We booked a tour through the official government tourist office for a half day excursion for about $5/ person! This did not include fees for monuments & palaces but there is a comprehensive 2 day ticket you can purchase that covers just about everything for another $6. Needless to say, not an expensive sight seeing day. We got around by jeep and started the day with the central museum and the pink city (again). We then went out of the city to see the Amber Palace and the Jal Mahal. Amber Palace was stunning. I had never seen such architecture before and the palace is perched up on a cliff with splendid views below. You could happily get lost on the palace grounds...
Jal Mahal is basically a palace situated in the middle of a lake, so you can only appreciate it from a distance, but you most definitely appreciate it!
We ended up at Tiger Fort (sorry no tigers there!) that overlooks all of Jaipur. We wanted to check out the Fort (it was also included in our comprehensive pass!) and stay for sunset. Unfortunately & surprisingly the place does not cater well to tourists. To get up there you have to walk steeply uphill for about 20 minutes and for once there aren't vehicles or rickshaws vying for your business (first time that has happened in India!) secondly, once your up, and you haven't hired a private taxi beforehand, the only way down is walking again! Thirdly, we read that it wasn't safe to stay there for after the sunset because it gets dark quickly and there's lots of rebellious teenagers hanging around the area. So, sadly, we were already walking down again when the sun was setting. However, we didn't really miss much because the air is quite thick with smog/pollution so you don't see a clear sunset anyways :(
We arrived back at the hotel after dark and had dinner. I realized at dinner that in the north they cater to 'western tastebuds' and my food never seemed to spicy (how I like it). I realize I have to really specify each time I order that I really want it spicy and not to dumb down the flavors. I didn't notice that problem in the south....you got spice whether you liked it or not!
Overall I was not a big fan of Jaipur. Our stay was comfortable, but its not a place that I would come half way across the world to see if we weren't already in Asia! I am assuming Delhi and Agra and the Himalayas will be better...
Off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal in the AM......
