On November 26, 2008, what later became known as the Mumbai Attacks began. At the conclusion of this three-day mayhem, the death toll, level of destruction, and heightened sense of imminent danger drove India’s tourism industry into the gutter.
Two months later, India is still hurting from this catastrophe, the aftermath of which is best addressed at this point with an abstraction of the details and a wave of commiseration for the lives lost. But sympathy is not enough to lift India out of this economic slump, especially when the US, which can normally be counted on for its abundance of wanderlust tourists, has been, and is still, experiencing an historic slump of its own.
It is during these hard times that countries welcome with open arms the rare visits of our elite citizens who somehow remain impervious, or nearly impervious, to any fiscal crisis. Among these elite is Julia Roberts. For those of you who do not know who this Hollywood tempest is, here’s the latest video clip from a paparazzo.
Meet Julia:
According to the Hindustan Times, three days after this miff, Roberts and family took a two-day sojourn to Jaipur, India, where similar celeb predators doing their job pursued her with just as much diligence. Here’s what she was up to abroad:
A source at the hotel told IANS, “She stayed at our hotel with her husband and kids. On Wednesday she went sightseeing – saw the City Palace and Amber Fort – after which she went to a private farmhouse in Kukas place near Amber Fort where she enjoyed elephant riding for over an hour.”
He said the Hollywood actress spent over three hours at the farmhouse. “First she took an elephant ride, then she went on a camel cart ride around the area. She also had her lunch there,” the source said.
“She checked out this morning (Thursday) at around 9 am,” he added.
In case you don’t know, IANS is an acronym for Indo-Asian News Service. That said, Jaipur in the wake of Julia Roberts footfall is feeling much more optimistic about their future than prior to her visit:
“After the Mumbai terror attack and the economic woes in the West, we were not getting very many tourists to the city. With a famous personality like Julia Roberts visiting the city, we are hoping that more foreign tourists would visit the state soon,” said Navendu Goswami, a Jaipur-based travel agent.
It should be noted that the article in the Hindustan Times mentions not once but twice that this 41-year-old thespian was in Pretty Woman, as if she hasn’t done any other films since 1990, and probably for everywhere other than the US she really hasn’t. Aim higher, Julia.
::Visit AboutJulia.com for video clips of the Hollywood Tempest in India::