Walking in Jaipur

Walking in Jaipur can be a bit like tackling an obstacle course. The small stretch of pavement by the bazaars is full of people and abstract merchandise overflowing from the small shops and stalls on the roadsides to almost meet in the middle. Then they’ll be a heap of sand with a sacred cow on top of it pushing you out into the tumultuous traffic.

The guide books focus on attractions although the city of Jaipur was designed on a grid system and is pretty easy to navigate once you cut through the chaos. On our way out in Jaipur airport, after we’d negotiation two-thirds of the bureaucratic forms, checks and stamps (6 in total on our boarding passes alone before we got to the plane)  we found a book shop in departures which on closer inspection revealed some interest and wasn’t extortionate in price, once you got past the absolutely haphazard nature of the display. Oh how I wish I’d brought home ‘Italian cooking in Jaipur’ for novelty value; but Jaipur – 10 easy walks by Dharmendar Kanwar is a treasure which makes me want to return to the pink city to explore at leisure.

More about Jaipur:

Sights and sounds

Shopping

Getting about, eating, and staying