On the train from Ranthambhore to Jaipur yesterday, I ran into Jeff, an American I had met on one of my safaris, and his dad, Chuck. 
They were heading to Jaipur as well, and decided to stay in the same hotel as me. When we arrived, we found Lori and Joe from Canada, and Lisa and Mark from Washington D.C., all of whom I’d met in the train station in Agra, where we spent a few hours together waiting for our delayed trains. All seven of us headed out for dinner and drinks last night before Lisa and Mark caught a midnight train.
Our hotel, the Pearl Palace, is a gem, with a cute rooftop bar, artistic decorations, funky furniture, and wi-fi (for a fee). And all for a mere 400 rupees a night (less than $10). Right now I’m camped out in the Internet room on a couch that looks fit for a king (or in this case a queen).
So far I’m liking Jaipur much better than Agra, thanks in large part to the great hotel and my new group of friends. But like all Indian cities (at least in my experience thus far), it is noisy, crowded, hectic and demanding. My patience with Indian cities is starting to wear thin, so it’s a good thing this is my last city before I head to Goa, land of small towns and lazy beaches.
I did have to laugh last night though at a conversation Lori, Joe and I had with our rickshaw driver on the way to dinner. His name was Han, and he was particularly interested in me, since I am single and American. He said he likes to meet American women for drinks and dancing, because they are more “open-minded.” I said, “You mean more willing to sleep with you, right?” To which he replied, “Exactly.” We couldn’t help but laugh, and hey, he gets points for honesty.
I spent this morning exploring what is known as the “pink city,” so named because virtually all of the buildings in the old city 
(a walled-in area that contains the palace and lots of older buildings) are painted a dusty pink. I think I blended in pretty well with my surroundings there, what with the fact that my version of a tan is rather pinkish, and I was definitely coated in a layer of dust after walking around there for a few hours.
Among the more interesting sights of the old city were the city palace, which is both a museum and a living palace that is still inhabited by the royal family (and their red-turbaned guards); 
Jantar Mantar, an unusual observatory filled with giant, bizarre instruments used for calculating time and tracking the positions of the sun and stars; 
and Hawa Mathal, a pink sandstone, honeycomb structure that was built to enable the ladies of the royal household to watch the goings-on of the city without actually stepping out into it.
Unfortunately, as always, the rickshaw drivers, shop owners and beggars wore me down long before I lost interest in the sights. There are so many fascinating things to see here, but it often feels like a monumental effort to do so.
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