Jahnsi and Jaipur, India 2009

Gratuitous photo, Khajuraho temple carvings

One day it was a long drive from Khajuraho to Jahnsi through rural countryside. The roads were terrible, often being one lane. ONE lane. Our bus driver deserved a medal when it came to passing. Which he chose to do at random, terrifying moments. At Jahnsi we were catching the train to Agra. The Jahnsi train platform looked like this:

Photo M.A. Waring 2009

Jahnsi and Jaipur really have nothing to do with each other but you had to see this photo.

Because cow.

Or rather, a steer. (Possibly waiting for the Darjeeling Limited?)

So my flimsy theme is merely to show that India has animals other than camels. Go ahead, snicker.

Jaipur has elephants. Jaipur has the Amber Fort. They go together.

 

The eleventh century Amber Fort has miles of wall protecting it. The walls are so high it's a long steep way to the entrance.

 

Luckily our carriages await us.

Vendors pestered us to buy a Rajput prince's hat to suit the occasion.

 

The fort itself was magnificent (and huge) ... let it be said that India wonderfully preserves and maintains such historic complexes. My favourite part was the mirror room:

About this time photography began to disinterest me as a war developed between the good bacteria and the stomach invaders. Delhi belly. And here we'd been careful to drink beer (Kingfisher, yes) with meals, doing our best to avoid this nuisance. Dinner the night before in our small family-run hotel seemed fine but maybe I'd had one spinach paneer too much, or maybe it was the bottle cap slowly revealed at the bottom of my beer glass. YUCK!

Hotel greeter

Something to do with puppets

Hotel greeters had been eager to put on a puppet show for us but most of us hit the sack. Some of us thought forever. Did I say nuisance? Prescription Cipro and over-the-counter remedies were useless. Hours of semi-comatose state rendered the ceiling in our room and parts of the bathroom way too familiar.

Palace of the Winds, Jaipur

Next day we saw the intricately carved sandstone Wind Palace in the middle of Jaipur. Or so they tell me. That was after an emergency pharmacy stop where half of us loaded up on even more treatments. You'll have to look up this extraordinary "screened porch" yourself.

Never mind. We all know the misery passes. Jaipur, on the whole you were lovely.

To be fair, Indian elephants are not confined to the Amber Fort in Jaipur. Nor are cattle only seen waiting for trains in Jahnsi. You knew that.

Photo Jonathan Hodgson 2009

All other photos BDM 2009

© 2016 Brenda Dougall Merriman