Some might remember that Jo and I spent the first summer after we got married here in Jaipur, and some might also remember that for various reasons this was not the honeymoon of our married lives (go back 4 years, yes 4, in the blog for a recap of highlights and lowlights). As a result, coming back to Jaipur was an interesting nostalgic experience.
We took (or tried to, more in a later post on how a religious holiday foiled our plans but provided for new experiences) Dave and Gail to see some of our favorite sites, including Amber (pronounced Amer) fort.
Going to tourist sites in India is always an experience, not just for seeing the historic site, but also for the circus of touts that descend upon those predictable tourists.
Here's Dave, Gail, a cobra and a boa are being mesmerized by those snake charmers (at least Dave and Gail weren't coerced into wearing turbans like the tourists who came after us) ((what is missed in this photo is the argument that ensued as the snake charmers were not happy with how much money we gave them after the picture and kept following the car, unfortunately not blowing their flutes....)
To say it is warm in Jaipur, even in March, would be an understatement.
While at the fort we were like ninjas, darting back and forth between the shady points, where with the wind blowing we were basically in heaven...
Here's, Dave and Gail enjoy a cool break in the painted shade
The fort is a fairly short hike up. While we did the hike up the hot stone steps, many opted for a scenic ride atop a painted elephant. These elephants after their working day at the fort were walked into town to the Elephant festival which we attended later that day (more later on that)
Painted Elephant
While traipsing through the fort, we came across an impressive structure, seen through the stone screen lattice. Now, when I was in Ajanta/Ellora with SaraH several weeks ago, we stumbled across a similar structure high up in a tree. "Oh they're totally bees", SaraH said..."No way, they're not bees" says I...
They're bees....millions of them.
Close up of bees
After our trip to Amber fort we went to visit the nearby Anokhi museum. Anokhi, along with Fab India, is one of the principal Indian clothing companies frequented by Westerners, and also one of the forces behind the resurgence of block printing (basically a process where a carved wooden block is used to print a repetitive design on fabric).
Anokhi Museum
The museum is absolutely amazing on numerous levels, and if I'm ever in Jaipur again, I would totally love to spend a day or two in the museum taking a little class on how to make the blocks and create the block prints. The museum is also housed in the most amazing restored Haveli (old mansion-more on these in the next post)
Housed in a beautiful restored Haveli (notice me hiding in the shade)
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