India (Rajasthan): Jaipur

We began to hit our stride in India after reaching Jaipur, Rajasthan, the chaotic capital city of 2.63 million some 230 km west of the Taj Mahal. After our Agra train debacle, we decided to hire a driver for the bumpy 4 hour drive to Jaipur, stopping briefly at Fatehpur Sikri, one of India‘s lost cities. Known as “The Pink City,” Jaipur’s old city was painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. It’s a decidedly more dirt-colored now, but the city’s history is rich and impressive. Our stay in Jaipur, much like all of our 8 days in India, was a series inspiring highs and some frustrating lows. We saw some beautiful places and we even made some friends in Jaipur, but our patience was constantly tested and the poverty and pollution could be intimidating at times. Even more than expected, this past week has been an unforgettable adventure to say the least.

We selected just a few favorite highlights from Jaipur below:

Hawa Mahal

Known as The Palace of the Winds, Hawa Mahal was our favorite Jaipur landmark. Five stories high, the palace was constructed in 1799 by a maharaja to allow the royal women to observe life on the streets from a safe distance. We were able to climb our way up the palace’s top story to take in views of the city and observe the chaotic scene on the city below.

On a side note, we have consistently marveled at the traffic situation in India, which is a total free-for-all of every kind of vehicle and animal you can image. Not to mention the constant car horns. We took a just quick video from Hawa Mahal to give you some idea of what it‘s like to get around the streets:

City Palace

In the middle of the old city, City Palace is a walled complex of courtyards, museums and gardens. It offered a nice escape from the hectic markets and touts just outside.

Amber Fort

North of Jaipur about 20 minutes, Amber village was once the ancient capital of Jaipur state. Amber Fort was initially constructed in 1592 and is a seemingly endless maze of towers, courtyards and temples. (Krista decided it is the ultimate place for hide and go seek.) On one of the sunnier days we enjoyed while in India, we had fun wandering around the place.

In another exciting travel hiccup, our flight from Jaipur to New Delhi was inexplicably canceled. So, after a considerable amount of scrambling, we hired another driver to drive us to New Delhi at 3:30 am to make sure we made our flight from Delhi to London. Good news: we made it!