Stepping off the edge

After a 6 long hours driving south of Delhi in a private bus we arrived in Jaipur, the capital of the state of Rajasthan.

In 1876, Maharaja Ram Singh, had the buildings in the city’s walls painted pink in preparation for the visit by the son of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert Edward. They remain pinkish to this day and in some places look like they haven’t been repainted!

The Royal Family used to live within the walls but now it is all shops and businesses, from car parts to bridal wear. The spices and produce in the market was the most abundant that we’ve seen so far.

The highlight was the stunning red and pink sandstone Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds. The lattice design on the windows was for royal ladies to observe everyday life without being seen. This building has been maintained and renovated in the past 20 years.

The founder of Jaipur was interested in astrology and astronomy like many other civilizations at that time. In 1728 he created a campus full of sundials, charting of astrological signs and the largest sundial in the world, at 27 degrees. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We ended the day with requisite tour of a gem stone processing plant and store. We saw rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds and other precious stones go from unremarkable to sparkling by the skills of these men using had tools and wheels. Of course they wanted us to buy a piece of jewelry but we’ve gotten good at resisting!