Dear friends, all streets in Jaipur, like in other parts of India was noisy and crowded, but this is India. Shabby called me “coquettish” princess, who fears to be merged into the daily life. And I felt upset about that.
“Who is afraid to interact with locals?” I shouted him. And leaving my palace for a half of day I went in Jaipur city to see what the locals are doing.
It was early in the morning, and I wanted to have a morning coffee somewhere in the city. I was not expecting to find a 3 stars Michelin coffeeshop (!), but hoping to find a more modest place. After having circulated for more than one hour, my driver Saurab gave up and confessed me that there were not too many places like that.
It was OK for me. In any case, I’m a traveler and the first rule of a traveler is to know to cut down your expectations.
“OK Saurab, I’m also giving up. Take me to a place where you have your breakfast. And we did so. We parked in front of a minibus selling takeaway tea and coffee latte. The vendor was very happy to sell his morning coffee lattes to a tourist like me. Therefore he prepared my order with care: washed many times the pot, and tried to churn the warm milk during five minutes which seemed to me as an eternity. But the result was delicious!
Then we strolled in the streets of Jaipur, in the market place where each narrow street was specialized at selling something. Some streets were full of dried fruit vendors, then were beginning the vendors of stones, then bangles, then sarees, then toys, then and then….It was early in the morning and the shop owners were just opening their stores. Most of them were lighthing incenses at the entrance of their shops to have a profitable business day most probably.
The shopping day finished early,and I returned back to the real India, ie, palaces, forts… and the tales from the past… like the famous Amer Fort perched on the hill of Jaipur
And the famous (and poor!) elephants transporting the tourists to the Amer Fort….
After an exhaustive journey,elephants at the entrance of Amer Fort…
Shabby In My Bag 