This was my third visit to India in four months but this time I had more time to explore. I was based in Jaipur for approximately a week and I was very fortunate that my stay coincided with the Holi Colour Festival! I stayed at the Heart of the City Homestay which meant that I had the same song going through my head all the time.
Jal Mahal
On arrival. Jan Mahal seemed a good option as I first ventured out into the city by tuk-tuk. My main objective was to photograph the palace on the lake but I was surprised by the variety of photo opportunities. Sadly, for a tourist destination, the general smell and litter was terrible! Sometimes, one of the good things about photography is that it does not capture the odours! The species seen are Indian cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis), Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Grey-headed swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus), Common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), Indian three-striped squirrel, purple-rumped sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica), Eastern cattle egret (Bubulcus coromandus) and Indian pied myna (Gracupica contra). Oh and lots of Homo sapiens!
Hawa Mahal
This is probably the most iconic place in Jaipur. Haha Mahal means wind Palace. The original intent of the lattice design was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen. This architectural feature also allowed cool air from the Venturi effect to pass through, thus making the whole area more pleasant during the high temperatures in summer.
The main feature, which is the back of the palace, not the front, faces roughly east and catches the morning sun, so this is the best time to visit. I same that this was deliberate in the design so that it is a cooler part of the palace during the hottest part of the day.
I was surprised that my friend Sandip, does not like Gekos. I think it looks cute! Indians are afraid that they will bite them or crawl into their clothing. It is a bit like how some westerners might respond to a large house spider, though Gekos can pierce the skin if they feel threatened.
The main feature, which is the back of the palace, not the front, faces roughly east and catches the morning sun, so this is the best time to visit. I same that this was deliberate in the design so that it is a cooler part of the palace during the hottest part of the day.
I was surprised that my friend Sandip, does not like Gekos. I think it looks cute! Indians are afraid that they will bite them or crawl into their clothing. It is a bit like how some westerners might respond to a large house spider, though Gekos can pierce the skin if they feel threatened.
Amber Fort
So the morning was spent in the Hawa Mahal and the afternoon at he Amber Fort or Palace. It is really a palace rather than a fort. There is a lot to explore here and it is best to take your time. There is a small shop, ice cream stalls and a nice little cafe inside.
I asked to take the photograph of the man in uniform with the very smart facial hair but then his friend felt left out and asked why I did not want to take his photograph. I think that his came out as the more interesting photograph. I assume that the Star Trek ray gun is in fact a thermometer?
I asked to take the photograph of the man in uniform with the very smart facial hair but then his friend felt left out and asked why I did not want to take his photograph. I think that his came out as the more interesting photograph. I assume that the Star Trek ray gun is in fact a thermometer?
Jaigarh Fort
This fort is connected to the Amber Palace. There are not many signs and the one end is not maintained very well though there is the Jaivana Cannon, the world's largest wheeled cannon, when it was built. The other (northern?) end is better maintained as a museum and gives better views of the Amber Palace below.
Nahargarh Fort
This fort lies at the other end of the same ridge and overlooks the city. I did not try the snacks but wish I had! I did try some of the fruit for sale outside.
Jantar Mantar
This is a collection of 19 astronomical instruments built by the Rajput king SawaiJai Singh, the founder of Jaipur. They were used to identify the position of celestial bodies and measure time. I am sure that an astronomer could tell you more. It is close to Hawa Mahal and is a pleasant place to visit even if you are not interested in the science.
Elephants
Albert Hall Museum
I did not really enjoy my visit to this museum. I did not like someone blowing their whistle and shouting at me for getting my DSLR out of its case. This was outside the building. There is no problem taking photographs through the railings but not once you have paid to enter. Taking photographs with a mobile phone is fine but not with a proper camera! Where is the sense in that? Definitely not photographer friendly!
The building does look impressive at night. The night shot below was (ironically) taken on my phone. I would like to go back at night and use a tripod to do a long exposure with light trails from the cars in front of the building.
The building does look impressive at night. The night shot below was (ironically) taken on my phone. I would like to go back at night and use a tripod to do a long exposure with light trails from the cars in front of the building.
Street photography
The man in the white turban is the most interesting subject but he was in the shadows and either he or my camera moved so the portrait photograph is not the sharpest. It was taken from a distance with a 300mm lens but he still spotted me. I should have raised the ISO and tried again. He did seem happy enough about being photographed. I saw him another day and took his photograph again with a standard zoom. It obviously does not capture his features in the same way.
Chand Baori Step Well
Chand Baori is a stepwell is 30m deep and one of the deepest in India. The steps are fenced off so you cannot walk down them. It is a great place to photograph parakeets. A local pointed out the spotted owlet to me. The other birds are Indian robin (Copsychus fulicatus), red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) and Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda).
Wildlife
Taj Mahal Revisited
My second visit to the Taj Mahal. There was a man who kept on getting in the way of the photograph of me. He then asked if I could move out of the way result ing in me having a rant at him. He apologised and we made up by having our photographs taken together.
Holi Colour Festival
I knew nothing about the Holi Festival so I was just lucky. I left my cameras back in the Homestay as I did not want them to get covered in colour powder. It would be easily washed off my cameras but could have left a stain. I did see a couple of photographers out, one used a normal plastic ic bag and the other a rain cover, though he still had pink powder on the front element of his lens. He still kept smiling though!
I am amazed that the fires are allowed even in the narrow back streets. The first fire is lit in the city palace and then the others are lit by torch-bearing nights on motorcycles.
I am amazed that the fires are allowed even in the narrow back streets. The first fire is lit in the city palace and then the others are lit by torch-bearing nights on motorcycles.
Galtaji
I had washed the colours out of my only trousers and waited for them to partially dry so I arrived there a bit late as the light was fading. If I was to return to Jaipur, this would probably be top of my places to revisit. I am not sure if I can improve my photographs of the other places, but I am sure that I can take better photographs in better light conditions at this location. There are a series of temples including the 12"monkey temple' and the "sun temple".
Isarlat Sargasooli
This is very close to where I was staying though the entrance is not very obvious. It is nice that there is a spiralling ramp rather than steps up to the top. If they smoothed it out, they could make it into a heater skelter!
Hawa Mahal from the Tattoo Cafe
I had previously gone up to a first floor veranda but there are a couple of cafes that give a more elevated view. This was my way of saying goodbye to Jaipur. It was such an amazing experience with things of interest whichever way I turned.
