India: The Pink City - Jaipur!

Next we headed to Jaipur. This was where Sheetal and Anshul were married. Before the wedding we squeezed in some sight seeing! We went to Amber Fort, Water Palace, City Palace, and Jantar Mantar. There is so much history in this city. Definitely check out the Wikipedia links to learn more about each of these places.

Our elephant ride at Amber Fort. I was holding on for dear life!!!

The walls surrounding the Amber Fort Palace and town, it went around 360 degrees

Here you can see how expansive the wall is

A close up of one of the watch towers

Some workers at Amber Fort taking a break to chat. They are dressed in bright Rajasthani colors

The Palace

Beautiful pillars

Intricate walls

Beautiful glasswork. Each Maharaja (king) added new additions to the palace through the years

An enclosed garden in the palace because the Maharani (queen) and concubines were not allowed outside palace walls

Another women working at the Fort

Heavy items are transported on the head

More rooms at the palace. It was ginormous! 

A view of the palace from the road

Here is another palace, the Water Palace. It was where the royal family stayed in the summer because the water would keep the family cool from the summer heat.

Shama learning how block prints are created. Block printed fabrics are a specialty in Jaipur

Layers are added in block printing

A women making a hand woven rug. It can take months to make one.

Up close, such intricate work!

Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical structures built in the early 1700s. 

This cracked me up, there are two workers holding up another who is doing repairs to one of the Jantar Mantar  monuments 

He was pretty high up!!!

One of the astronomical forms looked like eyeglasses :)

Markings to show the date and time based on the sun's shadows

City Palace

Snake charmer

I love this picture of four women trying to cross through heavy traffic