Jaipur: Pretty in Pink

In the same way Jodhpur was a blue city, Jaipur is pink! Its city-centre filled with rosy coloured, intricately carved buildings. A true mix of old and new – with KFC and street food vendors on the same strip, and big trucks and old fashioned wooden carts traveling on the same roads. It is said that in the late 19th century, the entire city was painted pink to celebrate a visit from The Prince of Wales. Now that's what I call hospitality!

We booked into the Jaipur Inn for our 2 night stay and enjoyed the first night drinking beer on the roof while watching a beautiful Indian wedding below – complete with a groom on a white horse followed by a procession of lit lamps and musicians. The reception, just a short distance from our vantage point, afforded us some spectacular fireworks. A truly magical way to start our visit to this pretty, pink place!

Our second day was spent visiting the Amber Fort. Stunningly beautiful – it’s a place that recalls the kind of exotic desert locales you'd find drawn in children’s storybooks. A golden fortress perched high on a mountain, surrounded by winding walls, gates and the desert. We make a regal climb to the top by elephant. Not too shabby.

After some haggling for jewellery in the market, we stop for lunch at one of Jaipur’s famous restaurants and I order the Punjabi Thali platter. In the evening we then make our way to the famous Raj Mandir theatre for a Bollywood movie! The Raj Mandir is a beautiful art-deco style theatre with a large spacious cinema. We see the film "Rascals" and the only thing more enjoyable than the movie is the crowd who really get into things by cheering wildly throughout the film. And while I don't understand a word of Hindi, I am fairly confident I totally understood the plot. A good time…and a taste from home (popcorn!) had by all.