Jaipur: 3 Idiots & Saree's Galore

Jaipur, also known as "The Pink City", is the land of Saree's and Jewelry... and is where I fell very deeply in love. The city market streets, Johari Bazaar in particular, were lined with store after store, all packed with from ceiling to floor with the most beautifully embroidered and brightly coloured silk and georgette sarees, pashminas and bed wear. Jewelry stores were decorated with a range of cheap to more pricey ethnic gold and brightly coloured stoned jewelery... As Rachel said, "It was to die for!" The amounts of bangles that lined the store walls was overwhelming but never failed to excite us. We left Jaipur with very, very heavy backpacks.... and even more amounts of inspiration. I hope the tailors in Vietnam are ready for us!

While in Jaipur, we enjoyed our first Bollywood film - 3 Idiots, a very entertaining and more dramatic than expected comedy. The theatre, the Raj Madir, made for a very fulfilling movie experience. Filled with hundreds of excited middle class Indian children, the inside of the theatre was a spectacular site to see. This replica of a giant pink birthday cake was the perfect setting for a very involved audience to enjoy a Bollywood film. Slightly lost at times, Harry's very high pitched laugh made it easier for us to join in at the appropriate times.

One of our favorite activities in Jaipur was exploring the massive Amber Fort high up on the hills right outside of the city. We met two very enthusiastic boys at the Monkey Temple, who followed us up the hill yelling useless facts at us and asking 50 questions a minute, while telling us their life stories all at the same time. After declining their services multiple times, their adorable persistentcy eventually won us over and we finally accepted that they would be our tour guides and new friends for the day... However, they weren't our friends at the end of the day when the tip we offered them wasn't good enough. Either way, I was happy to have met them. We witnessed some of the most amazing and breathtaking views of the beautiful 'Pink City' from these sites, putting Jaipur high up on my list of favorite cities in the world...

With a new addition to our foursome - Char, a journalist from London, we paid a visit to Chokhi Dhani - an all inclusive night of traditional Indian activities that is popular with locals. We enjoyed a buffet of Rajasthani food, with all the curry, chapati & salad you could ever imagine, a replica of a typical village, dancing, elephant rides, slides, carousels and our favorite, and most interesting activity - palmistry. It made for an entertaining night of laughs and hilarious photos opts...

I can't wait to go back to The Pink City!