Jaipur, The Pink City

We flew into Jaipur late last night. Jaipur is the largest city in Rajasthan, and one can instantly feel this as you drive from the airport to your lodgings. We had a nice dinner at the Golden Tulip, where we are staying, and then woke the next morning to see the Amber Fort.

On the way, to the Amber Fort we stopped at Hawa Mahal, or the Palace of Winds. The intention of the Palace of Winds was to allow the ladies to view street life in Jaipur without being seen. We were not allowed within the building, however can see the facade below.

We continue on our drive and arrive at the Amber Fort to take our elephant ride. Paul promised me a year ago when I agreed to come to India that he would take me for an elephant ride. Here we all are below on our elephants riding up to the gates of the Amber Fort.

Mom and Dad . . .

Paul and I are on Laxmi, a 40 year old female elephant who was quite entertaining on our ride.

At the end of our ride, we decide to pet Laxmi and thank her for the pleasant journey up the hill. Surprisingly, elephants have rather rough and prickly skin with all their bristles.

Inside the fort, we are shown the queen's chamber. Here is a photo of the mirror inlay work done in the interior of her room.

Paul enjoys the king's spacious chamber that overlooks the court.

Later that day, Paul and I go to the City Palace. Not as impressive as the City Palace in Udaipur, but still interesting. There was a nice collection of the royal court's clothing worn throughout the years as well as a weapons gallery.

The guest house at the City Palace . . .

Tomorrow, we depart early for our drive to Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal.

Udaipur, City of Lakes

We flew from Aurangabad to Mumbai, and Mumbai to Udaipur this afternoon. We arrived and immediately sensed the tranquility of this lovely, romantic city. We checked into our hotel the Kankarwa Haveli and set out for an afternoon of window shopping and a visit to the Jagdish Temple.

Here is a narrow lane that leads from our hotel to the main street . . .

We walk for a few minutes and locate the Jagdish Temple. Yes, quite a few steps to climb to enter the space.

We pose before this Lord Shiva statue . . .

A view of the street from the temple, of course with a cow . . .

The Kankarwa Haveli--Paul and I really enjoyed this hotel. It has a spectacular view of the lake and is well worth the stay despite the modest amenities.
Here is a photos of our sweet little blue room . . .
View of the Lake Palace at sunset. Yes, this is the Lake Palace in Udaipur that is famous in the James Bond film Octopussy.

We ate at a neighboring hotel that offered us the spectacular sunset view of the Lake Palace. They had wonderful kebabs and almond crunch sundaes.

The next morning we ventured out to the City Palace. Though, the maharaja do not presently stay in this palace it was still beautifully maintained and spectacular to see.

A view of Udaipur from the City Palace.

We leave City Palace and go for a stroll through Udaipur. After lunch at the Savage Garden, we encounter this cow napping on the street. The following morning we rise early for breakfast before we drive to Ranakpur Temple en route to Jodhpur. As you will see, Mom and Dad got a little lost on the way to breakfast. We are at the rooftop restaurant when we heard them trying to find the way to our location.