Jaipur Day 8: Amer and Jaigur Fort
After a quick stop at Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Winds, for some life-risking photos (you had to cross the busy street for the best shot), we were off to Amber (Ah-mer) Fort, about 11km from the main city.
Once closer to the fort, we are grateful for the advantage of hiring a private car. He drives us all the way to the top, stopping for pictures at the most opportune places, vs. leaving us at the entrance to walk in (as with a government bus) or ride an elephant. Some stops include photo ops with the requisite snake charmer
heehee... Yotch is so scared...
and the mysterious temple on the way to the Fort.
The Amber Fort blows you away and is easily the 2nd highlight of the trip after the Taj. The palaces are absolutely stunning and the intricate workmanship is amazing.
A guide here is so worth it – he will explain how the medieval air-conditioning system works (ingenious), help you navigate the concubine quarters (which are meant to be a crazy labyrinth) and if you’re lucky (like we were), he will even show you a bonus… the tunnels the maharajah used to link up to Jaigur Fort. This is off the beaten tourist path so we had to huff and puff our way through rubble and down dim, dodgy basements that are littered with empty condom wrappers. What an utterly delightful spontaneous adventure!
We also made a stop at Jaigur Fort, too bad we didn’t see Jude Law who was there the same day! We declined a guide since we thought that the only thing to see was the largest cannon in the world.
Which is also why we took a lot of silly pictures to maximize the entrance fee.
Flying high...
The FPJ pose is contagious even in flight!
We don't even get lift-off!! Hahaha...
More funny pics...
Turns out there is so much more to see, thanks to our tsuper toyo Mukesh, who ended up acting as our guide around the fort. The view alone is already worth the price of entry.
Lunch was at the Rambugh Palace, the ex-residence of the maharajah which has since been converted to a hotel. This is our fanciest meal yet and in the nicest setting imaginable. Of course, all this just gave Yotch more fodder to feed her maharani delusions of grandeur.
Funny side story. Wong unexpectedly gets her period while we’re in Jaipur. She calls the hotel housekeeping department to request for sanitary napkins. We couldn’t believe our luck when they offer to send someone to our room with the requested items. And there he is, this bellboy carrying two rolls of tissue paper. Hahaha… we couldn’t stop laughing!
posted by moan @ 2:31 PM
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