Musings

I am feeling a little guilty about the extreme contrast I drew between Delhi and Jaipur. In an effort to assuage my conscience, I'd like to point out the similarities between the two cities (and I'm guessing most Indian cities).

Trash: Had I not been explicitly aware of the fact that both cities were real, long-standing destinations, I would have concluded that both were shanty towns built over landfills. While varying in degree by street and district, there is trash everywhere. And I don't mean that there is the occasional water bottle or napkin. I mean that there are piles of trash in corners, in the streets, in gutters , etc. Trash cans are rare, but that's not the issue, because they don't get used anyway. In an effort to fit in with the locals, I've stopped bothering to look for trash cans. (As a sidenote, I think the easiest way for India to up its stature enormously would be to tackle the trash problem.)

Urination/Defecation: In both Delhi and Jaipur, there was not a riskshaw ride that went by without seeing people openly relieving themselves in the street. Sometimes the person would at least turn away from traffic, but I would not say that was the norm. And we're not talking just peeing here.

Cars/Traffic: While the traffic in Jaipur was slightly better just because of the smaller population, it was still a madhouse. I dare anyone to rent a car in India. I dare you. Even if you survive, you'll have nightmares of horn choruses the rest of your life.

So, that's the grim truth of similarities, but there's another side: Both cities had fantastic places for well-off foreigners to escape the din. In theory, you could almost entirely avoid India while being in India. Stay at overpriced hotels and don't look out the bus window on the way to your sightseeing destination.