After watching the beautiful sunrise and enjoying a delightful Indian breakfast and chai tea, we were off to the famous Jaipur Fort. Here’s a glimpse from my window:
Normally during this time, you are able to ride an elephant to the top of the fort. But because we were there during a special Hindu festival, the elephant rides were not running. It was still so awesome to be there an see all the men and women lined up to worship, wearing their best garments of the most radiant colors.
After the fort, we went to the Water Palace and fed the fishes. In Hindu culture, it is part of charity to feed the animals, whether monkeys, fish, etc. It is to show respect to nature and that we are all connected.
After feeding the fish we were off to do some shopping, first at a jewelry store then a hand-printing press. Both places were so hospitable, offering chai tea, soda, coffee, water, etc. After shopping, the jeweler told me a fascinating legend about their national bird, the peacock. The myths says that peacocks dance when it rains, their feet are bad so it hurts and they cry, then when they swallow their tears, they reproduce. I think I evolved from the peacock.
Our last stop was the Observatory, a place where ancient astrologists used the location of the sun and stars to tell time – with astounding accuracy.
After all that touring and shopping, we had worked up quite an appetite. So we got a complimentary lunch at a wonderful Indian restaurant, where I tried fried dumplings in tomato sauce, a Jaipur specialty…and of course buttered naan. Indian ice-cream is actually surprisingly delicious too…hard to describe, but quite creamy with an intense fruity flavor.
We had originally planned to drive to Delhi after dinner, but instead of wasting the night, we decided to go see a Bollywood movie instead. BEST IDEA EVER!! We saw a new movie called “Bang! Bang!” at this famous theater in Jaipur which looked more like an opera house. The theater was packed and full of life – people would shout and cheer every time they liked something or whenever a girl in a swimsuit came on the screen. It was quite the experience. I didn’t understand a word of it, but thoroughly enjoyed the dance scenes, music, action and romance. Just getting to see a Bollywood film in India was such a high for me 🙂
And then we went home and CRASHED.