ROADTRIP: Jaipur

Jaipur, the fabled Pink City! The maharaja responsible for the Pink City of Jaipur actually built it terracotta; however, wanting to impress and play host to the visiting Brits, the maharaja painted the city pink. I suppose you could chalk that up to "Live and Learn."


Jaipur is a colorful and bustling city approximately 3.5 hours southwest of New Delhi, depending on the number of truck vs. car, truck vs. ditch, truck vs. median, truck vs. itself or truck vs. camel accidents you run across along the way. We started our long weekend with a quick breakfast run at a roadside McDonald's, and then drove straight through to Jaipur.
The city of Jaipur itself isn't that old, by India standards. Older than America? Sure, but not old, old. The Old City/Pink City is teeming with tuck-tucks, monkeys, camels and roving marching bands. The Pink City is divided into bazaars or markets, each selling different wares. I can tell you, walking by the pepper vendors brought back too many vivid memories of training. The vendors have their stands just off the streets, separated from the hustle by a narrow sidewalk and a culvert which runs sewage (natural, human and otherwise) out of the city or so we presumed. The Pink City had many landmarks to visit and we (I) dragged the kids to each and everyone...the minar (kids pictured to the right posing in its internal spiral ramp/staircase & a view from the minar, below), the Wind Palace (pictured top, right), the City Palace (which we actually didn't visit because it just didn't sound that cool) and Jantar Mantar (related to the New Delhi Jantar Mantar, built by the same maharaja and in fact the grandest of all the sites - and the only one that still functions as it was designed). We met Sheik, the all-around, go-to guy while walking around Jaipur. He provided us with transportation our first day...in a large tuck-tuck. The kids first (and maybe last) tuck-tuck experience. Safe? Enhhhh. They seemed to enjoy it though. Sheik, born in Calcutta (when it was Calcutta) spoke nearly flawless English, and managed in multiple other languages. We were suspicious, certainly, but he remained our official tour guide and minded his questions. We visited a cotton dyeing/block-printing/carpet-weaving business...friends of Sheik's no doubt, but it was a neat experience. Julie is pictured to the right, walking through cotton that was dyed white and drying. We also visited an antique business, a famous one at that (so said the pictures featuring Prince Charles and Richard Gere), where I bought a hand-carved chess set. It was a family business, owned and operated for over 80 years, and managed by the son, named Lucky (that's how he pronounced it).

We then traveled (by car, this day) to the Amber Fort (actually spelled Amer Fort, but pronounced "Amber"). As we'd already had our ox-cart and camel rides the day before, we opted for a car to drive us up the mountainside. The trip up didn't take long and the kids had plenty to see, as we were dodging elephants left and right. The fort was as we'd envisioned Jaipur...where the Pink City was old, the fort was older and it's architecture and lore painted the picture that we'd held in our minds, that we believed "was India." The forts stone walkways, narrow, dimly lit corridors, and elaborate painted archways (Hello, Ganesh!!) were incredible. From one of the towers, we peeked out and saw three large elephants bearing their loads away from the fort. We eventually grew tired and wandered into a traditional Cafe, where we watered up with mochas and treated the kids to ice cream sundaes (it was Valentine's Day, afterall)...Yes, a Cafe (a barista chain throughout India) had established itself at Amber Fort...we were really okay with that. After the cafe, we watched a man play a jazz piece to two swingin' daddy'o cobras. On our way back to the hotel, we passed the Lake Palace, a palace built to house royalty in the excruciatingly warm summer months. An entire level of the palace is built below the surface of the water, so that the water can act to cool the walls and those inside.

We drove back to Delhi the next morning. National Highway 8 is little more than a four-lane divided roadway...accidents weren't the problem on the way home...instead, we fought to pass a northern migration of sorts. Jeep after jeep, carrying more men than is lawful, traveled northbound toward Delhi. When one or more of these men, in one or more of these jeeps, decided that it was time to urinate...did the driver pull off the roadway? Nope. Traffic would be backed up for miles because one or more of these jeeps had stopped in the left-hand travel lane...just stopped and idled as its occupants vacated to vacate. Amazing.

Anywho. It was a great weekend and a good experience. Eli rode a camel, Olivia an ox-cart, monkeys and elephants galore, and none of us picked up a case of dysentery...all-in-all, a successful long weekend.

Delhi...OUT!!