11th March 2017
We started early morning, went in Karns car with a driver. We had aloo ka paratha for breakfast at home. Karn gave us many fruits and sweets to carry for the journey.
It took nearly 4.5 hours to reach Nirvana Hometel hotel. It was very close to the railway station, the room was very nice. We had lunch at the hotel and the food was good too.
We went to see City palace, it has Chandra Mahal and Mubarak Mahal of the 17th century. There was a good collection of armour but we could click pictures.
From there we went to Birla Mandir. The view from the temple was very nice. Very few people were inside the temple, most of them were enjoying the scenic beauty outside. Architecture was too good. First time, I saw in between the sculptures, Jesus statue was also there. Clicked many photos, came back to the hotel room and had dinner.
12th March 2017
We woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel. First we went to Amer fort which was quite far from our hotel. The fort waas at the top of a hill surrounded by other hills. It was built by Raja Mansingh in the 15th century and further extended by Jaisingh. At the entrance, there was a Kali temple with Lord Ganesha. Entry fee was Rs.25, if you have your vehicle you can go up the hill, or one could hire a jeep for Rs 450. We also hired a guide who charged Rs.150. We saw Deewan-e-aam and Sheesh Mahal. From parking you need to walk nearly 10 minutes, but overall nice experience. The guide showed us teh various rooms of ranis.
Next, we went to see Jantar Mantar, which was very near to our hotel. We hired a guide for Rs.200. It is asll about astronomy, its the worlds largest stone sundial. It also has thirteen large stone instruments to predict eclipse, weather, etc. But without a guide, we would not have understood anything.
Next, we went to Jal Mahal. The palace was in water, but it was nder renovation so we were not allowed to go there. There were many hawkers all around, so the palace was very dirty. There were camels and some toy cars for kids to enjoy.
Next, we went to Hawa mahal, it was very close to Jantar Mantar. Timings were 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. It was built with red sandstone. It was a 5 storey building in crown shape. The ground floor was courtyard. It was constructed mainly for Rajputanis (royal women) who were not allowed to come out in public. So it had thousands of windows finely designed like mesh wire so that the women could view and enjoy the events and festivities in the streets, but people outside cannot see them.
It was constructed such that the free air can circulate inside and from 5th floor the view of teh coty was very nice. By now, Mona and I were very hungry and were looking for pure Rajasthani restaurant. Finally we saw one decorated in rajasthani style - Green Pigeon Multi cuisine restaurant. Many foreigners had come. One man with his two sons was playing a musical instrument and singing 'Lal Teri Rasiya'. The boys were dancing and forcing foreigner ladies to dance with them and asking for tips. Food was not as good as expected, but manageable.
Mona did some shopping in the market, bought two copper bottles, sandals, etc. We went back to the hotel to res because evening we were planning to go to Chowkidhani. Timings for Chowkidhani is 5PM to 11PM, but we reached quite late.It was very far from our hotel. We were there on choti holi day, so we could see holika dahan on the way. A lot of people had gathered here. It is a Rajasthani village resort constructed in a very large area. Tickets costed Rs.700 per head, which included Rajasthani meals, there was another ticket for Rs.1100 too. Everything was very nice, we were repenting for coming late, w could not cover the whole area.
There was a boat ride, camel ride, games, magic show, dances, gymnastics and what not! Food was good but not excellent, may be we dont have a taste for Rajasthani food. Overall, enjoyed a lot!
13th March 2017
Today is holi, so we did not come out of the hotel room in the morning. We watched TV and then went down to have breakfast at the hotel. Everything tasted very good, we went back to our room and relaxes.
At 1 PM, we had to vacate the room, but we sat down as everyone advised not to leave before 3PMN as people might attack the car with colors. On the way, we stopped at CCD, we had a roll as that was the only thing left. Reached Gurgaon at 6PM.
Overall, the Jaipur visit was very nice.
- Geeta Chakravarthy
Also check out my other travel adventures at the link below:
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