Jaipur: Day 2

Another day with some great sights but an unwelcome twist.  The twist first.  Those who have been following our trip will know that Virgin insisted on a 'fit to fly' certificate for W before they would allow her to fly home on Sunday.  We supplied that last Sunday but other than knowing they had received it, had not heard the result.  However, we were not too worried as we knew that she was Ok and all her 'vitals' had been normal.  After we got back to the room from dinner last night we received an email saying they were refusing permission to fly as they were concerned about her blood oxygen levels and consequently the effect on her health of flying.  Looking closely at the certificate we noticed that the doctor had incorrectly ticked one box asking if she could be adversely affected by oxygen deprivation at take-off.  Annoyingly, it was only one small tick box, and we'd missed it.

W sent them everything we had from her health checks and I sent them an impassioned argument asking them to consider what the effect on her health might be being stranded in Delhi with no clean clothes, no local rep to assist and no idea how we could satisfy them that she was fit to fly.  As it turned out, that did the trick but in the meantime our superb local guide sprang into action and arranged an appointment for us at Jaipur hospital for a new certificate, a car to take us there and wait for us and an English speaking chaperone to deal with the doctor.  The doctor turned out to be charming and gave us the fully detailed certificate (with vitals) that we needed which we have now sent on to Virgin to keep them happy.  Our group was supposed to be going out to dinner tonight to somewhere where we make and cook our own food which sounded fun, but we were too late back to go.  Instead, we are having a couple of beers and a club sandwich in our room and watching an old American Christmas movie on TV and thoroughly enjoying it!

Anyway, the day.  We stopped at the Palace of the Winds for a quick photo as it is on a very busy road.  People probably know it as the Jaipur Pink Palace.  Then we went up the Amber Fort outside Jaipur, built in the 16th Century, and which was very interesting and extremely hot.  Then back into Jaipur where we visited the Maharajah's City Palace and my favourite, the Jantar Mantar Observatory.  The observatory has 17 large instruments built mainly of stone including this, the world's largest sundial!

Today was effectively the last day of the tour.  Tomorrow we have the long drive back to Delhi where we (definitely) catch our flight home on Sunday morning.  Not quite sure what I'll get to take pictures of tomorrow but I'm sure there'll be something!