Rickshaw Day

Me and Saleem


I woke up this morning feeling like I had been getting a thorough beating all night long. Every inch of me ached and the worlds seemed to spin around me when I sat up in bed. The rickshaw sent came at 10am with his brother who introduced himself as Salim and will apparently be my guide for the next week. We spent the day driving around from palace to palace but to tell you the truth, my favorite parts were just driving and spending time with shop keepers. It was a great experience to be so immersed in the culture and the city itself is incredibly magical. Jaipur is unlike anywhere I have been in India. The drivers are even worse then Delhi and that’s saying something! Driving down the street is both thrilling and fascinating. As we jerked and leaped through the pink city, we swerved around plodding camels effortlessly pulling carts, piled high with wood, fruit, grain and other necessities that were on their way to market. As we passed lazy eyed elephants and ancient fortresses that were doubtlessly once how to some great maharajas of old, I simply soaked it all in, in stunned aw. Colorfully dressed men garbed in robes with bright turbans on top my head grinned and waved as we drove past and for the first time since I have been here, I felt beautiful. The palaces are amazing but my favorite part of the day came toward noon when Salim took me to his "cousins" carpet shop and we sat for a while talking. I ended up spending on 700 R's on something I really didn't want but it was worth it. God it is so hard to write since I have come here, my motivation is plummeting day by day and the quality.... well I am glade no one is grading this! Anyways, I feel like I am getting to know India a little better now that I have been traveling alone. Salim seems to be more of a modern Muslim guy, not like the Pakistani pen pals I have had in the past. I am not sure which is better. On one hand you have some sense of respect and traditions, on the other, modern Muslims are less hostile and more open to the West but they loose some of their original dignity and self respect. I am not sure how to describe it exactly. Salim is not a sleazy guy but his values are quit a lot different then I would have expected. I would say he is a businessman, not to greedy but defiantly aiming to come out on top. I do not think he has a whole lot of reservations on some things that most Muslims do if you know what I mean, but he is not pushy and I appreciate his logical thinking. I trust him on a basic level-as in; I don't think he will kill me. Smooth talking and confident, he is a descent guide and I am glade it was him. Anyways, I got to see how the cloths were dyed and how they run their business. If you ever get the chance, spend some time just hanging out with the people. I loved it. Green Textiles was the company name and I liked the oldest son-slick and businesses minded much like Salim but with less of a "cool" streak. On our way back to the Hotel Pearl Palace (which is an EXCELLENT hotel for the price) we were hit by a motorcycle, swerved around a rickshaw and promptly slammed into a TA TA fruit truck.