We had a wonderful dinner at our hotel in Jaipur, the Oberoi. We ate at their Indian restaurant on the property. We ate outside and had a wonderful Indian meal under the stars. Two men played Indian music while we ate. What an incredible oasis…
We were picked up Thursday morning by our tour guide and driver. They took us all over Jaipur. We started at Amber Fort which sits high on a hill overlooking a lake..beautiful. The van pulled over to let us out and there on the sidewalk was a snake charmer and a man standing with a baby elephant!
We walked over to get in line to ride an elephant up to the fort. There are 100 elephants who are each allowed 5 trips a day. They carry two people at a time, so 1,000 people can ride an elephant up to the fort each day. What an amazing experience. It was so fun. We held on for dear life!
We looked around the fort then went inside the palace. The king or maharaja had many wives. He would always have one favorite who could visit him anytime, but the others had to wait for him to come to them! His room overlooked all of his wives open air courtyards. The palace was amazing.
After that our guide took us to a local family owned jewelry store where they polished and faceted all of their own gems. Very cool.
We then ate lunch at a local Indian restaurant.
After that he took us to a place where they made hand block print fabric! It was so neat to see. A father and his two sons were working on a piece while we were there. They use vegetable dyes and the process has been handed down for generations. We later saw venders selling the hand carved blocks in many designs.
Then we went to see how rugs were made. This was incredible too! One man squats for hours with the intricate pattern in his head! He knew which color to use when. They said each rug takes 4 months to knot. Then they burn the threads off the back so it won't slip. Then they wash it and dry in the sun. After that they trim the long pieces of yarn. What a process!…So fun to see. They of course took us to a rug showroom, then to another place selling Pashminas and other linens. Wow.
We left the rug place and headed to Jantar Mantar. This is an incredible building that a king had built for his queen when she asked about stars. It is a huge sun dial that tells time. It also points to the North Star. It also has something to do with signs of the Zodiac. Marriages are still arranged, and a certain number of overlaps between your two signs have to line up for the marriage to work. I'm not into that…but it is a big part of their culture.
From Jantar Mantar we visited the City Palace. Each city has their own Fort and City Palace. They are all very different. Each city has it's own king and queen too...Marahaja and Maharani.
After the Palace were were pooped. Our driver went to find some cold beer for the guys, our guide took Jean and I to the market. I had seen some cool copper pieces on the way down from the Fort that I wanted to look for. The market isn't scary, it's crossing the street that is. There are so many motorcycles, I mean millions, and three wheeled motorized rickshaws or "Tuk Tuks" as they call them. Our guide helped us cross the streets. He then helped us bargain and would pay out of his wallet, then we paid him back later.
Our guide then got us each a rickshaw and took us to where the van was parked. Along the way we saw monkeys walking along the roof tops! Nothing is surprising us anymore! Something new everywhere we look! A feast for the eyes for sure.
On the way to board the Palace on Wheels we stopped by an elephant polo match! The king did not want the ladies playing polo on horses, so the women began their own polo on elephants! The game was over but we got a few pictures of the elephants. They were all painted up.
On to the train station to board the Palace on Wheels...
We were picked up Thursday morning by our tour guide and driver. They took us all over Jaipur. We started at Amber Fort which sits high on a hill overlooking a lake..beautiful. The van pulled over to let us out and there on the sidewalk was a snake charmer and a man standing with a baby elephant!
We walked over to get in line to ride an elephant up to the fort. There are 100 elephants who are each allowed 5 trips a day. They carry two people at a time, so 1,000 people can ride an elephant up to the fort each day. What an amazing experience. It was so fun. We held on for dear life!
We looked around the fort then went inside the palace. The king or maharaja had many wives. He would always have one favorite who could visit him anytime, but the others had to wait for him to come to them! His room overlooked all of his wives open air courtyards. The palace was amazing.
After that our guide took us to a local family owned jewelry store where they polished and faceted all of their own gems. Very cool.
We then ate lunch at a local Indian restaurant.
After that he took us to a place where they made hand block print fabric! It was so neat to see. A father and his two sons were working on a piece while we were there. They use vegetable dyes and the process has been handed down for generations. We later saw venders selling the hand carved blocks in many designs.
Then we went to see how rugs were made. This was incredible too! One man squats for hours with the intricate pattern in his head! He knew which color to use when. They said each rug takes 4 months to knot. Then they burn the threads off the back so it won't slip. Then they wash it and dry in the sun. After that they trim the long pieces of yarn. What a process!…So fun to see. They of course took us to a rug showroom, then to another place selling Pashminas and other linens. Wow.
We left the rug place and headed to Jantar Mantar. This is an incredible building that a king had built for his queen when she asked about stars. It is a huge sun dial that tells time. It also points to the North Star. It also has something to do with signs of the Zodiac. Marriages are still arranged, and a certain number of overlaps between your two signs have to line up for the marriage to work. I'm not into that…but it is a big part of their culture.
From Jantar Mantar we visited the City Palace. Each city has their own Fort and City Palace. They are all very different. Each city has it's own king and queen too...Marahaja and Maharani.
After the Palace were were pooped. Our driver went to find some cold beer for the guys, our guide took Jean and I to the market. I had seen some cool copper pieces on the way down from the Fort that I wanted to look for. The market isn't scary, it's crossing the street that is. There are so many motorcycles, I mean millions, and three wheeled motorized rickshaws or "Tuk Tuks" as they call them. Our guide helped us cross the streets. He then helped us bargain and would pay out of his wallet, then we paid him back later.
Our guide then got us each a rickshaw and took us to where the van was parked. Along the way we saw monkeys walking along the roof tops! Nothing is surprising us anymore! Something new everywhere we look! A feast for the eyes for sure.
On the way to board the Palace on Wheels we stopped by an elephant polo match! The king did not want the ladies playing polo on horses, so the women began their own polo on elephants! The game was over but we got a few pictures of the elephants. They were all painted up.
On to the train station to board the Palace on Wheels...
What?!! A snake charmer, RIDING an elephant, block print fabric, rug knotting, a palace, monkeys on roofs and an elephant polo match?!! I am dying! Cannot imagine the adventure of this day!! The block print fabric pics are fascinating to me. Cannot wait to hear what your souvenirs from this trip were!!
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