SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 – JAIPUR

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2008 – JAIPUR

Yesterday was an agonizingly long 12 HOUR DRIVE to reach Jaipur through flat, dusty terrain with low scrubby trees and not much to describe. Generally though the entire process of riding on Indian roads is both fascinating and fear-inducing. You pass every conceivable kind of vehicle (ox cart, donkey cart, auto rickshaw, bicycles piled high with mattresses, water jugs, 50 lb sacks, it could be anything – there is no limit on the creativity and ingenuity of the Indian man with a bicycle. We passed through a town that specializes in marble cutting (more about this when we reach Agra) and stopped in a primitive village that specializes in block printing. Otherwise…the entire day was a long bus ride, so there is no special posting for Saturday.

By the way, later we realized that we could have flown from Jodhpur to Jaipur – so for anyone reading this who might be planning a trip to India, you really must FLY.

The good news is that when we finally reached Jaipur we saw it was worth the wait and effort to get there. Throughout the trip we’ve been told “don’t buy (fill in the blank) until you get to Jaipur” so the group was eager to reach shopping heaven. More about that in a minute.

First we visited the interesting Jaipur Observatory built in 1728 (aka Jantar Mantar) which is in the center of the City Palace. It looks more like an outdoor art installation than what it is. Next we toured the palace itself where I took so many photos that it’s hard to choose only one or two to show.

The rest of the afternoon was shopping ecstasy: gold, precious and semi-precious stones, carvings, clothing and textiles. Jaipur is everything we’d heard; a shopper’s paradise. Thanks to Cliff who assisted me in tense negotiations over some gold bangles by telling the clerk several times to “sharpen his pencil”, I emerged with an array of bracelets and a lovely ring that will always remind me of Jaipur and of India.

Then back to the hotel to cram all of our purchases into duffle bags before running off to our farewell dinner! Tomorrow is our last “group” day. Then Ferris, Cliff, Cathy and I head off on a four-person four-day extension.