Amber Fort with quivering stomach

Well worth the trip. Clean air !!
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One day left in Jaipur so I had to make it somehow to the famous 500 year old 'Amber Fort' built on the cliff top 15 Kms out of the city. Unsure whether the medication had kicked in yet and with my stomach still churning, I packed a change of clothes and a toilet roll and caught a local bus which this time was packed with Indians but they very kindly made a space for me in the windscreen next to the driver. I thought, this is not a great situation for the trots to strike at any time - I prayed my insides would hold together.

Great views, no hassle.
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Fortunately they did, and I enjoyed a few hours exploring the terrific rambling hillfort built 1 Km up on top of the mountain overrun with monkeys. As an alternative to walking you could pay for an elephant ride. India is a much nicer place when you escape the city, get up a mountain, find some space and breathe some clean air! As for the city, I can't wait to leave tomorrow morning - heading for a small rural village called Bundi (on Neil McAllister's recommendation). I see no other tourists walking the streets as I do so I accept I am a target but my patience is finished with every type of Indian from slimey characters to school kids walking with me churning out the same list of questions, "which country?", "What's your job?", "You married?", Cheeldren? - i wish they'd just cut the small talk and ask what they really want, normally, come to my shop..., buy these tacky trinkets, take a city tour..., change this eeenglish pounds... I've learned the Hindi for "No thankyou" and "go away" and it's working quite well (far better than the indian shirt idea).  In the sanctuary of the coffee house this afternoon i suddenly remembered my Ipod - why didn't i think of that before ?! So my thanks go to Oasis, Pink Floyd and Prodigy for drowning out at least half of the nerve shattering traffic noise and stalling the touts.

4 days and 2 blogs... now I'm out of here!

Watched most people walk straight past this amazing shaft of (sacred) sunlight!
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City life here is the absolute pits - don't ever come here!!!