1000 Places: A Traveler's Life List

Jaipur was the last destination on our road trip in India, and the journey there deserves some mention. Jaipur was a pretty decent drive from Agra, and with several girls in our group, we had to make a few bathroom stops on the way - and, of course, there weren't really any rest stops as we know them. Instead, we'd look for a field (usually mustard) that offered some level of privacy.

During one of these stops, Misty and Annie went off into the field, while the rest of us waited outside our vehicle on the side of the road. While we waited, two Indians on motorcycles rode past, yelling something at us as they went. Apparently it was an obscenity (directed at me, actually), and Prosun immediately yelled back at them in their language (use your imagination). Instead of continuing on their way, the two Indian guys did a u-turn, heading back for our group. We got a little nervous at this point; it appeared the guys were ready for a fight! Immediately Ravi, our driver, pulled out a crowbar from under his seat in the car! Why he had a crowbar, we'll never know, but the two guys fortunately then drove off and left us alone.

We arrived into Jaipur safely around sunset. We checked into our hotel, which was very near to the Floating Palace (Octopussy's lair, to all you James Bond fans). Pretty though it was, there was no water, and thus no floating! That evening we went out to dinner at a local restaurant, which featured traditional Rajisthani dancers - Misty and even Ravi got into the action on the dance floor!

Day two began with what I had been looking forward to - an elephant ride! Early in the morning, we rode colorfully painted elephants up the hill to the Amber Fort. Once we arrived into the fort, we dismounted our "steeds" and headed off to explore. The fort was a large complex with very ornate decorations, and from it we could see a spectacular view of Jaipur.

We had hired a guide to show us around Jaipur, so after visiting the Amber Fort, he drove us to see the various other sites of Jaipur, including the Wind Palace and the Astronomical Observatory (which has the world's largest sundial). We also saw some local snake charmers and watched traditional artisans who demonstrated block printing. The next morning, before we left Jaipur, we took a camel ride, which was rather unremarkable and a completely touristy thing to do!