Jaipur

13 Mar

Day 2 per the itinerary had us leave Delhi en route to Jaipur. The brochure said 265km, Google Maps suggested it more toward 309km, a cheery Ganache was forever honest and advised 6 hours ! and as we crawled out of the city in a south westerly direction we understood why. Bumper to bumper the five lane highway was clogged with about eleven lanes of assorted cars, trucks, cows and Tuc Tucs. Now we are bright, optimistic people. We enjoy life and understand not everything is as we expect. But bugger us, the traffic here is atrocious and that will be our last comment on the subject. But please remember good reader, throughout the country, like the people themselves, the traffic is bloody everywhere.

Ganache lightened the mood with his assurance we’d be out of the bottleneck soon. He further shared a common saying in India regarding driving and the three things required when doing so. Good brakes, a good horn, and good luck.

It was soon a relief to be leaving the chaos of Dehli. The crush of cars, people and crumbling buildings began to subside giving way to expansive wheat and mustard fields in all directions. Even the air was starting to clear…a little. After a couple of hours on the road, and we emphasise at Ganache’s insistence, we stopped at a bottle shop in the middle of absolutely nowhere. He was concerned we would find the cost of alcohol too expensive in Jaipur and suggested we “load up”. As an avid Fatpaparrazi fan he must have read our previous blogs and been forewarned … though truth be told, we think it more about the discounted bottle of whiskey he was able to purchase only after we’d bought some Gin and local wine. No judgment from us - how anyone can drive these roads on a daily basis without a slug or two of whiskey was beyond us both.

The peace of rural Rajasthan slowly unfolded before our eyes. Every couple of kilometres we’d see an isolated roadside stall and perhaps a dozen cows. We assumed that our fate until Lyndall spied a large number of monkeys by the side of the road and cried MONKEYS!! Ganache dutifully pulled over and led us into a fray of Rhesus Monkeys while thoughtfully patting the cows out of the way so we could grab a couple of photographs. Lyndall was in heaven, snapping every creature that locked her gaze, until a young urchin girl snuck up behind her and started stroking her hair. That was enough, she was back in the car in a jiff and we were rolling again.

We continued through the ever changing scenery finally seeing the Aravalli Mountain Range emerge from the alluvial flood plains we had grown accustomed to over the past few hours and began our approach into Jaipur, and again, traffic. Known as the Pink City, Jaipur was founded by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in 1727 and received its name from this brave Hindu ruler. Located in Northern India, Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and also the largest city in this state.

We arrived at our hotel, a markable step-up from our last, right on Gin O’Clock and headed to the rooftop bar of this surprisingly stylish hotel. From here things got a little weird. 27 staff members and only 2 thirsty guests. What service! We’d missed lunch so grabbed some bar snacks and a bottle of gin to watch the sun set over this empty open air nightclub. A tropical storm soon sped across the skies as the gin disappeared and Fatpap had somehow managed to find his way behind the reception area wearing a motor bike helmet. We exited the delightfully fresh air and made our way to the restaurant which was in retrospect arguably the worst meal we had during our trip.

We woke early, well that’s not the truth. The previously empty and overstaffed rooftop bar roared into life at about 10pm and remained that way with music pumping well past 4am. We breakfasted on the terrace, met our new guide for the day, and hugged Ganache.

Our first stop was Hawa Mahal, Palace of Wind, on the outer edge of the City Palace. This unbelievably beautiful building, a photographer’s paradise, is in fact a lie. It extends merely as a facade only feet from the women's chambers to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below. This architectural feature also allowed cool air to pass through the whole area making it more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer. Lie or not, it was awe inspiring. Here Fatpap was absolutely “thrilled” to see a Cobra emerging from its basket at the behest of its piper. With a fear of snakes only greater than light beer, he suffered for his art to grab, what he will insist, is a banger.

We continued 11 kilometres out of town for our much anticipated visit to the The Amber Fort. Located high on the Aravalli range of hills in Amer overlooking Maota Lake, this historically significant and architecturally stunning fortress was built by Man Singh in 1592 and is a well-preserved monument from the glorious days of Rajput rule in Rajasthan. In shades of honey and rose stone, white marble and gilt decor, Amber Fort is more a palace than a fortress with the design a unique mix of Hindu and Muslim styles. Seeing it for the first time we were utterly swept off our feet.

Getting to the fort is half the fun and we chose to do that via elephant. Long been the practice, these animals are now highly regulated, cared and maintained for, and make only a strict limit of journeys each morning carrying only two passengers on each. The Rajasthan government conducts regular checks to ensure the safety and welfare of these animals however over time they are slowly being phased out. We booked ours and couldn’t stop laughing the whole journey upward such was the pendulous movement and raucous chatter from the drivers. The 30 minute trip gave us enough time to stand witness to the marvelous and gargantuan architecture of the fort and we entered via a huge courtyard, Jaleb Chowk.

The palace is a complex of 4 courtyards each leading to more private and opulent chambers, temples, gardens and terraces. The first is the many pillared Hall of Public Audience and the main entry through the beautifully painted Ganesh Pol Gate to the private inner apartments of the fort.

The Diwan-i-Khas, Hall of Private Audience includes an ornamental garden and the dazzling Sheesh Mahal, Hall of Mirrors. The walls of the Sheesh Mahal are covered in an intricate mosaic of shards of mirror and coloured glass built by the Maharaja so that the Maharani could see the stars at night as she was not allowed to sleep in the open. Lit candles would reflect thousands of stars from the walls and ceiling.

Other inner rooms include the Jal Mandir, or Hall of Victory featuring carved marble panels, a mirrored ceiling and expansive views over the ramparts of the fort and the Sukh Niwas, the Hall of Pleasure, a marble room that was cleverly cooled by winds blowing over a water cascade within the palace.

The oldest part of the fort includes the Palace of Man Singh and the 12 women’s quarters built around it for his many wives. He had private access to these quarters and on any given night no other wife would know who he was with. In the centre of the complex is a pavilion where “any matters of issue” could be discussed by all.

The palace, along with Jaigarh Fort located immediately above it are considered one complex and connected via a subterranean passage as a means of escape in times of war. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 The Amber Fort is an absolutely stunning piece of architecture and a wonderful way to spend a morning in Rajasthan India.

Leaving The Amber Fort we stopped briefly on the way back to town at Jal Mahal Water Palace. Perched in the middle of Man Sagar Lake the palace was originally constructed in 1699. As an architectural showcase of the Rajput style of the time and built in red sandstone, 4 of its 5 floors remain underwater when the lake is full. It was truly spectacular, as with all buildings in India thus far, but we were hungry…for jewellery that is.

Lyndall had at some point got into our guide’s ear and negotiated an unscheduled visit to Golechas Jewels. These back street gem cutters designed and created the Miss Universe India Crown (2010-2013) and have a 5 star Trip Advisor rating … now she’s way better than Miss Universe so it was always going to be good enough for her. Gems and silver were perused while Fatpap diligently sulked in a velvet clad high backed chair drinking chai and bellyaching. Said gems and silver were finally purchased and Ganache as usual appeared from nowhere to take us now to a much needed lunch. In a side street, off some road, somewhere in Jaipur, we entered a bustling restaurant enigmatically named The Green Pigeon. There after ordering we were charmed by a local dancing boy in traditional dress clearly enjoying the entertainment more than we who thankfully after receiving a few shiny pennies agreed to stop. We ate our way through a couple of delicious Indian dishes, which honestly are the best we’ve ever had, and sampled the first of many local Kingfisher Beers.

Fed, and with our guard down, our next itinerised stop should have been red flagged weeks before but somehow had slipped through our defences. We were headed to Channi Carpets and Textiles to view print making and hand weaving of local carpets. It was actually very fascinating and quite an enjoyable respite from marble and Rajasthani forts. But of course that was just the worm on the tourist hook and before long we were upstairs with a cup of Masala Chai being shown dozens, and we mean dozens of carpets in varying sizes and thread knots. Guaranteed to be the best in the world and arriving home before we do. Barefooted and mesmerised, her interior designer FaceTiming in her hand, Lyndall of course purchased an exquisite silk carpet for her new home which we will admit, arrived home before we did. Paying for it was a different matter with the Australian based bank vetoing such a large purchase and declining the transaction. Suffice to say, numerous calls over numerous days to numerous people lifted the credit card ban and all was well.

Driving through Chand Pol, Moon Gate, we entered the old city of Jaipur to spend some time wandering around the Pink City. First stop was Jantar Mantar, an assembly of 19 stone astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh in 1734 for naked-eye observations of the celestial bodies.

Featuring the world's largest stone sundial, it is of course a UNESCO World Heritage site, but to the untrained observer simply unbelievable. We were fascinated. Blown away in fact and loved this part of the tour as much as any. The instruments are accurate to within 10 seconds to the skilled observer and one of the most complete and impressive collections in the world of pre-telescopic masonry instruments in functioning condition. Still to this day it is used twice daily to check the time and cast people’s horoscopes. As the sun was out we checked every instrument when visited and could not believe the accuracy. It is a work of brilliance and an architectural wonder.

Our last stop for the day would be a short tour of The City Palace. A royal residence and former administrative headquarters of the rulers of the Jaipur State, construction started soon after Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II moved his court to Jaipur in 1727 where it remained the capital of the kingdom until 1949. It now houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum and continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family. It is of course absolutely spectacular, unbelievably crafted, but another in a long line of temples, forts and palaces.

It naturally has all the Chowks, Diwan-e-Khas, and Diwan-e-Aam you’ve thus far learnt about and whilst similar to the other buildings visited, is actually quite unique in its own right. There is something to be said about 16-17th century Indian architecture, they knew their stuff and didn’t hold back. We finished our short tour forgoing a visit to the aforementioned museum and headed back to your hotel for a rooftop beer and post-mortem of the day.

Our last day in Jaipur was a scheduled “free day” and we took full advantage of that with a long lie, late breakfast, and general stuff around until mid morning. Ganache too had a scheduled “free day” but the night before Fatpap made him an offer he couldn’t refuse and he picked us up at 10:00am for some free range touring Jaipur style. Yesterday we’d noticed some interesting things during our whirl wind tour of the Pink City and set about pulling them further apart. First cab off the rank was settling the bill on that God forsaken carpet Lyndall got swindled into. Done. Next was some time at the Hawa Mahal street markets we’d only briefly witnessed when visiting the Palace of The Winds. Done. We slotted 2 hours for this and walked our way down one side, then back up the other of the approx 1.5 km stretch of street markets.

Man oh man this is what travel is all about. The smell, the sounds, the tastes, the looks, the vibrations even. This was a city street of hawkers and traders and vendors and we fell in love with it immediately. Dodging cars and Tuc Tucs and cows it never stopped. Ok, sure, Fatpap held Lyndalls hand pretty much the whole time, but by the end of our journey she grew in confidence and was a seasoned pro. Although when it came to bartering that was a different matter. Watching from afar Fatpap happened upon a negotiation for 2 x pairs of handmade shoes for 16,000 rupee. As keeper of the cash he was duly asked for said money and happily parted with the necessary cash but only after reducing the price to 4,000 rupees. Oh, the joys of street wandering. The food too was intoxicating, but forewarned about sampling such delights, we could only smell, photograph, and hope.

Ganache then surprised us by taking us off brochure and somewhere we’d only briefly spotted the day before stuck in traffic while diverting our stares with begging children. Seizing the initiative, our new best friend took us to Birla Mandir Temple built in 1988 and constructed solely of white marble. Dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu its newer motive was actually a welcome revive from the many others seen thus far. In the morning light it glistened, almost blindingly, and Fatpap drew the dubious honour of having a Mk-45 pointed at him while endeavouring to get a better angled shot from a prohibited area for this blog. People, he could have died! Like and subscribe for Ganesha’s sake.

Heading back through town we asked for a brief stop off at the Albert Hall Museum so dutifully pointed out the day before by Ganache. However, on inspection, it paled into British insignificance. We grabbed our shots and completed the circumference of the roundabout before requesting this time we be dropped off at the Patrika Gate for a wander through the Jawahar Circle Garden. He of course obliged and we exchanged an exorbitant amount of rupees for his daily troubles assuring him we would find our way home safely. The park was delightful, no hawkers and very few people. A calm oasis in the middle of a bustling city. However, a storm was moving in and we hightailed it out of the park and hailed down a Tuc Tuc for the 5 minute trip back to the hotel. Vowing not to eat in the hotel’s restaurant again we adjourned to the roof top bar for some Kingfisher beers and a couple of club sandwiches before the storm finally cascaded in.

*Watch tower of Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, India*

Peter Lee

Jaipur

Delhi

Agra