Today we relaxed at the hotel, waiting for a 7PM train to Amritsar home to the Golden Temple, a major Sikh religious site.

We eventually ventured from the marble floored hotel to the dusty streets of the local town. Our destination was the nearby gym where we intended to sweat out the barrage of spices we had consumed at the hotel restaurant.

On our trek to the treadmill we passed a few roadside enclaves of tent style homes. The tenants live on fluffy dirt patches, prepare meals over wood fires and live without running water. They are urban campers, living the lives of mountain men in a region where asphalt roads replace trails and buildings squeeze out trees.

However, their camping skills surpass that of your most experienced boy scout. Despite their living conditions, many appear clean and well groomed. Close shaven men, with stylish haircuts emerge in crisp 70's style suits from filthy tents, ready to go to work. Their hair is cut and face shorn at makeshift barbershops assembled under a tarp on the side of the road. Baths are taken on porches, chairs or cement blocks using a small bucket and a soapy rag; bathtubs are not available. Hygiene is maintained by handkerchiefs that wipe away sweat and dirt. These are so common that quick service restaurants often don't offer napkins. BYOT: bing your own towel.

However, without private running water it appears unlikely that clothes are washed well or frequently. The local water pump is likely periodically used to do a load of laundry.

The Indian population appears to have a deep understanding of economics, as they have mastered the use of pricing discrimination in ways that would likely raise alarm in America. Tourist sites charge foreigners more than locals and when we arrived at the gym the handwritten sign indicated different rates for women and men.

The gym was dark, signaling that in order to exercise we would need to run outside in the heat of the day atop the dirt paths that pretended to be both sidewalks for pedestrians and front yards for the tent dwellers. Our jog drew stares from the hundreds of locals we passed. We were not only physically different, but also possibly the only people in Jaipur to be exercising for pleasure during the heat of the day. The men here generally appear un-athletic and very thin, implying that cultural norms don't include life long participation in weightlifting, sports or midday jogs. However, given the burning temperatures, extensive daily walking requirement and lack of facilities for washing clothing and bodies, I understand why an exercise routine could be unpalatable.

The 14-hour train to Amritsar had numerous cars, some of which had beds others which didn't. At a price of 4 dollars a ticket our car was the most luxurious, chilled by air conditioning and providing each person with a platform bed. Three beds were stacked vertically, it was as if the sleeping quarters of a submarine had been wrapped in blue doctor's office pleather. We were joined by a pleasant Swede and three men from Amritsar who made an effort not to be friendly. Ultimately silence prevailed.

Metal rings are attached to the bottom bunk so that luggage can be locked below while passengers rest above. However, without knowing one needs to bring a lock to stow luggage this system is useless, leaving foreign passengers to share their 24 inch wide plank with their bags. Limited space combined with the rocking of the train created conditions like the womb of a jogging mother. Eventually the lights went out and everyone pretended to sleep. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T