The Pink City

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The journey from Delhi to Jaipur was on fairly good roads, lots of brightly coloured trucks, pilgrims holding coloured flags walking to music, two injured stray dogs wandering the highways which was difficult to stomach, dodging drivers beeping continuously which indicates get out the way! This evening, we stayed in an ornate Haveli heritage hotel, which has been constructed from the chief's mansion, decorated with antique reproduction furniture , and elegant arches with a roof top pool. At the centre of the courtyard was a beautiful fountain containing floating flowers.

Almost the entire old city is a light shade of pink, in 1876 Maharaja Ram Singh had the city painted pink as a symbol of hospitality, to welcome the Prince of Wales. We also visited the beautiful water palace which is no longer in use, sitting in the centre of a lake. We saw The Palace of Winds (which was even more picturesque by night), and visited the Amber Fort at the top of a cobbled road. The Fort is equisite, beautiful vaulted ceilings, intricate detail, lots of arches, colourful herb garden and a maze of rooms.

To finish the day we had a tour of the City Palace, where we learnt about the various arms previously utilised, saw beautifully painted elephants, and watched the lively Rhesus Macques leaping around the courtyard, some with offspring. We had a crazy rickshaw ride in rush hour, and were led to the top of a building to observe the hectic street life below. Many market stalls, drivers dodging the unamused cow situated in the centre of the roundabout, people sitting on rooftops and colourful spices.

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