In the morning, we discovered that the year in the Hindu lunar calendar was 56.7 years ahead of the typical calendar. It was developed by King Vikramaditya in 57 BCE, and it is popular in Nepal and parts of India.
Lewis and I stretched awake and explored the "Zen roof", which gave a lovely view of the cityscape.
While Lewis enjoyed the treadmill (alongside bottled water and a platter of bananas offered by the gym trainer), I sat down to breakfast. The maître d’ recognized me, and vice versa--thanks to his groomed beard/mustache like this...
A smiley waiter ground/foamed my coffee order. Instead of me waiting by their excellent machine, he politely insisted that I wait to have it presented at my table.
Accepting the warmed cup/saucer, I thanked him. "Of course," he replied with sweet correctness.
It was a tremendous breakfast: loads of fruit, delectable "baked yogurt" with pine nuts, made-to-order omelets, chicken sausages, roasted tomatoes, savory brioche, sweetened lime juice, tomato juice, watermelon juice, cereal, porridge, and fresh-baked honeyed pastry dusted with pistachio.
The hotel courtyard was our embarkation point. We boarded the bus and commenced the five-hour journey to the desert region of Rajasthan, to see the famous City of Jaipur.
We stopped beside the Autab Minar Victory Tower, the world's highest brick minaret. The structure began in 1192, with three more segments added shortly after. Lighting struck it in 1369 and knocked off a level. It was repaired and included a fifth level. When the British ruled India, lightening struck again, ruining the top layer, but they restored it.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It amazed us that scooter riders didn't use helmets or shoes to protect their eyes/toes from pebbles, insects, scrapes, or dust. The gods and deities must protect the riders!
Along the way, we saw plenty of cows commandeering the roads, since they are sacred animals--not to be disturbed.
We also saw too much litter strewn along the streets, and men urinating in public--even on the road divider!
(He actually crossed traffic, leapt over the railing, and peed between road barriers... ignoring passing and pausing vehicles).
Seen along the highways: soda shacks...
...people hailing ride-sharing "unofficial taxis",
...broom-swept toll booths,
...and high-rise developments in the dusty horizon.
India's shantytowns cover swaths of land like rusty moss...
while juxtaposed with massive office towers owned by banks.
while juxtaposed with massive office towers owned by banks.
That is similar to America, where slums are near huge financial towers and luxury hi-rises that prove the disparity of wealth.
Perhaps because of India's dusty highways, most trucks are colored brown. A drab shade of brown. In contrast, the fronts of trucks are colorfully decorated "to ward off bad luck" and make the environment more cheery for drivers who literally live there.
To accommodate such drivers, "extremely small" businesses operated along the roadside: barbers and laundresses. Seen below, a "barbershop" merely involved a mirror hanging on a public fence, one chair, a bench for waiting customers, and a cloth tarp over it.
We also noticed young muscled shirtless men loitering near the Truck Stops. We thought they were waiting to be hired for tasks, such as washing or unloading. We discovered that they hope to be hired as prostitutes by weary truck drivers.
Last month, homosexuality was legalized in India. Since the colonial era, it was a criminal offense that was punishable by 10 years in prison. Before that, it was widespread and depicted in artwork... but condemned by Hinduism.
We arrived in glorious Jaipur: a walled city founded in 1727 by a monarch named Sawai Jai Singh II. It was the first "planned city" in India, and it was named for him. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it's an exemplary development in civic planning; its entirety was designed at once, instead of the medieval style of "organic" growth. Jai Singh became the ruler of the Kingdom of Amber at age 11, and in 1723 (at age 35), he became the Maharaja. Eventually, he broke free of the Mughal overlords, and he focused on his love of math, architecture, and astrology. Those pursuits are evident in his city today.
Providing a consistent street-view facade, stucco buildings lined wide, airy boulevards. It was nicknamed "the Pink City" after it was painted that color in 1876 to welcome England's Prince of Wales. His mother was the Empress of India...
...and he would be its next Emperor. The color faded to a pretty hue, as seen below on one of the gates in the city wall.
Jimmy pointed out that some men dye their hair a similar color.
The Rajasthan area is where Alexander the Great invaded India in 327 BCE, and he overcame battles against two smaller kingdoms in Taxila (a hub of the famous Silk Road trading route to China) and Punjab. His military campaign exceeded previous attempts by the Persian Empire, and he established a city named Alexandria in modern-day Pakistan. When they faced the colossal army of the Nandan Empire, his troops became mutinous and forced him to retreat back to Greece.
We checked in to The Four Points by Sheraton, which is a 5-star hotel. Lobby staff greeted us with trays of citrus drinks.
Full of lovely accommodations, the hotel proudly adorns its lobby with the universally-known "good luck" symbol, seen below.
Full of lovely accommodations, the hotel proudly adorns its lobby with the universally-known "good luck" symbol, seen below.
The Nazis perverted its meaning as a Swastika, but ancient cultures continue to use it in its proper form. In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, it means "well-being". Also used by Buddhists, Hindus, Celtics, Greeks, Slavs, Japanese, the Neolithic Vinca culture 7,000 years ago, and nearly every culture in the world--even Coca Cola issued pendants with it--the symbol was even used by American military units in WWI until 1939. *As seen below, we saw the emblem several more times.
From the hotel's pool deck, there were great views of the city. I predicted that sunrises would look amazing from that position!
We admired the same-sex advertisements in the hotel, which promoted gay couples enjoying its facilities.
We still don't see that type of openness in the USA, despite it being a so-called "Land of the Free" and "Land of Equal Opportunity." Have you seen that on an American commercial?
After we refreshed ourselves, Jimmy took us to the busy Bapu Bazaar. It's one of the most vibrant shopping areas, full of small-scale purveyors. By then, he noticed that Lewis and I opted for all of the Additional Excursions, asked him frequent questions, and had a willingness to taste cultural recipes. We complimented Jimmy's candor about life in India, and he admired our affable American charm.
After the obligatory warnings of caution, Jimmy set us free to wander through the hectic rows of retail stalls. Covered under a promenade, its T-intesection stretches quite far.
The rituals of purchases at a bazaar might seem bizarre, but haggling is essential. Lewis and I joined a wealthy couple from Narragansett, Rhode Island, who were "experienced" bargainers. We watched them whittle down the stated price by 60%--walking away, if needed. We noticed that shop owners employed facially-cute boys as "scouts" to lure shoppers.
As if on a "rotation system", each boy followed prospective buyers who left their shop to find better prices elsewhere. The boys followed and observed silently (as if it were a local law not to interrupt another shop's offer). If the shoppers didn't buy anything, they approached again and expressed their boss' newly-reduced price. If still not satisfactory, the shoppers moved away again, the "scout" conferred with his boss and got a new price, and they rejoined. That social custom is part of India's cultural framework, and that back-and-forth "dance" works to a buyer's advantage.
Haggling is an expected ritual in bazaar shopping. The shopkeeper offers an initial price that is too high. Only ignorant tourists accept it. Everyone else knows the prospective buyer will make a counter-offer. The shopkeeper will use flattery, claim that the item was made with blood/sweat/tears et cetera, and then lower the price--stating that it's his final offer (which it isn't). The buyer will continue the charade/"dance" by leaving and looking elsewhere. Either the shopkeeper or the boy he assigns to that customer will follow and try to lure them back with lower--and lower--prices. Persistent ones might snag a buyer; stubborn ones do not.
Helping our group cross the street--full of zig-zagging traffic--to the bus, some teenage peddlers wanted to redeem their "good deed" by asking Jimmy to promote their wares. Some members of our group participated. Please watch the video below and turn the sound on (that's Lewis laughing in background)...
Invigorated from our expedition, we returned to the hotel for a zesty dinner.
That night, our bedtime was early because we wanted a bright awakening during the sunrise.
During our dinner conversation with members of our group, the woman from Rhode Island admitted that she was finally "adventuring around the world". She admitted that she was inspired by her brother, who was a longtime scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts. When she heard about my many years as a Scout, she said, "I'm not surprised. You have the values and demeanor like my brother: upright, pleasant, curious about the world, and accepting." *To see my adventures as a Scout, please use this link:
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