Sophie's travels 2011-2012: 26/2/2012 Delhi to Jaipur, India

We had a 4am start to get the train to Jaipur from Delhi which hurt a little but the train was said to be the most prestigious train in India. It wasn’t great but it also wasn’t too bad, we had seats and space for our bag so you can’t ask for much more! It was quite apparent at the station that they don’t lock the toilet’s at stations in India like they do in most other countries as the smell of Delhi belly wafted up from the tracks… The train ride was 5 hours and we were served breakfast along the way. We travelled through fairly amazing countryside, slums, fields, all sorts of animals and rubbish (our guide said that plastic has only been introduced to India in the last 10 years so before that there wasn’t so much rubbish everywhere). From the train station we caught a bus to our hotel – The Bissau Palace, a former palace which was amazing! Our rooms were very traditional with paintings all over the walls and ceilings etc and the gardens were beautiful. We drove through little market streets to get to the hotel, past meat markets and fruit and vege and all sorts of animals roaming the streets. There were even camels being ridden down the main street, stopped at traffic lights etc!

In the afternoon we caught the bus through the Pink City which is the Old Town of Jaipur to the Amber Fort, past the Water Palace which was amazing. We drove past an elephant all painted up and walking down the road. At the Amber fort we got dropped off at the bottom then took jeeps to the top which was amazing! We drove past plenty more animals including big wart hogs very much like poomba off the lion king and plenty of monkeys. The Fort is surrounded by a massive wall – very much like the Great Wall of China!

There were loads of moneys around the fort and the views from the top were fantastic our down through the valley and into the villages below. We saw snake charmers and plenty of amazing decorations around the fort and the tour guide was brilliant in explaining the history behind the place.

In the evening we went out for dinner and took tuk tuks home – our first tuk tuk ride in India, what an experience!!

Early start at the train station in Delhi

The tea set we were given on the train

Luggage loaded...

Kate, Jenny and I on the train

View from the train window between Delhi and Jaipur

View from the bus on the way to the hotel in Jaipur

Our hotel in Jaipur (previously a palace!!)

In our hotel in Jaipur (poor tiger)

Our hotel in Jaipur

Our hotel in Jaipur - Jenny in our room

Our hotel in Jaipur - the door to our room

Our hotel in Jaipur

Our hotel in Jaipur - even had a pool!

Our hotel in Jaipur

Jaipur

Jaipur - cute kids!

Jaipur - cows everywhere

Back in our hotel in Jaipur

In our hotel in Jaipur

Amber Fort

Me at the Amber Fort

Hemang with our jeeps at the Amber Fort

Our keep ride up the the Amber fort

Our keep ride up the the Amber fort - poor cow

Monkey on the Amber Fort

View from the Amber Fort

Monkey on the Amber Fort

View from the Amber Fort

Amber Fort

Me at the Amber Fort

Amber Fort

Amber Fort - mirror room

Amber Fort - mirror room, back in the day they used to hang white curtains around the entrances to the mirror room and light candles in there so the light would reflect off every surface, would have been beautiful!