In December 2019 I finally made it to India. We started in New Delhi, headed over to Agra, moved on to Varanasi, flew cross country to Jaipur, and finished in Jodhpur. In previous posts, I talked about how I feel about India - before and after my trip -, how I prepared myself for this trip, which cities I visited, what I saw and experienced in these places.
Jaipur is the capital of the state Rajasthan, which translates to “land of kings”.
During the rule of Sawai Ram Singh I, the city was famously painted pink to welcome HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII, Emperor of India), in 1876. Today the city is known for its pink-colored buildings in its old quarter, the magnificent forts, and the infamous City Palace.
My friend Mine and I took a flight with Spicejet airlines from Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport. The airport in Varanasi was modern and well organized. After an uncomplicated check-in and boarding (hats off, Spicejet!), we took off and arrived in Jaipur two hours later in the evening. Once we grabbed our luggage, we ordered our Uber car and headed to our accommodations.
The infrastructure of Jaipur is quite the opposite of what we’ve seen so far: It has a typical cityscape, tall modern buildings, well-organized streets but surprisingly less noise, especially less honking.
Where we stayed
The Hosteller: This is a hostel in the center of Jaipur. Occupying a whole industrial building of 6 stories, from the bottom to the top, the building has dorms and private rooms, on every floor, an elevator, and a beautiful and comfortable rooftop. On the rooftop, you can order and eat dinner and have a drink or two. After checking in, we decided to stay in for our first night and eat at the hostel. I ordered Butter Masala, which was really tasty. The cook/waiter was impeccable and incredibly nice. On the roof, we also met some fellow travelers and it was a great opportunity to socialize and swap travel stories.
The staff was friendly but too pushy for my taste. The guy, who checked us in, insisted to book a whole tour through Jaipur for a substantial price. We said that we have a couple of days here and would like to explore the city on our own. Despite our friendly yet firm rejection of his offer, he tried to make some advances.
We were also told by other guests that there are a couple of rats roaming the floors. So we strictly kept our doors and windows closed at all times. And since the building is in the center of the city (which is the main selling point), the traffic is loud. It subsides in the late night, but I would keep earplugs close if you are sensitive about noise. The windows are not noise-canceling.
Where to eat (and drink coffee)
Jaipur was a great place for good coffee. One of them was Curious Life Coffee Roasters. We came here for our first breakfast in the city. I ordered a couple of cappuccinos and a delicious grilled cheese sandwich. We sat on their terrace outside. The cafe itself was clean, so were their bathrooms (read Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” for clarification). It is located on a quiet street yet on the opposite side of the street is a school, so we could hear the children play and sing, which was rather cute than bothersome.
Note: Many restaurants, cafes open the earliest at 10 am or even 12 pm. So we used the time before to walk to the said establishments and explore all the while. The city was just waking up. The distinguished, separate pedestrian ways, which weren’t present in Agra and Varanasi make exploring Jaipur by foot a safe endeavor.
Blue Tokai: Another thumbs up for this one. This is a coffee chain with shops all over India. We came here on our second day for breakfast. This time Soi, our new friend we met here in India, joined us. I ordered a pesto sandwich with tomato and buffalo mozzarella, paired with fresh OJ, and two cups of cappuccino. The place had a modern and stylish interior. Besides us, there were a fellow Westerner on his laptop and a group of young locals. The food was tasty and the coffee was great.
After finishing up, we stepped outside to head to Amer Fort. While we waited for our Uber, we witnessed the beginnings of what looked like a protest. While I was busy checking on our Uber, Mine and Soi were watching the amassing crowd. Soi googled the three letters prominent on many signs and it turned out that the people were followers of an extremist “Hindu” party, particularly rallying against the Muslims in the country. Since Mine is a devoted Muslim and wears a headscarf, we stood back carefully and waited for our car. Luckily our Uber appeared quickly and we were off without a major incident.
Bar Palladio: I saw many beautiful pictures and read many blog entries about this place. It is known for its palace-like look and exquisite style. The outdoor area is filled with tent seatings and individual fireplaces. The restaurant is tucked away from the outside world, like an oasis. The offered cuisine is Italian, which is not the reason to come here. I came here for the ambiance and the cocktails.
The waiters and the host were a bit snobbish. When we arrived in our sophisticated but casual clothes, we received a different kind of attitude. But they were still attentive and generally friendly. Also as a side note: When I went into the restaurant to check out the interior, the host came straight at me and warned me to not take any photos with my camera (only phone camera was allowed).
Outside on the patio again I ordered vegetable tempura as an appetizer and risotto allo zafferano (risotto with parmesan). I thought I would go with the simplest and safest option. And I asked for gin martinis. The food was decent. The cocktails were good and served their purpose. The ambiance though is the selling point here. I would come here for drinks and socializing, but not for the food.
Peacock Restaurant: On our last night in Jaipur we ate at this highly-rated restaurant on top of the Hotel Pearl Palace. We walked up four floors and were greeted by a very friendly host at the door. Although we did not have a reservation, we were seated without hesitation. Because the evenings were quite chilly, this establishment also offered individual fire heaters next to the tables. I ordered the boneless butter chicken (yum!), cheese garlic naan, and ginger tea. The food was superb and the staff was very accommodating. When the smoke from the fire was heading into our faces, they did their best to move the heaters, so that we all would be still warm yet smoke-free. Five stars for this restaurant from my side!
What we saw and did
Jantar Mantar: This was the first sight we went to see. At the entrance, we purchased a composite ticket for 1000 INR (about $13 or 12€), which is valid for two days from the date of issue and includes eight major sights. It was definitely worth it and saved us a lot of queuing for tickets and a little money.
The Jantar Mantar is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments. It features the world's largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The instruments allow the observation of astronomical positions with the naked eye. The name is derived from Jantar (yantra, Sanskrit: यन्त्र, "instrument, machine"), and Mantar (from mantrana, Sanskrit: मन्त्रण, "consult, calculate"). Hence, Jantar Mantar literally means 'calculating instrument'.
From here you can walk over to the City Palace. There are two ticket options for the City Palace: one is for the outer areas of the palace and the other covers the whole complex. And if I am there, I wanted to see the whole complex, especially the interior of the palace, which is known for its beautifully painted walls and columns. As foreigners the whole City Palace experience will cost you about 4000 INR ($52 or 48€). Unfortunately, I had to skip this one because it was simply not in my budget. Something I’ll look forward to the next time.
The walk to the Hawa Mahal led us through the infamous old quarter of the pink city. I thought the color of the buildings is more earthy, almost beige with a touch of pink. Whatever color you might think it is, the sight is simply beautiful. Many vendors have their shops open, little markets on the side of the streets and cute little palace-like architecture adorn the streets.
Hawa Mahal: The Palace of Winds was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799. The Maharaja was a devotee of Lord Krishna and therefore designed the facade in the shape of Lord Krishna’s crown.
This five-storied structure has 953 windows called Jharokhas, and looks like the honeycomb of a beehive. The original intent of the design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen since they had to obey the strict rules of "purdah", which forbade them from appearing in public without face coverings. This architectural feature also allows the cool air to pass through. That’s why the palace is named ‘Palace of Winds’.
At first, we marveled over the outer view, the unique facade, looking at it from the street. Goodness, what a view! I’ve never seen anything like this. These many tiny little windows, the rising roof, really reminds you of a honeycomb. Incredible architecture! From the street, we decided to go on top of a cafe, opposite the Hawa Mahal, where you can see the whole building from the front. Before we went up though, Mine wanted to stock up on cigarettes. Buying cigarettes in India is a discrete business, very secretive and only via side street or under the counter type of exchange. So when Mine asked the vendors next to the Hawa Mahal, where she could get cigarettes, one was eager to help her. He asked her to follow her to the corner. While I was taking photos of the palace, she quickly followed the vendor and returned 20 minutes later, happy with her haul.
The Tattoo Cafe & Lounge is a great place to see the Hawa Mahal from an elevated point of view. They have a beautiful terrace looking {almost) straight at the palace. After taking a couple of pictures, we sat down and ordered some bottled water and coffee. While there we also took advantage of the henna service they offered in-house. Henna tattoos, called Mehndi, is a form of body art originating in ancient India, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. The natural color of henna dye is brown/orange. It is typically applied during weddings (during a henna night before) and festivals.
After our break here we went inside the Hawa Mahal, which I highly recommend doing. The inside of the palace starts with a great courtyard and a fountain. From there you can make your way up to the roof. Mine and I had a good rhythm throughout our trip. Once we entered a sight, every one of us did her own thing, on their own time. As an architect Mine had a different look at things than me as a photographer. I looked more at the atmosphere and the people, while she had an eye on the structure of the buildings. So we split ways after the courtyard. I took upon the five stories of windy pathways, smaller and narrower after each floor, and I finally arrived on one of the tops. That’s right, the palace has multiple tops and a very unique, beautiful, fairytale-like look (see pictures).
Isar lat or Swargasuli: Known also as the Victory Tower and standing tall since 1749 AD, Isarlat was built by Sawai Ishwari Singh, the eldest son of the founder of Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh ll. Over a dispute of who will be the next king, a war started and the tower was built in honor of Sawai Ishwari Singh’s victory in 1747. Sargasuli literally means passage to heaven because of its 140 ft height (seven stories). It offers magnificent 360° views over Jaipur and definitely worth a visit.
Albert Hall Museum: This is the oldest museum of the state and functions as the state museum of Rajasthan and is part of the composite ticket we bought, so we thought to check it out although it was not really on our radar. Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived there, so we enjoyed the view of the building and the garden in front.
Selfie please! Asking for a selfie with a foreigner is a national sport in India. And Mine was the star! She was approached almost every time we went onto the street or were walking from A to B. We sat down in Ram Niwa garden in front of the Albert Hall Museum, when a group of women approached us and asked Mine for pictures.
The garden was a regular city park, not particularly spectacular, but good for a little break. From there we made our dinner plans at Bar Palladio. First, we decided to walk there, thinking that the city so far looked well-organized and safe to walk 40 minutes. But the way to the restaurant brought us to the highway at the New Gate. With no distinguished pedestrian way, it was not quite safe anymore, so we hailed a tuk-tuk and drove the rest of the way.
Amer Fort: Amer Fort was built in 967 and is located in Amer, 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The fort is also known as Amer Palace and consists of a "Hall of Public Audience", a "Hall of Private Audience", the mirror palace for prayers, and the "Hall of Pleasure", where a cool climate is created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace.
Walking up the long way to Amer Fort, we met many musicians, artists, vendors, who sell colorful umbrellas, scarves, shoes, dolls, souvenirs.
My absolute favorite here was the hall of mirrors. Thousands of tiny mirrors were embedded in the wall like mosaics. Visually the fort is a great playground for photographs. The harsh sun created a magical play of light and shadow.
Jal Mahal: Jal Mahal, the "Water Palace", is a palace in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city. The palace has five stories, of which four floors remain underwater when the lake is full, and the top floor is exposed. You cannot go into the palace and just adore it from afar either from the boardwalk or by boat on the lake. The boardwalk along the Man Sagar Lake is full of vendors, selling souvenirs and street food. Many tourist buses stop here, unloading masses of tourists, who quickly take a photo of the palace, buy one or two things from the vendors on the walkway and hop on their buses again. It’s a quick procedure. I understand that sometimes you have no other option than to join a tour, especially if you travel alone. I did it, too. But I personally learned nothing valuable during these cookie-cutter tours. So now I always look for small tours with a different take or go out on my own.
Nahargarh Fort: Nahargarh Fort stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the city. Along with Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defense ring for the city. Nahargarh means “abode of tigers”.
This fort is widely known for its walls, which extend over the surrounding hills, forming fortifications. You’ve probably seen many influencers walking on the wall with Jaipur city in the backdrop. The view over Jaipur from here is jaw-dropping.After we walked through the fort, we sat down on one of the benches to make dinner plans. Once we decided on a place, we tried calling an Uber but no one answered my request. So we walked outside the fort, where many tuk-tuks were waiting. We told a tuk-tuk driver that we are waiting for a car that’s when the driver assured us that no Uber comes to the top of the hill due to the bad, and partly narrow roads. This place was reserved for tuk-tuk service only. After we double-checked if the information is valid, we eventually took a tuk-tuk back into the city.
In total, we took many tuk-tuks on this day, which charged us quite a bit because of the long way between the sights. Remember the tour offer of our hostel I mentioned above? It would have been probably a bit cheaper to take their offer, but we were still happy and satisfied that we didn’t. We decided the timing of our tour, how long we wanted to stay at one place, and when it was time to leave. And this is what makes a great experience. Not checking off items on the list, but rather enjoying the culture and views and really taking it in.
Next, and our last stop in India (for now): Jodhpur - the blue city, and the city of Brahmins!