Jaipur

having paid our respects to the Taj Mahal and thus dulfilling the one mandatory part of our trip, we were off to jaipur on another long and hot and crowded busride, which Janet managed well thanks to some special meds my dad brought from Spain. we have decided that Jaipur, the so-called Pink City is actually more of an ochre or terra-cotta color. My father has especially enjoyed the covered arcades and the orderly street grids in the old city (so uncommon in this country). A visit to the City Palace taught us about all the glorious Maharajas that have ruled this region, courtesy of an audio-guide included in the 300 rupee admission fee. Particular emphasis was given to the maharajas prowess in polo. For some reason my dad was craving non-Indian food, and since our team was feeling some general home-sickness, we induldged in a visit to McDonald's, were Janet ordered a McMaharaja Mac - the Indian equivilent of the Big Mac, sans the beef obviously (they used spiced chicken patties instead). the fries were exactly the same. While within the shelter of the AC eatery a sudden monsoon like downpour drenched the city, leaving everything muggy and stinky. Tomorrow we are giving up on the sweltering lowlands and fleeing towards the promise of cooler weather in the northern Himalayan foothills. we'll say hi to the Dalai lama if we see him.