Jaipur: Auto Rickshaw Tour

On the morning of Sunday 9th February it was wet. All the time we were at the Narain Niwas Hotel there were these two guys at the entrance with their auto-rickshaw (“tuk-tuk”). It was impossible to leave the hotel without them trying to sell you their services. Given the bad weather we took pity on them and negotiated a price for a tour of the city.

We must have mentioned buying an umbrella since we were taken to an umbrella shop where they insisted that we wait outside while they brought various models out to us. A small crowd gathered in the street to asseess the advantages and disadvantages of each umbrella that we were shown. The one we finally purchased was incredibly complex in its arrangement of spokes. I’m sure it would have withstood monsoon rainfall but it was rather heavy!

Photo Gallery: wet Jaipur streets…

They also took us to an upstairs room where rows of boys were sitting cross legged painting intricate water colours. They were rather strange but we purchased a couple. I’m sure that the rickshaw guys would have benefitted from our purchases both of the paintings and the umbrella. However, at the end of the tour they wanted more payment than we had previously agreed so the trip ended in a somewhat sad, unsatisfactory way.

I’m not sure whether it was on the rickshaw trip or the bus tour the previous day that we visited the terrace of the Nawab Saheb Ki Haveli in the Tripolia Bazaar. We have tickets from there and I think that must have been where we took photos looking down at a street with camel drawn carts passing. Nor can I recognise where these photos of colourful saris were taken, but the colours are typical of Rajasthan so I’m assuming they must have been in Jaipur.

Photo Gallery: Jaipur street and colourful saris…