Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Caught off Guard by Pretty Things


Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, is known as the Pink City. Stories vary on why the maharajah who founded the city in the early 1700's made its walls pink. Some say because he loved the colour, others say it was to imitate sandstone found in Mogul construction. Either way, it's safe to say it's an architectural novelty for visitors and convenient reminder of where you are at all times.

Upon further research, I've discovered that Jaipur is not only the first planned city (in India) but the placement of its streets, walls, gates, etc. were all devised based on Vastu Shastra (Indian Feng Shui). Perhaps this lends credence to my "vortex of serendipity" claim?



The other thing Jaipur is known for is silver. Even the most ardent girlie-girl-side deniers (such as myself) will eventually squeal in delight at the price of jewelry. And so here we are, drunk on our pretty pink surroundings and discount precious metals, chumming around with our new best friends the silver sellers.
(I call shotgun on the sikh)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Back Home and Ready to Confess


Jains don’t participate in confession. Theirs is a religion of self-reliance and no intermediary such as a priest can help you purge your sins. Instead, Jains perform tapas (acts of self-mortification) to help rid themselves of karma which they believe to be a material substance that sticks to your soul. Popular methods include fasting, sitting out in the sun for long periods and pulling out one’s hair by the fistful!

Not surprisingly, I choose the confessional path. My declartion: I’m home now – have been for almost two weeks.

As for the fate of this blog? Well, I have a notebook full of India observations still begging to be uploaded. Which means I get to continue living out my trip indefinitely even though I’m back in Ottawa (incidentally, this is a helpful technique for reducing reverse-culture shock – a condition I’m currently suffering from severely).

If this admission of delayed reporting disrupts the mystique of my trip account, please forgive me. Besides, since I spent the first two weeks of my trip dumbfounded, pretty much all of my posts were backdated anyway.

Hope you’ll stay tuned for more observations: NOW NEW AND IMPROVED with the benefit of hindsight and a better internet connection.