Today we left early and went to the Amber Fort, which was the home of the maharajas of Jaipur in the 16th before they moved to the Palace City that we visited yesterday. The Amber Fort is a huge complex, a bit up into the mountains nearby the city. On our way through Jaipur we stopped to take photos of the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) which is a very elaborate facade with 955 intricately carved windows which was used by the women of the royal court to look out onto the streets of Jaipur without being seen. Then as we passed through the city, our guide pointed out the villagers who were in selling their milk on the street corner. The milk sellers bring big metal containers of milk in from their homes/farms and sell it in the city. Those who come to buy it put their hands into it to feel it to be sure it has not been watered down before they purchase it! The milk is poured into glass containers from the metal canisters. Our guide says the purchaser then takes the milk home and boils it twice to pasteurize it, which would seem necessary after all the hands have been in it all morning! It was quite a scene to watch with much animated conversation and hand waving.
When we got to the Amber fort, we had to take jeeps from the area where the buses park up to the palace complex. That was quite an experience, as five of us crammed into the back of a very basic and beat up looking jeep and rattled our way on cobbled streets up to the fort on the top of the hill. On the way there we passed a family of pigs having breakfast along the side of the very narrow lane up which all the vehicles were heading to the fort. The congestion on all streets is mind boggling to Western eyes, and the presence of all kinds of animals just roaming around never ceases to surprise us! We passed a number of camels today too, as well as the ubiquitous cows and several goats.
When we got to the fort we went through it one level at a time. There are four levels, the last one being the private quarters of the king and his family. There is a stunning set of rooms on the third level known as the Sheesh Mahal, which has a ceiling covered with tiny mirrors. When the Maharana lived there she would light candles at night and they light would reflect from the mirrors making the ceiling look like a star studded night sky. The walls and ceilings in that area were really stunning. The fort/palace is very old and faded now, but you can see that it was a spectacular place in its day. It was cloudy and hazy when we arrived, but by the time we left the sun came out and the views were really lovely when we could see more clearly. On the first level of the palace people were riding elephants and there were monkeys cavorting around on the buttresses of the castle walls, providing great amusement to all the tourists. The hawkers were all over us until we got high enough up to get away from them.
By the time we were done at the fort, and made our way back down to the bus via the rickety jeeps, it was nearly lunch time. We stopped on our way back into town to view the summer palace on a man made lake. Again, while there we bumped into a few cows, elephants and camels who were hanging around!
We then went to lunch and after that stopped at a textile factory where we learned about the block printing of fabric which is an indigenous craft here in Jaipur and also about the wool carpets that are made here. We spent some time at the textile factory, and I bought some fabric which is being made into a chameez (tunic) for me this afternoon and will be delivered to the hotel this evening! After we left the textile place it was nearly 3:45. Some of our group then went on to the local market and the rest of us came back to rest at the hotel. I'm fighting off a cold, so opted to come back and rest and get packed for tomorrow rather than battle the chaos and crowds of an Indian market!
This evening we are going to local homes for dinner, in small groups of 4 or 5. This is to give us a chance to have conversation with people who live here and to learn more about India from the locals. I'll tell you about that tomorrow, as I will not have time when I get back late and we have to be up early. I need to try to get a decent night's sleep to see if I can kick this cold sooner than later!
Pics today include the Palace of the Winds facade, a shot of an elephant in the main courtyard at the Amber fort, the monkey who was the greeter as we ascended to the third level of the fort, me and Tracy up on the third level of the fort complex and the gorgeous room with the mirrors on the wall and ceiling.
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