The first thing I noticed stepping of the plane in Jaipur was the heat. It was evening but the air blowing through the window of my taxi was a hot, drying wind, straight from the desert. After being in the tropics for a few months the change in humidity was a bit of a shock, but at least the air is not as thick and sweaty as down south.
I made the mistake of trying to use my usual mode of transport, walking to see the sites. I made it half way there before relenting and climbing aboard a cycle rickshaw. The idea of travel by cycle rickshaw always conjured up images of British colonials being sedately carted around their dominions, however it was anything but, as it sped at a surprising speed through the chaotic streets, bouncing through pot holes.
The city of Jaipur itself is not the most beautiful of cities, despite it being painted all over in a faded salmon.However it is home to some brilliant sites, such as Jantar Mantar, the ancient observatory filled with devices to map and measure celestial bodies. The largest and most iconic structure here is it's massive sundial with an accuracy down to two seconds! That evening I climbed high above Jaipur to one of it's many forts for stunning views across the sprawling city, it appeared from this height that the city was more blue than pink.
Skipping the cycle rickshaw today I caught the local bus out to the Amber Palace and adjacent fort, for more grandiose Mughal architecture. It seems they were very fond of their palaces and forts, Rajastan (the state of which Jaipur is the capital) is practically littered with them.
India is continuing to yield many wonders, such as how many different shapes and sizes and colours rupees of the same denomination can come in (The 5 Rs comes in at least four types and a note) and how many different answers you can get to the question, "Where do I buy a ticket to Delhi?" I saw posters today advertising the wonders of a naked guru brandishing what apeared to be a feather duster.(kissing is not ok for films but posters of naked gurus seems to be normal enough) Hinglish is an interesting language to decipher as English and Hindi words are mashed together into sentences. I think however, I have acclimatised to the cows and barely bat an eyelid these days as they lumber past. I'm sure as I journey onwards through India, the amazing and the bizarre will continue to manifest around every corner.
I made the mistake of trying to use my usual mode of transport, walking to see the sites. I made it half way there before relenting and climbing aboard a cycle rickshaw. The idea of travel by cycle rickshaw always conjured up images of British colonials being sedately carted around their dominions, however it was anything but, as it sped at a surprising speed through the chaotic streets, bouncing through pot holes.The city of Jaipur itself is not the most beautiful of cities, despite it being painted all over in a faded salmon.However it is home to some brilliant sites, such as Jantar Mantar, the ancient observatory filled with devices to map and measure celestial bodies. The largest and most iconic structure here is it's massive sundial with an accuracy down to two seconds! That evening I climbed high above Jaipur to one of it's many forts for stunning views across the sprawling city, it appeared from this height that the city was more blue than pink.
Skipping the cycle rickshaw today I caught the local bus out to the Amber Palace and adjacent fort, for more grandiose Mughal architecture. It seems they were very fond of their palaces and forts, Rajastan (the state of which Jaipur is the capital) is practically littered with them.
India is continuing to yield many wonders, such as how many different shapes and sizes and colours rupees of the same denomination can come in (The 5 Rs comes in at least four types and a note) and how many different answers you can get to the question, "Where do I buy a ticket to Delhi?" I saw posters today advertising the wonders of a naked guru brandishing what apeared to be a feather duster.(kissing is not ok for films but posters of naked gurus seems to be normal enough) Hinglish is an interesting language to decipher as English and Hindi words are mashed together into sentences. I think however, I have acclimatised to the cows and barely bat an eyelid these days as they lumber past. I'm sure as I journey onwards through India, the amazing and the bizarre will continue to manifest around every corner.
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