Jaipur
We inspect the palace of the winds
and the water palace on the way to the Amber Fort. Queuing for the elephant
ride we are at the mercy of the frenetic peddlers. I try to put off one
guy selling tiger eye for 1500 off by offering him 50. He comes down to
1300 and I point out to him there is an unnegotiable chasm between us.
He persists and I make a big move to 200. As we draw near our turn in
the elephant queue he comes down to 200. Well I never. Our new party is
notable for its fatness. It must average 4 stone more than the last lot.
It is 4 to an elephant and is spite of my fancy footwork we are fated
to join two fat ladies. They take the starboard seats and Sabu turns his
elephant round. There are about ten square centimeters for us to squeeze
into. Cawis our elphant rolls into motion; the road to the fort has a
steep drop on the port side. I clamp the safety bar down and would like
to think the strap holding the howdah had BS something or other stamped
upon it .My fat lady cedes another cm and I narrowly avoid getting my
knees crushed as we pas through an arch about the width of an elephant.
Other elephants overtake us; one carrying 4 Japanese is bounding along.
The Amber fort is the most complete of a series of forts in the area.
In addition to the usual features we have come to recognise is a hall
decorated in mirrors. Tiny pieces of mirror from a kaleidoscope when viewed
by candlelight in a darkened room. The decoration is in stucco rather
than inlaid marble. The fort is on a ridge surrounded by a Great Wall
of China with lookout towers. These used to house drummers who sounded
a warning. The fort is plagued with monkeys, we are plagued with vendors.
We jeep to the coach and pause to photograph the water palace. Meg legs
it to a better vantage point while I watch the birds. PK is hurrying us
to the jewelers for his last 30%. Meg and I compete to find the most tasteless
item. The competition is stiff. They feed us pop then a little later stiff
rum, probably to those who have not bought anything yet. We want to do
some real shopping. PK is not inclined to permit it but we insist on being
dropped by the bazaar. We buy saffron after beating the salesman down
from 150 to 9 but he gives us a present so we know it was still too dear.
Meg wants a skirt but though he does not sell them he has a relation that
does. A younger member of the family leads us through a warren at high
speed. Skirts rain down on Meg but she is unimpressed. Two bedspreads
for 650 catch her eye. We are escorted through more dark passages and
up dingy stairs to even more skirts, alas not full enough. We eat at LMB
authentically decorated in 50's décor.
£20 has been removed from a wallet in our suitcase. They obviously
tip themselves at the Mansingh.
Jantar Mantar is an observatory built in the mid 1700's it contains 18
instruments built to cast shadows on tables that are triangular or circular
or semicircular. The gnomon of the main sundial is 27 metres high and
accurate to 2 minutes. It tells Jaipur time which is different from Indian
Standard time. It is used to produce the Hindu calendar. Other instruments
relate to the movement of the planets or the monsoon season. .
Back to India
Back to Departures
