Jaipur: Amber Fort

Right: The pink fort-palace of Amber rises out of the mountainside about 20 minutes outside of Jaipur. It was once the capital of the Jaipur state and construction of the fort began in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh. It was later extended by Jai Singh before the move to the plains at Jaipur.

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Left: Ascending to the castle walls is assisted by the more than agreeable elephants and their keepers... for a small fee. Or you can walk up like I did, and get a few pictures of the beasts of burden on their way back down to collect some new passengers. Riding the elephants seems fun, but it was more fun to watch them stroll along and the people on top sway from right to left and back again.

Right: It seems just a word or two from the keeper and the elephant knows just what to do. The question I have is why? These animals outweigh and outstrength us many times over. I just wondered when their patience was gonna break. Perhaps that keeper would tug just one too many times at that ear, and poof. Actually, they seemed to have a pretty good relationship. But who knows.

Left: This gentleman sold specialty Indian scents made from real flowers. I got myself 50 rupees worth of Jasmin oil, which I abruptly lost somewhere. But while I had it, it smelled nice. Mainly, I bought it so that I could take his picture.

Right: Inside the Amber fort, the walls have suffered a little with time and the elements, but it is still a grand palace.

Left: The one thing that the Indians of yesteryear new how to appreciate was a good fountain. It is sad that most of these amazing fountains once filled with flower scented water must now remain dry. A multi-year drought forces everyone to make smart choices with a limited resource.

Right: A young fort keeper sweeps up in the corners with a hand made broom.

Left: Under the arches of one of the courtyards within the Amber fort. I enjoyed pausing here for a moment to imagine the Maharajas entertaining amongst the columns. You could imagine some pretty nice parties here, indeed.

Right: The latticework windows seem as though they were very popular back in the day. Somehow, I haven't been able to find one since then. I was hoping to add one to my tiny shack in SF ;-).

Left: A whole class of secondary school students have taken up some sort of star formation around the fountains all in their blue uniforms. I suppose that they were out for a field trip for their History class. It makes the pathetic field trips that I got to take in school seem even more horrible than they did even then. Back then, it was just an excuse to go someplace new instead of the classroom. The big one that I recall was the stockyards in Ft Worth. I hope that they appreciated what kind of field trips they got.

Right: A view across another courtyard to the hills beyond. In the distance, you can see some guard towers. This was where guards would... watch and warn of impending danger I guess. I know from experience, from up there you can see very far. But it also takes a really long time to climb down and run to get help.

Left: Now the only guards watching the Amber fort are a few monkeys and a few boys either skipping school or done for the afternoon.

Right: A view from one of the guard towers. I wanted to climb up and see the view. It was worth the struggle. Some very attentive young boys... ages 9-12 I imagine... advised the best path on the way up and down. I think I was the most entertainment than they had had in a while. The crazy white lady is climbing the mountain.

Left: In addition to being my guides, the boys also modeled for a few pictures and loved my sunglasses. You an see me in the reflection. I am the one in pink.

Right: The boys striking a pose with their homes in the background.

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