Jaipur to Delhi

The makeup of this post in my mind has changed a few times since I've last been able to sit down to a computer.

If someone put up "Honk If Your Horny" signs all over India, this would be a nation full of Wilt Chamberlains.

Back in reality: Because the AC wasn't working one day in Delhi (I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy; in that room anyway), I got a discount. More accurately, I asked for a discount. They also charged me less than the orginial price they quoted me, a rare occurance in India.

I made it onto the train to Jaipur, no problem. At one point a few of us were piled on each other. A nice 23 year old guy, Arun, invited me to the upper bunk for lunch. He shared this wonderful potato dish with me. Unfortuantely, it went through me, and I had a tough train ride bladder-wise. But I hardly noticed. I had a nice talk with Arun. Then there was a family with a couple of little girls and a baby. We kept smiling and playing. Life was great. Arun let me borrow his phone so I could call the hotel in Jaipur to pick me up for free. The driver asked me if I was Muslim because of my beard. I said no, but a lot of people think that. We then introduced ourselves, shook hands, and he touched his right hand to his heart and then kissed it. I've always thought that tradition was very touching.

The hotel room is so nice (relatively speaking). I feel like a king for under $20. I unleashed my badder flurry, showered, and was on top of the world. Then, I went searching for dinner.

Three guys on a motorbike stopped in front of me. They were disheveled. "Why are tourists so mean?" they wondered aloud. One guy's friend just wanted to learn about art. He was wondering why a Swastika, that is good luck in India, is so bad in the West. I explained. They offered to get a drink with me. One guy with a pony tail said that it was too cloudy and wanted to get off the street. That struck me as odd. I was hesistant, but figured I'd go for it. We sat in the bar and the pony tailed man suggested we sit in a private room. Two more guys came. It was supposed to be one of their niece's wedding tomorrow and they invited me. I thought it odd to invite a stranger to your friend's niece's wedding. They peppered me with bad jokes. They offered to take me to the monkey temple. They rambled on and on. They weren't too interested in what I had to say.

I was dropped off near the hotel and went searching for a drink. I had it in my mind to ask the receptionist if this was on the up and up. A rickshaw driver named Muhammad approached me. I was slightly annoyed. He started talking and I decided to humor him. It was then that he explained that they were big scam artists. I thanked Muhammad. I confirmed it with the hotel manager. The manager told me absolute horror stories. People losing lots of their money. People being holed up in the scam artists' homes. He said that they are very tricky, so they haven't been caught. Plus, the legal system is very slow.

I was skeptical, but I must admit, I was duped to a point. If you're in Jaipur, be careful. And as a result, I haven't eaten since Arun offered me some of his lunch.