Jaipur wandering

A lie in!! We didn't have to meet until 9! Then we went on an interesting walk around the wakeing town. Most of the shops were still closed except for a few that sold food. The majority didn't open until 10.30 or 11, it was much quieter than we had seen it before. Traders were setting up their stalls and sweeping and cleaning ready for the day ahead.

The flower market was a beautiful array of marigolds, orange, yellow and white and red roses. The roses smelt just like traditional old fashioned ones do. It was wonderful. A lady sitting cross legged on the floor gave us each a red rose. It amazes me as someone who's hips are so tight, to see Indian people sitting cross legged for so long. Obviously they sit like that from an early age, making their hips so much more flexible.

All the flowers arrive in sacks already beheaded as the stall holders make them into garlands which are used at celebrations and to take to temples to honour the God's.

We saw fabric being block printed on our next stop. Like the carpet makers we saw in Delhi, out workers in the villages near by are employed to print the fabrics at home. The dye is made of natural plant materials, applied with wooden stencils, sometimes 10 colours over laid to complete the design then laid out in the sunshine to fix the colours. The shop was full of the most beautiful fabrics, cotton through to silk mixes, they were hard to resist. 

We brought a dressing gown each and a shirt for Ada with elephants on it. I also brought 4 pieces of fabric to make a patchwork quilt.

Lunch followed at a rooftop cafe opposite the Palace of wind, Hawa Mahal. The cafe was a great place to view the Palace.
Built in 1799 five storey high, it looks like a facade, it is a really intricate symmetrical building with many little windows. All are shielded with intricate patterns of stone so that the ladies of the court could look out but no one could see in.

Thr cafe had a mixed menu and I had falafel, hummus in a wrap. It took a long time to come but it was nice to have something different.

We then had time to wander along the steets, full of small shops with people trying to entice us in. James wanted some slippers and was prepared for a hard bargain. We left the shop with the vendor calling after us. Then on our way back later, he spotted us and agreed to James terms. Cheap slippers! 

In the evening we went on a Jeep safari, through the new town and then up a very tortuous road at speed of course to the remains of a castle and another step well, high in the hills above the Blue City. It was a fabulous view we could see all the sites that we had passed during the day, way down below us. The sun set and we hurtled down the bouncy, suicidal track back to our hotel.Read more