Indian Indulgence

We started the day by heading out to see Hawa Mahal, an old royal palace. One of its standout features is that it has over 300 windows, from which the king's 12 wives and 50 concubines could sit in hiding and watch the world go by. Yep, he was a busy man with a lot on his plate! :) We got ourselves a guide who was really great at sharing the history of the palace. He even showed us a 200-year-old toilet. You can't really say there’s been much progress in India in that department, as it looks strikingly similar to the ones still in use today. There are all sorts of massages offered here, and they’re way cheaper than back home. It’s definitely worth trying out when the prices are so much lower than in Denmark. So, we hopped into a tuk-tuk and headed to a clinic that had great reviews. We were greeted by a doctor who went over their various treatment options. We opted for a full-body massage with a facial, which cost 950 rs for 75 minutes per person. They led us to a room separated by a curtain in the middle, so we couldn’t see each other but could still chat. We had to strip down to our birthday suits, after which they gave us tiny little Tarzan-style loincloths to wear. We started with a head and facial massage, followed by a facial mask. Then, we were slathered in oil from head to toe. We were so slippery that we almost slid off the massage table! :) As the 75 minutes came to an end, they began to wash us off, but getting all that oil off was definitely easier said than done. Feeling fresh and rejuvenated, we headed out in the evening to a restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious Indian and Chinese food. At the next table, there was a tourist from Ireland, and we struck up a conversation. It’s always nice to get good travel tips and share experiences. After a lovely meal, we took a tuk-tuk back to Steam Bar, as we had been promised it would be packed with people that night. It cost 600 rs in cover charges per couple to get in, but you could drink for free at the bar. The bar quickly filled up with young, wealthy Indians. If you want to be really trendy in India, it’s very in to sprinkle your conversations with English words. So, every now and then, you might catch snippets of their chats. We chatted with other foreigners from Mexico, the USA, New Zealand, and little Denmark. They were all there for work, so they had plenty of interesting stories to share. It was here that we first encountered the concept of organized begging. Young girls borrow children, then drug them so they lie still and look dehydrated while they go around begging. Others intentionally mutilate their children or pour acid on them to deform them, making it easier to elicit sympathy and beg for money. If children get sick, like with polio, many won’t seek treatment because it’s easier to beg for money as a disabled person. Behind all this, there’s a man pulling all the strings. The girls earn more money than they could ever make working. So, it’s not a good idea to give money to young people or children who are begging. You don’t want to encourage begging as a means of income. Instead, it’s a good idea to give money to elderly people, as they often struggle to survive.