Friday 15th Feb - Day 12

Woke up this morning and had a warm shower. When I say shower, what I mean is, Indian bathrooms tend to have like a wet room. You fill up a bucket with warm water and have a plastic jug to douse yourself with the water. It's as good as a shower, almost. The night was a little cold I could have done with an extra blanket. I've got one for tonight. We're in the Pink City - Jaipur. A six hour drive from Delhi last night got us here around 9pm. I order food; it's takeaway really. We all tuck in. If only I could buy a meal for four people for 3 pounds in England.

The 'pink city' seems to have a lot of buildings that are painted pink - or a version of pink anyway. Jaipur is in the state of Rajasthan. This is a huge state. We could spend days and weeks looking around if we had the time. The weather is a little warmer here too. I think we're close to 30 degrees centigrade. The city is a mixture of ancient buildings and new buildings coming up. In the migddle of a lake we see a building that's being renovated. It is reputed to lie deep in the water and was once used as a summer retreat by a Rajah. Summers here can be unbearably hot I understand, I bet he was ok.

We have hired a guide for the day who will be able to show us around the main attractions and save us time. At 250 rupees (about 3 pounds) it's money well spent. We see a couple of interesting temples, the Tiger Fort, Amber Fort and visit a few shops too.

When we went to lunch at a restaurant the Driver and Guide had their own dining room to go to. They get free meals for bringing customers to certain restaurants. A similar thing happens when you stay at a hotel. There are special rooms for the drivers. I never new about this before I came to India. Again, something new everyday for me.

Camel Ride

I wanted a ride on an elephant but somehow ended up on top of a camel. The elphant ride will have to wait. Here's me holding on to the saddle praying for it to end :