Trip to Jaipur

With the goal to get out and see more of India, I (Kat) took off for a solo trip up to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. I left Mumbai on July 4 (Happy 4th of July!) and stayed in Jaipur until July 7. I took a full day tour of Jaipur and enjoyed a bit of solo time to investigate the markets and in my off time relaxed at the hotel visiting with an American family also visiting Jaipur. Rajasthan is in the north of India and there was a different feel about the place - the areas of the north are poorer than the big city life of Mumbai, and the saris worn by the women were much brighter and some men wear the traditional turban head dress and have the traditional long curled mustache. Any misconceptions I went there with expecting the smaller city to be less crazy and busy than Mumbai, were quickly swept aside! Jaipur was just as hassle-loaded as Mumbai but on a bit smaller scale, although the animals on the roads were a bit bigger! Rather than just the usual people, cows, dogs, monkeys, donkeys, bikes, auto-rickshaws, taxis, busses, and cars on the road, there are camels and elephants to contend with too! My favorite sights in Jaipur were the Amber Fort and the markets and bazaars of the Old City. Jaipur is known as "the pink city" since all the walls and buildings of the Old City are painted pink! This was done in 1876 when the then Maharaja decided to give the city a fresh coat of paint to welcome the Prince of Wales (future King Edward VII). He chose pink as it is a color said to be associated with hospitality. The pink was not as vibrant as you might expect even though they do give the city buildings a touch up every once in a while. A few photos of my favorite sites are here, for more pics as usual visit shutterfly!