The trip to Jaipur

Early start today, 8am departure after a brilliant nights sleep, don't think a bomb blast would have woken me! Yesterdays lesson was to cut down on spending, good lesson for the first day, made after booking a very expensive driver tour of Rajastan 30 mins previously. Have to say it's been well worth it so far. Our driver Negi, 35 (looks a bit older), married with 2 daughers and a son (all actually living in his home town near the Himalayas while he works away in Dehli) is very nice and an incredible driver.
I'm sure I mentioned the driving before but it's worth an extra mention because it borders on the paranormal how all these cars/motorcycles/bikes/rickshaws/tuk tuks/trailers etc, everyone travelling literally inches from each other, manage not to repeatedly smash into each other. It's just a coordinated mass of chaos that has to be seen not to be believed.
The journey was amazing, the poverty was shocking. We were literally, in 6 hours travelling to Jaipur, not out of sight of either people on the roadside or chimneys billowing smoke. Even in the middle of the countryside the pollution is choking (you should have seen... well, just imagine blowing your nose after a day on the London Underground multiplied by 100).
The poverty is actually appaling, I can't really describe it, just filth everywhere, same with the people. And evey 5-10 kilometers there's about a mile long strip of essentially shanty town, market stalls, cafes (look like you'd get sick just entering them) and truck stops, trucks are everywhere, half of them being put back together propped upon bricks. Everybody is doing something, whether it's sleeping, selling stuff or just sitting in front of a small collection of random autoparts, it's hard to imaging how most of these people survive. One "touchcar" (beggar) as Negi calls them came up to my window (behind driver). Negi said he feels sorry for them, right before sticking his hand out the window and clattering her behind the ear!! It's hard to know what to do because there are so many of them... Do you give them money etc, Negi wasn't too positive about giving money to them as he says it encourages it? I don't know... It sounds so awful when you see it and start thinking where does this fit into my budget.... Fuck!
Anyway it's late, it's also a balls for finding internet and phoning home because of the time difference, so to all those left at home, Dad, Isabel and Mam (alphabetical to avoid conflict, it's you first Is shh) love you all. To everyone else, send me news, running out of things to talk about with Derek [you might get a pressie if you include your address].