Jaipur

After seeing Agra, we drove to Jaipur. It was a long, bumpy ride and I was sick by the time we reached there. Luckily, our hotel was very nice, and I was able to get a good night's sleep. In the morning, we began our tour of Jaipur, also known as the Pink City because many of the buildings are pink in color. The city was built by Jai Singh II.

The first thing we saw was the Hawa Mahal, also called the Palace of Winds. It really isn't a palace; it is just a facade. Built in 1799, it has five stories but just one room deep. The walls are only 8 inches thick. It was built so that the women living in the real palace could look out and watch what was happening outside the palace without being seen.

Next we went to the City Palace. We could see the outside of the Palace but weren't allowed inside because the ruling family still lives there. We went to the Palace Museum where we looked at very old carpets, paintings and weapons. We also went into the Pritam Chowk which is a big courtyard where entertainers performed. We saw the world's largest silver object which is an urn that was used to carry holy Ganges water when Madho Singh II visited London in 1901.

We also visited the Jantar Mantar an observatory built by Sawai Jai Singh II who liked astronomy. We saw the world's largest sundial and many other instruments for studying the stars and planets.

That night, we went to a restaurant named Indiana. We met the owner who went to Purdue to study engineering. We saw the State Flag of Indiana and watched some dancers perform. My mom and my Aunt Ellen danced with them. At the end of our meal, it began to pour down rain (we were sitting outside). Luckily it only lasted about 10 minutes.

The next day we went to Amber Fort, a few miles from Jaipur. It was built in 1592 by Man Singh I and was the capital of Rajasthan before it was moved to Jaipur. We toured the Fort and saw many rooms with mirrors and gems in the walls. Afterward, we rode elephants around part of the city. Before heading back to Delhi, we stopped for a photo in front of the Jal Mahal, also called the Water Palace because during the monsoons water fills the lake around the Palace to make it look like it is floating in the water.