The Beat Goes On--Jaipur

Sunday morning I went down to the airport to catch a flight to Jaipur. I showed up quite a bit early, and the airport didn't appear to be open, so I decided to go for a walk. I saw a sign on a building near the airport saying "Airport Canteen", and since it was approaching noon, I decided to grab some lunch. Now, every now and then I get the impression that I am heading where white people usually don't go, and this was one of those times. The guard was very helpful in pointing me to the canteen, and the gentleman there was very insistant on seating me. Then, chairs started getting moved and tables starting getting rearranged. The room then quickly filled, and I soon found myself accidentally attending a retirement party. Oops. Well, it was a free lunch anyways.

Jaipur is home to one of five places in India called a Jantar Mantar. The Jantar Mantar is an observatory from the early 1700's, and Jaipur boasts one of the largest and best maintained facilities. The thought, skill and craftsmanship that went into building the place are truely amazing. It is visually stunning, and still entirely practical.

After viewing the Jantar Mantar, I visitted the City Palace Museum, which boasts displays in textiles, artwork, and weaponry as well as the largest silver urns in the world.

Finally, the Hawa Mahal or "Palace of Winds" was built to allow ladies of the harem to look out to the streets below without been seen themselves. From what I read, I expected it to be much smaller, but it is larger than I was lead to believe. It is almost like a 5 storey maze, and it was fun just to watch adults popping their heads out of windows and stairwells like we were in an oversized jungle gym.

Tonight is another night train, and tomorrow is Bikaner.