We met Mahendra, our guide, and Sukhdev early for the trip to the Amber Fort. As we got close, we stopped for a photo op with a young elephant, then joined the lineup for the elephant ride up the hill to the fort. There were many vendors but they are not insistent or rude, so not a problem. Eventually it was our turn and we sat on the seat on the elephant's back. It was difficult to get balanced, and also to keep our feet from banging into the walls. Not a comfortable ride, but an interesting experience.
Once up the hill we climbed further into the fort and discovered a wow-wow-wow residential area, with beautiful carvings, mirrored mosaics, frescoes and architecture. So beautiful!
From the fort we drove to a jewellery manufactory where we saw the process of cutting and polishing gems and their setting into silver, then many beautiful pieces of jewelery. We resisted but it was hard.
From there, we continued to a textile operation. I had fun block printing a piece of cloth and then we SHOPPED.
We didn't have the same resistance here and its clear we a capacity problem with our luggage. What to do? [Janice got a cotton/silk table cloth, and Larry succumbed to the lure of 6 custom tailored shirts]
Once up the hill we climbed further into the fort and discovered a wow-wow-wow residential area, with beautiful carvings, mirrored mosaics, frescoes and architecture. So beautiful!
From the fort we drove to a jewellery manufactory where we saw the process of cutting and polishing gems and their setting into silver, then many beautiful pieces of jewelery. We resisted but it was hard.
From there, we continued to a textile operation. I had fun block printing a piece of cloth and then we SHOPPED.
We didn't have the same resistance here and its clear we a capacity problem with our luggage. What to do? [Janice got a cotton/silk table cloth, and Larry succumbed to the lure of 6 custom tailored shirts]
Our evening meal was in a private home, Sankotra Haveli, where we were hosted by the patriarch and his son and daughter-in-law. They explained that their fore-fathers were feudal lords under a maharaja until that system was mostly done away with after the independence of India in 1948. They retained this 200 year old large house in Jaipur and some acres in their home village, which they still have. 24 members of the extended family live together.
We were greeted with red dots on our foreheads and flower garlands around our necks. the meal was varied and delicious, though once again I ate very little. It was our first time eating goat, and we quite enjoyed it. This couple's 9-year old son is away at boarding school and apparently just starting to do better in most subjects except English.
After the meal we returned to our hotel where the tailor was patiently waiting with Larry's new shirts.
No comments:
Post a Comment