A Window into Jaipur

Jaipur, India - April 2010

As we rolled into Jaipur, I was still not quite feeling myself. We stopped off for a hotel inspection, and were met with an actual umbrella escort, someone walking alongside us the whole way in, keeping the sun off.

Our hotel, Samode Haveli, was gorgeous, that old-India charm, with antique furniture, real local flair in every room.

The next morning we met a genuinely great guide, with high energy from the first hello. We headed out to the Amber Fort. Even back in 2010, it was a little sad seeing elephants still being used to carry tourists up the hill, hopefully that's changed since.

From there, we headed back into town to visit the astronomical observatory, and then Hawa Mahal - the Palace of Winds. This one's always stuck with me: the honeycomb of small windows was built so the women of the royal household could watch street life below without being seen themselves.

Outside, we saw a snake charmer on the street, the first one we’d seen on the trip, and it was about what you'd expect in a spot that touristy.

That evening we'd been excited about a "walk with elephants" experience, but what we ended up with instead was an actual elephant ride: sitting on a platform that was strapped onto the poor eleephant, then walked around a field. I didn't enjoy it, and honestly felt bad for the elephant. Not something I'd do again.

Following the elephant ride, we were treated to dinner and a cultural show before heading back to the hotel to close out the night, and our stay in Jaipur.