Day 6 of our trip to India was almost completely devoted to traveling, so I’ll include it here with Day 7.
We started our day on the Ganges again, or the “Ganga” as they refer to it here. We just had time to take in the sunrise and head up and down the river for a couple of hours. We also rowed to the other side of the river, and got to dip our toes into the river for a little bit while we drank chai. It was very cool to see Varanasi from another viewpoint.
Next, we headed to the airport in Varanasi, and flew to Jaipur via Delhi. We had a 4 hour layover as well, and spent the evening in Jaipur relaxing at the free happy hour put on by the Marriot.
Day 7 was more exciting. We booked a full day of sightseeing in Jaipur, hoping to see as much as possible in our 2 days here. We started by viewing the Hawa Mahal, a beautiful facade that was used for viewing the streets many years ago.
We also visited a few other palaces, the royal palace in Jaipur, and the water palace built in the middle of a lake.
The majority of the day was spent at the Amber Fort. We arrived at the Fort by a 20 minute elephant ride up its steep entrance. Some were painted beautiful colors as you’ll see below. We toured with our guide for several hours, seeing how the royalty used to live and how they protected themselves with the mighty walls. It had a Great Wall of China feel to it.
Next we stopped at the tombs of the fallen Kings of Jaipur. They were built in both marble and sandstone, and had intricate engravings all over. They also provided a good view of Jaipur.
Finally, we made our way to the Monkey Temple and viewpoint of the city. We walked about 15 minutes up and found all of the monkeys hiding in the shade, along with a spectacular view.
We had 3 great meals today, all with their own tastes. Here’s a look.
Tomorrow we’re up early for a bike tour, followed by a cooking class.