Jaipur, Rajasthan, India – October 2-5, 2024

[Martin Hash]

We left New Delhi to drive to Jaipur on a large tour bus. It was equipped with such powerful air conditioning that Gwynne had to wear a sweater but I couldn’t imagine spending hours traveling in it otherwise because of the heat & humidity outside. It was similar in the tourist-centric hotel rooms, giving the sheets a clammy feeling. The driver, however, was walled away from us without AC. We met tour guide, Gigi, who had been doing the same tour for years. He said an astrologer had told his mother that he was going to grow up to be a leader, which technically he was. After a short introduction, Gigi said, “Chello,” which means let’s go in Hindi. As we drove, he told us tidbits about Indian culture; for example, he said pigeons are the messengers of the gods, to feed them was to obtain your goals in life, which is why there was birdseed everywhere on the streets & sidewalks. We drove through city after city, interspersed with green hills and rice fields if the land was flat. There were cows on the side of the roads, and the sprawling chaos. Along the way, we passed many temples and giant statues of Hindu gods.



Arriving in Jaipur, the first thing we noticed was elephants walking in the streets, and multiple people rode on a motorcycle, often 3, without helmets, the women sitting sideways on the seat. Gigi told us that the old part of the city is from the fourteenth century. I found the public service messages painted on the walls encouraging environmentalism ironic considering the extreme level of garbage everywhere. Even the small trash haulers had a constant stream of loose refuse blowing from the top as they drove down the roads, which were packed with villagers bringing their fresh cow’s milk into the city to sell to the distributors. In fact, our hotel had a pot of boiling milk for breakfast; I didn’t see anybody taking any but the only people in the restaurant were American, German & Japanese. The first stop the next morning was the Window Palace but it was just a photo stop.



We walked from there through part of the old city to enter a place I was unfamiliar with. Jantar Mantars are large astronomical instruments constructed of concrete & stone. 5 were built at the command of the Rajah Jai Singh II, who had a keen interest in mathematics, architecture and astronomy. The largest example is the equinoctial sundial in Jaipur, the size of a house, which is still accurate to within 20 seconds, but during the centuries, many of the devices are obsolete due to the earth’s changing position in space.



It was a so-called “budget” tour, which means us passengers were obliged to stop at places selling something. It’s not as odious as it sounds because most of the shops had interesting demonstrations to get tourists to buy things; for example hand-woven carpets. Certainly, everything we saw were props, there are tourist groups coming in all day, every day, but it was better than going to a museum, and about a quarter of our touring companions bought something; a win-win if I ever saw one.



The City Palace was constructed in 1732, and is currently under renovation, but in the old India craftsman traditions. It continues to be the home of the Jaipur royal family, with around 500 personal servants. It also houses the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. There was a marionette show outside; I had to buy a couple of the dolls for my granddaughter. We watched a man polish gems by hand then visited a large jewelry shop.



Some of the restaurants we were taken to had entertainment, presumably paid for by tourist tips. The quaintest was a father & son dancing show; the father playing a traditional sitar while his talented son performed quintessential India dancing, moving his head back-and-forth in stereotypical fashion.



The bus dropped us off on Bapu Bazar Road, which hosted a large street market. I joked with another couple who asked for suggestions, saying: “Go past 2 sleeping dogs, turn right at the air-conditioned stall then left at the pitiful baby; they have great shirts there.” A guy riding on the back of a motorcycle grabbed the butt of a honeymoon bride. The groom, a hefty black man, chased the miscreant down the street through the congestion, local males following in his wake. I hesitate to think what would have happened if the culprit had been apprehended. A troupe of hawkers followed the bus. Gigi told us they specialize to particular tour companies; paying more attention, I recognized the ones that were always waiting for us every time we got on or off. After we were all seated, Gigi would bring in products one-by-one and ask who wanted to buy. He had a lot of success because many of us wanted to purchase mementos but were chased away by the relentless vultures in the shops. They were incredibly persistent; if you showed any interest, they would increase their harassment, but Gwynne was undeterred; she would stand in the midst of a group of men bargaining. Intimidated by the situation, I held back, leaving all negotiations to her, as usual.



We went to the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Temple, also called the Birla Mandir, which was built from 1977-1988 by the Birla family after the Maharaja sold them the land for 1 rupee. It’s located on the top of a steep hill with the city spreading out below bathed in the waning light of an orange sunset. It was beautiful and relatively calm considering the number of worshipers there. We had to remove our shoes, which felt extremely unsanitary, especially after seeing squashed beetles on the marble floors. There was a short ceremony, perhaps half an hour, that included chanting, smoke, and splashing water onto the petitioners. Gwynne went up close enough to get some of the sacred drops for herself.



Amer Fort, or Amber Fort, is located in Amer, Rajasthan, the largest state in India, however. the town is only 4 square kilometers located on top of a hill, and is the principal tourist attraction in Jaipur, known for its artistic style elements: large ramparts, series of gates and cobbled paths, overlooking Maota Lake. We took jeeps up the hill, getting there early enough to miss the crowds but it still had a lot of visitors. Gwynne & I climbed up several flights of steep stone stairs to try and look out at the city below but the view was blocked by wedding photographers. After a while, we gave up and started back down the stairs; however, one of the guards came over and motioned for us to come back up. He led us through a labyrinth of passages to another view. He indicated he wanted our phone to take a picture, obviously expected to be tipped. Gwynne, who always holds the money, gave him a hundred rupees, about $1; he said, “Another.” Gwynne dug through her purse for a small bill knowing there wasn’t going to be any change.



I’ve lost count how many times I’ve ridden on an elephant; I take every opportunity I can get. The place we went for lunch, Ele Jungle, besides elephant riding, included elephant feeding, elephant painting, and elephant kissing. When it was our turn, we loaded onto our elephant riding platform, had our picture taken, and were handed a colorful umbrella to block the bright sun. Big gates in the compound were opened, and the elephant went into the back alleys of Amer where hawkers had positioned themselves to accost us as we exited the privacy of the grounds. They were very insistent, yelling up at us 8’ above the ground. The driver stopped at a dirty little storefront to get a bottle of water. We could tell by the piles of elephant manure further down the road that the trip was probably longer but we’d had enough of the heat & monotony. We waved at some school children who giggled and waved back.



Jal Mahal, meaning "Water Palace,” is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake/ It was originally constructed around 1699. The Nahargarh fort, which means “abode of tigers,” was built on top of the Aravalli Hills in 1734, overlooking the city of Jaipur as part of the defensive ring of the city. By the time we were finished investigating the site, it was dark out, giving the city a surrealistic look, including the Water Palace. Entertainment at dinner was 2 women dancing with firepots balanced on their heads.