Hyderabad vs. Jaipur
After living in Jaipur for about a month, I feel supremely unqualified to tally up the pro’s and con’s of Hyderabad and Jaipur. Major axes of (Indian) city assessment below:
Coconut Wallahs: In Hyderabad, you can buy fresh conconut water from a scyth-wielding vender with a cart full of fresh conconuts every few hundred feet for 10 rupees. In Jaipur, there isn’t a conconut vender in sight. Major Point: Hyderabad.
Traffic: Being stuck in traffic in Hyderabad, though not as bad as being stuck in traffic in Mumbai or Delhi, is kinda like preparation for Dante’s hell. Point: Jaipur.
Rickshaws: In Hyderabad, they will occaisonally run by the meter, while in Jaipur, rickshaw wallahs actually arranged a half-day strike to protest being forced to use meters. On the otherhand, bartering in Jaipur tends to be less wildly extortionary and surprisingly, the majority of drivers know where major landmarks are. Point: Tie.
Movie Theatres: Jaipur has the famous art deco Raj Mandir, one of the first movie theatres in India. Hyderabad has Prasad, a massive modern multiplex with one of the first IMAX screens in India. Raj Mandir has that old school class, but Prasad, with its frigid air conditioning, luxury seating, rash of American films, and huge screen takes you straight back to the land of plenty when you are feeling homesick. Point: Hyderabad.
Being White-ness: Total number of honks and calls of “What country are you from?” from strangers in Hyderabad easily exceed those in Jaipur (even taking into account city size). In touristy Jaipur, whiteness, at least until you start speaking Hindi, is relatively passe. Point: Jaipur.
Weekend Trips: Hyderabad is an overnight train from Hampi, which is only the most awesome place ever, and Bangalore, but Jaipur is only 6 hours from Delhi, the Taj Mahal, and closer still to Fathepur Sikri. Also, Udaipur, Jodphur, and Mt Abu. Point: Jaipur. Or like, point to Rajasthan in general for being the most epically touristy state.
Food: One word: Chindian. Okay, and a few more: Steamed dosas at chutneys and biryani at Paradise. Winner: Hyderabad, easily.
Expat Community: Hyderabad is one of the social entrepreneurship capitals of India. Jaipur, not so much. But it does have some rad American Hindi students (clearly). Winner: Hyderabad.
So tally, as of now:
Jaipur: 4
Hyderabad: 5
