Jaipur   (02/09/04)

Last updated 13/18/04                                                                                                                               

As usual, due to time constraints we're just putting pictures up for now... hopefully we'll get to stories eventually.

Pictures

Meena and Valentina pose at the palace                Beautiful Ganesh gate                That's one big urn! You could stuff a body in there and no one would know

The City Palace in Jaipur was a rather quick stop for us... we'll tell you more when we get the chance.



The village tool maker                A local puppeteer                Eating Rajasthani style

We went to a village near by with typical Rajasthani crafts and foods on display. It's a nice arrangement that allows transfer of money from wealthy foreigners to relatively poor local villagers while providing the villagers with an opportunity to keep their traditions alive. But the whole thing is a bit contrived as there is a 5-star hotel on the "village" premises as well...

 

Looking up at the fort                Our elephant                The path we took

Traffic conditions are bad everywhere!                Touts and hawkers are everywhere!                Parking problems exist too

Amer Fort is located at the top of a hill... we went from the base of the hill to the fort on elephant-back. It was a pretty cool experience, though a lot smoother (and hence less interesting) than riding on the back of a camel.

 

That's an entrance!                Another example of the interesting entrances                The walls and ceilings are beautifully decorated

Some ceiling, eh?                Posing with the decor                Gardens inside the fort

Getting to the fort is interesting enough, but once there you get to see plenty of other neat stuff. The walls and ceilings are one of the most beautiful aspects of the fort.

 

Puneet gets on-the-job training                That's elephantese for "namaste"                A popular mode of transport

India provides opportunities for all sorts of cool animal pictures. The whole CS thing might not work for Puneet, so it always helps to have a backup option.

 

 I guess it's okay everywhere else

It's a bit scary that you actually need a sign like this...