Jaipur

This was one of our first trips as a family, with baby in tow. And Gosh we had so much to pack !!

We arrived at the railway rest house( courtesy Papa), marveled at the sizes of the rooms and the sheer vastness ( and wastage) of space ( The rest house room had 3 more rooms inside, with a king sized bathroom and kitchen.. after living in Mumbai, there is an undue respect for space utilization..lol)

Any way, we spent the day recuperating from the very early flight, by sleeping of-course (only after a good breakfast of “North India style” aaloo parathe).. Aekansh was quite taken by the garden in the rest house and “gardener uncle” with the gigantic moustache.

Evening we had to get ready for the wedding that we’d come for in the first place.. so we dressed up .. Aekansh looking dapper in his royal garb .. reached the venue to be greeted by an army of relatives.. “wheezing buas” and “doting Taujis”.. then came the fun part -the baraat .. where hubby took the lead in dancing.. soo enthusiastic and jubilant .. and I joined in too ( as much as I could as aekansh had gotten cranky from all the noise and people ),,, we were both flushed and sweating by the end of it but loving it anyway

From then on it was routine shaadi fervor … and meeting the family .. everyone pleased to meet their beloved “Doctor Damaad”

The next morning was a lazy one ( much needed) .. we headed off to see the old city .. shades of pink and peach all the way .. outer walls carved into jharokhe that leant a very vintage look.. bustling bazaars that leant way to a beautiful and spacious area that housed the Albert Hall museum, and city palace .. Both housed beautiful museums ( that we regretfully could not really browse ).. we had a noisy demanding toddler in tow you see.. yet it was a pleasure to walk through those rooms adorned with beautiful sculptures and pottery and artillery .. Aekansh was quite taken by the different kinds of teapots on display ( Hes a loyal chai guy) … Oh and hed spotted all the horse carriages parked outside and soon we were pulled in their direction..

We went on a bird feeding expedition early one morning with one of our relatives (, a regular bird and animal philanthrope) and laid out rice and seed for them at regular feeding points .. the tiny birds would be hopping around watching us ..  and then there was a peacock point and a monkey point .. a flurry of animals- monkeys and cows and sheep snatched roti and bread from our hands and fled ..  Aekansh was star struck seeing such a fleet of birds and would call out,"Aa jao birds.. its breakfast time ! " ... He even spotted a papa pig and baby pig ..his Peppa pig characters ..

Next we ascended the Nahargarh, Jaigarh and Amer fort .. Amer fort was the most splendid of all with beautiful encarved walls, mirror palaces and fascinating stories of yonder.. oh and to top it all we got an elephant ride along the fort promenade .. the elephants’ trunks, eyes and tails painted with ornate colours. A herd of beautifully adorned elephants standing together looking absolutely royal and lovable at the same time.

While climbing back down, we encountered a “Ravan-Hatta” player at the Amer fort rampway… such a skilled player and had us mesmerized by his skill..  a musical instrument very akin the violin and had me wishing I could play with such ease ..       

After twilight, the Amer fort sound and light show reverbating with Amitabh Bachhan’s  baritone .. composed by Gulzar and brought to life by Rajasthani folk music and songs with the fort illuminated in the most vibrant fashion .. as it relayed stories of it's foundation and struggles and years spent in splendour .. it was a poetic and visual treat  .. to have visualised the interiors during the day and seen it resplendent in the moon light .. the fort seemed strangely familiar at the end of it all ... 

We later visited papas old M.Sc. friend, a retired senior police officer and now living an idyllic life with a garden restaurant and kitchen garden doing organic farming .. he had a few animals in his backyard like rabbits and ducks.. a pair with the mumma bird incubating .. we moved toward them harmlessly to be intercepted by the angry charging male ...  beak flattened body streamlined in aerodynamic position quacking in the  most menacing manner  ..in a flash of a second we realised he really meant business... just as he blew up his feathers we scooped up baby and backed away quick .. only then did the macho male quieten down ! This incident was later related by aekansh as ",Duck quack quack aa Gayi .. Papa dar Gayi " with an emphatic eye roll..      

We were later  served fresh honey (freshly picked from a beehive in the garden) and toast and masala chai...  dreaming of a retirement like this one when the time came   ...            

A visit to choki dhani in the city of Jaipur could and should not be missed ! We were greeted by a mind blowing drink made of bajra and whey .. the name of which I don't know .. so I call it "bajra malt "and we couldn't have enough of it .. there were puppet shows and magic shows and camel and elephant rides .  And kalbeliya and ghoomar dancers beckoning the audience to try out the graceful dance forms with them ..and I did !  and had the best time !!

And then there were the traditional art forms on display..  puppet shows and magicians and camel and elephant rides … Camel ride was fantastic and quite literally back breaking !! Aekansh was delighted of course esp by his old friwnds the elephants !… all of this punctuated by a scrumptious ghee laden meal - ripe with Dal baati and 4 kinds of choormas and unnamed Rajasthani delicacies .. it was a rich  magical evening and we just dint want it to end ..choki dhani the  "beautiful hamlet " it sure lived up to its name

We headed to "bapu bazaar " later to pick up memorabilia .. and we did ! The markets glitter in daylight ! all the mirror work and bandhej work and block prints .. it's a colour palette and strangely pleasing to even the sophisticated eye ..  To enter a market or emporium in Jaipur was very much like entering “Willie Wonkas’” chocolate factory .. u are as good as trapped ...and the shopkeepers are passionate about selling their wares ! Theyl entice u with stories of “15 gm ki jooti” and “multani mitti ki sari” ..  and camel leather products that never gather dust or fungus ..  All the gliterrati and the temptation and ur pocket is a lot lighter going out than when u entered ...

We discovered it's a pleasure to drive through old city .. it is adorned with bright lights with a laid back “come hither” feel .. I imagine walking through or window shopping would be just as exciting .. missed going up the hawa Mahal to get some “hawa” .. always something for next time