We took the train to Jaipur and stayed in a homestay which is the Indian equivalent of a guest house. The owner and his family were very welcoming and we enjoyed some fab food here. Jaipur is a pretty chaotic and large city but the old part is where the name the pink city comes from as it's surrounded by walls and gates painted in pink. Most of the houses are painted pink too to keep with tradition. We had a small adventure on the first day when using the internet in a cyber cafe as one of the locals got chatting to John and we ended up going back to his house for an hour to meet his family and have a cup of chai!
The old city is made up of well orgnaised and laid out streets for a change but it was buzzing and busy, full of lively bazaars selling marble, bangles, kitchen utensils and books. Each street has its own theme. Diwali preparations (the Hindu festival of light which is the equivalent in terms of celebration of our christmas - the biggest festival of the year where families and friends give gifts, have fireworks, food and parties) were well underway with posters in windows, gift boxes available to buy, decorations on stalls and lights strung all around.
The Palace of the wind was beautiful with coloured glass decorating windows and doors. We also visited the City Palace and the lake palace, rising out of an otherwise still lake and Jantar Mantar, the observatory. This was our favourite part as even though it was built between 200 - 300 years ago the architecture looks almost modern and all the structures in the well kept gardens are astronomical instruments. It was a peaceful place, modern before its time.
We ate at a fantastic Peacock restaurant on a rooftop, that was an oasis in an otherwise bustling city.
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| The Pink City |
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| Fruit and Veg at the Bazaar |
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| Ther view from the Palace of the Wind |
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| The lake palace |
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| Jantar Mantar's sundial |
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