Journey tot the Subcontinent: Day 6 Jaipur

Day 5: Jaipur


Left the hotel at a reasonable hour this morning to drive through Jaipur, the Pink City",

We made a stop at the Panna Meena Stepwell, somewhat smaller than the one we saw yesterday, but still impressive.  This one had no guard rails, so you could actually walk down if so inclined (none of were that brave).

To get to the Amber Fort, we had to take jeeps through narrow, steep roads for what seemed an eternity.  We bounced up and down in the back of the jeep (and almost out)

Also referred to as the Amber Palace, the fort is located on a hill in Amer. Just eleven kilometers from the city of Jaipur, the Amber fort is a major tourist attraction. Built by Raja Man Singh, the fort, which is also spelt as Amer fort, is a scenic marvel. It stands on top of an easily scalable mountain, which is situated right next to the beautiful Maota Lake. The fort’s majestic appearance and its geographical advantages make it a special place to visit. The fort presents a fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture. It is built using red sandstone and white marble. The palace complex of the Amber fort has very attractive apartments. This complex was built by Raja Man Singh, Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Sawai Jai Singh over a period of about two centuries. This palace complex was used as the main residence of the Rajput Maharajas for a long period of time. 

Real snake charmer

The construction of Amber Fort was started in 1592. It was modified on regular intervals by several rulers and the trend continued up until late 1600. The fort was mostly constructed using red sandstone and white marble. Though basically a fort, it also served as the main residence of the Rajput Maharajas. 

Reminiscent of the Great Wall

Buying trinkets on the bus

Lunch after the Amber Fort was at an elephant rescue camp.  After a bit of a drive into the countryside, we were greeted by 2 camel carts that brought us to the camp.

The elephants had been abused by people in town.  This elephant, Lachmi, had been for weddings and her ears had been damaged by repeated use of heavy ear rings.

Just as we got to the camp, the temperature dropped about ten degrees and we were caught in a huge thunderstorm.  The people at the camp were kind enough to build fires to keep us warm.  None of us were appropriately dressed for winter!

The rained stopped and the weather cleared, though it remained cool.  The ladies (and Rich) had their hands tattooed with henna,

and the men (and of course, the hat lady, Molly) got turbaned.

One final feeding of Lachmi

and we were off to the last stop of the day, the women's cooperative where we saw demonstrations of 

block printing

and weaving.

And then, again, the sell.

Rich and Suzie and Dave and Carole all bought some beautiful carpets.

Then, we went into the textile section to buy our pajamas for Holi Festival.

We all looked pretty dashing!

Back to Jaipur

 and to the Jai Mahal Palace.