Royal Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

Royal Albert Hall Museum, Jaipur

I was going down the memory lane and looking at the photographs that I took last year around the same time in Jaipur. It was one of the last places we had visited and yet it had turned out to be such a treasure trove.

Then I stared reading a travel guide about Jaipur on Simonseeks* and found that there are more places that I have missed out on when I visited Jaipur. There are more travel guides India on the site. The person behind Simonseeks.com, Simon Nixon is one the most successful internet entrepreneurs. I also see the merit in the idea that if I had a large of destinations covered under one roof, and if it is free for me I would surely visit it for a quick reference.

Then I was wondering that when I look for information do I look for expert opinion or a community experience has become more important for me. I am somehow tilted towards community experience but then I have been using message boards for my travel needs for a long time. But I do see the value of free information about a large number of destinations across the world.

*I was directed to the site by a business email.

The World's largest Cannon on the Wheels- Jaivana Cannon?

Jaivana- The Worlds Largest Cannon on the Wheels? Jaipur, Rajasthan

When I visited Jaipur last year, I remember reading about the Jaivana cannon. It is also thought to be one of the largest one on the wheels in the world. I tried searching for it today and could not find an authentic source that says this is the largest cannon on the wheels.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Picture Taken in November 2008

I had visited Jaipur in November 2008 along with my younger nephew. Our first stop was Jaigarh Fort and it makes for so many pretty pictures. But the one below is not pretty, taken by OrangeStreet and posted with permission.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur after a Night of Party

So imagine my horror when I stumbled upon the picture above at Indiamike (via Picasa). I mean how can we do this to a place like Jaigarh Fort? OrangeStreet writes-

On a recent visit to Jaipur this weekend, I happened to go to jaigarh fort on 28th Feb 2009. The fort was closed however. I was told that fort had been booked for a marriage function and was hence closed for the day.

Well, I went back on March 1st and the fort was indeed open. The plight of it though shivered me timbers.

What a sad thing to do.

Jaipur in an Autorickshaw- On CLAY Now

Amber Fort Jaipur

I wrote the Jaipur Story (November 2008 with Brat 2, my younger nephew) for CLAY too (the first one was for Gonomad) and it is now up on their site-

Our plan was to hire an autorickshaw (because of this recommendation by Arun) with Gopi as our guide. I called Arun and asked for Gopi’s number and got in touch with him. Gopi assured us that he would be at the Jaipur station to pick us up. I got a call from Gopi as the Shatabdi was nearing Jaipur and that was quite reassuring. However, it took us quite some effort to figure out who was who once we got down at Jaipur. Once we met each-other, the first task was to find a hotel.

Lazy Sunday Photo- Pictures from Two Monuments

Royal Armouries Leeds, UK

Peacock Green Colors at the City Palace Jaipur

Taking a Tumble!

Restoration at the City Palace, Jaipur

I have to admit the title of my post and the picture above are partially misleading. The painter on the platform did not take a tumble.

It is me who took a tumble today. And got it in my left ankle. A minor sprain but probably enough to make me miss a few of my evening TT sessions and I dread that. TT is the best stress buster I know of.

But I guess I was asking for this. Off late, I was really pushing my-self hard and unnecessarily maybe at that! So, while I was walking outside in the lanes where I live, with the merest bend in the road my body weight went on my left ankle, and here I am!

And then I realize my younger nephew (Brat 2) is also limping and he is quite sure he can play tomorrow! Gives me some hope, though I have to remember that he is just 18 where as I am not!

Painting the City Palace (Jaipur) Pink

Painting the Palace Pink, in the Pink City Jaipur

Lazy Sunday Photo- Looking Out of Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Amber Fort, Japipur, Rajasthan

Loved the color of the sari the woman looking out is wearing and hence included her and the girl in this picture taken at Amber Fort, Jaipur (Rajasthan). I am quite reluctant to photograph people for the fear of offending them.

But yesterday an interesting incident happened in the market. I had gone to Gandhi Bazaar with family in the afternoon and I was clicking pictures of flowers sold on the roadside with my smaller point and shoot camera. The shop owner posed on his own for me showing a 1000 rupee note! I gladly took his picture but the only problem is that my camera is not talking with this computer hence that picture has to wait.

More Images of Jal Mahal- Jaipur

Jal Mahal, Jaipur

A Larger View of the Jal Mahal Area, Jaipur

Jaigarh Fort- Jaipur, Rajasthan

Jaigarh Fort- Jaipur, Rajasthan

There are many scenic spots within the Jaigarh Fort and above is one of them. However, a person who chatted with us in the hope that we will hire him as a guide told us a very interesting story. He said that there is (or was) huge treasure buried within the fort. But whenever the government of India has tried to recover it, they have been unable to find it. I do not know if there is an iota of truth in this story but it for sure makes for a colorful story.

Monkeys at Work!

Monkeys Near Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I was reminded of this post by Lakshmi looking at the monkey picture that I took recently near Jaigarh Fort.

Has it ever happened to you that you have encountered monkeys at the close quarters? During my Ph.D. days there were a lot of monkeys at the college campus. I remember that I was coming down the stairs, quite late at night along with another student. I had a hand on the railings of the stairs. Then I suddenly froze, as next to my hand was a monkey merrily sitting on the same railing and dozing off! The other student told me not to panic and just to keep walking. Thankfully the monkey went back to sleep again and let us walk off peacefully.

Then after quite some time I was walking around the campus market with a friend . She was munching on a chocolate and I a cream roll. Remember how buying such things used to be a feast in the college? Well, we met monkeys soon again on the road. They gave us quite stern glances and terrified I threw away the cream roll frommy hand and the monkeys went after it. In the meanwhile my friend put the cholocate in her pocket and once again we walked off. In comparison to the monkeys at my campus, the Jaigarh monkeys were extremely well behaved and left me and Sunil pretty well alone mos of the times.

So what is your monkey experience?

Lac Jewellery from Jaipur

Lac Earrings from Jaipur, Rajasthan

I use ornaments sparingly. But I have to admit I am quite fond of earrings and can wear quite big ones that resemble chandeliers! And there is no place like Jaipur to shop for jewellery. I bought all the stuff in the picture from Jaipur (but not in this trip alone). Lac and stones both are popular, though the stone ones more expensive. The earring at the top left hand corner is a stone one and rest everything is made of lac.

Cloth Fit for Royals!

Textile Gallery, City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

In the textile gallery (City Palace, Jaipur) you can watch many dresses which were worn by the kings and queens of Rajasthan in the past. Above is one such specimen. I wonder why I did not take any pictures of a kimono that belonged to a king and another dress that belonged to King Madho Singh I. I mean it was huge, really huge. Or even the black dress that was worn by a queen on Diwali.

In India color black is not considered auspices and there is a story behind the black or deep blue dresses worn by the Jaipur royals for Diwali. Apparently one person from the royal family (don't ask me who, you can guess by now, I am no history buff) became the ruler after killing his uncle on the Diwali day. So to express sorrow even to this day the royals wear a black or blue dress on Diwali. Strange are the royal ways of the world ...

In many parts of the museum photography is prohibited (could be because of that I didn't click the dresses I mention above). And one young guy who clicked photographs anyway because there were no guards in site, was in for a surprise. He did not realize that there were CCTV cameras everywhere.

The City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

The City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I am quite amazed that in spite of countless trips to Jaipur (remember I have studied near Jaipur for 5 years) I never managed to see the City Palace before. Of all the monuments I saw this time, I liked the City Palace most. Here too restoration work was going on like Amber Fort but even then I was quite amazed with the stunning beauty of the place.

The Peacock Door, City Palace, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I found the peacock door at the city palace quite amazing due to its striking colors, so much so that I requested a gentleman to move out of the frame of my camera. The gentleman that he was, he obliged without giving me any dirty glances.

I have always felt this on my treks and I felt it at Jaipur monuments too that in our day to day living we hardly see any open spaces! And till I see it, I really do not realize what I am missing.

The Jaipur Story!

Amber Fort, Jaipur- Sunil Feeding the Pigeons

I wrote this post to say that my Jaipur story is now up at the Gonomad site. It is difficult to compress Jaipur in 1500 to 1700 words but that is what I did. So there are many stories that would get narrated here only.

PS. The tall guy in the picture above is my younger nephew. He liked roaming among the pigeons quite a lot.

Puppets are Popular at Jaipur

Puppets are Celebrities at Jaipur

There was so much crowd at the puppet show at the City Palace Jaipur that I was content to click the crowd from a distance. Among all the monuments that I saw at Jaipur, I found the City Palace the most stunning. The ladies in yellow caps (look left) belonged to a travel group from Goa and they were quite visible all over Jaipur.

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur- A View from the Fort

View from the Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Our first stop at Jaipur was Jaigarh Fort. There were a lot of monkeys around and at one point both Sunil (also referred to as Brat 2 many a times on this blog, I wonder if he too has a blog somewhere :D) and I were not sure who should cross first the monekys or us. Have a look at the video.

Maybe I will sit down on Sunday and write the Jaipur account in detail. Tomorrow is a working day for me and I have a date with lot of grading!

Colors of Rajasthan- Restoration Work at Amber Fort, Jaipur

Restoration Work at Amber Fort, Jaipur- Colors of Rajasthan

The fort at Amber is in itself quite majestic but what caught my eye was the colors of the dresses people were wearing at work. In Rajasthan people wear quite striking colors and what might feel flashy to me in Delhi, feels quite normal when I see it in Rajasthan. And on this trip, I actually saw a lot of construction work along with the monuments and yet I liked this trip a lot among all my trips to Jaipur.

More Colors Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

And the trend seems to be contagious! Saw this lady displaying her lovely and colorful attire at Amber Fort.

Hawa Mahal- Jaipur, Rajasthan

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur (Rajasthan)

I remember exclaiming loudly to Gopi (our auto driver for this trip) "yeah kya hai?" (what place is this)? He replied, "Hawa Mahal" (Palace of Winds would be the rough translation). I wonder how I had never crossed it before in all my previous trips to Jaipur! But Sunil and I were so tired by the evening that we refused to get out of the auto, the place would anyway be closed. Both of us clicked pictures of Hawa Mahal from inside the auto.

Very soon we were near Chand Pol gate and Gopi pointed out, "kuch samay pahle yahan per hi Hanuman temple ke paas bomb chale the" (a while ago it was only near this place, where the Hanuman Temple is, the bombs went off). I did not think much about it then, though for that moment I definitely shivered for a second. I mean the place as chock-o-full with traffic of all kind (pedstrains, cycles, cows, cars, motorcycles and what not, I wonder if it was like that when the bombs went off in Jaipur in May 2008). Even a fire cracker could cause a panic around this place! I keep thinking of this incident much more now, after the Mumbai terror attacks.

Would never stop me from going where ever I want and yet I just can't get over Mumbai. But of course there were so many travelers in Jaipur this November in spite of the bomb blasts of May 2008.

Nokia N96 on a Trip to Jaipur

With Nokia N96 to Jaipur

No, I have not forgotten Mumbai but if people are willing to travel to India and Mumbai, I am willing to blog about travel.

I have to say that it was the offer of using the Nokia N96 by Blogger's Mind that spurred me to go to Jaipur. Now all I was asked to do a review of it. So in this post, I am posting my experience against the features of the phone.

1. Keeps you connected with the world, take calls, send messages, check mails, browse the internet, geotag pictures.

My Experience- Yes, of course I could make calls on my Jaipur trip, take calls and use internet partially. I posted a few lines on my blog using N96 from Delhi-Jaipur Shatabdi Express train. For email, whenever I tired, the Vodaphone connection would ask me if they should open a secure connection and somehow most if the time it would say could not find a secure connection. Now I am not most tech savvy person, but I wonder what a more informed person like Shrinidhi would find the experience?

2. Want to travel light and not carry too many equipments. Can substitute Digi cams with its 5 MP camera and Carl Zeiss Lens for great pictures.

My experience- For people like me who travel with multiple cameras, yes a 5 MP camera and video recording in the same equipment is a great help. If this phone was mine, I would have traveled just with my SLR and this phone. As of now I carry a Nikon point and shoot, Canon SLR and if I wish I can carry a Sony handycam apart from a cell phone! That way in future I think I can invest in a good phone.

Ipods, walkman, with so much of storage content, 100 english and 100 hindi music videos and space to store more and more for all the long journey trains rides.

My experience- Not really for me, I prefer to look out of the window rather than listen to music. But my nephew was really interested in loading songs if we take it on another trip.

Plethora of Cd’s with FM Transmitter that can blare out your favorite playlists in mobile through your car speakers and woofers, for those long car drives on open highways.

Once again I can think of Shrinidi and his rental cars and long drives!

Laptops with access to internet and mailbox, if in case you want to shoot out an important mail while on your trip.

This definitely is possible and of great help, but depends on your connection and getting used to it.

Sportstracker or Lifevine to share your travel stories live with the world.

I have to try this feature. One has to go to the Nokia site to post it but it definitely feels interesting.

3. Watch a whole movie Om Shanti Om, and other 50 preloaded music videos, for a long boring flight in an offline mode. With 24 GB of memory space, you can also download and have the latest bolly and holly flicks on the handset. What’s more if u happen to be traveling at a time of a really important India Pakistan cricket match, you can catch it with Mobile TV available in N96. (Currently it gets only Doordarshan but wondering how cool will it be to have other channels coming in)

My experience- Umm once again I like to look outside the window, even on a plane at night but I have seen one person using that N96 stand and watching something on his handset in the Shatabdi while coming back from Jaipur.

Incase one is traveller who likes to stay connected with the nature and not with the world so much. There is a application for that too Wavesecure helps you to access Emails, documents, camera and call logs, even if u r 10,000 miles away from your phone. So you can leave your phone at home and still be carefree of connecting with the outside world in a time of emergency. This is also a great application for a wildlife photographer. If u want to see a lion in action and get him in your lens. No hassles just place your phone as near as possible to the animal and then sit back in your room to enjoy live action from the animal world.

No idea how this one works.

Lazy Sunday Video- Gaitore Ki Chhatariyan, Jaipur

Gaitore Ki Chhatariyan, Jaipur, Rajasthan

In all my previous visits to Jaipur I never heard of Gaitore Ki Chhatariyan. It is a beautiful structure, our auto driver said it is popular with tourists but when we went there in the afternoon we had it almost entirely to our self.

PS. No, I have not forgotten Mumbai but if people are willing to travel to India and Mumbai, I am willing to blog about travel.

The Story of Dal Bati Churma- Rajasthani Food

The Dal Bati Churma Thali Shop, Jaipur Rajasthan

Before I say anything else, once upon a time I have studied for five years near Jaipur (my graduation and post graduation). But at that time I hardly explored Rajasthan. But the Rajasthani Thali (plate) of Dal Bati Churma was not new for me. We asked Gopi (the auto driver) to take us to a place for lunch, Brat 2 (my younger nephew) wanted to remain with Punjabi Thali whereas I wished to sample Dal Bati Churma again. So Gopi took us to a shop near the station and we ordered our stuff. You can see a picture of my plate below.

The Delicious Dal Bati Churma, Rajasthani Dish

For a while I was left wondering what the hell had I ordered, there was nothing to eat apart from the side dishes. I said so aloud to Brat2 and the people at the next seat laughed. So I searched more closely and found the missing Bati, it is the round ball in the right hand corner. It had been that long since I had been to Jaipur, I had almost forgotten what Bati looks like. And yes, once you have finished your first Bati, they will bring you more till you tell them that you had enough.

You have to break it, dip it in the Dal or Kadhi (the two Yellow gravies in the center, Kadhi in the larger bowl, Dal in the center of the plate) and eat it. I find it delicious. The thali concept is that for a certain amount of price (60 rupees in this case) you can eat as much as you desire but subject to certain rules. The rules were displayed on a board and those of you who can read Hindi, would find the way they are expressed hilarious! For those who can't read Hindi, I will try translating it, but much will be lost in translation.

The House Rules for Thali Meals in Jaipur

*For children of over six years of age should please take separate token (what is implied here is that a child of less than 6 can eat with the parents, remember you pay for the plate and not the dishes)
*One person per thali please
*Please take food according to your need
*There is only one bowl of churma (sweet dish in the smaller bowl in the picture) per plate, no extras please
*Please take care of your belongings
*After 11 at night only Rajasthani Thali is available please
*Please do not wash your hands in your plate
*Please do not waste food
*Drinking Liqueur is strictly prohibited please

No doubt, Brat 2 and I had a good meal. In fact the Rajasthani thali is the background image on the Nokia N96 as of now.

Jal Mahal, Jaipur, A Small Video Captured on Nokia N96

Jal Mahal, Jaipur

I have to say that Jal Mahal is actually much more scenic rather than my video but I think I get better videos on Nokia N96, rather than my Nikon Coolpix 3200. The only thing is, the Nikon will remain with me whereas the Nokia N96 will go back after a while :D

The ATM Culture in Jaipur

Street Food near Abmer Fort, Jaipur

While in Jaipur, I noticed that the place is not only colorful, but people behave differently too. I needed to withdraw some money from the ATM. So the auto driver, Gopi took me to one. I wonder what is your experience of taking out money in India but in NCR (National Capital Region comprising of Delhi and its nearby areas) there is almost always a security guard around and it is one person at a time. I know that is how it is probably world over. But not at Jaipur. The door to the ATM was open and you could queue in right inside the ATM behind the next person and no one seemed to be bothered in the least. So that is how I took out money in Jaipur, standing behind a person while he was doing his transaction and someone standing behind me when I took out my money. Can you imagine that in Delhi?

Jal Mahal, Jaipur (India) at Sunset

Jal Mahal at Sunset, Jaipur, India

It was a very pleasant Saturday evening (15/11/2008) when Sunil (my younger nephew, also referred to as Brat 2 in many of my posts, his elder brother is Brat 1) and I made a stop at the Jal Mahal in Jaipur. I was quite smitten with the atmosphere (minus the plastic littered at the shore and deliberately avoided while clicking the picture), there were flowers on the shrubs, reflection of the palace in the water. A lot of people walking around in the wide open space ,with the lake and the palace on one side and street food on the other. The weather was quite nice too, not too cold and definitely not hot. I am quite happy the way photographs have turned out on this day.

Later, we were having tea at a roadside shop and I was showing the pictures on the camera display to our auto drivers Raju and Gopi (I managed to acquire two auto drivers but that is another story). After a while I could sense they were just being polite and had no real interest in watching the pictures. I asked then, "Aap log roz wahi jagah dekh kar bore ho gaye ho?" (You guys are bored stiff with watching the same spots almost daily?). How heartily they agreed and that was the end of my photo display session with them.

The Puppet Show at Jaigarh Fort Captured on Nokia N96

A Puppet Show at Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I watched this puppet show through the lens of the Nokia N96 camera. The Rajasthani music is so catchy. But we were so hard presseed for time that I really did not linger around for long. Steve this one is for you. You have in the past enjoyed my videos, what do you say about this one?

Back from Jaipur- Drowned in Work

Jaigarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan

I am back from Jaipur with a lot of pictures, a few videos (on Nokia N96) and thoroughly refreshed. But before I start blogging to my heart's content, there are copies to grade! The idea of contacting Raju from Delhi itself was great and Brat 2 and I had a great time. So lot of stories to share in the days ahead. And I found that Ajmer Shatabdi makes a halt at Alwar too, how does that sounds for the next weekend trip?

Thank You Arun

update- i am right now in shatabde express blogging via the nokia n96. Now this is fun. Though cant figure out how to use 'enter' of the computer! So next line is from the scheduled post I wrote at home. I would be in Jaipur when this post gets publisahed. Would try live blogging via the iNokia N96 but then not sure how fast would be the connection and everything.

As I decided on Thursday that I am going to travel over the weekend, I knocked on Arun's Rajasthan posts and then mailed him messaged him and tried calling him to get Raju's contact. I normally prefer to venture on my own but this time I am too tired and watned to have someone around who knows about the place.

Arun replied to my mails, gave me a call and finally I could get in touch with Raju today.Thank you Arun.

Bomings in Jaipur

7 bombs are said to have gone off in Jaipur. So many dead, the Indian news channels going their usual way, all cacophony, here is the discussion on Indiamike.

I have spent quite some time near Jaipur and Jauhari Bazar (Jeweler's Market) is quite a familiar place for me where I used to shop. Certain things make no sense.