Francesca and Claudia enjoyed another day in beautiful Udaipur sightseeing with a rickshaw driver they met named Chill. Chill took them to several places near Udaipur he thought they should see, including a garden with several fountains that was built for the princess and her 48 maidens to escape the city for a bit, a …
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Sightseeing with Chill the rickshaw driver
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Francesca and Claudia arrive in Udaipur
Francesca andClaudia are now in Udaipur. Udaipur is different than other cities in India, at least in the touristy area in the old part of the city. It sits on the edge of Lake Pichola giving it almost a resort feel. A lot of the hotels are old havelis, or traditional houses, some with the …
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Final thoughts on Jaipur
Francesca and Claudia’s time in Jaipur is coming to an end. They enjoyed their adventures in the Pink City with so many new things to see and do. Riding in the rickshaw was exhilarating at times, but Rahul made sure they got to their destinations safely. They saw forts, palaces, elephants, camels, markets, museums, learned …
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Amber Fort
Francesca and Claudia visited the Amber Fort, one of the most famous sites in Jaipur. It’s possible to ride an elephant, or take a jeep, but they chose to walk up, and up, and up to get into the fort. It would have been a nicer hike if it weren’t for the persistent hawkers along …
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Playing with the Elephants
Claudia and Francesca had the best day today. They got to spend it with elephants! They were introduced to Lakshmi, got to feed her, paint designs on her, went for a ride, gave a bath, and then fed her bananas. It was thrilling to be so close to such a magnificent animal. Though it was …
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Francesca and Claudia try block printing
Francesca and Claudia went to a block print workshop today to see some blockprinted cashmere scarves and not only saw the craftsmen at work, but got to print a scarf themselves! A craftsman made sure the scarf was stretched tight and pinned down, a design was chosen and the blocks and color of dye were …
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Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar
Francesca thinks one of the most interesting things to see in Jaipur is Jantar Mantar, an observatory built by Jai Singh in the first half of the 18th century. There are 19 main astronomical instruments that resemble a collection of giant bizarre sculptures or a strange playground, though you aren’t allowed to climb on them …
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The Royal Gaitor and an afternoon at the blockprinter
Francesca and Claudia arrived in Jaipur this morning after a train ride from Delhi. As a first-timer to India, Claudia found Jaipur to have a more “Indian feel” than the much bigger city of Delhi, though she’s happy to have survived her first day on the roads. She thinks traveling by rickshaw in Jaipur is …
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Hauz Kaus
Francesca and Claudia spent a pleasant afternoon exploring Hauz Kaus Village and the ruins of the madras (school). Hauz Kaus, meaning Royal Tank, is named after the water tank it was built next to. The tank was originally constructed during the reign of Alauddin Khalji, who ruled 1296-1316. The water was collected in it mainly …
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