Another early start greeted us ready for a full day exploring Jaipur.
We started the morning off by boarding the jeeps to take us to the entrance to Amber Fort. Luckily this was single file traffic. Unluckily the roads had more potholes than the West Midlands which made for a very bumpy ride. We were greeted by plenty of looky looky men who didnt take no for an answer and followed our group round the majority of the first courtyard. After making no sales they finally left us alone. Amber Fort is beautiful which is why it is one of the most visited forts in India. It includes a series of archways made of intricate mirror pieces, known as the Hall of Mirrors and stunning views across Jaipur.
After another bumpy ride back down and more looky looky we were taken to a gem and carpet shop (yay…) I tried on a gorgeous aquamarine pendant, but nearly died when he told me the price. I think he nearly died when I told him my budget! But I did come away with a lovely rainbow moonstone ring. We also got double rum and coke whilst in the store, it was only 10am. And this was the start of a fair whack of booze today. Santa was hardcore and had his without the coke.. obvs. The 2nd rum came at the carpet shop but I would need to do a fair few bank shifts to afford one.
After lunch we visited ‘Jantar Mantar’ – a site featuring architectural astronomical instruments built by the Kachwaha Rajput king, including the worlds largest sun dial. Another UNESCO to tick off the list! A short walk from here (followed by more looky looky) led us to City Palace which was another amazing lot of architecture and another very popular tourist spot.
After all the sightseeing, it was time to board the rickshaw and head to the haveli where ‘the real marigold hotel’ was filmed. A BBC documentary which aired in 2016 featuring 8 pensioners who came to India to see if they could live here. The rickshaw was so much fun, although this time it was on main roads rather than the side streets of Delhi. I was travelling backwards and could therefore see all the buses and other traffic getting very close to us at all times during the journey. All the locals seemed to find this hilarious. Unfortunately, I didnt realise how low my top was… I think that nearly caused a few accidents!!
The haveli was beautiful. I could have happily stayed there for the night. We sat on the terrace, eating pakoras, drinking far too much gin (I got Santa’s, he didnt like it!!) and watched the sun go down.
To end the day we were treated to a lovely meal by a local family and their gorgeous dog ‘Jamie’ – he must work in a call centre with a name like that 😉
The Travelling Ginger 