The women of Jaipur wear colorful scarves and sarongs as they do in most of India I noticed. Men wear white robes and red, yellow, orange and maroon turbans.

Palace of the Wind; Hawa Mahal



The Hawa Mahal is a landmark in Jaipur. It is a five story structure built in 1799. It is a facade that has 953 latticed windows, perforated screens, projecting balconies and honeycombed walls designed as a privacy screen for the royal harems of the time. The royal ladies of the court could come and enjoy the cool breezes that flowed through the opened rooms while watching ordinary people go about their daily activities in the markets and streets below without themselves being observed.

Temple on the way to Hotel



When these roads to Jaipur were built there were temples all along the route. It was a sacrelige to tear down these sacred sites so the roads were built on either side of them. Down every side street there was a mass of activity. We passed tea shops with people sitting around in plasitc chairs watching the maze of humanity go by.

We finally got to the Shahpura House which is located in what seemed to be a neighborhood on the other side of town. It was a very beautiful place. The furniture and decor were of the Mugal style, and I believe it is owned by the royal family. When I checked in and got in my room I found that it was filled with antiques and expensive rugs and also a canopy bed. The first thing I did was take a shower and change my clothes.

Lobby at Jaipur Hotel



That night Subhash wanted to show me a resturant that he goes to everytime he comes to Jaipur where there are some exotic women dancers who balance bowls on their head. When we got there I noticed quite a few Americans and European people there along with alot of Indian people. After changing tables a few times we finally got a table on the stage in front facing the majority of the people who were enjoying their meal and watching these dancing ladies.

For dinner we had curry chicken, rice, stuffed tomatoes, hot peppers and tea. It was all good, and not too expensive.

After awhile the dancers went on a break and a group of musicians sitting on the floor started playing their insturments and one of Subhash's friends started singing. There were drums, and an accoridan-like instrument and a few other instruments. It was the first time I had ever heard Rajasthan music played live. I fell in love with it immediately. I was never one to be too interested in Indian music until I came to the country and listened to it in person. Later I complimented Subhash's friend on his great singing. I mentioned to him that he could make a lot of money doing this professionally. He said that he did it for the love of it. Later when I was thinking about it he was telling me that the people of India don't always put money in the equation with whatever they do. He knew I was an American and probably a capitolist and he was just letting me know that money isn't everything. He didn't know it, but I totally agree.

I found out in Jaipur the people don't speak as good as English as they do in New Dehli. The doorman didn't seem to understand English, and either did any of the room boys.

The next morning I got up and went down to the buffet breakfast. The dining room was full of people from Spain. I didn't have much of an appetite since it was so hot. The menu was written on a little sign board. This was written on it in English;

potato bol
apple pancakes
sliced pears
red fruit
tea

I was the only American there that I knew of. While all the Spanish people were chatting away to each other I finished eating and then went to the lobby to wait for Subhash and the guide that would tell me a little about Amber Fort which was the first thing I would see that day. All the hotel stewards were busy dusting, sweeping the floors and arranging the flowers in the many rooms of the downstairs part of this establishment.


Amber Fort



Amber Fort is about eleven kilometers north of the city of Jaipur. It is a yellowish rose color and sits like a jewel on the ridge of an ancient desert mountain range. In ancient times whenever anyone wanted to visit the fort they had to come by elephant. So today is no different. The sun was promising to be very hot that day to I decided to buy a hat while I was there. There was a guy nearby that was selling baseball hats, so I got one. While I was there someone came up that was selling Mugal art. The price was pretty good so I dicided to pick up a few. Near the road you come to a stand and get on an elephant that takes you to the courtyards of the palace.

I had never heard of this place in my life and I don't think I had done any reading on it before I came on the trip but as soon as we got to the palace area the guide proceeded in telling me every detail of everything about the place. I listened as attentively as I could trying to take it all in. I knew I could go home and read about it, but this is what I got from his talk. First we went through the outer court. This is a room on the outside which consists of columns. The emporer would hold audiences here. It was outside because it was more tolerable then inside in a stuffy room since the weather is mostly hot there.

After this we went into the Ganesh entrance and went through the various rooms. Here the guide explained to me the very ingenius ventelation system that captures the winds that came over the mountain behind this place and cooled the inside of the palace. At night the people would go out on the roof of the palace where it was cool.

The palace is a mixture of Rajput and Mugal artwork. Usually the emporer was of the Muslim religion. His wives would be Hindu,Christian or Muslim and their palaces were built in the architecture of those religions.

Elephant Ride to Fort



The bedroom of the emporer has tiny mirrors inlaid in the walls of it and at night when you light a candle and set it in the middle of the room the light from the candle reflects off the mirrors and gives off a unique effect.

View from Palace at Amber Fort



After going through most of the palaces we walked down the path where the elephants walk for a little bit and then found a path that took us down the hill where Subhash was waiting. There were hawkers every few feet. Some of them had some very good things to sell.

Snake Charmer



We got to the parking lot and found Subhash. We got in the car and started toward the city. We passed the winter palace. It sits in the middle of a lake.

Then we drove down the street for about a mile or so and came to a gate. The guide didn't tell me what this was. We got out of the car and I saw some old women and men working at various looms and primitive machines that make thread. I was invited in. I was asked if I would like to see how rugs are made. Of course I was curious and said yes.

Working With Thread



At this point I thought it was a demonstration but soon realized that I was put in a situation where I would be given a sales pitch like in New Delhi. I decided to play along but I had no intention of buying anything. The little man took me to a table and showed me how a pattern was made on some muslim by using a block print and ink. He showed me the whole process of how they weave a rug step by step. After the rug is woven, then it is burned and washed, and then cut.

Then he took me into a room with young men standing all around and introduced me to a salesman. I was invited to sit down and they offered me tea. I told them up front that I wasn't prepared to buy a rug. The salesman was of course persistent and suggested that I could charge it on my credit card and I could even take it home with me on the plane. I let them show me some rugs and then I told them I didn't want to waste their time anymore and then I got up to leave. The salesman then tried to apply some pressure. I told him that I didn't need a rug since I had plenty where I lived. I took his business card and then left. I made my way back to the car.

We proceeded toward the city center again. Having had a taste of refreshing tea I asked the driver if we could stop and get some more. I was tired from going from one place to another without a break and they were willing to do anything I wanted. I thought that I would buy them some tea too and we could all sit at the tabel together and have a rest. As soon as I got to the entrance of the resturant I was immediately ushered inside by a doorman. The guide and the driver did not come in with me. Then I began to get the picture, they kept a distance while I did what I wanted.

I was taken to a table where I sat down. There were many other Americans and Europeans and Indian people there. I first ordered a pot of tea. Then as I was drinking it I decided to get something to eat. I wasn't too hungry so I ordered some hot and sour soup. After that I felt very rested so I went out to the car and we proceeded to the City Palace.

City Palace, Jaipur



When we got there the guide went though the usual formality of buying tickets and then we entered through the eastern gate. The first place the guide took me was to a large room where arts and crafts are made and sold. Knowing that I was interested in Mugal paintings he took me to a booth of an artist who specializes in this form of art. We sat down in front of him and he began to explain his art to me. He demonstrated to me how he paints with a brush made of the hair of a squirrel's tail. Among other things he told me that everyday when he gets up in the morning he goes outside and looks directly into the sun. He said this keeps his eye sight sharp. Of course he expected me to buy some of his art since he gave me a demonstration but I looked at his prices, and they were quite high so I had to decline. I had already bought some earlier in the day that were of pretty good quality for a much cheaper price so I didn't feel obligated to buy any of his.

After this we went to some of the museums that are on the property. The first one was a collection of photographs, paintings and other things the royal family had put on display. Then there was a museum of all kind of weopanry the royal family has used down through the centuries. There were swords, daggars etc: Then the last museum was of the clothing that the royal family had worn through the ages.

In the courtyard there is a building that houses a couple silver urns that hold about 1,800gallons of water each. They were used to hold water from the Ganges River for drinking when one of the royal family went to live in Britian in 1900. Also in the courtyard there were several cannons and also a garage where they stored quite a few coaches that the royal family used centuries ago.

Some of the royal family still live in the palace in the picture above. It has seven floors and each one is decorated in a different style. Enclosed in these quarters is a sprawling complex of formal gardens, glassworks and figurines that are not opened to the public.

The Royal Observatory



The Royal Observatory is a park next to the palace complex where the movement of the stars and planets were observed in centuries passed. It is a place where time was also calculated. All the instruments are made of stone and marble. There is a huge sun dial that was used to measure the distance, altitude and diameter of the sun. There is also an instrument that records the sun's passage through the sky and another one that tracks the signs of the zodiac. The ancient people then as well in this present age were fascinated with astonomy and astrology.

Boys Begging



After this I was taken to a famous baazar. I looked around for awhile but didn't find anything that I would want to buy. There were many things that I knew I could buy in the States if I wanted them. What I really wanted was some water. I was very thirty. I found a place that sold some around the corner so I bought some.

That evening I had dinner in my room. I ordered spaghetti with vegatables, custard and English tea. I noticed a sign that said they had laundry service so I called them up. I was told that if I brought my laundry in today it would be ready by the next evening. I was leaving the next morning so that wouldn't work out. So I spent the next several hours washing my clothes in the bathtub. I drapped all my wet clothes in the bathroom and opened the window to let all the hot air in. After that I was exhausted and fell asleep for about three hours. The next morning I would be leaving for Agra.