Two Days In Jaipur, Rajasthan

We spent our first two days in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. The one word that comes to mind when I think of Jaipur is Contrast. From the heat of the day to the cool breeze on our rooftop cafe, from the vast rolling landscapes seen from the Jaipur's mountain tops to the congested streets of its walled city, and most dramatically from the majestic forts and palaces to the in your face poverty and destitution. I never want to go back, but everyone should experience it at least once in their life.

These are just some pictures from around the city.

This is the water palace just outside of the Jaipur. You can not go inside or get near, but there is a scenic viewing point along the side of the road where we stopped to take a few pictures.

Waiting for us was a gang of beggar kids. Of course, each of them wanted a tip for posing with me. Instead of digging out coins for each of them, I found the smallest kid, gave him a dollar and said if you can keep it, it's all yours. He grabbed it and quickly ran off. When the five bigger kids realized what had just happened, they stopped nagging me and went after him. I thought that was pretty diplomatic of me.

This is the City Palace which is in downtown Jaipur.

On display at the City Palace was this giant silver pot. According to the Guinness, it's the largest in the world. They were made to hold the water of some sacred river, so when the Maharajah travelled, he could continue to bathe in it and maintain his purity.

This was also at the City Palace. These "gatekeepers" are representative of the practice of tipping in India. Someone offers to assist you - in this case, have their picture taken, you to take their picture, they ask for a tip, you give them a tip, then, they complain that it's not enough, and then hound you until you disappear over the horizon (usually, in a full sprint).

Also in Jaipur , this is the Hawa Mahal. It's actually only a facade filled with windows for the Maharajahs and the court to look down upon the streets of Jaipur. After a few minutes there, you can understand why they would want to stay safely behind windows.

We weren't sure what this was other than a mausoleum.

On our last night in Jaipur, there was a wedding near our hotel. This is the beginning of the wedding parade where the groom was taken on horseback to meet his new wife.