jaipur’s chaos made me buy a used camera and hate the cold

i wish i could say my jaipur trip was planned but it wasn’t i just stumbled here with a broken camera and a calendar that said december 15th instead of december 14th which is why i’m here at 3am typing this with a beer can in my hand and a plan to photograph a random street dog. the weather? it’s that 9-degree thing right now which is basically a freezer but i’m too sweaty to care. i just checked and it’s that weird 9-degree thing right now, hope you like that kind of thing. it’s like if someone took a fridge and put it outside then forgot to tell anyone.

my camera gear is a disaster. i bought a used canon from a guy on the street who smelled like garlic and regret. he said it was ‘good for photos’ but now it’s malfunctioning like a sad robot. i’m not a photographer but i couldn’t let it go. it’s either this or i’ll miss the only decent photo i’ve ever taken which was of a guy selling spices in a market. that photo is now ruined by the fact i couldn’t focus.

the city itself is a mess. jaipur is this place where everything is loud and bright and smells like curry and exhaust. i walked past a temple where a guy was playing a flute so loud it made the pigeons fly. then i saw a neon sign that said ‘homemade lassi’ and i assumed it was a scam. turns out it was real but the lassi tasted like instant noodle juice. i heard that somewhere. someone told me that the local lassi shops are all run by people who hate tourists. i don’t know if that’s true but i’m going to believe it until proven otherwise.

neighbors here are not your typical Jaipur folks. i passed a family watering their garden with a hose that looked like it belonged in a 1970s action movie. they were singing along to some hindi song that i couldn’t understand but the rhythm was catchy. if you get bored, the pink city’s neighboring spots are a drive away. i drove to ajmer and ended up in a dusty road where a guy was selling surgical masks for ₹10 each. i bought one because i was paranoid about the weather but it was just a piece of cloth.

reviews here are all over the place. i overheard a group of tourists saying that the city is ‘overrated’ but then another group was argueing that the markets are the best place to find authentic jewelry. i heard that from a drunk guy at a bar who was also trying to sell me a ticket to a underground music festival. i didn’t believe him but i did buy a poster for a band called ‘The Jaipur Rockers’ which is probably just a guy with a guitar.

i took some photos of the city’s architecture. there’s this old fort that looks like it was built by a robot in the 1600s. the stones are so old they’ve got their own personality. one of them had a crack that looked like it was crying. i didn’t take a photo of that because i was more interested in the street food. i tried a samosa from a cart that had a sign saying ‘best in jaipur’ but it tasted like cardboard. i heard that somewhere. maybe it was true. maybe it wasn’t. who knows.

the map here is useless. i tried to use it to find the nearest café but it just showed me a pond. here’s the map:

i gave up and asked a kid for directions. he pointed me to a place called ‘The Blue Lotus’ which is a café that serves tea in mason jars. i went there and it was okay. the tea was strong and the owner was nice. i paid with rupees and got change in coins. it’s a small detail but it felt real.

here are some photos i took:

the first one is a market that looked like it was taken from a movie. the second is a fort that I’m 80% sure is fake. the third is a samosa that I regret eating. i didn’t take many photos because my camera kept crashing. it’s a mess.

i also tried to find a local to tell me about the city’s secrets. i asked a woman at a bookstore about hidden gems and she said, ‘you’re not from here, are you?’ which felt like a warning. another person told me that the best time to visit jaipur is in the morning when the heat isn’t killing you. i tried that but the heat was still there. it’s always there. it’s like the city is trying to kill you.

i heard that the local tattoos are amazing. i saw a guy with a henna design that looked like a dragon and i asked him about it. he said it was his ex’s design and he refused to explain. i didn’t push it. maybe i should’ve. maybe i should’ve bought a camera that didn’t break.

i’m leaving jaipur tomorrow. i don’t know if i’ll come back. maybe. the weather is still that 9-degree thing. i packed a jacket but it’s too hot to wear. i packed a sweater but it’s too cold to wear. it’s a paradox. i’m aware of it.

if you’re thinking of visiting jaipur, don’t let anyone tell you it’s peaceful. it’s not. it’s a city that exists in a state of constant noise. but also? it’s beautiful. in its own way. i took a photo of a bus that was stuck in traffic and it looked like it was part of a painting. it was ugly but it was real. that’s what matters.

links:
- jaipur trip reviews on tripadvisor
- jaipur market yelp
- local jaipur forum

i just checked and it’s that weird 9-degree thing right now, hope you like that kind of thing. i’m writing this with a broken camera and a beer can in my hand. it’s messy. it’s real. it’s jaipur.