Pink Jaipur

First explorations of the city - Hava Mahal, Palace Maharvala, Jahala Mantar

We arrived in Jaipur very early, around 5 am. Our hotel room was not ready yet and we were instructed to stay in the hotel lobby for a time being. We have stayed in Dera Rawatsar hotel near the bus station in a residential area but very close to the center. The hotel is very luxurious, almost royal. Lobby took our breath away, in spite of a slight disappointment that we did not have the room yet. After a few hours that I spent on writing this blog, we were invited for breakfast, and then invited in our room. The room was located on the ground floor, next to the restaurant. Consisted of a small hall with armchairs and a table, and the main room with a great Indian-style bed. Everywhere there were typical jaipurian decorations in the form of images of elephants (on the bed covers, blankets, even on the stucco decoration of the cornices). In the hall on the wall green parrots were painted. The whole decoration of the room emanated with a royal, soothing mood.

After a short rest we went to see the city. In a booth for the prepaid tuk tuks (tuk tuk - rickshaws) we paid for the whole day and we went in the rickshaw and explore Jaipur. Our driver proved very helpful and took us to the famous Palace of the Winds - Hava Mahal, where we were approached by a jewelry salesman who showed us the nearby Krishna temple. I was surprised how much it is run-down. Up to now every Indian temple we visited, even the most modest one shone with cleanness, and here cluttered stairs, dirt, so that it was unpleasant to walk there without shoes.

After visiting there, we managed to escape the shopkeeper and in spite of his persuasions, (He was saying that in the palace of winds, there is nothing interesting) we went to see this symbol of Jaipur. Of course, we were right. This is a beautiful, elaborately decorated palace. Thousands of delicate small columns form various alleys and mysterious passages. Small windows are decorated with colored glasses, or openwork patterns. The building served as a palace for women, they had numerous windows and corners here to watch the city life, while not being seen.

Then we went to visit the Palace of Maharwala. This is a huge palace complex combining traditions of rajput and Mogul architecture . Courtyards and palaces are decorated with rich carvings and colorful paintings.

After a good few hours in the this Palace, we went to Jantar Mahal - the largest astronomical observatory, built by the ruler Jai Singh II of Jaipur.

The structures to measure the position of celestial objects look like gigantic modern sculptures. Or they look a bit like it was a playground for giants. The way they are presented has much to complaining about, the information is unreadable and hardly comprehensible, and guides in fact do not understand the purpose of these instruments themselves, and say only: this sundial, it is also a sundial, etc.. The bewildered tourists go here and there, and just shake their heads stupidly, pretending that they grasp something.

After the tour we were already tired a bit, so we asked our rickshaw-driver to take us to a restaurant. The restaurant turned out to be so-and-so, the toilet was for men only, behind the premises and the restaurant was just in a plastic hut. But the food was OK. Afterwards the rickshaw-driver took us to a shop with jaipur-style saris. We were there terribly long, and spent far too much.... There I bought a beautiful sari jaipur-style and jumkas which I had long dreamed of. On the second day we were to collect sari with ready-made choli, petticoat, and the earrings.

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