Jaipur – Welcome to Rajasthan

Hotel Abhinandan, Banasthali Marg, Jaipur, 100 Rs

After staying in Delhi for about two weeks without doing much sightseeing and scrumbled by the bureaucracy, now I think it;s time to move. Tomorrow is the Diwali festival throughout India, and I wish to witness some celebration in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state.

I arrived quite early to the Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT), New Delhi, before dragged by the touts to their agent to purchase the ticket of a private bus to Jaipur. They told me the bus was going to depart at 9, just few minutes to go. And the ticket was 260 Rs. They said that the government bus would cost me 220 Rs. OK, now is festival day, I imagined that the government bus would be really crowded and slow, so I
took this private bus, and insisted them to depart ASAP.

One lesson, never pay before the bus really moves. I had to wait from 9 until 12, before then I was throwed away to another agency to take this luxurious bus. The bus itself is comfortable, but it is also crowded. And it also stopped everywhere to pick up passengers. And I had to arrive in Jaipur quite late in the day, dark enough that it was difficult for me to find a hotel.

The hotels in this city are expensive, most are beyond 200 Rs, which is out of my budget. Some hotels simply refuse foreigners. After struggle, at last I found this cheap 100 Rs hotel, with dark room and thin bed. Also problem with the water. But I was so tired, exhausted, and angered today. So I just took this room. The Internet nearby is also very expensive, 50 Rs/hour. I heard it was 15 (fifteen) instead of fifty. Ripped off.

But I am sure that tomorrow will be a nice day that I can witness the friendliness (hopefully) of Rajasthan.