Jaipur

This whistle-stop tour of Rajasthan is certainly giving us a range of flavours of India.

After our third safari we headed through the fertile and green countryside - beautiful and flourishing thanks to a good year for the monsoon. Friendly faces, waving families, interesting changes of terrain. Tradition and timeless quietness.

And to Jaipur - a modern city which our guide, Sanjesh, commented had made exceptional progress. Certainly there were huge modern buildings and much cleaner malls (and motorcyclists with helmets).

First - a tour by bus. Next, a walk through the Pink City. Fabulous.

And before we headed to our hotel we went to the local celebration for the beginning of Diwali - the festival of Dussehra. The colours, the chaos, the drama, the crowds - as we waited for Rama to start the fireworks and set fire to the effigy of the evil Ravana. Wouldn't have missed it for the world.


This morning we went up to the Amber Fort. High, stunning, steeped in tradition and beauty. Oh those mirror patterns. Then to a lovely traditional Rajasthani restaurant and finally to the City Palace. My blip is of the Pritam Niwas Chowk (a part of the palace which was actually closed because of a private function) but these guards in vivid dress were happy to pose. I thought it caught the magic of the Pink City.