After the long hustle bustle, my workplace decided to take us to the pink city, Jaipur. Nothing could be better ice breaker than a trip to reconnect and gel in well with the people of your work place as you travel, eat, sleep and stay together. I also had an amazing time. Even though it was a packed schedule with lots of places to visit in limited time but we made our bus our second home and bought speakers and made the bus our dance floor, with continuous dancing on the way to the Jaipur. Also, there were very talented singers and guitarists with us who made the bus more lively.
On day 1 at Jaipur, after check-in to the resort we headed to the Bapu bazaar which is a local market selling the colorful Rajasthani stuff from clothes to jewelry to footwear to home decor stuff to munching on the sweet and sour candies and suparis. But in jewelry its famous for jhumkas and lac bangles. And trust me you would find them beautiful.
After 2 hours of shopping we went to the famous Chowki Dhani which portrayed the Rajasthani culture in the most mesmerizing way. The hospitality, interiors and exteriors, activities, ghoomar dance, camel rides and bullock rides, games and a small market inside made us enjoy more in the cold winter night.
If you are in a big group then ask the people out there about the estimated time on which they can cater to you all as we had to wait for long time to get our food. But the wait was worth as you get to eat the authentic sumptuous Rajasthani food. It’s a place where people of all age groups would enjoy.
The next day since it was Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated with full velour by flying kites, the markets were closed inn Jaipur. So, we went to the famous Amer Fort in a jeep as its on a hill top. But you can also take an elephant to go up or simply use your strong legs to reach up high. It was great to explore the fort, its courtyards, tunnels and the view around the fort from different windows of the fort. Once there, you actually starts to ponder at least a bit about history and how those people used to live in those times.
In the evening, we saw the light and sound show there which goes round in both English and Hindi. The show is really enthralling and you get to know so much about the history and an altogether different era. In which they light up the part of the palace they are talking about. And you end up feeling a part of it. Honestly, the coordination of sounds and lights is not something I expected out of India and its government who have tried their best to restore Amer and its untold stories.
Jaipur is a city of forts and a well planned abode with genuinely honest people and high self-esteem irrespective of their social strata. They justify the tagline of ‘Atithi devo Bhav.’
Submitted by Transpost Wanderer: Neelakshi
