Three days in Jaipur

Catching up on India:

Jaipur: The Pink City. It's not what I expected. Indeed the "old city" is pink in that the entry gate and shop stalls are painted that color. Like most cities it is traffic filled and noisy. Apparently, the traffic is a mix of those wanting to do business there and those using the old city as a shortcut to other destinations. It is noisy with car and motorcycle horns beeping. We "wandered" through throngs of people there to buy vegetables, spices, and possibly clothing, following our leader like little ducklings. Eventually, we left the noise and went to a rooftop restaurant that has a 360 view of the city at night. It was lovely and the food was good.

Our hotel is an oasis in the middle of high rises and small businesses, and traffic. Of all our hotels this trip it is my favorite. The Mandawa Haveli was built in 1896 and reminds me of the hotel in the 2011 movie "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" very charming with dozens of rooms (70 in all), some with courtyards and potted palms reaching a few stories high. I wandered secluded hallways that had beautiful balconies overlooking the entry courtyard. Our room had a balcony overlooking a decorative pool. Antique furniture decorated each room and old pictures covered the hallways telling a story of India long ago.

The next day we toured the Amber fort and palace. It was hot and I had the sensation that I was getting sick so probably did not fully appreciate the beauty found there on the palace grounds. I must read about the history and all that we saw there. Three hours, many steps and miles later we all retreated to the air-conditioned bus, were given snacks and sodas, and then they took us to the jewelry market (in the itinerary, not requested) where the making of "rocks" into gems was demonstrated as we sipped beverages and were then coaxed to sample the gems in settings at "rock bottom" prices. I left without purchasing a thing!

The next morning we were up and out the door by 6 am and via electric tuk tuk, we went on a wild ride of the old city as it was waking up. All but four of us were brave enough to ride bikes to all the various stops that were promised. We climbed stairs to a rooftop for Chai and street snacks and watched monkeys rummage through discarded cups and packages. Gradually, the traffic began to build and the usual horns kept us alert.

Next stop was a Buddhist Temple where hundreds of worshippers stood shoulder to shoulder chanting and raising arms into the air as monks, at a distant alter (I'm guessing here), lit candles and placed something on an alter. From there we walked to a park where we joined a local group of people starting a morning exercise routine. Arms thrown in the air, heads bent skyward they did a hearty, from the gut, laughing routine followed by one silly movement and utterance after another waking up the inner and outer muscles down to ones soul.

I was glad that Annalisa and I had opted for the tuk tuk rather than the biking as the trek started in the dark and there were too many vehicles to avoid, streets to cross with on coming traffic, and unforgiving pedestrians.

We were back to our hotel by 10 am and fed a proper breakfast. By 11:30 we were off in our wonderful bus for a visit to a special (aren't they all) factory where textiles are made using block printing. It was said that many high end stores were their customers who jack up the prices considerably from the factory "discount " we would receive. And actually I had to agree that the textiles were indeed beautiful, well made and just what I wanted to give a fresh look to both of my bedrooms in San Marcos. Since, like the rugs, the bedding could be shipped, I did some retail therapy.

Then that evening we had a wonderful home cooked meal at a local home. This is a traditional family unit with son's living with their parents and the wives must assimilate into the family unit. This evening, the patriarch greeted us and ushered us inside his home. The hostess is the daughter-in-law (DIL) and works for Intrepid putting on these home cooked events. The matriarch of the family was welcoming and beautiful. Surprisingly, she took a "back stage" role in hosting and food prep acting as her DIL's assistant.

Both women dressed in saris and said that there dress varies depending upon the occasion. Western, traditional and special occasions the expensive saris are worn. We were shown her wedding books and some of her beautiful clothes. The mother had absolutely exquisite saris with gold woven threads into beautiful designs.

Our hostess told us her marriage was an arranged agreement. She got to meet her husband brief times over seven months of courtship. She has a masters degree (forget in what) and yet decided to take on a traditional role once married. They have two children.
She and her mother-in-law seemed to have a loving and cooperative relationship.

And just like the snap of a finger, ten days in India came to a close with another 6 hour bus ride back to Delhi. One final dinner and sad goodbyes all around to all our fellow travelers who enhanced our experience along the way. Everyone has a story. I enjoyed hearing about each person's life at their home. New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Alaska, California and Mexico were represented. But most of all I loved our fearless leader Bhagirath (call me "Baggi" ) who represented India so well and gave us insight into every aspect of life in his country. He constantly made us laugh with his stories be they personal or historical. I will not forget his wedding story for he told it with all the personal behind the scene situations that happened from his view, his brides view, and both families view. It was hysterical. A Bollywood movie presented in technicolor with "Bahaggie" acting out all the parts...fabulous! I wished we had more time together.

Dinner in a traditional home