Namaste
Welcome to the Pink City. Jaipur is the capital of the Rajasthan State where the Royal family once ruled from. It’s a relatively large city which encompasses many royal buildings, palaces, and courtyards.
Holi
We decided to come in March in order to celebrate Holi. This was on Wendy’s bucket list. March is also a great time to come for any tourists as the weather is comfortably hot during the day (28-30 degrees Celsius) and cooler at night. Our driver suggested we celebrate Holi in Jaipur at an organised event. You can just walk around the streets to celebrate with the public, but the driver deemed it not safe!
The organised event was fine, we did have to pay (1500 rupees each) but with that, you get your colours, snacks, drinks, lunch and entertainment throughout the day. There were also some local people so it wasn’t just for tourists. It was an awesome day!
It was so much fun and did not disappoint. As long as you are prepared to get ‘colourful’ then you will have fun! Also be sure to wear old clothes as they will get ruined (including underwear). Getting all the colours out also took a while. If you have blonde hair then you may find it extremely hard to get out so you should look into preparing it before participating.
Hawa Mahal
The next day, our driver picked us up and we met our guide for the day; Bishnu. We first stopped at the ‘Palace of the Winds’ (Hawa Mahal) to take a quick photo. It was built for the women in royal families so they could watch festivities but at the same time were screened from everyone else.
Amber Fort
Next up, was the main attraction in Jaipur; Amber Fort. This was built in the 16th century on the hills, just outside Jaipur. It’s really nice to look at from the bottom and from a short distance as you can see the elephants walking up to the top. Our favourite area was the room with all the mirrors. If you shine a light on them, they sparkle like the stars! The fort is very impressive as the surrounding walls are like a miniature version of the Great Wall of China.
City Palace
The city palace covers a vast amount of land, approximately one-seventh of the old city. Alongside the living quarters, there are gardens, museums and courtyards.
Golden Tulip
We stayed at the Golden Tulip hotel, which was lovely. It’s situated just outside the city walls and is easy to reach the popular tourist attractions (by car). The room was very clean and big, the bed was comfortable and the shower was great. The staff were very friendly, but service at the restaurant was rather slow.
We are now off to Agra, it’s only an 4 hour drive! 😒