India appears to be solar powered. Most of the city shuts down shortly after dark, coming back to life when the sun wakes the diverse birds that occupy the trees and rooftops. The clouds must be thicker in the small towns as during the day in Agra the power would come and go.

With the restaurants still asleep early in the morning, we bought some packaged goods for breakfast from the first supermarket I have encountered. English, US equivalent prices and no local shoppers made it clear that this gem was not part of the India that the locals live. Cookies and crackers filled the space in my stomach and the days activities began.

For 5 dollars we took a government managed tour of the major historical sites in Jaipur, the capital of Rajestan. Chauffeured in a bus, we visited one temple and the many palaces of the local kings. One was not enough as successors required accommodations more suited to their individual tastes. Relative to the average person these estates were extremely opulent, Bentleys compared to roller skates, highlighting the painful imbalance of feudal systems.

During the tour we traversed much of the town, both old and new. A pattern became self evident. Ninety percent or more of the people out in public are men. It is unclear why, but some strong gender roles are in play. This realization came in conjunction with our tour guides announcement that Jaipur had just elected its first female mayor.

At first glance the palaces appeared very clean. Trash is carefully piled behind a distant wall. Cows and other animals eat the paper items, but mounds of Indian branded Frito Lay chip bags accumulate, creating a glossy plastic landfill near every historical treasure.

Many of the palaces were undergoing some type of renovation. Children and great grandfathers worked beside their female peers chiseling away stone, painting and moving dirt from one pile to another in head-top baskets. Despite working in dirt and living in dust, the workers have the unblemished skin that appears characteristic of these people.

The roads to hill top forts demonstrated the capacity to accommodate two car in one lane. Car positioning is a skill leaving only room for inches of error. However, our bus driver and a small on-coming car demonstrated that sometimes the lane is not wide enough. After scraping sides, the drivers yelled at each other for one minute from their cabins and then continued on their way. Frustration is exchanged, not insurance or personal information.

We ended the day in the royal garden, where for 20 cents you can see half dead lawns and a few semi-exotic plants, reminding visitors that the prominence of this region has declined since the Kings lost their authority. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T