The Pink City

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21st January 2009
ATD - Happy to leave the unfettered chaos of Agra behind, we blazed our way towards the pink city - Jaipur. The only thing I had previously associated with this city was Shane Warne’s IPL-conquering cricket team, the Rajasthan Royals. On the way we stopped off at the very impressive ruins at Fatephur Sikri. These ruins have been well maintained, possibly because they have not had to carry the massive burden of tourists of the buildings in Agra. Fatephur Sikri gives one a real impression of how mighty the Mughal empire must once have been.
The long drive from then onwards was dominated by loud music reverberating from the stereo of our van. Perhaps unwisely, Maya had encouraged our driver with some positive comments towards his music as we left Agra. This was all the encouragement Susil needed to leave his stereo at maximum volume while he sang along and pumped his head back and forth. None of us had the heart to ask him to turn it off, despite our rapidly growing headaches.
Maya was feeling very crook from the flu, so when we arrived in Jaipur she crashed. The other three of us went out to explore some of what looks like a fairly modern and well-organized city in comparison to Agra. We found a place from the Lonely Planet (one of the only good tips we have had from that book so far!) called ‘Mediterraneo’. That’s right folks; authentic Italian cuisine right in the heart of downtown Jaipur - I’ve definitely got no need to go to Italy now. The food was good and just what we felt like after a long drive through the Rajasthani desert.

22nd January 2009
ATD - We left the Hotel Ghoonghat early and met up with our guide for the day, who was named Raj. After our last experience with a guide we were slightly suspicious, but Raj looked like he was a nice bloke and he seemed to know his home city very well. First he took us to the Astrological observatory, which features many huge instruments designed to read the stars and the sun. The scale and intricacy of many of the instruments astonished me. Apparently the Maharajas had a great interest in reading the stars. Outside the entrance I had one of those stereotypical Indian experiences. I finally got to sit with a snake charmer and he enticed a large cobra from its basket. So I can tick that one of my list - now where is a curry, an elephant and a cricket ground?!
ABD - Jantar Mantar - the Observatory begun by Jai Singh in 1728. Our guide explained how each of the enormous instruments work. Jai Singh’s meticulous calculations deriving from the instruments indications such as the time of day by the place the suns shadow fell on the sundial, charted the annual progress through the zodiac. Each of the instruments has a specific purpose, such as calculating eclipses. Jai Singh has built 5 Observatories in total but this one is the largest and best preserved.
As we where in the observatory admiring the mammoth sized structures we heard someone shouting in English “leave me, leave me” Andrew and I looked over to the entrance and saw a French guy struggling to free himself from the grip of several security guards. He kept falling on the ground and leaping up in a desperate attempt to escape yet the security guards where determined to retain him. The struggle continued for a few minutes and I felt extremely uneasy with the whole thing. I kept hoping that the French guy would be able to escape, having read extensively about the situation in Indian prisons in “Shantaram” the book later passed on to Andrew and Adam. Soon enough the security guards let him go and when we enquired about what had happened we where told that this man had entered without a ticket and was on top of it, getting inside one of the instruments!?! How bizarre.

ATD - We saw the palace of the Maharaja. Although the carpets have faded and the chandeliers were dusty the building retains sense of royal charm and dignity. Photos of the various Maharajas entertaining foreign dignitaries line the walls. One local proudly told us that the current Maharaja (impotent) is polo buddies with HRH Prince Charles himself. We saw the floating summer palace, designed to keep royalty cool from the scorching desert heat

ABD - City Palace
The Palace is a very impressive and extremely well preserved blend of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. The Maharaja himself still reside here but his quarters are sealed of to the general public and one can visit him only on request and a hefty deposit of 5000 INRS! Well thanx, but No thanx.
We entered the hall of public audiences where large silver vessels stand (1.6m tall, apparently the largest silver objects in the world) on each side commanding attention. According to our guide, these vessels where used by Maharaja Madho Singh II on his trip to the UK to transport holy Ganges water as he trusted no other H2O. How the tables have turned!
A miniature model of Jaipur stood on a wooden table, protected by a glass case. It drew my attention as the detail was incredibly impressive. On the wall on top of the miniature hung a wheel of riffles.
The Museum of the Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II contains a vast collection of clothing, the most impressive being the Maharaja’s own. He was 1.2m wide and weighed an astounding 250 Kgs, yet it seemed he had no problem whatsoever in picking up chicks as he had married 108 women!

ATD - From there we went to check out the Amber Fort. I found this to be absolutely spectacular, and my architectural highlight of India. It looked imposing as we passed it in our car from its perch atop the dusty mountains surrounding Jaipur. But what will linger in my memory the longest was inside the buildings, in the details. Every free space of stone is adorned with intricate carvings in the stone which give the place a feeling of palatial luxury. One hall was covered with mosaic mirrors, which gave the space a mystical atmosphere.

ABD - Amber Fort (pronounced Amer which means high) was spectacular. As we drove up the winding streets, the views from the window on the rugged hills, only partially prepared us for what we where to witness. The Amber Fort was for me the most impressive of all buildings we have seen in India.
A faded shade of reddish pink, Amber was once the capital of Jaipur.
The Jai Mandir (Hall of Victory) is beautiful with all its inlaid mosaic mirrored panels and ceilings. Delicate carved marble reliefs around the Hall fascinate and remind one of the work in the Taj Mahal, only these reliefs are much better maintained, sparkling white marble.
Mosaics, sculptures, colorful inlays, sandstone arches, magnificent gardens, windows with breathtaking views, saunas, air-conditioned rooms (by using water flowing down the marble), hammams, havelis, latticed galleries, zenanas and endless rows of columns give a real flavor of India as I pictured it in my minds eye. It was the most gratifying experience and a remarkable example of money used wisely.
We stopped at the Water Palace on our way back into town. The Water palace, is used by the Maharaja in summer and is closed of to visitors. It sits immersed in the middle of a lake, the water keeping the interior of the palace cool during the hot summer months.

ATD - One of my favourite experiences in Jaipur (apart from spilling sweet chilly all over the front of my only pants) was looking down on a busy street from the roof of Raj’s home. I could have sat there for hours and watched the hive of rickshaws, taxis, beggars, street vendors, kite fliers and buses below.

ABD - Of course I could not resist having a look inside the gallery of an artist specializing in miniature painting. We ended up sitting on his large white pillows and sipping Rajasthani Chai while leafing through his extensive collection. I ended up purchasing a couple of pieces, one of which was a gift and another one for our new Saudi Home.

ATD - One interesting aspect of the day was the fondness developed by Raj towards the female members of the group. He also shared with me a couple of dirty chauvinist jokes when the girls weren’t looking. His favourite tactic was to isolate either Maya or Alice and tell them how he would follow them to the ends of the earth, as he looked wistfully into their skeptical eyes. As the day wore on and he realized was getting little response he decided to turn his attentions on my wife, showering her with compliments and even a wedding proposal as she walked hand-in-hand with her current husband.
Jaipur is definitely my favourite place in northern India. The pink shop fronts ooze charm, and even haggling is done with a certain charisma. While we were waiting for Maya (outside an Adidas shop), we were approached by a beggar holding a young baby. This is pretty common in India, and at first I didn’t take too much notice, until I got a nudge from Alexia. I looked up at the woman and saw that beneath a thick layer of filth she was actually extremely beautiful. She had sparking green eyes and somehow perfectly white teeth. Her image and that of her adorable baby will long stick in my memory. After meeting up with a recovering Maya we went to a Thali place for dinner, which was impeccably clean and served tasty Rajasthani fare. The place was so clean in fact, that as we ate a man frantically polished the floor around our feet on his hands and knees. We emerged back out onto the filthy roadside. Only in India.

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Photos

Looking out the window at Amber Fort
The lawns were made to the exact replica of the Maharaja's favorite carpet patern

Amber Fort
Obviously those two are related! Crazy lot!