The Travel Bug Bites - Rajasthani Style

If only EVERY restaurant we frequented in Rajasthan had this type of helpful sign, then maybe Jen wouldn't have gotten sick. "Mmmmm! Pass me more of those digestive lentils!"

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm really glad Jen shared her very graphic 925 words instead of actual pictures of the worst part of her recent illness. . . (shudder).

Since I've been given the glorious privilege of catching our blog-reading friends up to date with our 10 day sojourn in Rajasthan, I've decided to break it into a few cliff hanging episodes instead of subjecting you to a story of Ben-Hur-esque proportions.

EPISODE 1: Super Sized Adventure

To aid this episode, you'll need to use your Indiana-Jones-influenced-imagination to picture a tattered-edge map of India with a red line moving jaggedly southwest from Chandigarh to Jaipur on it as a faint picture of a crowded night bus drives across the scene for 11 hours.

Our rambling took us first to Jaipur, the pink capital of Rajasthan. It was there where we first connected with our friendly taxi driver Yuganesh and blazed around the city dodging elephants, camels, canines, bovines, pigs, and aggressive merchants. It was amusing that each historic site seemed to claim "the biggest something" in this city.


We first visited Amer - a massive amber fort once inhabited by Sawai Madho Singh I. At over 7 feet tall, 4 feet wide and 550 pounds heavy, the Raj had to be wheeled around his big fort in his big royal wheel chair up the cleverly designed ramps. His palace was complete with water-cooled screens for a/c, a perfumed fountain, a covered courtyard guarded by eunuchs for his 12 wives, and an arena for tiger and elephant fights overlooked by his concubines' quarters. The Raj was truly livin' large.


The BIG fort surrounded by a 10km long wall on surrounding ridgelines.


The BIG chair with 4 manpower engine.


Some American tourist with a BIG smile.


Jaivana - supposedly the world's BIGGEST cannon at 50 tons and 22 mile range. Only fired once. BIG waste.


One (of the pair) of the world's BIGGEST silver urns. Used by a Maharaja to carry water from the Ganges River to England so he could daily bathe in holy water for his 2 month visit.


The BIG Hawa Mahal - aka "Palace of the Winds" a 5 storey building used by royal ladies to keep tabs on the city.


Jantar Mantar - built in 1728, its the BIGGEST observatory built by Jai Singh in all of India complete with a 88.5 ft high sundial.


BIG turban-wearing dork taming toothless cobras.


BIG deserted palace on a BIG lake of which I don't remember the name and don't really care.


The BIG decision. Will Jen get scammed or will she haggle the merchants to get the BIG deal? Tune in to the next exciting blog episode to find out . . .

Jimmy