NEW DELHI to JAIPUR, INDIA
Wed Apr 4, 2016
After an early breakfast, we checked out of our hotel to catch a Jet Airways flight from New Delhi to Jaipur. Still have our colds, but the seem to now be on the downside.
Jaipur is the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Roughly the size of Germany, Rajasthan is the largest state in India, and much of the area is dry and desert. The western side of the state borders Pakistan. Rajasthan has a long history and was home to many Raja kingdoms, and has some magnificent Palaces and Forts, with UNESCO World Heritage protection (we will visit two).
We land in Jaipur, commonly called the “Pink City”, which got it’s name from a 1876 visit to the city by the Prince of Wales and Queen Victoria. Since pink denotes the color of hospitality in India, the Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the whole city pink to welcome the royal visit. The tradition was continued to this day, as residents by law are required to maintain the pink color. In reality, the city is more of an “ocher pink” but all of the exteriors of the buildings in the old town exhibit this color.
After landing, we checked into our hotel, the Radisson Blu, which was near the airport. After checking in, we ate lunch at fun restaurant called the Barbeque Nation. Lots of food, they kept bringing skewers of meats and vegetables which were barbecued until we said stop. And that was only the appitizers. Then we could head to the buffet.
After being properly satiated, we decided to go into town to explore some of the old town, as the evening approached. This was to avoid the 100+ degree heat of the midday.
First of all, we liked Jaipur. It was very different (and much smaller) than Delhi, and everything seemed alive and vibrant. The first think we noticed that the primary way of getting around seemed to be motorcycles. Although I could count, it seemed that three quarters of the vehicles on the road was either motorcycles or tuk-tuks. We were dropped off in the middle of old town, and waked some of the streets and alleyways. Currently there is a very big construction project going on as the government is adding new lines / stations to the Jaipur Metro. Some of the streets were really torn up.
As mentioned above, Jaipur wasn’t really pink (at least hot pink), it was more of a beige pink in color. Most of the buildings were built with sandstone, and all of the fronts / facades which were painted in the pinkish color.
After a couple hours of exploration, we were taken to the Birla Mandir, a modern Hindu Temple which is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Michael went inside and observed a Hindu ceremony. The temple is overlooked by the Moti Doongri Fort on the top of a hill. The fortress was converted to a palace in the 1940’s after the Maharajah of Jaipur married the glamorous Princess Gayatri Devi. The palace was the site of many fancy social gatherings. Today it is closed to the public.
Afterwards, we went back to the hotel. As we were still full from our big lunch, we skipped dinner for the evening.
Tomorrow, we get up very early for a Hot Air Balloon ride over the countryside of Rajasthan, followed by returning to the Jaipur Old Town to see the Jantar Mantar and visit the public areas of the Palace if the former Maharajah of Jaipur.
