More from Jaipur

Well today was a bit better. We got out of the city to visit the Amber and Jaigarh forts, which are perched on the top of a ridge overlooking a strategic valley (the Jaigarh above the Amber), with walls and ramparts extended to preclude any passage without permission.

Tonight we have a sleeper train to Udaipur, our last city on the trip before flying out of Delhi. D. hit a bit of a fort/palace/temple wall yesterday - wants to do nothing but find a mountain to hike, which hopefuly we can do in Udaipur.



Some folks from Gujarat who wanted their picture taken. Didn't even want me in it.





A guard who gave me a tour of the Jaigarh Fort. This was the summer bedroom of the Maharana.




This is the Amber Fort from Jaigarh fort. Note the Chinese wall-like fortification in the background. Those ran all over the hills here.






A rampart of the Jaigarh fort.



We stumbled on this dance performance in the Amber fort.

The Amber Fort from the valley floor.

One more shot of our favorite Jaipur site - the Lake Palace. Interesting stories: built by a Maharajah for his wife. After she died, he forbade its use. Recently, a wonderful plan was concocted to turn it into a five star hotel, but it was such a good idea that competing powerful forces in Jaipur came to stalemate trying to put it together. So it stands empty - maybe a Maharajah curse?

Jaipur

Jaipur - the "Pink CIty" - in all honesty, has proven to be a bit of a disappointment. This Lake Temple was one of the few things we really liked. The pink is more of a drab salmon/cinnamon color and the buildings are not well maintained (see below). We took a long rickshaw ride to get to a fort overlooking the city for a "pink" view, but the pollution was so bad and the colored buildings so few that there wasn't much to see. Nonetheless, we did have an active day.

These carrots were among the most colorful things in the city.

These ladies were dancing during a temple puja, led by a very old but very vigorous lady - India's verson of D. in her 90s.

Example of the havelis that now house shops in various bazaars in the old city.

Those two pots in the background (in the City Palace) are the largest silver objects in the world.

This astornomical observatory was quite interesting. An 18th century creation of a Peter the Great type marajah. One of the sundials can measure time to within two seconds. Principle use is for astrological divining for the timing of key events, like marriages, of which over 70% are still arranged by the families. Everyone we talked, to including the very highly educated, had arranged marriages, but for one guy who claimed he sought out a wife on his own.

Greetings from Jaisalmer

Nice time here. Fascinating place, on the edge of the great desert and very close to Pakistan. On to Jaipur - the Pink City - in about an hour.

Mr. Singh taking a cell call. You should hear him sing "Hotel California" - bound to be a highlight of the DVD.


Mr. Singh, our very cool camel driver, with his grandson.



Our desert sunrise team.




Jain Temples - fascinating place, religion and people.





D. considers upgrading her jewelry.






The Goldden City

Jodhpur

Pronounced with a long "o", as in "code."

D. corners the only guy we saw wearing jodhpurs. He's the head of the local tourist guide association.

The cenotaph wasn't opened so we climbed the ridge behind it fo some more pics.

A sunrise stroll.

Great streets in the old quarter where we're staying.

It's called the Blue City - duhhhh. They add indigo to the whitewash.

Takes two to wrap a turban - slows the volunteer fire department down a bit.

Some of the extraordinary lattice work, for the women to view goings on free of "the gaze of men."

Amid all the wonderful carving and art work they chose to add Christmas tree balls (borrowed from the British). Our hotel room had them too.

The magnificent Merengarh Fort, with the best audio tour I've ever taken.

The view from our breakfast nook.

Our breakfast nook.

Keoladeo NP

This was a great bird park. We had an excellent guide and wonderful luck We saw some things the guide said some people go a whole week without spotting, including a spotted hyena, which he said was only the fourth he'd seen in the 12 years he's been guiding here.

Birding Raj style.


The hophoe - wins the Most Exotic award



Young India rock python we stalked - 8 to 9 feet long.




India's spotted owl - not endangered here, judging by how many we saw.

Orchha - a hidden treasure

Another one of those gems that D. always seems to come up with spontaneously in our travels. A medieval ghost town, that looks as though folks just left.



Breakfast nook at our hotel.

The rest of the Khajuraho story

More than erotica......