Red Fort etc

My "proper" sightseeing in Jaipur started with the miraculous Red Fort and Palace. It's hard to describe how magnificent it is (unfortunately no photos as the camera was with sickie Duncan in Agra). If you can visualise huge mountains, dry and rocky with dust/ sand blowing off them and along the ridge of the peaks an enormous fortress, with battlements running for 8kms, down into the valley and up the other side. It's akin to a mini Great Wall of China.

As if this wasn't enough there is another palace situated just below the fort, built by a maharajah in mogul style. This means that they've incorporated the Islamic architecture of formal gardens split into four sections, four entry gates (two purely for symmetry), and then incorporated local hindi architecture. So instead of inlaid depictions of flowers (no animal/ human representations are allowed in Islamic art/ architecture), you have elaborate carvings of elephants and other fabulous beasties. In addition the final touches are gloriously Indian. A whole hall bedecked in mirrors and precious stones, from floor to ceiling. As they didn't have mirrors then they used to paint the back of convex glass with silver, and this produces a mirror effect. Either way it's splendid - as I've learnt on this trip you can never have enough sparkles!!!

On to Jaipur central and a quick but fascinating tour round the astronomy garden built in 18thc. The then maharajah was an astronomy nerd and used to travel the globe to find out about the latest techniques. What's always astonishing is to find out how accurate these instruments still are - apparently these tell the time to within 0.6 seconds of modern calculations.

Finally (I'm fading by now) on to the current maharajahs residence which he and his family still live in. When the Brits were in power they insisted (in order to decrease the profile and power of the maharajahs) that they relinquish all but one of their palaces which they were allowed to reside in. This one is splendid and I sticky-beak around hoping for a glimpse of a maharajah, but only get as close as the clothes of an 18thc one who must have had a thyroid problem! I'm not kidding - apparently he was over 7" tall and weighed over 200kgs. And in this heat that's no mean feat.

Revived after a light luncheon I put my shopping shoes on and off I go to haggle and bargain and drink tea. Very happy with my Jaipur purchases, but know that DY will wonder how many more silver bangles a girl needs (but this one's from JAAAIIIPPPUUURRR). Anyway, he's not here, so have credit card, will use it!

Tomorrow another long drive with my no-longer sulky driver. In the last day he's transformed from being horrified at what a bad wife I am, to being my own private defender of white womanhood. Hysterical, but I prefer version 2 to version 1 so I'm keeping quiet and letting him open as many doors as possible. Looking forward to seeing sickie husband ....