Namastay pt. 2 - Perspectives in India

March 2, 2020. After a few hours on the bus,  I arrived in Jaipur that evening. Now, this is where my friend lives, so I once again felt more calm that I had someone I was comfortable to fall back on if I needed it. My stop was getting closer, so I texted my friend to ensure that he was picking me up from my bus stop. All was well and I got off the bus, soon to be swarmed by tuktuk drivers. It was interesting to me. As an American, I had only ever seen a tuktuk in movies, and I always thought they were awesome. I had no idea they were literally everywhere in India. Anywhere you go, anywhere you're walking, you're sure to have a tuktuk pull up next to you and ask if you need a ride. As many times as you say no, they'll continue to ask until you want to get a ride just so they'll stop asking.... And I thought I had a lot of perseverance! My friend called and said he will be at my location soon so I waited a few minutes, only to see him pull up on a motorcycle! Now, if you know anything about India, they are infamous for their traffic. Traffic jam after traffic jam, crazy drivers, and horns honking all through the day... And night. I was afraid to ride in a regular car with this traffic, there was absolutely no way I was getting on that bike! My friend pleaded and said everything would be OK, but I just wasn't ready for that experience yet, maybe another day. I called a tuktuk driver and had him take me to the hotel instead. We got to the hotel, checked in, freshened up, and ate, going to sleep after some time. We had to get up early the next day, there was so much to see in Jaipur. 

The next morning, my friend didn't hesitate to start our day right away. A 5am wakeup call. Once again I begged to sleep, but nope, I can sleep when I get back to the States! We freshened up, went outside and once again, I was face to face with this motorcycle. Till this point in my life, I had never even touched a motorcycle. How was I supposed to get on one, in India of all places!? After long minutes of argument back and forth, I found myself putting a helmet on and jumping on the back of the bike. It was wobbly, it was weird, I was so scared and I hated every minute of it. I probably got yelled at about 5 times during a 10 minute ride to "just shut up, you're distracting me". Out of all the things on the road that could distract him, it was my uneasiness that did the trick? We finally arrived to the destination after what felt like forever. My heart was beating fast and I had so much adrenaline from that short ride. Though it was nice and liberating to feel the wind in your face, I have no idea how people have the guts do that on a daily basis. 

Anyways, our destination was Albert Hall. The architecture was beautiful. I was in awe. We spent some time there and in the surrounding area. After this, we came to the conclusion that riding the bike throughout the day probably wouldn't be the best option, so we called a tuktuk man to take a city tour for the next few days. In this span, we visited several places throughout the city- Hawa Mahal, Gatore ki Chhatriyan, the Pink City, the Monkey Temple, Jal Mahal, The Step Well, Nahagarh Fort, Amber Palace, markets, and all. I was simply amazed by everything. I had no words to speak, just so much happiness and new knowledge. It felt incredible. The city, the architecture, the culture, everything was enriched with so much history, beauty, and power. It has been more than 3 months and I still cannot find the words to describe the feelings I experienced those days in Jaipur. I've never fallen in love with another city more in my life. And I had not even seen everything it has to offer! These days were filled with so many beautiful experiences. Feeding the pigeons at Albert Hall, and boy, were there so many. Seeing the beautiful nature around the temples. Touching buildings that were hundreds of years old. Meeting these intimidating monkeys for the first time. Walking around the markets and meeting local people who earn their living wage by selling items on the streets. Having many Indian aunties and children asking me for photos. Everything was absolutely stunning and I was in a whole new world, seeing and experiencing things I never thought I would in my lifetime. But amongst all the happiness I felt at this point, reality had struck as well. This country is so amazingly beautiful, bone chilling even, but there is also a side that is more known, the poverty. How could these people go through so much in their daily lives and still wake up with a smile on their face every day? It was such a positive vibe to be around, and really made me think about how lucky I am to have everything I have in this life, and how privileged I truly am to have grown up in USA. Though I have struggled, the struggles that these people endured made me see a new perspective of life that I will forever cherish. Life is not about how much money you have, what social class you come from, or how much education you have. Life is so much more. It is waking up and getting another day to live. Life is family, life is love, life is happiness and experiences. And anyone can achieve that happiness, no matter the struggles they must go through. You see, it is all about perspective in this life. Sure, someone may have more money and more material items than you, but are they happy? Is that success? Someone may have more school education than you, but do their experiences amount to yours? I learned a lot those days in Jaipur, and have had a new outlook on life since then. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, but I will never forget my time in the beautiful Pink City. Even though my lovely time in Jaipur was up, I was excited because I had 2 destinations planned for the next few days: Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.