Agra --> Jaipur

Arriving at the train station, I surprise myself with how at ease I feel sauntering down the platform. I try to get some snacks for the train, and a fruit vendor tries to rip me off. Another ignores me when I ask him how much his oranges are. No worries, no point using up energy on him, I just walk to the next one. At the platform, I strike up conversation with an older couple in their 60's, and it turns out we are in the same carriage. The husband is very friendly and chatty, and I go to join them in their booth. We have tons to talk about, and the train is delayed. They haven't brought any food with them, so I share my fruit, and clif bars and chocolate from home (knew it would come in handy!). We all take naps, expecting the conductor to announce our arrival a few minutes beforehand. This notice comes in the form of a crowd of people now boarding into our car, one of which berates us for not being alert as to when the train is stopping. We rush to get all of our stuff and ourselves out before the train takes off. I hoist my big backpack onto my head, Indian-style (there's a good reason for head transport! All the weight goes straight down your line of gravity, and it takes less horizontal space - a rare commodity in India), and we push through the carriage to arrive onto the platform! There is not even room to breathe before a pack of touts lands upon us. The husband hires one of them to take their luggage, but we are followed and flanked by a swarm of other drivers pushing their services into our faces. One of them dangles a car key right into mine. I'm getting better at managing touts, but this is quite more overwhelming than before. I'm glad I'm with the couple. We get to a car, and people continue to swarm us, a group of about 15. I get irritate, and should at them that we clearly already have a driver, and to get away. The group laughs and mocks me in return. Guess that wasn't the way to get rid of them. It seems ignoring and continually saying no is the best strategy.

The driver drops the couple off at their hotel, but not before he presses further his services on them to take them around tomorrow. It seems easiest to just listen as if interested, then come up with an excuse as to why you can't take them up. The Brazilians kindly insist on paying the driver to take me to a place of my choosing. I tell the driver I'm not willing to pay more than 300 a night, and he says this is impossible this time of year, which I know to be untrue. He brings me to a place not 2 minutes away from the couples' hotel, and insists that I look at a room before we go on. I can tell this place, with its ornately carved entranceway will cost more than 300 a night. I refuse and remain in the car. The driver promises that he will take me somewhere else if I find it too expensive.

It's getting late, and I'm getting quite fed up of him. I acquiesce, but take my bag out of the car in case I need to walk away. The hotel staff try to take me to a room, but I don't budge before they tell me the price, which is 500. I tell them flat out that I'm not interested, and that I paid 125 yesterday (didn't mention the part about bloodstained sheets), and that I am not interested or in a position to pay more than 350. I thank them, tell them I don't want to waste their time, and being to back away. They see that I'm serious, and I really am. After seeing what was possible in Agra, I feel ok to walk from hotel to hotel late at night inquiring about rooms, and I saw plenty of other guesthouses along the way. Being here is sharpening my senses and intuition.

The staff offer 400. I say that I'm very sorry, but it's just not what I'm looking for. I turn away. The driver jumps in, and says they'll accept it, but I see it is quite grudgingly. One of the staff want me to register right away, but I insist on seeing the room first. No matter how nice the lobby, you can't know the condition of the room until you check for yourself. It's what I expect, when with a TV, not that I'll use it. The double bed is more than I need, but single rooms are hard to come by. I decide to take it and look for a cheaper place tomorrow. The budget has to stretch for the time I'm here, and 50-100 rupees difference every day does add up over weeks!

***

Meeting Isabella tomorrow for a walking tour, and then possibly with the Brazilians again! It's incredible that I already know three people here in Jaipur!