the day of arrival ebba & isabela were taken to rohan’s naila fort to relax, freshen up and chill. vitor met them there. they had good food. isabela played with some swords, rohan took them on a wee little exploration around the mountain from which they could see quite a bit of jaipur from afar. it is here isabela finds out what they’re really doing there.
the following morning rohan and ebba are off early to meet rohan’s parents in the royal city palace, jaipur for the first time. it is 10x grander than naila. damini attends for moral support (sort of). ebba experiences how high the talwars really are in the hierarchy for the first time. his father is imposing, but eloquent, mother asks if everything is to her liking, whether she is stressed or tired etc. after the regular convo about families, countries and preferences, they talk serious things. it is a pleasant and tensile meeting in equal measure, but the parents like her and this is the important thing.
vitor and isabela have a free morning + afternoon so vitor takes isa exploring in the colourful street markets where street food becomes their breakfast and they look at traditional colourful shoes, accessories, fabrics. the rajasthani locals think isabela is a regular tourist but they remember vitor from the last time, they fawn over him and try to give isabela free things. vitor knew this — he shows off. orders real chai like a local, shows isabela how to drink it like a local.
when ebhan returns, the gang is treated to a feast of tasty traditional rajasthani food (some dishes made less spicy for ebba’s sake), for alcohol, the drink they try is fresh indian coconut toddy.
the following day they go to the races. isabela lives her best life. rohan leaves early to prepare for a road trip. ebba “retires” a good half an hour after him to do the same.
day 4: rohan and ebba travel to udaipur, rajasthan, rohan’s sister’s domain. she lives in the lake palace. it is pretty as hell. and you have to take a boat to get to it. ebba is a little disappointed because reena talwar while polite and diplomatic, is more formal than she expected and hasn’t warmed up to the idea of her yet, but at least she gets to hold and play with the very cute 1 year old meera talwar! lots of videos sent to sol in her baby sunglasses. they spend the night.
meanwhile, vitor and isabela pack their shit and are moved to jaipur city palace. it’s the king and queen’s residence, isabela gets the royal tour and to poke around and see how rohan really grew up. they get the VIP treatment and meet the king and queen, and the queen feeds them to death. vitor introduces isabela to the pet elephant. they play soccer with him. he pretends to eat the ball several times but then gives it back. sprays water at isa.
day 5 morning: ebhan is still in udaipur, rohan whisks ebba away from lake palace with a picnic basket. he takes her far away to another lake. he shows her a place he once told her about. they take in the views, he shows her the old bell the lookout used to ring in the old days. they hang out in the command post sipping rosé and eating the delicious (and spicy) wraps, while he tells her about his dream to show her all of india before her face is splashed all over indian news. they'd start in punjab, make their way east pass delhi then down to the south. and back up again via the west with the last stop being homebase in rajasthan. every state has something completely different to offer. different cuisine, totally different culture and language, different art forms.
meanwhile isabela and vitor were taken to a traditional rajasthani puppet and circus show. when ebhan returns later the same day, the gang reunites and they tour 3 other hugely grand palaces in jaipur. ebba spends more time with rohan’s parents that night.
on the last day the girls get to go with the queen to some fine boutiques for shopping. the boys had “things to do.”
they return to tokyo with gifts, vitor fucks off back to guatemala where he will await the next time he is showered in food and attention. the end.