Namaste

Today didn't start too well for me as I think I could have reached curry overload limit and spent most of the time up till 9.30am in the bathroom suffering from a bit of Delhi belly!!! We met Raju and set off for our day around Jaipur which started off at the Amber Fort just outside the city. We had options of taking an elephant ride or jeep up the hill to the fort but decided to walk as for the first time since Delhi the morning had started off quite cool. The fort was a little underwhelming and not as good as others we had seen in Jodphur and Jaisalmer but still took us around 2 hours to look around. By the time we left the weather had got back to normal and it was scorching hot but it was downhill back to the car. Heading back into the city we passed Jal Mahal, the old palace in the middle of a smelly lake it is 4 storeys high and 2 are under the water, it is in the middle of being turned into a fancy restaurant, I think they have been renovating it for at least 3 years!!! I was holding in there and the next stop was the one we were both looking forward to Jantar Mantar is a 289 year old observatory site with various stone creations that read the time and also tell you which star sign the sun is in and its elevation.The place is extraordinary and so unique it also has the worlds biggest sundial here and it records time in 2 second segments and is spot on. Outside the hawkers were working hard but we declined although we did enjoy watching the snake charmers for a short while before moving onto our next stop. Hawa Mahal was built for the women by the Maharajah so they could watch daily life without revealing themselves as purda was enforced back them very strictly. The building could not reveal its full beauty as it was covered in bamboo scaffolding and was under renovation just like everything we have visited today.The views from the rooftop were good and you could see right over Jaipur. Mel was asked to have her photo taken with some Indian ladies who took a shine to her and her skin!!!! We stopped for lunch and I was feeling better so more curry and rice before a visit to the attached Turban Museum!!!!! Neither of us realised that there were so many variations and colours for different occasions and also your status in society. Again before we knew it our day was complete so we fought our way through the crazy streets in the car dodging cars and rickshaws. If you stop at any point the car is usually surrounded by people wanting money or pens or chocolate, but after a quick yell from Raju they seem to move on. I don't think he liked all the handprints on his windows!!!!

Tomorrow is the big one as we leave Rajasthan behind and head to Uttar Pradesh for our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal. See you in Agra. Lots of Love M & Mxx