The best place to start this update is probably by thanking Jaipur for the weather it put on today. Being in the desert state of Rajasthan temperatures fluctuate massively in this city. So the early morning started off with track pants and thermals (even an occasional beanie was spotted at breakfast), yet by 11am a quick scan of red faces displayed a sense that singlets and jandals would have been a better option.
There are many other reasons to thank Jaipur though. For one it has some rolling hills and natural lakes to admire, it has a great menu courtesy of Atithi Guest House, but most importantly it has collected the biggest misfits of Indian society and thrown them altogether into a city of 4 million. Then add one part Tim Burns, one part B Skeen, and 23 other parts of personalities that display varying levels of insanity, and you have a cocktail for madness! And this is how that cocktail was consumed:
Monday 23 December
8:30am- The leprechaun prances through the rooms playing a tune on his fiddle titled 'Wake Up Hipsters It's Time to Dance' (yes Mr Jordan is a singer-song writer)
8:45am- The breakfast service commences, with many loving a return to quality chocolate banana pancakes and eggs on toast. Due to the cold surroundings breakfast is consumed indoors where the delightful owner makes her way around the room greeting the guests and asking after their welfare (I love this place!)
10:30am- Departure for the Amber Fort kicks into action with nine rickshaws parked up outside, complete with stereos that will ensure our ears won't be able to entertain a conversation at a normally appropriate volume for at least a couple of days time
11am- We arrive at Amber Fort, with several having stop-offs along the way to repair their own dodgy motors and/or to do the humanitarian thing of assisting another broken down motorist. En route the stereos play everything from Bollywood's finest songs, to old school hip-hop and rap, cheesy pop numbers, and the highly prized Justin Beiber classic 'Baby' (strangely the group knew all the words to this track). Upon arrival Mr Jordan informs the Editor that Ben Toogood has turned deeply religious during the ride across town. After their auto rickshaw driver had tried to convince Ben, by looking him directly in the eyes whilst still driving in the unsighted direction, that he was in fact a very good driver, Ben took to reciting the mantra "You are a good driver" continuously to a meditative beat for the final 3 km of the journey
11:15am- The elephant rides commence from the carpark to the entrance gates of the Amber Fort (more about this in the 'Thought of the Day' section)
11:30am- The boys roam the wonders of the Amber Fort, the base that originally was home to the Maharaja rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries when Amber (Amer) itself was the capital of Rajasthan. With free time the boys are able to check up the somewhat secret passage ways and the open gardens that housed the powerful of that time, all the meanwhile taking amazing photos looking out across the ranges that this grand fortification encompassed in its day
12:15pm- A short history of the region and Fort is provided by Mr Skeen to ensure the magnitude of this place, both in terms of social standing and influence, is fully comprehended. The group then proceeds to sit on the second piece of green lawn that they have seen since being in India (the first was at the NZ High Commission). Reuben is even seen doing army rolls across the ground to celebrate this little oasis
1:15pm- As we head back into the city we stop off at the Water Palace to take some photos of this significant landmark. One can't help but imagine the grandeur of this palace that acted as a venue for social gathering and extravagant parties a couple of centuries back
1:30pm- We take an authentic lunch at Khanderwal Pavitra Bhojnalaya. You know it's local when they are surprised to see white faces (again no offence for the generalisation Jin, Jung and Jordan). The Editor orders on everyone's behalf (some aren't too pleased by this), with a constant serving of Thali (100% Vegetarian- paneer, vegetable curry and dahl) being the meal of the hour. The choice proves to be an absolute winner
2:15pm- The boys hit up the Mughal India Crafts and Textiles Store. First there is an explanation of how block printing and embroidery is done in a traditional Indian context, then it is on to the store for chai and bunk buying opportunities. Reilly Hodson is told upon entry to "Close your eyes and open your wallet" by the staff standing at the door. Not surprisingly most of the boys do exactly that, purchasing everything from distasteful tailored shirts (due for delivery tomorrow) to scarves, placemats and duvets. All the meanwhile the Editor sips on his chai. Now, since we are talking about the Editor it is important to dispel the notion that this man is somewhat like Tripathi from Varanasi i.e. clipping the ticket / gaining a commission on the sales the boys are making. To set the record straight, the Editor has never received rupees as an outcome of a high volume of group sales. However . . . what the boys (except J Morreau who witnessed this corruption) won't know until they read this blog is that today two orange pillow cases were 'purchased' by the Editor for his adorable mother, Denise Skeen. Now by 'purchased' we mean that the owner shook the Editor's hand, gave him a big smile and said "thank you for your friendship, this will be 0 rupees for you". As such, can I jump the gun, by thanking the group on behalf of one Denise Skeen for the wonderful gift that the 22 touring boys purchased her; your generosity is greatly appreciated
4pm- After 90 minutes buying up textiles, we finally got into the autos and arrived within 15 minutes at Monkey Temple. Now this place is a real shitter- monkeys sprawl the hillside, acting like aggressive little ninjas, threatening to take out any potential group member who doesn't have his eye on the prize. Thankfully B Skeen re-employs for the third straight time two street kids (Ravi and Ganesh) to escort the group safely up the mountain to a temple that overlooks the beauty of all of Jaipur. But after an hour it is off we go again, next stop Jewellery shopping!
5:30pm- It's time to hit up the Shivam Gems and Jewellery Store. Again the Editor takes chai in the
corner, however a low volume of sales means no 'purchases' for his mother's benefit. Sorry Dee, maybe next time
6:30pm- We finally reach destination base camp. The boys then disperse to shower, blog, pack, play cards and most critically eat. Not surprisingly the pizza and pasta options go down as an absolute treat
9pm- Cal Ross delivers a great speech on the religion of Sikhism. Not an easy task but one that he does particularly well
9:15pm- Debrief commences. The method of sharing tonight involves (for the second time on tour) the boys picking cards from a 'Signposts' collection pack. Each card has an image and a phrase. The boys choose an appropriate card, one that resonates with them, before explaining why they have made that selection. The sharing of choices shifts to discussions of the vibe of Jaipur, animal cruelty, homesickness, etc. With regards to the last of these topics it is a very natural emotion (sense of wanting to be home at this time) to be feeling right now- sometimes immersion is just tough to do
10-11:30pm- The boys hang once again of the roof of the hotel, sipping on cokes, sharing tales of the wild day, and talking about what Christmas Day usually looks like back in NZ
11:30pm- The lights finally go out
So Day 2 in Jaipur is over. The whole experience today was a mixture of insanity and outrageousness. But who is surprised; after all this is Jaipur, the Wonderland of Music and Madness.
Tomorrow the boys will have free time until 12pm, at which point we then turn our attention to an early afternoon train ride south towards Mumbai. All going well we will reach Mumbai by 8am (ish) Indian time on Christmas morning. With phone outlets in Mumbai generally opening for business at approximately 11am, the parents out there can expect to hear from their sons around 6:30-8pm NZ time on Christmas Day. Importantly, please feel free to email me direct if you sense your son won't know which number to call that evening. I will then ensure that he receives the right contact information (please note- landlines are cheaper than mobiles when calling home but both forms are comparatively inexpensive so there are no real issues with either).
But that is all about the 25th and tomorrow is only the 24th, so bring on another day of rowdiness and renegades in the meantime.
Ben
MVP- Harison Manks. This young fella makes me sick. As we were leaving the Amber Fort today Harison weighs up the situation, realises one 'B Skeen' is the staff member at the back of the group for the journey down the mountain, and therefore takes the opportunity to run ahead of the group to purchase a couple of sneaky chocolate mousse delights from a local shop keeper (after it had been declared that we would not be stopping for anything on the way down). By the time the Editor has arrived, young Harison has completed the commercial transaction and has a chocolate mousse in his hand. The other mousse went to . . . You guessed it, the only female in our group. Now some are calling Harison a Casanova, yet regardless of the popular press the Editor has ensured he is a 'ladies man' with a black eye. I mean seriously, how desperate do you have to be to attempt to win this award.
Thought- How far have we come in as a human race? Today one of the most majestic of creatures, the elephant, was subjected to actions nothing short of cruelty as they were pricked and poked by their respective drivers all the way up the mountain to Amber Fort. Yes the group rode them, but most got of feeling like their 'thrill ride/experience' was actually quite a sad one (a deep sense of guilt was felt). Given the opportunity again I doubt many would opt to take the same means of transport to the top. But that is a learning, and it was important for the boys to come to that realisation themselves. It did break our hearts though to see creatures that should have been roaming the plains in freedom, pounding the pavements instead for human pleasure. As a species will we universally get to a place in history where all of our actions are properly scrutinised so that we can begin to live in harmony with the natural resources and other inhabitants that occupy our world? What needs to change now to work towards that?
There are many other reasons to thank Jaipur though. For one it has some rolling hills and natural lakes to admire, it has a great menu courtesy of Atithi Guest House, but most importantly it has collected the biggest misfits of Indian society and thrown them altogether into a city of 4 million. Then add one part Tim Burns, one part B Skeen, and 23 other parts of personalities that display varying levels of insanity, and you have a cocktail for madness! And this is how that cocktail was consumed:
Monday 23 December
8:30am- The leprechaun prances through the rooms playing a tune on his fiddle titled 'Wake Up Hipsters It's Time to Dance' (yes Mr Jordan is a singer-song writer)
8:45am- The breakfast service commences, with many loving a return to quality chocolate banana pancakes and eggs on toast. Due to the cold surroundings breakfast is consumed indoors where the delightful owner makes her way around the room greeting the guests and asking after their welfare (I love this place!)
10:30am- Departure for the Amber Fort kicks into action with nine rickshaws parked up outside, complete with stereos that will ensure our ears won't be able to entertain a conversation at a normally appropriate volume for at least a couple of days time
11am- We arrive at Amber Fort, with several having stop-offs along the way to repair their own dodgy motors and/or to do the humanitarian thing of assisting another broken down motorist. En route the stereos play everything from Bollywood's finest songs, to old school hip-hop and rap, cheesy pop numbers, and the highly prized Justin Beiber classic 'Baby' (strangely the group knew all the words to this track). Upon arrival Mr Jordan informs the Editor that Ben Toogood has turned deeply religious during the ride across town. After their auto rickshaw driver had tried to convince Ben, by looking him directly in the eyes whilst still driving in the unsighted direction, that he was in fact a very good driver, Ben took to reciting the mantra "You are a good driver" continuously to a meditative beat for the final 3 km of the journey
11:15am- The elephant rides commence from the carpark to the entrance gates of the Amber Fort (more about this in the 'Thought of the Day' section)
11:30am- The boys roam the wonders of the Amber Fort, the base that originally was home to the Maharaja rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries when Amber (Amer) itself was the capital of Rajasthan. With free time the boys are able to check up the somewhat secret passage ways and the open gardens that housed the powerful of that time, all the meanwhile taking amazing photos looking out across the ranges that this grand fortification encompassed in its day
12:15pm- A short history of the region and Fort is provided by Mr Skeen to ensure the magnitude of this place, both in terms of social standing and influence, is fully comprehended. The group then proceeds to sit on the second piece of green lawn that they have seen since being in India (the first was at the NZ High Commission). Reuben is even seen doing army rolls across the ground to celebrate this little oasis
1:15pm- As we head back into the city we stop off at the Water Palace to take some photos of this significant landmark. One can't help but imagine the grandeur of this palace that acted as a venue for social gathering and extravagant parties a couple of centuries back
1:30pm- We take an authentic lunch at Khanderwal Pavitra Bhojnalaya. You know it's local when they are surprised to see white faces (again no offence for the generalisation Jin, Jung and Jordan). The Editor orders on everyone's behalf (some aren't too pleased by this), with a constant serving of Thali (100% Vegetarian- paneer, vegetable curry and dahl) being the meal of the hour. The choice proves to be an absolute winner
2:15pm- The boys hit up the Mughal India Crafts and Textiles Store. First there is an explanation of how block printing and embroidery is done in a traditional Indian context, then it is on to the store for chai and bunk buying opportunities. Reilly Hodson is told upon entry to "Close your eyes and open your wallet" by the staff standing at the door. Not surprisingly most of the boys do exactly that, purchasing everything from distasteful tailored shirts (due for delivery tomorrow) to scarves, placemats and duvets. All the meanwhile the Editor sips on his chai. Now, since we are talking about the Editor it is important to dispel the notion that this man is somewhat like Tripathi from Varanasi i.e. clipping the ticket / gaining a commission on the sales the boys are making. To set the record straight, the Editor has never received rupees as an outcome of a high volume of group sales. However . . . what the boys (except J Morreau who witnessed this corruption) won't know until they read this blog is that today two orange pillow cases were 'purchased' by the Editor for his adorable mother, Denise Skeen. Now by 'purchased' we mean that the owner shook the Editor's hand, gave him a big smile and said "thank you for your friendship, this will be 0 rupees for you". As such, can I jump the gun, by thanking the group on behalf of one Denise Skeen for the wonderful gift that the 22 touring boys purchased her; your generosity is greatly appreciated
4pm- After 90 minutes buying up textiles, we finally got into the autos and arrived within 15 minutes at Monkey Temple. Now this place is a real shitter- monkeys sprawl the hillside, acting like aggressive little ninjas, threatening to take out any potential group member who doesn't have his eye on the prize. Thankfully B Skeen re-employs for the third straight time two street kids (Ravi and Ganesh) to escort the group safely up the mountain to a temple that overlooks the beauty of all of Jaipur. But after an hour it is off we go again, next stop Jewellery shopping!
5:30pm- It's time to hit up the Shivam Gems and Jewellery Store. Again the Editor takes chai in the
corner, however a low volume of sales means no 'purchases' for his mother's benefit. Sorry Dee, maybe next time
6:30pm- We finally reach destination base camp. The boys then disperse to shower, blog, pack, play cards and most critically eat. Not surprisingly the pizza and pasta options go down as an absolute treat
9pm- Cal Ross delivers a great speech on the religion of Sikhism. Not an easy task but one that he does particularly well
9:15pm- Debrief commences. The method of sharing tonight involves (for the second time on tour) the boys picking cards from a 'Signposts' collection pack. Each card has an image and a phrase. The boys choose an appropriate card, one that resonates with them, before explaining why they have made that selection. The sharing of choices shifts to discussions of the vibe of Jaipur, animal cruelty, homesickness, etc. With regards to the last of these topics it is a very natural emotion (sense of wanting to be home at this time) to be feeling right now- sometimes immersion is just tough to do
10-11:30pm- The boys hang once again of the roof of the hotel, sipping on cokes, sharing tales of the wild day, and talking about what Christmas Day usually looks like back in NZ
11:30pm- The lights finally go out
So Day 2 in Jaipur is over. The whole experience today was a mixture of insanity and outrageousness. But who is surprised; after all this is Jaipur, the Wonderland of Music and Madness.
Tomorrow the boys will have free time until 12pm, at which point we then turn our attention to an early afternoon train ride south towards Mumbai. All going well we will reach Mumbai by 8am (ish) Indian time on Christmas morning. With phone outlets in Mumbai generally opening for business at approximately 11am, the parents out there can expect to hear from their sons around 6:30-8pm NZ time on Christmas Day. Importantly, please feel free to email me direct if you sense your son won't know which number to call that evening. I will then ensure that he receives the right contact information (please note- landlines are cheaper than mobiles when calling home but both forms are comparatively inexpensive so there are no real issues with either).
But that is all about the 25th and tomorrow is only the 24th, so bring on another day of rowdiness and renegades in the meantime.
Ben
MVP- Harison Manks. This young fella makes me sick. As we were leaving the Amber Fort today Harison weighs up the situation, realises one 'B Skeen' is the staff member at the back of the group for the journey down the mountain, and therefore takes the opportunity to run ahead of the group to purchase a couple of sneaky chocolate mousse delights from a local shop keeper (after it had been declared that we would not be stopping for anything on the way down). By the time the Editor has arrived, young Harison has completed the commercial transaction and has a chocolate mousse in his hand. The other mousse went to . . . You guessed it, the only female in our group. Now some are calling Harison a Casanova, yet regardless of the popular press the Editor has ensured he is a 'ladies man' with a black eye. I mean seriously, how desperate do you have to be to attempt to win this award.
Thought- How far have we come in as a human race? Today one of the most majestic of creatures, the elephant, was subjected to actions nothing short of cruelty as they were pricked and poked by their respective drivers all the way up the mountain to Amber Fort. Yes the group rode them, but most got of feeling like their 'thrill ride/experience' was actually quite a sad one (a deep sense of guilt was felt). Given the opportunity again I doubt many would opt to take the same means of transport to the top. But that is a learning, and it was important for the boys to come to that realisation themselves. It did break our hearts though to see creatures that should have been roaming the plains in freedom, pounding the pavements instead for human pleasure. As a species will we universally get to a place in history where all of our actions are properly scrutinised so that we can begin to live in harmony with the natural resources and other inhabitants that occupy our world? What needs to change now to work towards that?
he doesn't get it from me Ben.......his mother tells him to be thoughtful.. but he tends to forget....still, despite the hi-de-hi camp leader and the wandering leprechaun musician, clearly the trip is being run by the sole woman....merry xmas mate.... manksy-snr
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