Jaipur

Jaipur, the Pink City

Having trouble getting the photos sorted, but I want to at least get the verbage out there. Modifications to follow.

We arrived in Jaipur, a city of more than three million and the capital city of Rajasthan, on Monday night after the full day of travel, interrupted by the visit to the historic fort Chittogarh.  It is the largest of the forts in India, some 13 kilometers around the road that lines the interior.  Our hired driver took us around, dropping us off at various temples.  I found it great that multiple religions were protected within the fort so many centuries ago, a testament to the religious tolerance in their history.

Some photos from Chittorgarh:

 
 

A chance to see the open road in India was an eye-opener.  There were incessant photo opportunities.


  

                        

All of the photos were taken not on some country road, but on the expressway.  It could never be the autobahn because you have to be ready to come to a complete stop at a moment’s notice.

Well, the big city just doesn’t strike the same chord, in India as elsewhere.  Once we got to Jaipur, the traffic congestion, noise, and smog were back. But dinner was another of the neat surprises. It was a restaurant in the back of the Jaipur Inn, which has a very modest appearance-- both inside and out.  Add the walk to the back to the jewelry store/cafe, the menu selection on the laminated and folded single piece of paper, and you have the spellings of a disappointment.  The place was also empty, rapidly explained by the hotel manager as being due to the large travel group that went out to eat.  Sure enough the cafe owner spent the time between order and presentation to promote his jewelry.  I was resolved to tolerate what we got.

         

As there was no waitstaff, just a couple of boys working the kitchen, we carried our own trays of food the the tiny elevator, and as recommended, went to eat on the rooftop.  There the decor was actually upscale, the views good, and the food very appetizing.  Once again the book could not be judged by the cover.

 The next day was all the hustle and bustle.  Breakfast in the hotel, then out to the Amber Fort.  We missed any opportunity to scale the hill on the back of elephants to enter the fort, so the taxi did the job.  In short, the takeaway was that the first of the three kings had the palace designed with twelve bedrooms, linked with a narrow passage in the periphery so that he could go to and from rooms in secret.  The fact that he needed to suggests that jealousy may have played a role among the wives. 

The second king created another palace, linked to the first, but more practical, as though the wives had him on a tighter reign.  No secret passages, prettier designs with reflective pieces by the hundreds on the roof to reflect the flames of torches and candles.  The palace was designed in winter and summer halves, each with developments to moderate the elements.  I can almost hear this king in the voice of Will Ferrell: “Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time.”

After the traditional attempt to dump you at a store where they are likely to get a commission, it was on to the Palace of the Winds, named for the vanes on the rooftop, a spot where the royal wives could look out at the goings-on of the city below without being seen.  More secrecy.  The most beautiful part is the façade—or it would be if not under remodeling.  A network of bamboo and rope laced the front.  Once inside we noted that the outer network was secured with individual bamboo beams laid horizontally inside the window, linked to the outside with rope.  The point of greatest concern was the six inches of laxity between some of the inner beams and the wall.  How do you say OSHA in Hindi?

Afterward, the rest of the afternoon was spent witnessing the hardcore salesmanship along the stores within the Pink City.  Many stores were of the practical sort, this one for wiring, that one for fans.  Others were for the tourists, plenty for shirts, dresses, sarees, etc.  At one point a pleasant boy came up and struck up conversation.  This led to a second, a teenager, joining in.  Eventually he older got to his point that he worked with a group that ran a cooperative to help rural and undereducated women and lepers to sell goods in the city to support themselves.  Sounded good-hearted enough.  Additionally their products were cheaper.  Unfortunately none of the guidebooks discussed the store since they were off the breaten path, just around a corner and down this sidestreet.  At this point it began to sound less altruistic, so we passed.  He continued to follow and lecture us on how we were only going to help the rich get richer if we bought elsewhere, which struck home, but safety before learning more.

Later, when out of the heart of the tourist trap, I was looking at spices, then in front of a Hindu temple a pot of deep red powder.  The man working the front gate of the temple explained that it was for the “third eye”.  We chatted a bit more and eventually started talking about rural women, when they started wearing sarees, and the function of the cooperatives.  In the end, it seems that the boys a couple of blocks down may have been on the up and up.  Without prompting, he told us that there was a workplace for setting jewelry about where the boys had said.  They also do tailoring, suit design, etc.  Had I had more time, I would have gotten a couple of shirts made, but alas the next day, it was on to Ranthambore.

The following day, as Belinda fought a case of Delhi belly, I was all too happy to make it a day equally educational but without the adventures.  We prolonged breakfast, where the wifi signal was better, then hung out in the courtyard, then took a late lunch before the afternoon train to little Sawai Madhopur.  But the time spent lounging was well utilized.  I got to catch up on blogging, texting Ana via Facebook though (The kids had already gone to bed.), and reading more about India.  Belinda had a slew of photos that needed review, cataloging, uploading, and saving.  So it was time well spent. 

Sidenote: the business opportunity of the day

Straw manufacturer.  The competition is really slack. Most are very narrow, have holes in the sides, and are fifty percent longer than  you need even for a longneck coke bottle.