Jaipur

After spending 1 night in Agra it was now time to get my first public bus in India! To be quite honest I am genuinely surprised the bus even made it to Jaipur! It was around a 5 hour bus ride then when we reached the station it was then another 20 minute tuktuk ride to our hotel, which was by far one of the nicest hotels I’ve stayed in so far in India! 

We had lunch at the hotel restaurant then set of to the centre of Jaipur to explore. It already had a different feel to it compared to Delhi, less polluted but still lots of traffic! We walked through the main market (where I managed to quickly buy a T-shirt for £3!) and to the Red Fort which is apparently the 2nd most photographed building in India. We went in to the bakery and sampled some of the local food - a samosa of course! 

As the sun set we headed uphill via tuk tuk to the Amber Fort which overlooks an artificial lake in Jaipur. The Fort is often used as a film set for Bollywood movies and was really impressive (not as much as the Taj Mahal!) It was a steep climb to get to the Fort but the view from the top was beautiful as the lights had come on over the city. We spent the evening wondering around the Fort before heading back to the hotel. 

The next day some of us headed out to explore again but this time there was shopping involved! We visited a shop which specialises in fabric printing and we got to have a go at printing ourselves! I of course did buy more things - 3 pairs of trousers for £2.70. Absolute bargain, even if they do fall apart in the wash! In the afternoon we went to watch a Bollywood movie which was a rather strange experience - if you ever get the opportunity then I’d go just for a laugh! The film was 3 hours long with an interval and was all in Hindu - throughout the movie the audience was cheering and singing! Very different from any cinema in England. 

In the evening it was time to celebrate as it was New Year’s Eve!! Spending New Year in a different country is always fun but my New Year in India was like no other! We went to a hotel where we had food, live music, fireworks and there was a club and free bar! It was a really good evening - we were all so welcomed by locals with them teaching us dances! A fab way to start 2019.