipur’s industry is tourism. Interestingly, Jaipur does not seem to be much of a western city, which is surprising because so many western people pass through. Instead Jaipur seems to be rooted in the past, which attracts foreigners.

I especially enjoyed having time to talk to the other students about India and what I have experienced and what they are seeing. Through this, I realized that one thing I missed out on while spending time in India was not being able to reflect on what I was seeing with other people. I have written about all my experiences on my blog, or thought it all to myself, but never have I been able to go into deep discussions about India (culture, traditions, sights, and the list goes on) with other people. It was so fun to go back to what I observed first when moving to India and really dissect my thoughts.

Markets in the Old City.

Jaipur is also famous for its markets and warehouses filled with detailed handicrafts, beautiful tapestries, famous Indian scarves and everything a tourist could ever want at cheap prices, completely handmade, all in one place.  Our group went to the most famous market for tourists called Hawa Mahal. It is located in the “old city,” which is full of markets in the old fort. The shops sell the same souvenir items, one after the other. The men who work at these stores speak English and Hindi fluently, and then enough German, Chinese, Spanish, French to sweep the tourists off their feet and get them to buy something overpriced. The workers go so far as to help you cross the street to get to the market, in an effort to convince you they are just nice strangers who notice how hard it is for a group of eleven foreigners to 

Beautiful handmade tapestries.

cross the busy Indian road. These hagglers quickly hated me, as I knew the drill. My new friends asked me to bargain for them and play the game. I take a lot of pride in bargaining; I don’t like people to take advantage of me. I hate losing these games. Yes, I know selling things is their job and it shouldn’t be thought of as a game, but these people make so much money from the thousands of tourists. My most successful bargain story is when I was able to buy an elephant wall hanging, which was beautifully hand crafted, down from a price of 4,500 rupees ($74.70) to 500 rupees ($8.30). It took me about 30 minutes, but the seller knew he was way out of line from the beginning. I could go on and on about these little examples, but I had a lot of fun buying the elephant. I also felt like a completely mean person, but I was able to live with that.

Next place I would love to visit is Udaipur and other smaller towns in Rajahstan. I really fell in love with the traditions in this state and I hope I can learn more about it one day.

Sending colors from India,

Hannah Dobie

Entrance to the old city. 

Tiger Fort 

Tiger Fort 

Tiger Fort

Tiger Fort

Tiger Fort

Tiger Fort

Tiger Fort

Tiger Fort

Jal Mahal

Hawa Mahal palace

Elephants waiting at the bottom of Amber palace.

The elephant I rode to the top. 

Wake students enjoying the ride. 

Entering Amber fort. 

   

Gardens of Amber Fort.

 

Entrance to the King's Section of Amber Fort.

The pink indicates which rooms belong to women.

 

Love to Hate Mumbai

I have loved so much about my summer here. I really have. But there is so much here that is insane. So as I prepare to leave Mumbai, here's my Love/Hate list. First, that hate:

1. Traffic (and transportation in general). I think it’s pretty clear at this point that I am extremely impatient when it comes to Mumbai traffic. It takes forever to get anywhere. Last weekend, I attempted to go exploring on Saturday while it was raining. And what usually takes me ten minutes to drive took me thirty minutes, so I just paid the cab driver and walked home. The traffic is unbelievable and the city is bursting at its seams. Tens of millions of people driving in this small space does not work, even though everyone does somehow manage to make it work. Once the monsoons started, the traffic became not just unmanageable but unbearable. No one can make me leave the house and get in a car to go somewhere during the monsoon. I have developed some bad backseat road rage, and it is embarrassing, but it is such a waste of time to sit in a car and do nothing. 
2. Luxury. So honestly, this is something people might find that they love about Mumbai. And I often find myself thinking, "Why wouldn't you live like this is you could?" I have visited ridiculously luxurious flats that are two stories high with amazing art and interior design. Some of these fancy places cost as much as $9 million. But the division of wealth is so extreme. People are driving you places, maids waiting on you 24-7,  someone doing your laundry and ironing your clothes. But honestly, I hate it. I hate that I feel awful for having them do stuff for me. I hate that I am not able to walk into the kitchen when I want to in order to do something for myself. I hate that I cannot wash my own clothes without the maids yelling. When I go to a restaurant for dinner, the cook in our house gets offended, and when I try to help the maid make my bed or change the sheets, she also yells at me and gets offended. Arnav always says, “Hannah, they came here and asked for work,” or “It’s just how India works.” I get so conflicted, but in the end I would just rather do without. And who knows how they feel about it. I haven’t asked them yet and probably never will. However, I did get invited to their villages. Maybe that will be my next trip. 

3. Little privacy: Most visitors hate India because they feel like there is no privacy. Mumbai takes that up a notch—there is like no privacy here. Everything is so crowded and claustrophobic. On the other hand, I am impressed by how people operate here and am fascinated by everyone’s patience with living on top of each other. This is the reason that my favorite part of the day is a cab ride and a trip to the park, because I can feel a little less crowded there.

4. Poor v. Rich. Slums surround the three massive buildings of $9 million flats. The blue tarp as roofs and the leftover billboards on top of the blue tarp. Kids playing cricket with a stick. And so it goes. You walk on to one of the many balconies in the nice apartments and see the slums everywhere. Then there's the sea. Beautiful view? That’s up for you to decide. But driving out of the apartment’s parking garage in an Audi, with a driver in the front seat, and then some malnourished kid starts begging at your window, is hard to digest.

5. America is just like India. The most tragic realization of them all: America is like India, maybe on a smaller scale, but it’s there. We, the fortunate classes, live our lives trying to make it the best it can be. Rarely do we venture to the parts of town where drugs and gunshots flow. Of course one thing that is different is the U.S.’s legal system, which ensures that abuse and child labor aren’t taking place in homes across the country. We also have a different attitude toward charity and have respect for those who donate and/or volunteer. But we still have our problems. 

6. Western World: I can get everything in Mumbai that I can get in the States. Sometimes I feel like I am not in India. I like the adventure and the experience of living without all of this Western materialism. I like immersing myself in the Indian culture but it is hard to do that when I feel like I am basically living how I live in the States.

Why I love Mumbai:

1. Western World: I might hate Mumbai because of it, but I also love Mumbai because of it. It’s fun to be able to get California Pizza Kitchen, or Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks. While in Guwahati I would often miss things like salads, American food, watching an American movie in a theatre, and the list goes on. But here you can get any of this no problem. Some of the western food is actually better than it is in the States.
2. Diversity: Mumbai has people from everywhere in India. Every single state is represented and the culture of every part of India is represented. You can get incredible clothing and food from every region imaginable. You can meet amazing people who come from every walk of life. 

   

   My favorite street food: paneer rolls.
   

   

   Cafe Madras: a historic southern Indian breakfast restaurant.
   

   

   Idli: A famous southern Indian breakfast.

   
   
   

   
   
3. The Sea: I love the ocean here. Although it might be brown and filled with garbage, it makes the city seem more relaxed. I often take long walks along Marine Drive and sit at the park to enjoy the wind and the sea.
   

   

   Marine Drive

   

   Marine Drive

                                    
4. I Do Not Stand Out Here: There are many foreigners living in Mumbai so I do not get as many stares, or people taking photos of me, or people asking if my blue eyes are real. Of course, in India people stare a lot anyway but it is not like what it was in Guwahati at all. Walking around at night with friends is no big deal and no one is shocked when I walk into a restaurant or a store.
5. Bollywood: I love Bollywood and the music and the culture is everywhere in Mumbai. All I listen to is Bollywood music and I really enjoy dancing with Arnav’s friends and family.

1. Things to see: There are so many things to see in this city. It's never ending. All types of religious and historic sties, the newest real estate hot spots to the old and historic homes. I am constantly amazed at how big this city is and how much Mumbai is expanding. 

Things to see: Spending time with one of the many statues in Mumbai (this one was built in 1890). 

Old british buildings all around the city.

                                    

 As my time in Mumbai comes to an end, I have had an amazing time seeing this side of India. Although the city might be too big for me, I have made great friends and have really enjoyed seeing what life is like in the Indian corporate world.

Sending love-hate relationships from India,

Hannah Dobie