Jaipur, "the Pink City" was the first place I visited outside of Delhi. I went with Holly, John and Michelle. We took our first step out of the train station to be promptly surrounded by a group of 10 to 15 auto drivers all shouting for us to take their auto; "good price sir, good price", "student price". After wading our way through the group of eager Indians we made our way to the outside of the train station where we found less ridiculously priced rickshaws, we landed ourselves one guy for the whole day for a mere 350 Rs. Firstly we secured our self a hotel and then went for a spot of breakfast, where again I managed to order an extortionate amount of food. The mango juice here was out of this world.

Jantar Mantar was our first site on our long list of "what to do in Jaipur". It was built in 1727 and it’s the "Largest Stone Astronomical Observatory in the World". The observatory has fourteen statistical instruments for measuring time, predicting eclipses and to ascertain other astronomical events. Amongst all the instruments, the most exciting was the Sundial (Samrat Yantra) which tells the time to an accuracy of about two seconds in local time of Jaipur. It is the largest instrument at 90 feet (27 m) high. They also had a stone structure for every one of the twelve Zodiac signs, Pisces is mine. It was an amazing place with many distinct architectures small or large, we finished our time here by getting ourselves one cold Maaza each.

Next we made our way up to Gaitore which is the royal cremation site of the majestic rulers of Jaipur. There is a cenotaph for each Maharaja, built in their honour. As we came in we got ourselves an interesting tour guide who spoke an inferior amount of English and what he did say we could hardly understand. What we got out of the tour guide was that one of the Maharajas ate 101 chippattas for breakfast every day, and another had 96 children and they all died of Malaria. True? You can make your own judgments. We also got a series of phrases from him. The cenotaphs are erected with a perfect blend of architectural essentials of Islamic tomb architecture and Hindu temple architecture. Amongst all the cenotaphs, the one dedicated to Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II appealed to me the most. This Chhatri is built in pure white marble, ornamented with delicate and intricate carvings, peacocks and beautiful designs.

The evening was the best part of the trip by far. We went to a festival called Chokhi Dhani where we got to watch an array of different events and shows. We rode an elephant which made its way round a circle of the whole area. We saw a magician who did all the same tricks that a 4 year old did in front of us in Jaipur, the 4 year old was better, way better. The massage was very, very interesting and slightly painful, what they basically do is slap and punch your head and back with extreme force whilst stretching out your arm as far as it will go. I regretted paying 50 Rs for it. I thought massages were meant to be relaxing. We played darts on a massive dart board, and watched a 6 year old kid balance a crazy instrument consisting of 8 rods with 8 small plates on his head, and if that wasn't enough he got a pea shooter and knocked of all the plates whilst still balancing. We all had communal food at the end of the night which was gorgeous and it felt good that everyone was eating on the same level, legs crossed with food coming round one by one.

The next day we got to ride a camel which I found incredibly exciting. The hardest part was holding on whilst the camel stood up and when he sat down, when you were on it was fine. We had an enthusiastic kid who took all our cameras and took a mountain of pictures of the ride so it looks a lot longer than it was, it only lasted about half an hour. My ass hurt after that short amount of time, I can't imagine doing a three day ride. We also visited the Amber fort which was huge and it was stunning with some amazing panoramic views.

Amber Fort is located in Amber (Jaipur), which used to be the capital of the Kachhwaha clan, till Jaipur was made the official capital in 1727. The Amber Fort is all-built in white marble and red sandstone. To add to its charm, Maotha Lake makes its foreground. The outer appearance of the Fort, being rough and craggy is totally different from its core. The interior of the Fort provides a soothing and warm ambience, which is least expected from its outer appearance. The marvellous decoration of the Amber Fort is influenced by both, the Hindu and Muslim manner of ornamentation. Exquisite paintings of hunting scenes on the walls depict the temperament of the Rajputs. The intricate carvings on the walls and ceilings are simply astonishing. The minute mirror work adds to the grand appearance and royalty of the halls.

Tom