Delhi to Jaipur – The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round

Thursday March 20th – Travel day Delhi to Jaipur

Before leaving Delhi we have a brief photo stop at the tallest monument, largest and oldest brick minaret in India.  Built in 1192, it was used as a watchtower, made of red sandstone, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  You can read more about it here.

Qutb Minar (aka Qutub or Qutab)

Eight hours on the bus as we journey from Delhi to Jaipur.  We pass through farm land where mustard seems to be the primary crop.  The harvest is under way.  We mainly see women in the fields in their bright sarees – red, purple, yellow, green, but the most popular seems to be orange or saffron.

There are also brick factories and marble quarries.  The white marble is shipped all over the world.

John Myre, our elder statesman in the group (I found out he is 78) has written a book on safety, called “Live Safely in a Dangerous World”.  He laughed as he told me, “I have never seen so many safety violations in my life” describing our bus ride.

Just some of the crazy things we witnessed included people crossing the highway at any place, animals on the road including cows, donkeys, horses, dogs, pigs, camels, elephants, goats, sheep, and monkeys.

Camel cart

Camel cart

Just about every method of transportation known to man with the exception of a chariot was on the highway including busses, large trucks, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, jeeps, carts, farm tractors and wagons, tuk tuks, wagons pulled by donkey, small horses, oxen or camels.

Sea containers have been repurposed, cut down, put on truck bodies and used to haul cargo.

Sea containers transformed and fit onto truck bodies

Sea containers transformed and fit onto truck bodies

Pedestrians walked along the street, and in the street.  Potholes and bumps are the norm.  No one signals before changing lanes, that is if there is a lane marked at all.  If there is a white line, people often staddle it.  Three and four people to a motorcycle is not uncommon.

Perhaps the biggest OMG moments were when we saw several people standing OUTSIDE of a vehicle either/or on the rear bumper or side, hanging of for dear life traveling down the highway at fast speeds of 45-60 MPH.

This was taken through the front window on our bus to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:

OMG  moment going down the highway

OMG moment going down the highway

Jaipur – The Pink City

The Golden Triangle is the area that connects Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.  Jaipur is the second leg of this area.  Known as the Pink City, much of the city is rose colored.

Pink buildings

Pink buildings

Hawa Mahal - Ornate architecture in Jaipur

Hawa Mahal – Ornate architecture in Jaipur

Painting henna patterns on hands

Painting henna patterns on hands

Walking through the bazaar in Jaipur

Walking through the bazaar in Jaipur

Saree shopping

Saree shopping

Flower market

Flower market

Monkey on the side of a building

Monkey on the side of a building

GRATITUDE MOMENT:  Today I am thankful for OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration).

About Tim and Joanne Joseph

Hi and welcome! We are Tim and Joanne Joseph and we have just embarked on our latest adventure. We hope you will join us!
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2 Responses to Delhi to Jaipur – The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round

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