Jaipur, India: Rajasthan's Pink City Realness!
After five hours on the road it was such a relief to reach the Province of Rajasthan, home to the city of Jaipur. Hailed as the 'Pink City,' I was on the last leg of my Golden Triangle tour. My driver had mentioned that Jaipur would offer some great shopping for handicrafts, oh I had my money at the ready to buy some cultural items for my kindergarten materials. Only for my kids!
I was seriously looking for the 'pink' that gave Jaipur its name! Don't ever pester me, I had to dish some Realness to the over-enthusiastic sellers at the riverside opposite the Jal Mahal. They wanted to make their coins but I stressed I wouldn't look at their stalls if they pestered me, it was simple as 1, 2, 3! Heading to a garment, ornament and jewellery showroom with much reluctance, I learnt about the unchanged art of printing cotton fabric with elaborate cultural patterns, I tried my own hand to emboss some fabric with an elephant stencil. Buying a lovely pink pashmina for the girls in my class, I half had one of my fellow foreign teaching friends in mind for that beauty. I tried on some sari fabric, secretly I wanted it but let's be real I'm not going to be making any wardrobe decisions like that in China! Jaipur, thanks but no thanks! I bought myself some semi-precious earrings because apart from holidays I don't treat myself ever! Lunch? Yes, that was on the agenda but shopping was more important! Yes, Jaipur! Get it!

Venturing further into the Chandra Mall at Jaipur's City Palace allowed me to marvel at the rich displays within the Diwan-I-Am, exhibits and photos ranged from the times of the Maharaja and the Viceroy's hailing in India during the times of the British Raj. I saw a slice of many histories in one instance, keeping things at my own pace I didn't pay the tour groups any mind, soaking the culture up it was time to meet up with the tour guide before going to the Hawa Mahal. I was honestly beginning to get so confused with all the 'Mahal's' I had seen during my Golden Triangle tour! Throwing my money in all directions I bought a lovely Indian drum, I knew somewhere in my English Corner it would come in handy, aside from that purchase I was intoxicated by the vibe Jaipur possessed, it was nothing like the Delhi and that was just fine! Drunk in love? Yes, I was drunk on Jaipur in the best way! The day was pressing onwards, Jaipur's colourful streets kept on giving me life, it wasn't going to be over yet! J, come through!
Sickening, no? The view from the top of the Hawa Mahal gave me a Birdseye view of Jaipur's cityscape. I took all the views in, the landscape looked like some Arabian fairytale, the rooftops and mountains gave me everything that I needed from the view! After making my way back down to street level it was time to capture the one and only worthy photo of Jaipur's Hawa Mahal, well from my opinion anyway. Dodging the traffic had to be done but in actual fact I snatched a better photo directly underneath those famous windows. Checking into the hotel felt good, it had been such a busy two days with all the hours on the road and the different environments. The following day would bring the final drive back to Delhi before my Ganges day trip on the 19th of December 2018. Missing breakfast yet again during that trip because of the hotel I'll always state that breakfast is so important! Anyway, Jaipur gave me everything from its 'Pink City' palaces in Northern India's Rajasthan. Jaipur was one for the books, I spent it all up!
Serving Pink City Realness!
Joseph Harrison
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