I wrote a bit about Jaipur yesterday and am continuing my trip diary today. I’ll definitely keep this up for the next few days but it will be a crap shoot after that as my internet access will get worse further into this trip.

Once again I dragged myself out of bed with only 3 hours sleep. Once again, the plan is to do minimal sight seeing and take a nap before work. ONCE AGAIN I am wide awake and can’t sleep for absolutely zero reason.

I was thrilled to be back at my hotel with six hours to sleep before work. Can’t sleep.

I went to see Hawa Mahal today. I was exhausted and wanted to see just Hawa Mahal.  There’s so much more to see here but as long as I see this one thing, I am fine.

I tried to get an Uber. Dude keeps messaging me, wants to take me on a tour.  He is being aggressive and I am refusing. He then asks if I will cancel without complaint.  No. You wasted my time.

Next driver accepts my ride. Car never moves, zero response to me messaging him. Okay cancel that too.

Went down to the street and hailed a tuk tuk to Hawa Mahal.

Driver does not speak English but has a tour printed out in English.  No. I am too tired, only Hawa Mahal.

The guy understands the assignment and slows down as we pass tourist places and points “photo” and so I can take one from inside the tuk tuk, but he never stops. Love you.

I now have a bunch of photos like this:

We get to Hawa Mahal and he offers to wait for me and take me back. Hell fucking yes as I know I will never get a ride back as my hotel is far away.

I offer to pay before getting out. He tells me no, I pay back at my hotel.

He points to where I need to go but he had directed me to go inside Hawa Mahal and I just really want a photo of the outside. I get completely lost trying to find the outside and here comes my tuk tuk driver, running to show me where to go.

Did I mention I love him?

Photo taken, back to my hotel.

Random video from today’s ride:

I go to a coffee shop near my hotel to get coffee for work tonight. The barista’s name was Jennifer. Hey now.

Back to my room where I am wide fucking awake for no reason at all. I haven’t slept. The trip to Hawa Mahal left me so sweaty that my hair formed a dreadlock. Shouldn’t this be exhausting? Why am I awake?

I long for my tuk tuk driver to come back and take me on a tour since I may as well have taken one since I can’t sleep. But I have no way to contact him so instead,  I reach out to yesterday’s tour guy and set up a tuk tuk tour for tomorrow.  I just picked a few places and left off big ticket tourist attractions that require an hour ot two in anticipation of being tired, which is dumb since I can’t sleep anymore.

There’s an elephant sanctuary here named Elefriend. But they allow you to ride elephants which is the opposite of being an elefriend so I am skipping that too.

My hotel leaves me anywhere from 4-6 bottles of water a day and I try to drink them all because I am too cheap to let free water go. I don’t want to take them with me when I check out as my next hotel does not have an elevator and I don’t want to lug it all up steps.

I have a post it on my laptop to remind me to not drink water during work calls. They think I am in my dining room in Brooklyn and I don’t want anyone noticing water bottles with Indian brand names.

My hotel also replenishes the toiletries daily. I haven’t used any of them and I now have 3 shampoos, 3 conditioners and 3 body washes. I also now have 6 pairs of slippers.

I am going to take some time to finish a book so I have less to carry.  Again I ask myself what the fuck was I thinking when I went book shopping at JFK?

There had been a guy cleaning the balcony next to mine for over an hour. I can see him through the slats in the wall, which means he can also see me. I find this intrusive.

My mobile data magically started working today but AT&T can still fuck right off.

My hotel called me while I was trying to sleep to let me know I am invited to a party in their loungue tonight, with a view of the city. I might have stopped by until he said he could get me a discount.  That means it is not free, that means there is no me.

I really didn’t pack perfectly.  I haven’t taken a trip like this in so many years.  Oh what I would give to have the sweat band thingy that is currently hanging on my bedroom doorknob back home.

Sigh.