We have both had a nasty cold for the last few weeks, which doesnt seem to be going away due to the pollution problems. So we are going through a bit of a despression about India, as it is hard to see all the positive things when our noses are pounding, and we are blowing out black stuff. Every time we leave our guesthouse there are horrible car fumes and dusk that is permantely around. Natalie has taken to wearing a head scarf and covering her face (looking like a Muslim women) just to filter out some of the dust. So now we are trying to arrange the remaining part of our trip that minimises our time in the larger cities. Yet this is hard as most of the great sights are in the larger cities.
In Indian towns there are two main means of getting around (other than walking). There are auto-rickshaws which are like the Thai tuk-tuks, and then there are cycle rickshaws. The auto ones are much faster, but after our little grumble about pollution we have since converted to the cycle ones. We feel a bit sorry for the poor man pulling us along on a rickety old bike without gears, but its a great environmentally friendly means to travel.
On the back of a rickshaw
(an autorickshaw ahead on the left, and a cycle rickshaw ahead on the right)
One thing that Jaipur is famous for is the Juntar Mantar, which is a type of observatory that has a collection of sun dials and other instruments that utilise shadows to pin-point the current time, suns position, longitute and latitude, etc. It dates back to the 18th century, so was pretty fascinating for the science-inclined tourist.
The largest sun-dial in the world
Jaipur is also known for its famous Hindu cinema. While we were in Jaipur we were told all about the latest releases of Bollywood movies. But unfortunately there were no English sub-titles so we decided not to go along. The cinema itself is also pretty famous for its lobby and exterior which looks a bit like a giant meringue.
A famous Hindu cinema
It is pretty amazing that today is the 22nd of December and Christmas is in 3 days. We have not seen a single christmas tree or heard a carol the whole time in India, and it has been fantastic. We both hate that pre-Christmas build up in New Zealand, along with all the stress associated with it, so we are glad we timed our return in the new year.
For those who are interested in our plans, Nat is coming back to Ak in mid-Jan, whereas Nick will be returning in mid-Feb as he has taken up a 1 month contract with his former employees in Aus (a way to replenish the funds after not working for a year).
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