Jaipur- One for the Ladies

En route to Jaipur we had a whistle stop in Delhi where we took the opportunity to visit Jama Masjid- the largest mosque in India. We were denied entry in our first visit to Delhi as we then arrived at sunset, one of their prayer times. This time we tool full advantage, spending an hour or two viewing the hazy city from one of the towering minarets.

After breakfast we hightailed it back to the station for a further three hour delay on a rat platform. In our lively crammed carriage we befriended a wedding troupe, seventeen family members, bride included heading to Jaipur for a three day wedding celebration. They were great fun and the best part was that they fed us like one of the family and my Indian best friend accessorised me in a bindi to match my outfit.

We had a fantastic time in Jaipur. We stumbled across a lovely guest house with amazing food and a great city view. The next morning we arose well rested and ready to face the day. We opted to take a walking tour of the old city and it’s sites. On stopping to catch our breath and consult our map, we got the low down on the best spots from a really friendly local. He recommended a high rooftop across the road where we could view the city and orientate ourselves ‘and throw away the map’ as he said. He was right, the rooftop was incredibly helpful as was the local it came with, he told us which spots where worth visiting, which were overpriced and which were just worth photographing from the outside. Armed with this arsenal of information we made light work of the pink hued city centre and the sites it contained with plenty of time to catch the 20 cent bus (local info) to Amber.

Amber is a spectacular fort and palace 12 km outside of Jaipur. We were trilled that we had the time to visit. It’s a beautiful medieval, Moorish looking, muslim, Lord of the Rings-esque fort. The walls up to the city resembled those great ones in China. The palace, although in the process of restoration was still most definitely worth a visit.

We amused ourselves imagining our place in the ancient palace, thinking what it would have been like to have lived there in that bygone era. Naturally we set our musing at the level of king and queen rather than toilet clearer or eunuch! At sunset we returned to the pink city and finished our walking tour at an excellent Thali restaurant. Thali, similar to the Dal Bhat we ate in Nepal, is a meal containing mini portions of various dishes. It’s a great choice when you can’t decide what dish you’d like to eat and usually very cheap. But the best thing about Thali is that it’s unending! This particular restaurant specialised in Thali and we ordered the ‘executive’ menu. We were served enormous silver platters containing ten to twelve mini silver bowls housing curries, lentils, vegetables, pickles, sauces and sweets. In the centre of the platter rice, chapatti (flat circular bread) and poppadoms were served. As soon as you ate through the bowl’s contents, they are promptly refilled and continue to do so until you strongly protest. When Thali is good, it’s very, very good! We ate to our hearts content, as we had another overnight train ahead of us to do noting but digest.