26 March 08: Errands in Jaipur

Vinod has been reading my blog, while looking after his older kid who came down with something and was up all night. Again! Reminds me of Mittal's joke soon after the birth of Vinod's first kid: What is the parenting book Vinod and Ujjwala should read? Hint: it is a collaboration between LaPierre, Collins and Rushdie. Freedom from Children at Midnight!

Ellen and John, the youngish couple from St. Louis, had to replace the camera they bought specially for the trip. It was stolen before they even reached Jaipur. I'm glad I didn't bother with a camera. When I'd asked Vinod if he wanted photos-shotos on the blog he'd said, “No, just write to me what is going on. Besides, there is not a single perspective of any part of Rajasthan at any time of day that has not already been photographed and posted.”. Good point.

After dropping John and Ellen at a camera shop I was going to run errands in the afternoon, preparing for tomorrow's trip. Salim was to take the others touristing to where-ever was on their schedule. Instead of going with the group, Susan offered to come along with me, I don't know if it was OK, but I was caught by surprise and recalling Vinod's Second Law of Tourism (Keep the Tourists happy.) I said “Yes.”.

So it all took longer since I had to explain everything we were seeing to Susan, who was very curious about everything. For example, “Why is that man walking around naked with a broom?”. “Well, why not, anybody can walk around with a broom.”. OK, in case Vinod is getting worried, I didn't leave it at that, I did explain about the Digamber Jains etc. Though you would expect to see them in Jaisalmer, not here. Maybe he was on his way to catch a flight there.

At one point we heard a deep staccato and traced it to a butcher shop with fly-covered, skinned animal carcasses hanging on hooks at the entrance. I helpfully explained to her that a butcher was chopping up meat, perhaps for a Jaipuri version of dalcha, the dal and minced meat dish they serve at Tawaa. Susan confessed that she had never seen meat being chopped like this before. Neither had I, up until then, but I didn't say anything, it wouldn't do to shake the tourists' faith in their all-knowing guide. 

Normally if I am running errands like this, between one place and another I can just take the time to look around. Of course, today I couldn't do that. Plus, I had to walk slower. Americans can't seem to walk in a crowd, they either just stay on their course like an ice-breaker or slow down to let people get out of the way instead of just nipping in and out, they seem to need more clearance and what I would consider little bumps and brush-byes seem to affect them, they keep apologizing as if anybody cared or understood. Also, I am not really used to being stared at like this, I've never walked around in Jaipur with a girl, let alone a firang! Pune, of course, is different. All these lafangas were kind of giving me knowing looks or staring hard at her, and at least in the shops I had to enter I pretended to ignore her as if she wasn't really with me.

BTW, Vinod, before you decide to complain about my taking your tourists on un-authorized tours of Jaipur, since Susan helped me carry the bags, I saved you Rs 40 in riksha fare!