"It's a very nice bus."

Night time traffic

We spent two days in Delhi; after getting over the initial shock of heat, people, traffic, and general chaos, we were able to appreciate the city a bit. Our highlight was visiting the National Museum; it gave a great overview of the subcontinent's 5,000 year history. Our other highlight was visiting Humayan's Tomb, where we were able to find some shade and a quiet spot within the grounds.

We planned on going to the train station to buy tickets for Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Unfortunately, after sitting in traffic for an hour and a half to cross the city, it was closed. So, we had no choice but to go through a travel agent. He sold us on taking a bus to Jaipur. We asked lots of questions and it seemed like a good deal. "Don't worry, it's a very nice bus," should have been our first indication that something was suspect. 6:30 the next morning the "bus" arrived; it was a man and his SUV. This would've been fine, great even, except that we shared it with another family so we were horribly cramped for 5 hours. Chris rode in the middle seat with no head rest and Alex was on the side with the sun beating down on her.

We then spent the last couple days in Jaipur, "the pink city." It's chaotic but we think much nicer than Delhi. Highlights were Amber Fort, a beautiful palace on the hill that was the former Raja's home; a place nicknamed "the monkey temple" for the many monkeys that reside there; another tomb where we saw a large black cobra slithering through the grass.

Our tuk-tuk in Jaipur...loved the name

And then there was the Ayervedic massage. This was an experience. We arrived for our appointment at 8PM. We entered a room and a sheet was put up to separate us. We were told to change; i.e., strip completely naked. It was certainly disconcerting to lay face-up on a bed while some dude rubbed me down with hot oil. Alex apparently had a lot of stress in her boobs, because that area was worked over a lot.