Day 4!

Yesterday was a absolutely jam packed with so much to see in the Pink City, Jaipur!

We started with a quick drive by photo of Albert Hall museum, before heading to the beautiful Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). This 5 storey palace was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh for the court harem so that they could witness the royal processions and the street life. It is made of brightly coloured pink and red sandstone and has almost 1000 windows! The photos honestly don’t do the colour justice and it’s no wonder it is one of the main landmarks in Jaipur! 

Jaipur is known as the Pink City due to all of the buildings literally being painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward. Maharaja Ram Singh was so dedicated to keeping the aesthetic after painting everything that he even passed a law to ensure future buildings were also painted pink to match!

While taking photos of Hawa Mahal we were entertained by a snake charmer, and of course when I was given the opportunity to pat the snake, I took it!

Next stop was the highlight of Jaipur, the Amber Fort which was built by the maharajas in 1592 and is a UNESCO world heritage site! We took a few quick photos from the bottom then jumped into the back of some jeeps to drive up to the fort itself. I have heard from people who have traveled to India how amazing this fort is, but seeing it for myself was the only way to truely understand the history and magnificence of the whole place.

We also learnt that the Amber Fort is an incredibly popular place for new brides and grooms to take their pre-wedding photos and videos, which will then be played during the wedding itself. There was a beautiful mix of every colour of dress you could imagine, with so much intricate detail!

Exploring all the different levels of the fort and hearing about its history was fantastic, but for me the highlight was the Shish Mahal (Hall of Mirrors) which is known for its walls and ceilings adorned with countless small mirrors. It really was such a stunning place to visit!

After a bumpy jeep ride back down to our bus and a quick stop to say hi to some camels, we were off to see Jal Mahal (the Water Palace), which, true to its name, is located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. We were only able to view this palace from the waters edge, but it was still such a cool place to visit!

Next up was a local handcrafted goods store where they make and sell textiles, rugs, hand carved wooden and marble statues and so much more. First we learned about the process of using different patterned blocks to print onto fabric before getting to have a go ourselves. The fabric that is printed here is used to make all kinds of clothing, curtains, blankets and anything else you can think of.

We then moved to another area of the store where we got to learn how they make rugs entirely by hand. I even had a go at tying some of the knots! It’s so cool to think that I contributed (even in a tiny way) to making a rug using ancient techniques that is going to end up in someone’s home around the world!

By this point we were starving, but that feeling wouldn’t last for long! We received a warm welcome to the restaurant for lunch with music and a man dancing in a horse costume before being given a massive thali platter with 10 different types of food plus naan bread! I am proud to say that I am the only one in our group who managed to eat the entire thing, but it tasted so amazing I couldn’t resist!

Now we were all in a food coma, we visited the beautiful Maharaja’s City Palace which was built in 1732 with part of the building now converted into a museum, while the royal family of Jaipur still uses the remaining sections of the palace as a private residence. Vish had even arranged for us to be able to take some photos with a few of the palaces guards!

Our final landmark to visit for the day was the Jaipur Jantar Mantar, which is another amazing UNESCO world heritage site. It is the largest stone and marble crafted observatory in the world is and is located just outside the City Palace. The observatory has 17 large instruments, many of them still in working condition. It was completed in 1734 and there are 5 of them around India, but the one in Jaipur is the biggest and best.

In India there is a very strong belief in astronomy and astrology which is why observatories like this exist. It is so fascinating how accurately the time, date and astrological information can be taken from these giant stone structures, when they were built in a time before modern machinery and engineering existed.

We ended our tour for the day with a quick walk around the nearby market where we got to try our hand at bargaining with the very persistent local shop owners who will do just about anything to make a sale. It was a fun experience though and apparently I am quite good at bargaining for a good price!

Dinner for the night was at a local restaurant where we got to watch some incredibly talented and colourful dancers performing Rajasthani folk dances, all while they were balancing water, fire and up to 5 pots on their heads! They were even kind enough to invite us to dance with them at the end of the night which was so much fun!

Every day I am here I am more in awe of the culture, architecture and beauty of this wonderful country and I am so happy I still have a few more days to explore!

Laura xx