In the Pink (City)!

Had another great day, visiting the major sites in Jaipur. We started by taking a jeep up to the Amber Fort, where we saw a snake charmer, several elephants and a sign warning of crocodiles. Later, at the City Palace, we saw the Maharaja’s sister. The Royal Family no longer has any official role, as India is a republic, but they still seem to be respected, are referred to by their titles and have private apartments in the palace.

We hadn’t realised that Hindus have such a deep belief in astrology, even having their babies’ names chosen by their family astrologer. One of the places we went today was an astrological ‘observatory’ dating from 1728 and although I don’t believe in any of that sort of thing, it was fascinating to see how all the sundials showed the time, date and our location - an incredible feat of engineering.

In the evening, we had a super buffet dinner at our hotel and watched a traditional puppet show. Everything has been so incredible, way too much to put into words. Still trying to get used to the constant attentiveness of the staff, though!