Archive for June, 2010

With a door as intriguing as this, does it not just beckon you to walk through it?  I mean of course something as equally intriguing must be waiting on the other side, right?

I would say my assumption was pretty accurate!

And what about this door, what could possibly be behind it?

If you guessed a myriad of mirrored mosaic walls, you would be correct!

Not only was the surrounding architecture gorgeous, but if you took a moment to look out the windows, the views easily rivaled in aesthetic appeal.

It was as if this place was pregnant with the near magical.

Imagine waking up every morning with elephants roaming just below you.

On to the 3rd part of the Amber Fort. . .

You did not think I was really done with elephant pictures now did you???

After I gave my elephant a big hug on the trunk goodbye, I set off to explore the Amber Fort.

And the exploring begins!

After walking up the stairs I was afforded with an indescribable view.  Maybe some photos and a video will express what words cannot?

Once I was able to fully take the view in, it was time to enter the 1st of many parts to the Amber Fort.  Interestingly enough, the Amber Fort does not get its name because of its rich amber hue, rather it was built in the city of Amber.  Amber is located about 10km outside of Jaipur and used to be the capitol of Rajasthan state, however now it has been shifted to Jaipur.

What surprises await in the 2nd part of the Amber Fort. . .

I love my little red Toyota Prius.  In my opinion it is quite a sexy car!  However, I think if I had the option of riding around in it OR being taken around town on the back of an elephant I would choose the latter in a heartbeat.

The name of our elephant wasor flower (in case you do not read Hindi).  I really do not believe that there is a more docile or gentle creature than an elephant.

In my next life I want to come back as the person who gets to paint the elephants every day.

Sadly, the 20 minute ride was over way too quickly.  Though I was very excited to explore the Amber Fort more intimately. . .

I must preface this post with admitting that I had no idea what to expect regarding the Amber Fort and to be honest my mind was completely focused on the elephant ride that I would soon be taking (I could care less where the elephant was taking me, I was just elated to be on an elephant).  To my surprise the Amber Fort was mindblowingly gorgeous!  The normal adjectives that travelers use to describe the awesomeness of something simply fail in this case.

My first view of the Amber Fort.

The initial thing one notices when gazing upon the Amber Fort is the way the sun illuminates the amber color.  If I were a poet I would definitely be inspired to write a poem about this phenomenon.

Like most monuments in India, the Amber Fort was quiet large and was protected by a wall that closely resembled the Great Wall of China.

As we got closer I began to see the elephants and I seriously wanted to forget about the group I was with and run to them!  I have no idea why I am so obsessed with elephants, but I have been for years and my fondness for them only grows deeper by the day.

I have had the good fortune to have ridden an elephant prior to this trip in Thailand.  It was an incredible experience and I knew that this would be too, how could it not with this equation: elephant ride + stunning scenery = Andi heaven.

Unfortunately, we had to wait about 30 minutes before we could start the ride and I have never been a fan of the old adage, “Good things come to those who wait,” but I sucked it up and decided to use the time to photograph my surroundings.

While I was looking for things to photograph I noticed a doorway where the elephants were passing by and it made for some incredible shots, in fact they are some of my favorite from the entire trip.

And then before I knew it, it was time for my elephant ride. . .

Because I love the necklace that I purchased the day before sooo much, I am going to dedicate this post to it.  FYI, it is 15 strands of multi-colored tourmaline.  I am totally smitten!  You will see more of it over the rest of my India posts. . .

Me, my necklace, and the extraordinary Amber Fort.

The ride from Agra to Jaipur was around 3 hours and our driver definitely kept us entertained with his interesting command of the English language.  The following video is of us entering the city limits of Jaipur.

I mentioned in my last post that I had a “special date” awaiting me.  It turns out that one of my dear friends, Connie, whom I had met through Couchsurfing years ago, was traveling through India and our paths just so happened to cross in Jaipur.  Because it was terribly hot outside, we decided to first meet for some ice cream.  Once we were adequately refreshed and updated on each others travel adventures, we went off on search for jewelry!

Me and Connie in front of the jewelry store where I bought 5 pairs of earrings for less than $10 (score!).

After our successful shopping mission, we said goodbye to Connie and wished her an extraordinary journey in Nepal, as she was headed there next, and decided to take our 1st rickshaw of the trip back to the hotel.  When I was in Thailand I took a lot of these and I found them to definitely be the best mode of transportation.  They were quick and cheap, plus they afforded you a great view of the city, as seen in the following video.

Back at the hotel, I showed off my new purchases to our tour guide.  However, I mentioned that I was still looking for an unique piece of fine jewelry.  He said that he knew the perfect place and would take us there immediately.  The second I walked into the jewelry store I felt like a princess.  I had about 5 people attending to my needs, bringing me fruit and chai, and the charming owner let me try on anything I desired in the store.  And trust me I desired a lot!

Me with a million dollar diamond necklace/earring set. It was love at 1st sight!

Do not worry, I did not buy the jewelry in the above picture, but I did end up finding the necklace of my dreams (make sure to read the next post to see what it looks like).  Our tour guide then brought us back to our hotel and we invited him and his friend to dine with us at the hotel’s restaurant on the roof.

The hotel's pool on the roof at night.

The heat had dissipated finally and it was the perfect temperature for dining al fresco.  I really enjoyed talking with my tour guide in depth about his country and hearing a native’s perspective.  At the end of the evening we were surprised with a fireworks show!  The best way to end an evening in my opinion.

Since my friend was still not feeling well and I too woke up with the dreaded “Delhi belly,” we decided to eschew the bus ride that our tour company had arranged for us and instead booked our own private taxi, which would save us about 3 hours of driving time from Agra to Jaipur.  Yeah, I am a bit of princess sometimes!

The traffic we faced while trying to leave Agra was a nightmare, as is the case for pretty much everywhere in the country.  I think if I had to drive on a regular basis in India I would probably become an alcoholic from the stress.

A typical street in India.

I looove the following video I took while stuck in the midst of one of the various traffic jams.  It’s just SO India!

Along the way we saw lots and lots of water buffalo.  Apparently, their milk is highly desired.

They also happen to cause major traffic problems too!

Since pink is my favorite color I was super excited to see “the pink city,” otherwise known as Jaipur.  I had a feeling that I was in for some adventures there, especially since the next day I would be riding my favorite animal through an ancient fort, but first I had a special date lined up for later in the day. . .