Our train journey to our next destination found us with a few hours back in Jaipur. Thrust back into the noise, we decided to cling to a few last threads of serenity by going for an ayurvedic massage. We rang up a place that was recommended in the Lonely Planet and made our appointments. An hour later we were dropped off at an unsuspecting looking apartment building. Ushered into a ground floor entrance in the side of the building we were given our options, the ultimate being a full massage finishing with 2 
½ litres of warm oil being slowly drizzled onto your forehead (into your third eye). I opted out of that one, knowing that all that oil would probably produce a blemish resembling a third eye on my forehead. We both elected for the one hour full body massage. I’m not quite sure what we were expecting for what amounted to $16, but apparently dignity wasn’t part of the package.
½ litres of warm oil being slowly drizzled onto your forehead (into your third eye). I opted out of that one, knowing that all that oil would probably produce a blemish resembling a third eye on my forehead. We both elected for the one hour full body massage. I’m not quite sure what we were expecting for what amounted to $16, but apparently dignity wasn’t part of the package.We were brought into a dimly lit room with new age sitar music playing… so far so good. A curtain dividing the room hung from a rod that had been jammed into the drywall… well, I haven’t seen a Home Depot or an Ikea here, so I could overlook the dismal décor and shoddy workmanship. The male masseur took Adam to one side of the curtain and I was left with my mas
seuse on the other side. “Everything off” she said as she stood there and watched me disrobe. Oh not to worry, she then helped me assemble a pair of disposable undies onto my body (yes, I later corroborated stories with Adam and the exact same thing was happening on his side). We’re not really sure exactly what the point of these was as we both ended up in the buff anyways. At this point I could’ve just thrown my modesty aside and enjoyed the massage if it wasn’t for the chill of the room. This was really making the Turkish bath experience seem blissful! All but a scant few square inches of my body was drenched in oil and rubbed down, I felt like I was about to be stuffed, trussed and stuck in a roaster like a Thanksgiving turkey. A rolling blackout punctuated the midway point of the massage... saved by the bell? I think not, everyone here has generators as the blackouts occur at least once a day. Finally the excess oil was mopped off of me and I was once again returned to the dignity and warmth of my clothes. We were certainly more than ready to embrace the chaos now! Obviously no pics of this one so we have added a random selection of India so far.
The first picture is a palace built so the Maharani's could gaze upon the city through the beautiful stone latticework, and not be seen themselves. The second is an example of the multitude of street-side barber shops that are everywhere. You rarely see anyone here with a 5 o'clock shadow.
seuse on the other side. “Everything off” she said as she stood there and watched me disrobe. Oh not to worry, she then helped me assemble a pair of disposable undies onto my body (yes, I later corroborated stories with Adam and the exact same thing was happening on his side). We’re not really sure exactly what the point of these was as we both ended up in the buff anyways. At this point I could’ve just thrown my modesty aside and enjoyed the massage if it wasn’t for the chill of the room. This was really making the Turkish bath experience seem blissful! All but a scant few square inches of my body was drenched in oil and rubbed down, I felt like I was about to be stuffed, trussed and stuck in a roaster like a Thanksgiving turkey. A rolling blackout punctuated the midway point of the massage... saved by the bell? I think not, everyone here has generators as the blackouts occur at least once a day. Finally the excess oil was mopped off of me and I was once again returned to the dignity and warmth of my clothes. We were certainly more than ready to embrace the chaos now! Obviously no pics of this one so we have added a random selection of India so far.The first picture is a palace built so the Maharani's could gaze upon the city through the beautiful stone latticework, and not be seen themselves. The second is an example of the multitude of street-side barber shops that are everywhere. You rarely see anyone here with a 5 o'clock shadow.
3 comments:
Hey guys. Love the blog and the pixs. In particular, the one of the safari bus through the shadows and the 2 most recent ones. Keep up with it! =)
Cheers,
Jeff O
www.stu-di-o.com
Your blog makes me miss India. When you look at how quickly everything changes in the West I find it interesting that if I had written your blog 20 yrs ago 95% of it would read the same - right down to the massage experience - except I think I paid $4, but you have to factor inflation into the picture.
Ciao!
S.Lazenby
Thanks for a glimpse into life in a most fascinating country! Keep it up.
Anna
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