Thursday, primarily a travel day for us, included a stop at the only Hindu temple devoted to Brahma, the creator god, one of three gods for Hindus. As the only temple devoted to Brahma, it is a must pilgrimage for all Hindus at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, the temple allowed no photographs.

Afterwards, we stopped at a guest house for lunch, a lovely home in the country, far from anything. We had to abandon the bus, too large to negotiate the narrow lane to the house, and finish our journey on camel-drawn carts, which was, of course, another unique, new experience. Once we arrived at the house, we were treated to perhaps the best meal of the trip, a wonderful vegetarian buffet prepared by the owner's daughter-in-law and her staff (India, by the way, is a great place for vegetarians but not so great for anyone who prefers their food un-spiced). Wonderful food, fresh and well-seasoned; we're awaiting the eggplant recipe she promised to send along.

Friday began with a trip from the center of Jaipur to the Amber (or Amer) Fort, the 1592 fort and palace constructed by Raja Man Singh. The fort, built on top of a hill, is inaccessible to buses, so we rode up on the backs of elephants! Once the capital of Rajasthan (the state of India where we've concentrated most of our travels), Amber is one of the only forts which was never destroyed or replaced. Built of marble and sandstone, the fort includes many wonderful works of carving and inlay, a hall of mirrors, and a dormitory-like area for what our guide called the Raja's "unofficial harem." The main halls of the fort were built with ramps rather than stairs because the royal women wore so much jewelry that, unable to walk under the weight of the gems, they had to be pushed around from area to area.

We visited two interesting manufacturing places today as well (a must on many guided tours). The first was a jewelry manufacturer which had lovely (and expensive) works on display; but, unique to our experience, they also custom make items. Some of our traveling companions picked out stones and settings which were to be made today and delivered to the hotel later. We also visited a textile facility which manufactures and distributes custom rugs in cashmere, yak, and camel wool as well as silk. We learned how the hand-knotted wool rug in our living room was constructed through a series of intricate, labor intensive steps: a 9x12 wool rug can take seven months to complete and a similar silk rug can take five times that long. We chatted with one of the managers of the cooperative, and he told us that they had at their disposal 7,000 looms being operated by 5,000 families around the country; many of the wool rugs in the USA come through this facility, and we were offered great prices and free shipping. Rug making has long been a major industry in the rural areas of India, but reportedly many younger people are not interested in learning the craft.

We ended our day at the bazaar, rows and rows of open-front street shops. The shop owners entice you in by showing low-priced goods on the sidewalk and then invite you in for the higher quality items. Bargaining and negotiation are the order of the day, and the shop keepers always want you to buy multiple items. The shops we visited were fun, pleasant experiences. Not so much, however, the street hawkers who are always in your face and belligerent.