Advertisement
Published: July 21st 2013
Edit Blog Post
Of the four color-themed cities in Rajasthan, the Pink City is my least favorite. With a population of 3 million, the provincial capital of Jaipur is much larger and more congested than the blue, golden, or white cities, yet still lacks the impressiveness of other large metropolises such as Delhi, or the grandiosity of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Nevertheless, it is regarded as the western point of the tourist ‘Golden Triangle’ along with the two aforementioned cities, and attracts a huge number of domestic and international visitors. The city was painted entirely in pink in 1876 for the visiting Prince of Wales, and to this day local laws dictate the preservation of the pink look, particularly within the walled old city at the center.
For all three of my visits to Jaipur, I didn’t even bother to see the Amber Fort, nor did I visit any of the city’s other much-talked about forts, palaces, statues, lakes, or gardens. There was, however, one important exception. I really wanted to see the Hawa Mahal, which is, in my opinion, the most distinctive and stunning sight that the pink city has to offer. Rounding the corner
of the street on which it lies, you barely even notice the five-story pink sandstone structure until it is right above you. With over 950 windows, the façade was designed to allow royal women views of the street life below while they enjoyed the refreshing breeze.
Sometimes when you travel, your best photos may be unexpected snapshots, for example, of traditionally clad women who smile in your direction just at the right moment. Other times the shots you traveled and prepared for the most carefully just don’t turn out. But sometimes you want a specific shot, and you want it so badly that you don’t leave until you get it. I wanted my shot of the Hawa Mahal, and I got it.
Across the street from the Hawa Mahal is the classic vantage point, and as a result, this being India, travelers are constantly harassed by touts who pretend to befriend you but ultimately want to take you up to their rooftop (for a fee) to get a better view or to sell you sun-bleached books and postcards. I couldn’t refrain from being rude to them
as they approached me one after another. Finally, I moved my tripod to the island in the middle of the road, hoping to get a classic shot of a camel walking past below the structure, but the photos just weren’t working out.
I waited longer and longer, knowing full well that I now wouldn’t even have time to actually enter the Hawa Mahal (but would be visiting Jaipur again in a week with my sister and her partner), with my rickshaw driver waiting for me down the street at a set time. I got even closer to the structure, requiring me to use my wide-angle lens at a full 10mm to get the whole thing in view. Then my long-awaited moment arrived, with the right lighting, a blue sky accented with a sprinkling of clouds, and two Rajasthanis walking past carrying a pink and a blue basket, the latter balanced perfectly on the one man’s head. More than satisfied, I went back to my hotel to relax, stopping only once along the way to photograph an interesting street procession.
Months later and back at home, my
photo won first place in a photo contest in Air Asia’s inflight magazine, and a free weekend in a classy hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
On the way back to the hotel, I declined the driver’s multiple offers to continue on with a tour of the city’s many other sights. I am an efficient traveler, but even I have to take a break once in a while when I'm on the road, and Jaipur offers some excellent hotels to veg out in. On my first visit to the city, I stayed at the Hotel Pearl Palace, which offered comfortable mid-range rooms at budget prices, and an excellent, multi-tiered rooftop restaurant that provided an ideal venue for mid-afternoon beers over books. On my second and third visits the hotel was fully booked weeks in advance, so I went for my second choice, which I ended up liking even better than the first for its simplicity, exceptional kindness of the owner, and spacious rooms with balconies overlooking a tranquil, local neighborhood. I passed away the hours there reading, watching families hang laundry on their rooftops, cows and goats grazing for snacks, and monkeys wreaking havoc on
the households and being chased away by stone-tossing and stick wielding children. The hotel also provided trustworthy drivers with fair prices, not to mention full room service with fruit smoothies, cold beers, and simple vegetarian cuisine on offer.
Having skipped the vast majority of the classic sights in town, you might be surprised to read that I then opted for an after-dark visit to one of the area’s largest tourist traps on one evening. Chokhi Dhani is a mock-Rajasthani village, replete with fake desert houses, dance and musical performances, and more. I went primarily for the photo opportunities but didn’t walk away with many great shots. It was still worthwhile, if anything for the excellent dozen-plus-course, all-you-can eat local-style feast that is included in the entrance fee. Guests are seated on the ground in groups of about 15 and the food is served entirely on disposable plates and bowls made of dry leaves. I couldn’t tell you the name of a single food that I ate during that meal, but every dish was new to me and was not the standard fare that you come to expect on what sometimes feels
like every single menu in northern India.
Finishing off one Jaipur night with a beer on my hotel’s rooftop, I asked my waiter why there seemed to be fireworks going off every few minutes in all corner’s of the city. As it turns out, it was wedding season, and locals all over the city were tying the knot under the same starry sky I had been gazing contentedly upon for hours on end.
For more of my photos and travel stories, or to buy my book "Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner", visit www.nickkembel.com
Advertisement
Tot: 0.076s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0286s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
aspiringnomad
Jason
Air Asia Magazine
Some years ago Air Asia contacted me to buy some of my photos for their inflight magazine. I declined. However, had they contacted me and said I'd won a prize, well then how could I possibly have declined? Great marketing and well done!