On our first day in Jaipur, February 24, we were driven a little out of town to Aamer Fort (pronounced "amber"). This was another former capital, constructed around 1600. Having ridden elephants in Thailand, we used our own feet to climb up to the entrance courtyard.
There were the same features here that we have seen many other places, like public audience hall, private audience hall, palace, temple, rooms for the 200+ wives, etc. Only this place added an Escher-like quality. Once we wanted to leave, we wandered for a while to find the way out.
Once we were on track with the exit signs, we came across these musicians, entrancing a cobra.
On the drive back, we stopped to view this beauty, which I am sure has its own story.
In the afternoon, we wandered around the Pink City, the old walled area of Jaipur, which is now a bazaar. People actually fell off the sidewalk trying to stare at us, which finally added humor to the situation on our end.
Next up was the Jantar Mantar Observatory, started in 1728 simply because a man named Jai Singh wanted to learn about astronomy. Alan and I thought it would make an excellent skate park now.
In the evening, we watched a film at the Raj Mandir Cinema, which was a very beautiful building. The film had all the worst elements of any R-rated film, and even though the dialogue was 98% Hindi, we managed to follow the atrocities.
The following morning, we visited the Central Museum, in a beautiful building called Albert Hall. The displays ranged from Persian carpets to paintings, miniatures, pottery, clothing, and clay figures. That afternoon, we boarded a bus for Udaipur and finally arrived late that night. Now without our driver, and simply needing a rest, we have taken a few days "off" in Udaipur. It has proved to be a sleepy lakeside town. On our last day, we took a boat ride out to Jag Mandir Island.
From Udaipur, we took a night train to Mumbai, our last stop in India. And, it turns out, our favorite Indian city.
There were the same features here that we have seen many other places, like public audience hall, private audience hall, palace, temple, rooms for the 200+ wives, etc. Only this place added an Escher-like quality. Once we wanted to leave, we wandered for a while to find the way out.
Once we were on track with the exit signs, we came across these musicians, entrancing a cobra.
On the drive back, we stopped to view this beauty, which I am sure has its own story.
In the afternoon, we wandered around the Pink City, the old walled area of Jaipur, which is now a bazaar. People actually fell off the sidewalk trying to stare at us, which finally added humor to the situation on our end.
Next up was the Jantar Mantar Observatory, started in 1728 simply because a man named Jai Singh wanted to learn about astronomy. Alan and I thought it would make an excellent skate park now.
In the evening, we watched a film at the Raj Mandir Cinema, which was a very beautiful building. The film had all the worst elements of any R-rated film, and even though the dialogue was 98% Hindi, we managed to follow the atrocities.
The following morning, we visited the Central Museum, in a beautiful building called Albert Hall. The displays ranged from Persian carpets to paintings, miniatures, pottery, clothing, and clay figures. That afternoon, we boarded a bus for Udaipur and finally arrived late that night. Now without our driver, and simply needing a rest, we have taken a few days "off" in Udaipur. It has proved to be a sleepy lakeside town. On our last day, we took a boat ride out to Jag Mandir Island.
From Udaipur, we took a night train to Mumbai, our last stop in India. And, it turns out, our favorite Indian city.
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