We had a very quick breakfast and were out in the minibus and on our way by 8.30am. It was already quite hot and promised to get much hotter before long. Jaipur is much smaller than Mumbai, but still home to around 5 million people. Even early in the day the traffic is crazy with people of all types, cows, camels, cars, buses, pony carts, tuk tuks, all kinds of humanity in every direction. All very lively and certainly very noisy!

We turned in through a gateway and entered the old city where all the walls and building are made of pink terracotta, hence the 'pink' name. We paused for a phot stop at the beautiful Palace of Winds, with many windows where the women could look out and observe the street below as they were not allowed outside.

We continued on through narrow, country roads, encountering many cows and camel carts along the way. Many people were selling their wares by the side of the road, including some selling milk from big, metal containers. The cows, which are sacred, wander free during the day but come back home by themselves when they need to be milked.

We reached our destination and alighted to see the famous Amber Fort above us on the other side of the river. Lots of noisy hawkers around, even a snake charmer! The fort is quite high up and we had to pile into a jeep, one of many, to make the ride up the hill to the Fort itself. This magnificent citadel was established in 1592 by Man Singh I on the remains of an earlier 11th century fort, but several buildings were added by Jai Singh I. Successive rulers came here on all important occasions to seek blessings from Shila Devi who was the family deity. This fort palace was the Kachhawaha citadel until 1727 when their capital moved to Jaipur.

The whole fort is very impressive and well-preserved and certainly worth a visit. We entered through the Suraj Pol (sun gate) which faces the direction of the rising sun, into a huge parade ground where many people were milling around. There were horses, elephant rides, monkeys, Japanese tourists and much more. Up some steep, stone steps and we were in the Shila Devi temple, then on into an open courtyard which was the place for public audience.