India Day 11 - Jaipur

Today at 8am we headed for a cup of lassi at the most famous shop in Jaipur. It is a yogurt drink made in the traditional way. Like our chai in Varanasi, our heavy clay cups were new, used once, then thrown away.

Our big stop for the morning was the Amer Fort (sometimes called the Amber Fort). It is located high on a hill and people often ride elephants up to the top. We took jeeps up after KV explained how hard the climbing is on the elephants' legs and we didn't want to contribute to their less than humane treatment.

The Fort, established in 1592, is stunning and there are many sections to it. We were able to climb up some super steep steps and see the outside and inside views of the Fort. Some of the painting is fresco style and restoration of various sections is ongoing. It was quite a busy place but I enjoyed it very much. We stopped to visit the summer home on a man-made lake.

Next we visited a jewelry shop. Jaipur has many shopping opportunities and it is especially well known for the cutting and setting of gemstones. After a demonstration, we got the chance to visit the showroom. The variety was very nice and I found a pair of earrings I quite liked, as well as a multi stone necklace which will forever remind me of India and Jaipur.

We had lunch and I chose the reasonably-priced buffet. Then the bus took us to the City Palace Museum which was lavishly decorated for an upcoming wedding. We were treated to a marionette show then we looked through the displays. 

Nearby was Jantar Mantar, an observatory first built in the early 1700's. This fascinating complex of stone and metal instruments was repaired in 1901 and is the largest one of its kind in India today. Rashivalaya Yantra are a series of 12" structures, each representing different zodiac signs. Astrology is very important in India and these structures are used to calculate horoscopes for people.

We were given time to shop in the tourist markets. The salesmen (no women) were very aggressive and it was off putting. Sometimes we just couldn't communicate and I walked out rather than fight a losing battle. I did manage to find a few gifts though.

We had quite a great evening. Our guide took us to an Indian wedding celebration. His friend's younger brother was getting married. Actually it was the night before the wedding but the festivities take place over several days. We got there just after 7 pm but KV told thus that was a bit early and most guests wouldn't be there yet. We mingled a bit and were served water, chai, drinks, and finally some wonderful food from a lengthy buffet table.

The women were dressed in absolutely gorgeous colourful jeweled sarees and had many bracelets and gold jewelry on. I wandered a bit on my own to take a few photos. I found some women making naan bread (?) and stopped to watch and photograph. One lady insisted on giving me some dough to work. I tried to refuse but she was persistent. I wasn't very good at it and I think I amused them. All in all, the wedding was a terrific experience!