10 January -- Jaipur
We took the 6:10 am train from Jodphur to Jaipur. It is now 8:30 pm and we have basically crashed. Hotel is lovely -- another heritage property full of antiques and a little shabby. There are peacocks and parrots out & about, and they have a parakeet aviary in the garden. Right outside our door is a lawn where you can take tea, and apparently the pool and spa are excellent, too. We only have the one night here, so are trying to soak it up as much as possible. The beds were so interesting we actually took photos haha.
After settling in at the hotel, we convinced Ravi that we wanted to walk everywhere today. (He was worried and made us promise to phone if we had any problems.) So, we spent this afternoon with excellent audio tours of both the observatory and the City Palace. The observatory, Jantar Mantar, begun in 1728 and is one of 5 built by Jai Singh II (1688-1744). It was restored in 1901 and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The City Palace, also begun by Jai Singh, has extensive and beautifully displayed collections of textiles/clothing and armaments. The architecture was solidly blended Rajisthani & Mughal even though it was gradually built over many years. The throne room was pretty amazing, too.
Between the two tours, we took on the adventure of finding an ATM (there really aren't any in the old city, but we got good directions and it was only a 5 minute walk).
After 5, when the palace started closing, we walked the bazaars for quite awhile and after dark left the old city to have coffee and dosas at the "Indian Coffee House" which is a 50 year old institution for students and travelers wanting real coffee (instant Nescafé is the default everywhere) and cheap food. Both the coffee and the good were excellent and fresh and it was the least we have spent on a meal yet.
We called Ravi from the coffee house and he found us and saw us safely back to the hotel. There are lots of fireworks tonight -- weddings.
We are learning that if you stand in one place for longer than a few seconds that: hawkers will try and sell you something; men will offer to give you a guided tour; rickshaws (they are 3 wheeled taxis) will stop and see if you want a ride; children will want your picture with them. We were waiting for Ravi to bring the car (lots of traffic) and no less than 5 rickshaws stopped.
