Rajasthan

First stop in Rajasthan: Jaipur, and more specifically the Amer Fort. It is on top of a hill and how do you get there... on an elephant!

That is the best ride ever. There are around 100 elephants, working between 8am and 11am, doing a maximum of 5 shifts. Each elephant is worth 30.000 dollars.

The elephants enter into one of the four courtyards. This first one was where the soldiers were training and parading. The other ones are each more impressive and secretive. The last one was accessible only to the Maharajah and his twelve wives. Each wife had her own appartment, but they were secretely linked to each other, so that the Maharajah could move from one to the next.

The halls are richly adorned with engravings, precious stones, and even mirrors. Often on the top of buildings, there are obstructed windows, behind which ladies would observe the proceedings of audiences without being seen by men. There are also sophisticated ways to cool the halls thanks to waterways and tentures - the predecessor of the air conditioning.

Back in the city of Jaipur, it is time to see why it is called the "Pink City". Indeed, the old town is filled with pink buildings, made of red sandstone. The city was designed by the Maharajah Jai Singh almost according to American planning: a perfect grid of wide streets. This is possibly the only organised thing about this city... On the ground floor, it is mostly shops, with the owner residing on the top floor. But be careful to close all windows - there are numerous monkeys rooming the area. The Jaipur Palace is of course part of this grip and nowadays can be rented out for lavish wedding ceremonies - at the one in preparation on our day of visiting, there was even a stand announcing "Swiss cheese fondue". A bit more authentic in this palace, but still a bit crazy, are the two huge silver containers that delivered sacred water from the Ganges to the Maharajah during his trip to England.

The most impressive building is the Hawa Mahal (palace of the winds). Its two main functions were to allow for cool air to circulate in the palace and for ladies to watch the processions on the main road without being seen. It is truly an extraordinary building.

Keeping with the exotic means of transport, it was time for a camel ride in the desert close to Jaisalmer. The camels are well trained - these three even scrutinise if any intruder is coming from Pakistan... They usefully complement the closeby important military camps, which have helped reinvigorate activity in the town.

Jaisalmer is famous for its Fort, built on the Hill. It contains the local palace, but a large part of the population continues to live within its walls. To this day, it remains a lively place with lots of restaurants and shops.

Typical of the local architecture are the havelis, in the traditional yellow colour. Jaisalmer is sometimes refered to as the "golden city". The havelis were mansions built by rich merchants, traders and politicians. The most impressive havelis was the one built by a gold and silver merchant for his five sons.

 

A little bit out of town is Bada Bagh, the place where Maharajahs are buried. The guide told us the tragic stories of the wives of Maharajahs. When the Maharajah would die, his wives had to follow him in death by jumping into a fire.

Last stop in Rajasthan: Jodhpur. This one is called the "blue city", after the colour used to paint the houses.

Jodhpur is dominated by the Mehrangarh Fort. It is richly decorated and there are still much memorabilia to admire.

The palace has many incredible rooms, including this Thakat Vilas - it is an eccentric mix of Indian and British influences - check the glass balls on the ceiling. Almost like a disco place...

A more recent Maharajah built the Umaid Bhawan palace completed in 1943 - the royal family still stays there - they occupy "only" 80 of the 347 rooms. The rest is a luxurious hotel. Apparently, the local population is still very found of the Maharajah, since the current member of Parliament for Jodhpur is the sister of the former Maharajah.