Day 2--Taken directly from journal...not edited for sense.

Main Street in Jaipur...the Pink City


At the Amber Palace


Amber Palace


And more of the Amber Palace

Day 2

I'm up and ready to go almost on time. My order of plain toast takes a lot longer than I had anticipated. Toast in hand I met Herr and my guide for the day, lets callhim Mr Green after the wonderful green sweater he was wearing. He's all smiles and ready to go from the second I get in the car. Where are you from? Where is that? What do you do there? I think that on my next trip I will be from TO and work at Walmart--much easier to explain than my present local and job.

Away we go to Amber Forst which should be called Amber Palace as it was home to the Maharaja not soldiers. I proclaim that I want the elephant ride up the hill and will stand in que for hourse if necessary. The boys discuss and agree but say that if the line is too big they can arrange a ride somewhere else.

1/2 later I'm having a wonderful conversation with a lady from Columbia. A few minutes after that I am climbing onto the seat atop an elephant. I can't really describe the seat properly. The elephants are painted lovely bright colours (even their toe nails) and wear a harness that is covered by a blanket on which a seat sits. The seat is a box with a latch so you don't fall out. It is a maxium of two people per elephant and apparently they only do so many trips per day--there is an elephant cruelty prevention program in place. It used to be unlimited passengers, but complaints from tourists brought it under control. I'm thrilled to have the experience--a childhood dream since living in Lethbridge and going to the circus. We lumber up the path to the Fort/Palace and Mr Green tells me about his MA in English, how he wants to do an MA in French next year but everything is so expensive. Apparently he pays for school by working as a guide and an escort. I don't ask him if escort in India means the same as in Canada. I don't know if it is the elephant moving or the escort talk but I suddenly feel Mr Greens leg touching mine. I ignore it and keep taking pictures. We arrive at the Amber Palace. First stop is a temple where we remove socks, shoes and any leather item and I must hand over my camera. Then for 10 rupees I get them back after. The temple is very plain with 2 minor paintings and one statue which is of course where you make your offering. Anything is possible in India if you have enough rupees.





Having collected my belongings we set off to explore the palace. There are so many kings to remember and each king had multiple wives...my brain is soon in overload. I make a mental note to buy a guide book at the end--I'll never remember all of this. I snap photos of wall details, door knobs and windows. Mr Green is 1/2 patient with me. We rush and push our way through larger groups and only slow down when I stop for photos. I'm overwhelmed with the information and the people and I find myself answering questinos in my limited French. It is like when I first moved to Pang and couldn't understand Inuktitut my gut reaction --answer in the only other language I know. People then think I speak French which gets more confusing. The fort/palace tour ends and the shopping begins.




I'm not against shopping normally BUT it can be very tiresome in India. Already my mind is blurring a bit on the details and it is only one day later that I write this...so...shopping.

We stop at a jewelery store. Once again I am shown how they cut and polish the gems--everything by hand they say--no machines. Of course you don't actually get to see the 'factory' you sit in the demo room and the host explains what the one person there is doing--it is still interesting to me--staged or not. You are never allowed to take pics in these types of stores...so there are no pics from the sari store and none from this one either.

The first show room is on the main level and I quickly pass through up the elevator to the third floor and the real show room. Sit please. You like beverage? This time I ask for Chai masala. And then on with the show. Then can do any of the stones I see in any setting I want--any size stone. No limit in India. I actually pick out a pair of earrings and a ring. They don't have the colour/size stone I want in the setting I choose and I need a bigger size--No problem madam we have at your hotel, 3-4 hours. Which hotel are you? I pretend I don't know and start moving dow the counter. I just want to look and keep going but they pull out everything I glance at so it is best to walk fast. Finally I have walked the length of the show room but we are far from done. I must now see the traditional style Indian jewelry. And I want to see it, I just don't want the pressure to buy. Would you like to try on? Take a picture? I'm intrigued but decline. Chicken though jumps at the offer.




Jewelry floor done we head to the handicrafts. Wood carvings, marble statues everything you could want. I see a number of prints and after being shown most of them actually select a couple. I see a wooden camel--perfect for mother--but with two more weeks of travel I fear for its life and decide to wait. There will be other camels. So back downstairs finally so I can pay for my order and purchase a few trinkets--cheap enamel gifts that some of you will be getting. I can't remember the cost in Canada and don't want too. They were purchased where they were made and that's enough.

Again they ask for the name of the hotel so they can drop off my ring tonight. I'm not that fresh off the plane--I side stepped teh answer upstairs this time I shrug my shoulders, give a stupid look and then look back at Herr. He steps up to the plate and offers his cell # to arrange a pick up. We fill out the papers, I give him my card and I'm off to lunch.

A bit of explanation here...every store, every restaurant is carefully selected ahead of time. They are tourist traps--most Indians do not shop or eat at these establishments and in fact the restaurant I am left at this day has a sign in the wingodw 'reserve right to refuse' I gather the guard at the door wouldn't pass up foreigners but if a poor working class Joe showed up at the door he might not get in.

We are in a peacock restaurant...the chairs are peacocks, the mapkins are peacocks and they are painted on the walls. I order soup and a potato dish. No rice. No bread. My waiter seems upset and confused. I'm not that hungry and chicken soup (Indian style!) sounds good to me. My TO health issues are still with me am and pm...so soup seems like a good idea. Sweet corn chicken soup...delicious!

After lunch it is off to the city museum. We see some interesting astrological tools and the worlds largest sundial. There are three museums--Art, Textiles and Weapons. I could visit all three but tell the guide I'm not interested in seeing the weapons so we skip that one. I enjoy the art collection but could have spent all day at the textile one. The clothes are magnificent and date back to the 1700's. My guide looks bored as I ponder and drool...but again...no photos allowed.





And then more shopping. AAUUGGHH. I should have just said no and gone back to the hotel but I didn't. I watch and learn how to make a rug. It's interesting, but then I'm ready to go...no such luck. Again the salespitch over tea. This time right off I'm saying I'm not interested--he tries to convince me anyway. I get the feeling that by the time we are finished going through all the room he feels that I wasted his time. Oh well. Back to the hotel for a quick break. We say good bye to the guide, I tip him 100 rupees and he is gone. On route to supper we pass a number of wedding processions. They have these wonderful chandeliers that are electric. 6 or 8 men carry one with the cords over their shoulders at the end of the procession is the generator. The groom arrives on elephant, camel or horse. Herr take me to another wonderful restaurant with more Rajasthani dancers. The man from the jewelry store shows up with my rings and I call it a night. Except that I sprained my finger as I left the restaurant. My ring got caught on the door...not my new ring, my snow goggles ring from NU. Figures.