16 to 18 June – Delhi to and at Jaipur (India)

The Austrian couple, Gabrial and Yara, joined us today for the rest of the journey to Australia. I just hope that they like the heat as we are well into the 40C's now with a projected 50C’s promised for Varanasi. We left Delhi at 0800 hours and arrived at Jaipur at 1500 hours, and a long hot slog it was. Delhi Airport is about 10 kilometres outside the city and from there for the next two hours (say 80 kilometres) we drove through almost continuous sand/dirt storms. The wind was quite strong and the land so dry that it felt like eating sand at times. There were a number of empty hotels/resorts on the way the same as on the way into Delhi.

Why should I have to work

when he can sit in the shade

and she can have afternoon tea

There is no doubt which way to go

The Pakistan trucks are much better then those in India

A Rajasthani lady and her gold nose ring

A Jaipur street



A Jaipur street

A Jaipur street shrine

Afternoon tea



A Jaipur street

The hotel, The Sundar Palace Guest House, looked very good, but somewhat spoilt by us being four in a twin bedded room. There is no air conditioning in the room, only a fan, so it is rather hot all the time. The hotel was once owned by a wealthy businessman who owned cinema's in the town then was involved in making movies. The house was bought from him and drastically altered then decorated with what looks like old items around the place but are actually not that old. The food in the hotel is all vegetarian, no non-vegetarian food to be brought into the hotel and no drink allowed either. I have eaten food from the menu here since arriving and really enjoyed the taste and food available.

The Sunder Palace Guest House



Bedroom not showing the mattresses on the floor

Hotel ceiling

Hotel corridor

Hotel decoration

As soon as we arrived here I went down the road to get some water and was picked up by an Indian who offered to take me into the town, the hotel being about five kilometres from the Palace of Winds which is the centre of the town. I walked around there and then the Observatory, returning to the hotel about three hours later. The bazaar here is about two and a half kilometres long with all interchanging streets and alleyways. I counted, as each was numbered, 463 shops in the bazaar. There were areas for clothing, spices, fruit, food, ornaments, gold, silver and just about anything anyone would want. I did see some of the Rajasthan women buying gold and silver, faces covered and with legs and arms decorated with jewellery, then the new items being permanently fitted to arms and legs.

The street view of the Palace of the winds

The Palace of the Winds entrance

The Palace of the Winds inside

The Palace of the Winds inside

This was the second visit to the Observatory and again I could not make any sense out of the timepieces the same as last time, twenty-five years ago.

The Observatory




The Observatory









   




The following morning I visited the Amber Palace and the Palace in the Lake with the ubiquitous visit to a silver shop as required by the tuk-tuk man for him to get his commission. By the time this was all done I was glad to get back to the hotel and rest.

The Amber Fort




For those who do not want to walk up to the fort

Snake charmers

The cleaning ladies

I was no good at this



The Amber Fort Main Gate

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Palace in the Lake to take a photograph and saw a procession of southern Indian ladies in the street, processing about what I do not know.



The Palace in the Lake, Jaipur.

Ladies parading

Spicy snacks