A few weeks ago, my CIEE friends and I embarked on the one major trip we've been planning since we first arrived in India: five days in Rajasthan, arguably India's most famous and illustrious state. Located in India's Northwest, much of Rajasthan is covered by the Thar desert, making it a land of camel treks, desert tribal peoples, and unique historical and cultural traditions that have continued to persist for centuries. Not to mention, it's also home to Jaipur, renowned as one of India's most beautiful cities and one that is steeped in history. Rajasthan was one of the last states to relinquish power to the British Raj during the Colonial Era, and the many princely rulers of Rajasthan are known for their bravery, honor, and love of lavish architecture, clothing, and art. Jaipur is considered the crown jewel of this legacy -- also known as "The Pink City" for its historical district which is completely painted a warm, sandy shade of pink -- with its abundance of palaces and the incredible Amber Fort. My friends and I were lucky enough to spend three days in Jaipur soaking up the incredible sights and culture.
The Old City of Jaipur is a sight in itself, and can be entered from various ornately decorated gateways around the bustling city. We specifically entered through the Ajmeri Gate on our first day, one of the largest and most beautiful.
Camels or elephants wandering down the street aren't an uncommon sight in Jaipur! If you're looking for the "Oh my gosh, I'm REALLY in India!" feeling, Rajasthan is the place.
I think one of the best ways to travel in new urban environments is to just walk around the city and get a feel for the place; that's exactly how we spent our first day in Jaipur. When I follow this method, I always stumble across some amazing places. On this particular trip, it happened to be a Krishna temple set up in the courtyard of a cluster of houses down a random alleyway we happened to walk into. We only spent ten or fifteen minutes there, but those peaceful moments were some of my favorite from the entire trip.
We ended our day by trekking to the Monkey Temple at dusk, a Hindu temple atop a rocky hill about two kilometers outside the city. I won't lie -- the swarms of squealing, fighting monkeys were pretty creepy. But the incredible view of Jaipur from the top was worth the trek.