Don Curry on the Elephant

Don Curry complains: Like a symphony without harmony, like a sonnet without rhyme, yes, like a curry without spice - that's exactly how he feels...

After a long but not restful night, Don Curry still didn't dare to eat solid food. A few sips of water had to suffice to start the day. Don Curry briefly considered cancelling the day's program altogether, but he didn't want to do that to himself. After all, he wanted to reach great heights today.

Bravely, he left the hotel where Mr. Sanjay and Mr. Dilip, the guide for Jaipur, were already waiting. Mr. Dilip not only greeted him with a clear 'Good morning', he also continued to speak German. Today, that was quite pleasant for Don Curry - one less effort. However, Mr. Dilip's pronunciation was sometimes quite strange: when he later pointed out the 'Milz-Markt' of Jaipur, Don Curry could only recognize from the large metal cans in front of it that milk was actually being traded here; Don Curry would have also considered the other - when traveling in Asia, nothing culinary is considered impossible.

Quickly, Don Curry explained his weakened condition and asked for a concentrated short program - Don Curry can hardly believe it. But Mr. Dilip understood and became increasingly sparing with explanations throughout the day.

But even at the beginning, he didn't explain too much. A quick photo stop along the way was dedicated to the famous Palace of the Winds, which presents itself in the most beautiful sunlight in the morning. Upon arriving in the suburb of Amber in Jaipur, he simply maneuvered Don Curry to the end of a long line of people waiting and left. Waiting here, every tourist is at the mercy of countless postcard, turban, sunscreen, and whatever else sellers. Slowly, Don Curry approached the staircase at the end of the line. As soon as he reached the platform above the stairs, Mr. Dilip was there again and promptly maneuvered Don Curry on the back of an elephant with the mahout in the neck. Immediately, the animal, along with the other elephants, started the steep serpentine path up to the Amber Fort - in a long convoy of similar animals. Around 100 elephants are in use here daily, but after several years, when overtired animals attacked and killed their mahouts in anger, each elephant only walks the mountain route 5 times, and by no later than noon, they are done for the day. Wooden platforms are attached to the elephants on which the tourists are forced to sit sideways. This enhances the feeling of rocking at a great height - and for Don Curry, it also intensifies the feeling that these movements are not soothing for his agitated intestines. In addition, he always had to make sure not to look into the cameras of the numerous self-proclaimed 'official' elephant ride photographers, who would ruthlessly pounce on every tourist who was half recognizable in the photos taken. At his hotspots, touristy India could be quite stressful.

The stress continued in the same way. The mighty Amber Fort was the actual ancestral seat of the dynasty of Maharajas who later founded Jaipur and still reside there today. The fortress was almost overflowing with tourists. Some were touring with audio guides, quietly maneuvering through the various courtyards and rooms; most had booked a live guide, so few meters apart, multilingual voices competed in the personal loudspeaker qualities, bellowing the same information to 'their' and all other tourists. Fortunately, Mr. Dilip was of the calmer kind, taking Don Curry to more secluded places and not saying much. Despite the monumental architecture and the magnificent furnishings of the fortress, Don Curry was glad to escape the tourist hustle and bustle as quickly as possible and catch his breath in the hotel. The second part of the day's program was supposed to start at 3:00 pm.

Originally, Don Curry just wanted to lie down for a few minutes after 11:00 am, but when he woke up again, the clock showed 3:11. This time, however, the sleep had been more restful and provided enough strength for the remaining highlights of Jaipur. Mr. Sanjay quickly zoomed off... and then stood in line shortly after leaving the hotel. In the afternoon, Jaipur's traffic chaos can easily compete with its Delhi model. Meter by meter, Mr. Sanjay fought his way forward, squeezing in on the left, taking advantage of the slight hesitation of a fellow driver on the right...

Finally, the first destination was reached: the Jantar Mantar, a collection of gigantic stone instruments for observing the sky and measuring time from the 18th century. Many of the instruments look like modern art, like futuristic sculptures, but some still function today: a huge sundial, for example, displays the time to the exact second.

The Jantar Mantar

The end point of the day's program was the extensive City Palace of Jaipur's Maharajas. Mr. Dilip considerately focused on the essentials, which Don Curry accepted without complaint.

Peacock Gate in the City Palace

In the evening, Don Curry ventured to eat again: two small bowls of soup, and he felt the spice gradually returning to his life...