Travel Bug - Jaipur

First visited Jaipur twenty years ago to attend Bobby's wedding. Last year I went with Vasu and Abhinay. Both times I visited Ajmer and Pushkar. This time it was a cricketing trip to watch the Syed Mushtaq Ali games. I used the free time at hand to check out a few places. On the first free day Jyo and I went around the town. He wanted to shop some and then we went sight seeing.

Jyo and Hawa Mahal

Stained glass 

Hawa Mahal frontage

Jyo had an elaborate list - clothes to buy from Gulab Chand, lassi to drink at Lassi Wala, Lashmi Mishtan Bhandar or some famous place like that - and we managed to tick them all off. The Gulab Chand guys were in the pink city or the old city which is so neatly laid out with all shops looking similar with frontages and signages - order all around. 

Jyo is an unabashed foodie. He tries all kinds of foods and particularly loves non-veg. He hardly looks his age - 68 - keeps himself fit by playing tennis and goes swimming etc. In his playing days he was a doughty batsman and it was difficult to get him out.

Loved that place. Checked out the inside of Hawa Mahal for a price of 52 bucks (why 52 bucks asked Jyo). Nice stuff. Courtyards, staircases, stained glass windows. 

Raj Mandir

Lassi at Lassiwala

We were directed to MI Road where he continued shopping while I walked around and found Raj Mandir, a huge cinema theatre which probably has a lot of history behind it. A stone's throw from there was the famous lassi wala where we drank some fine lassi - they add a dollop pf cream on top which we scoop with a spoon! And the best thing - its always in a clay matka. Onwards to Jantar Mantar, the City Palace (expensive tickets at 300 bucks but worth it), a stop at Lakshmi Mishtan which was most confusing because we did not know where to buy and get out food (lassi not v good, kachori no great). We got off and headed to Jal Mahal which as the names says is in jal or water (the Man Sagar lake mostly named after Sawai Man Singh) and all we can do is take pics from the shore.

Jantar Mantar

City Palace

Peacock motif

Spot me

Lassiwala

Off we went from there to Nahargarh fort which was quite a sight, walked around the palace, climbed on top, went to the sunset place but sunset was a while away. 

Atop Nahargarh fort

Nahargarh fort palace

Jal Mahal

Then we headed to Jaigarh fort where we hired a guide for a price of 100 bucks (they reduced it from 400 to 100). For 100 bucks you can take your car inside and we did that. 

Cannon

Saw a huge cannon, then we saw an aqueduct type which led water to the underwater storage where apparently gold was hidden and then was stowed away by Indira Gandhi during emergency, some place where humans were sacrificed and now goats are and then he led us to the store to by stuff which we politely refused and headed back. Our driver Dhanraj was keen to show us Amer fort but we were  tired and said we would like to go back to our good hotel Taj Amer!

Nice full day! But I should come back to watch that sunset at Nahargarh fort one of these days.