Claire and Jeff's Travels: Pretty in Pink

Sorry its been a while since the last post everyone. Immediately following our last post, we had a few days where I was feeling a little sick, and we really just holed up in our hotel in Agra so I could rest and get well. I am thrilled to report that I am feeling much better now, and we have been back on the travel trail for the last few days.

We took a six hour bus ride from Agra to Jaipur, our first stop on a tour through the desert state of Rajasthan in the Northwestern area of India. During the bus ride, I could slowly sense the amount of moisture in the air lessening as we approached our destination. This has been the first part of the trip where I have been compelled to wear lip balm on a daily basis. Throughout our travels through central India, Claire and I were excited to start the Rajasthani portion of our stay because so many travelers had so many positive things to say about the region. In fact it seemed like it would be a slam dunk choice to spend three weeks, and I have always enjoyed dry desert air as opposed to humidity anyway. Blame it on my Southern California upbringing.

The desert landscape

Having said that, Jaipur is the gateway into the state, and according to our guidebook, can be a very difficult city to adjust to with its crazy traffic and dirty city reputation. It is known as the “pink city” because in 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh ordered the entire old city painted pink, a color (or colour) associated with hospitality, to welcome the prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and the tradition has been maintained.

This is the main entrance to the old section of the city

The traffic was still insane here though!

I know I can speak for both of us when I say that Jaipur surprised us. First, it was not nearly as difficult to contend with as the guidebook led us to believe it would be. Maybe that's just because we are now battle hardened India travelers, but I really don't think so. Jaipur is surprising cosmopolitan compared to much of what we have seen here. The newer buildings are fresh and modern and there are a host of restaurants to choose from that offer a wider variety of faire than we have seen some places too.

We had a nice dinner at a BBQ place that made tikka masala kebabs. The right is paneer tikka masala (cheese) and the left is aloo tikka masala (potatoes). Claire is determined to replicate the potatoes which were stuffed with cheese.

We decided to take a day trip that was simply a walking tour outlined in our guide book. It took us through the old pink quarters where we saw age old shops carving large marble statues. In all we walked about four kilometers and experienced a fantastic panoramic view of old and new Jaipur from atop the Hawa Matal, or “Palace of the Winds.” It is a remarkable, five-story, delicately honeycombed, pink sandstone structure. It was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh to enable ladies of the royal household to watch the life and processions of the city.