4: Flying high on a magic carpet in Jaipur

We bought a silk rug

 Location: Jaipur

The days are full frantic and fun! And I should add that they are a contrast between the pull of sadness and delight. Sometimes, like today, they are almost euphoric.

TODAY'S HIGLIGHTS

Welcome to a beautiful morning in Jaipur from the much appreciated comfort of the #Park Ocean . A comfortable night, with intermittent power outages (thank goodness for @Mac's power pack for his machine) and off to a breakfast that featured fresh unpeeled bananas! They flew off the platter faster than the hotcakes.

Sticking to the rules - fruit you peel yourself

The group was assembled and ready for the day's adventure for the 8 am getaway to join the 4.7 million residents in Jaipur and although the traffic was lighter there was still swerving and honking, chaos and cows.

The message in the sign - a vestige from the Smart City initiative - not feeling it

I was interested to read about the "Smart City Initiative" introduced in 2015 by the Indian Government. In this project 100 cities across India were identified as special projects where the standard of living and the conditions of the cities were to be improved and more sustainable. And #Jaipur was one of those cities.

I am not sensing much progress - but as @Mac reflected - how could you tell without having an understanding of the starting point.

Our focus today was the Old City, famed for its historic pink buildings. It was the first “planned city” of King Sawai Jai Singh. He was an astronomer who used planetary positions as his guide when deciding on the orientation and positions of structures in the city. He moved his kingdom’s capital from the nearby village of Amer (our late afternoon destination yesterday) to Jaipur in 1727.

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

A. The Old City

Gained entry through one of the impressive gates of the walled city. The wall itself is painted "pink" but in reality is more of a terracotta brown. It was completed in 1799 and today it’s one of India’s most recognizable icons and a popular tourist attraction and as such, is filled with all the usual tourist accompaniments of food, hawkers and chaos.

I'm starting to realise that there is a pattern here for the places we visit. They are served up "as is." They haven't been polished and primped - if they are run down and ramshackle, the only addition is an entry gate -- they are not washed down, repaired, painted or restored and they support a subsidiary market and lifestyle.

No primp and preen - just presented "as is." This is the pigeon feeding which doubles as a car park

@Vishal at all times presentss an outer calmness and shows a deep compassion and respect for the people we encounter. He has a little system that helps both his guests and the determined sales people. If you indicate to him you are interested in a purchase - he will bring that item onto the bus and let you have a look and either go ahead with the purchase or not. It works so well - means we can wander through the sites and not be accosted at every step.

B. The House of winds and the Snake charmer

First stop was a chamce to pull over and have a cloeup look at the facade of the back of one of the Palace buildings known as "The Palace of Winds." It was a ladies only multi story venue that featired 950 arched niches so the ladies of the royal house could watch over their men and sons and see village life. A very impressive showcase.

Very impressive "back of the building"

Even more impressive was the technology behind it which is a testament to the ingenuity of the architects of the time. These portals provide an air conditioning system for the building - the combination of its orientation, the proximity to water and the placement of the windows means that a steady flow of cold air kept the ladies cool.

@Vishal also conjured up a snake charmer here and after watching the drmonstration, it was time for everyone to "pet" the cobra. It was rntertaining the locals and appreciated by the brave souls in our group.Think @Barry and I were the only non starters.

Charming ...

We were also introduced to the temple's frequently visited "kitchens" - examples of "good deeds" and a place where people could come to enjoy a free meal. Even the pigeons have massive feeding stations where generosity is demonstrated.  

Disposable cup
As an aside the traditional lassi (yoghurt and water) are sold and served in a single use earthern ware tumbler. It is disposed off and the dust returns to the soil. The ultimate environmentally friendly solution. Shame about all the other tumble of "stustuff.

C. Palace of Jaipur 

The Palace is the home of Jaipur Royalty and there are lots of associated buildings in the precinct. We were not entering the Palace grounds but could wander through the streets and associated areas.

It was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, who moved his court to Jaipur from Amber and was completed in 1732 and as well as being home to current Jaipur royalty the palace complex has several buildings, various courtyards, galleries, restaurants, and offices as well as a museum and a temple.

It is also the location of religious and cultural events and the family also serves as a patron of arts, commerce, and industry. 

Heading to the temple

D. Temple visit

This was an uplifting start to the day. We arrived just in time to join in the hoyful celebrations with the locals. 

Shouting, chanting and laughing and singing - it was genuinwly grand and good for the soul. So noisy and joyful with flower petals thrown into the air and then swept and tossed again. Small morsels of food were shared as examples of good deeds and dots were painted on foreheads.

Waiting for the curtains to open

Lots to see - plenty of opportunity to join in

 We were the only white people in the throng but we were included and welcomed. And as that finished, the masses moved towards the curtain to wait for it to be drawn, or walked in endless circles through the temple in an attempt to mimic the movement of celestial bodies, all the time bending at the steps to touch them and sweep the blessings onto their face.

 The temple here is dedicated to Krishna and we saw the celebration that happens twice a day, as even those who have very little make offerings and give thanks . It was all colour and joy, the swastikas on all the garlands and banners, the cheers and the prayers and the applause as the curtains were parted. Local people were nudging me forward to get closer and get a view and share in the blessings. The people who have so little, offer so much - sugar candy, basil leaves offered your way as a "good deed" and as a share in their blessing.

Emotions expressed in the temple were such joyful celebration of faith.

E. The Observatory 

I loved this place and @Vishal spent time at three of the installations in this outdoor museum to get us started and to pique our curiosity. There were 19 in the complex - lots more reading to come.

Huge installations- incredibly accurate

 The #Jantar Mantar, is an astronomical observation site built in the early 18th century. It includes a set of huge fixed instruments and they work. Designed for the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye and the measurement of time, they showcase several old architectural and instrumental innovations. 

They were built by the scholarly King and he constructed 5 observatories across India to reveal the secret of the skies to the naked eye and to measure time. 

It has a massive central time piece (verified by the Guiness Book of Records as the largest in the world) surrounded by the smaller sundials of the star signs. @Vishal demonstrated the process of telling the time, we double checked with our watches. The calibration of this piece is out, officially, by a mere 2 seconds . We repeated the test at a number of the dials and under the blaze of today's bright sky, our calculations continued to give the right time.

A definite a winning destination.

F. The Cooperatives and Shopping

It happens on every tour - you go to a "sanctioned " supplier or two, watch the demo, enjoy the drinks and food, tune in to the spiel and leave empty handed.

Not this time. We were hooked (pun intended @Gary.) When the colours of the silk carpet were revealed in the big unfurl @Mac said "I want one." And because he never wants anything - this had to be it.

So we tramped and tested. Made calculations on size and possible positioning. Looked and loved. And are now the proud and happy owners of a rug hand crafted in Rajasathan. It truly is beautiful and not sure where we we will be putting it but good to know that silk doesn't absorb moisture or dust and is fire proof. That should widen the choices.

Best quip was from @Deb who chirped "I wonder if it gives carpet burn?"

@Mac had two large servings of rum as part of the demonstration - I hope he likes the rug as much when it arrives home in September as he did through his "rum goggles." 

I hope likes it as much without the goggles
And just like the #Apple shop, you get a hearty round of applause to celebrate your purchase. @Merrin and @Paul also bought one and were equally chuffed with their selection.

A bit of try before you buy

The prelude to this was a demonstration of the intricacies of textile block printing. Lots of audience participation here as we tried our hands at creating motifs before moving onto the carpet weaving demo and then the stages of the testing of the finished products.

Painstaking work

Sari and turban demos

Ha ha, one size fits all! 

  And after our carpet acquisition we were not tempted by any of the textiles or the jewellery from the next venue.

Some of the jewellery was really appealing - especially the clever four piece interlocking and interchangeable ring. @Gita bought one on behalf of the group and there were multiple lucky ladies making additional purchases.

No pics inside jewellery factory ... and then lunch

The final ahopping experience was in the Bazaar. Hmm, how bizarre. We don't find it a shopper's paradise. Too much in your face following if you divert your eyes even slightly. I did find some buttons for a little project but had no inclination to look and be tempted by anything else. @Barry commented he was in the market for some Ts but was intimidated by the experience and kept his wallet closed. Think there is a business opportunity here for an Aussie friendly style of half a dozen shops.

G. Indian Cooking Demonstration

Rounded out the day's activities by joining tje cooking class. Five dishes on the menu and the chef and his assistants used participants from the group to whip up the dishes.

Lots of advice amd banter, and a few mistakes here and there but everything was sorted with an extra dollop of cream and a few knobs of butter. As each dish was completed, small samples were served and they each had their merits.

Loads of laughs and tasted great - especially the wine

I wasn't much help in our group - I just sipped my wine and supervised. Plenty of laughs which contined in the main dining hall for dinner.

Another huge day but worth every ounce of sweat and every step of shoe leather. So time poor, I am falling asleep with my phone in my hand, desperately close to running iut of puff to even keep my Wordle streak going.

Weather: 32 degrees and humid 

Steps: 17 016

Health Check: Going well - no problems for us

Accommodation: Hotel Park Ocean, Jaipur 

On the Menu

Lunch was a sit diwn in an upmarkwt restaurant and dunner was the spouls of the cioking demo.. We have the recipes - it's all about the spices and the butter and cream!

@Mac declared his lunch today, where he ordered a "local" version of spice, was the best of the trip.

Straight from the itinerary:

After breakfast, enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Jaipur beginning with a morning excursion to Amber Fort. Located 11 kilometres from Jaipur, it was the old fort of the Kachwaha clan of Amber. This afternoon take part in a city tour visiting the City Palace, the former royal residence built in a blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles. Jantar Mantar is the largest of the five observatories built by Sawai Jai Singh. 

This evening, take part in an optional activity or enjoy the evening at leisure. Optional Activity - Indian Cooking Demonstration & Dinner.