MW Mobile Blog: Jaipur afternoon - Clemens, Color, Castles, Commerce and Cobras

Monday, February 15, 2010

Jaipur afternoon - Clemens, Color, Castles, Commerce and Cobras

Before finishing the itinerary, let us check in again with Samuel Clemens as he records his impressions of Jaipur in his 1897 travelogue:

"Jeypore is intensely Indian... the wide street itself, away down and down and down into the distance, was alive with gorgeously-clothed people not still, but moving, swaying, drifting, eddying, a delirious display of all colors and all shades of color, delicate, lovely, pale, soft, strong, stunning, vivid, brilliant, a sort of storm of sweetpea blossoms passing on the wings of a hurricane; and presently, through this storm of color, came swaying and swinging the majestic elephants, clothed in their Sunday best of gaudinesses, and the long procession of fanciful trucks freighted with their groups of curious and costly images, and then the long rearguard of stately camels, with their picturesque riders. For color, and picturesqueness, and novelty, and outlandishness, and sustained interest and fascination, it was the most satisfying show I had ever seen, and I suppose I shall not have the privilege of looking upon its like again." - Mark Twain - Following the Equator

A hundred+ years later, our plan for "Jaypore"

Itinerary:

"Feb 14: Late afternoon - Proceed for a brief city tour of the walled city of Jaipur, including the magnificent City Palace... Visit the unique Jantar Mantar magnificent stone observatory built by Raja Jai Singh in 1728. View the `Hawa Mahal’ (Palace of the Wind), the intriguing facade built in 1799 to allow royal ladies to view the city and bazaar from the windows. Continue the tour to visit the City Palace, the former royal residence (a part of it is still occupied by the Royal family and is not accessible to the public), built in a blend of Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles. This immense complex also houses a number of museums that offer a large and impressive collection of miniature paintings, costumes, and armory. Jaipur is famous for its carpets, jewelry, & handicrafts."

Feb 15 - here you will proceed on a drive to Samode for sightseeing and a camel back (or camel cart) safari through local villages. Please bear in mind that there are no sand dunes in this area. Enjoy a Rajasthani lunch (included) at the Samode Palace. A guided tour of Samode Palace and the other monuments in the area is included. Drive back to Jaipur in the late afternoon. Evening — Watch the show at your hotel and then drive to have dinner with a Traditional Rajasthani family at their home. Or drive to a cultural show and dinner."

We decide three hours of travel time was too high a price to pay for a camel ride in Samode, so we blew it off to have a somewhat more "leisurely" day in Jaipur and pick up on the itinerary items we missed from the day before. Images and clips from the day(s) in Jaipur: