My First Week

Sanganeri Gate - cycle rickshaws line the streets
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Most of you will know that I’ve already put up 3 blogs on Facebook, but I’ve decided to upgrade my blogs to this real travel blog site. Bianca uses this site and it’s pretty, and I like pretty. I’ll just quickly run through everything from my first week here.

As soon as I walked out of Delhi airport, I was greeted by a smell; and not a nice smell either. The funny thing is after a while you become accustomed to it, and at times I’m even grateful that I don’t have to worry about body odour or being clean because all the smells in India mask any personal need for deodorant! After paying for a pre-paid taxi outside the airport, I was escorted to a taxi by a man whose job I think it was to escort people to taxis. As he was closing the taxi door, he asked for a tip. I handed him a 20 rupee note, and he brushed it aside and said ‘no, give me a green note’, which was a 100 rupee bill. I was so unsure of what to do! I felt like 100 rupees was so much to tip and I didn’t want to get ripped off my some guy who might’ve made his living merely by guilt-tripping foreigners into tipping him. He ended up getting so frustrated with me he just closed the door without taking any tip :P I hope I didn't offend him!

Every time I walk out onto the street there is something interesting to observe

An elephant!
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The taxi-ride to Bikaner house (where I was to take a bus to Jaipur) was most definitely an experience. My first time on the roads in India was utterly chaotic! The first thing you notice is the lack of adherence of any sort to road rules. Lane markings don’t seem to be followed at all, I don’t think I saw a single traffic light during my 30minute trip, drivers turn without looking, motorbikes are constantly weaving in and out of traffic, and there are so many potholes that no amount of suspension would be sufficient. Now, after having been here for a week, I’m used to the chaos of the roads. I’ve also learnt that the trick to crossing the road is not to look, just walk, and trust that no-one will run you over on purpose. Rickshaw rides are such a novelty for me. Although they have zero suspension and some of the drivers are extremely reckless, coupled with the fact that Indian roads are really dodgy, riding in a rickshaw is like playing extreme corners – you can get thrown off your seat, side to side (and if you’re tall your head often hits the roof – although I don’t have this problem!) Riding in the back of a rickshaw is an even better experience! It’s like sitting right at the edge of the back of a ute and you’re facing the traffic behind with your legs dangling over the edge. Except it’s a little awkward when you get to an intersection and the cars behind the rickshaw are so close and people inside are staring because we’re foreigners. And you’ve got to be careful that you’re not thrown off the rickshaw when it hits a pothole and jolts!

The chaos of Bapu Bazaar
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I find it funny that you can do so much reading on India and what to expect, and yet still be surprised by so many things here. It might sound silly, but for me, one of the first things that shocked me was the fact that they don’t use toilet paper here. I’d read somewhere that it was considered rude to eat with your left hand. Now I know why. The left hand serves the purpose that toilet paper does at home. Gross. So now I have to carry a role of toilet paper with me everywhere! Another thing that shocked me was the shower, or lack thereof. My first night, I did a home-stay at Ishan’s house (he was the AIESECer who picked me up from the bus stop). I had mentioned the night before that I’d like to take a shower in the morning. When I stepped into the bathroom, I only saw two buckets of warm water and no shower head! You can imagine my elation when I moved into my trainee house and found out that it had a real shower!

Bianca, Me, and Carmen
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Every time I walk out onto the street there is something interesting to observe. Sometimes they are fascinating, and at other times they are slightly disturbing. There are many cows on the roads, and camels and horses too. I’ve also seen elephants on the street! Many people who travel to India say that the poverty is very evident and confronting. It is hard not to notice the beggars on the street, or the children who walk around wearing only a rag. We’ve had children follow us down the whole street, almost stepping on our heels, begging for money. It’s heartbreaking to see them so desperate but you know that if you give them anything they will just come back for more, or even more children will bombard you asking for money. Another thing I’ve noticed is their openness about bodily functions. The first thing I saw stepping off the bus was an old man peeing on a wall. They don’t mind if it is a busy street either, if they need to go they will go! Men (and women too!) will also burp out loud as if it is entirely socially acceptable. I even saw a man walk out of his house onto the street, blow his nose into this hand, and flick it out onto the road. Spitting is also very common and I’ve learnt to watch out!

A typical Indian intersection
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What’s great about India is that everything is so cheap! A taxi ride which would cost $50 at home costs about 50 rupees by rickshaw (about $1.50!). The other day I went to the supermarket, and bought a kurta (a traditional top), a blanket, toothpaste, body wash and moisturiser and mandarins and it all came in at under $20! Eating out is also amazingly cheap which is fantastic because I love sampling all the food here. The only bad thing about things being so cheap is that I’ve now completely lost the little self-control I possess when it comes to shopping! Four of us girls went to Bapu Bazaar on Sunday to do a little shopping. It didn’t stop at just a little…. I bought about ten scarves in total (not all for me though! 5 as souvenirs – I swear!), pants, key-rings…and I plan on going back for more!

The colourful offerings of Bapu Bazaar
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It’s hard since Bianca and Carmen (other trainees I’m staying with) have already been here for a month or two and so they’ve bought so much and I’m constantly seeing the things they’ve bought and wanting to buy some too! The other trainees are the loveliest people, and they’ve helped me so much in getting accustomed to life here in Jaipur. Bianca is from Adelaide, and works at the same NGO as me, Carmen is from NZ (although she’s going home next week which is sad!), Martin is from Austria, Taichi is from Japan, and Cihan (who left on Wednesday) was from Turkey. The house we are staying at is so warm and homely, with delicious home-cooked meals and a beautiful roof-top with a swing-seat where we can sit, drink tea and chat at night.

Although I’ve been shocked at so many things here, I’m loving it and really enjoying experiencing something new every day. I can’t wait to see what the next two months bring!