Day 4. Amber Fort

Today was an amazing day. I went to the Amber Fort, which is about eleven miles outside of Jaipur. It was built by the Meenas, a ruling tribe, in 1592. It was the capital for the Kachhawa clan until they moved their capital to the place it is now. When I arrived at the parking area, there was a line standing in one part of the lot. The signs told me they were waiting for elephants to bring them up to the top of the hill to the fort. I thought this was a fantastic idea and hurriedly joined the line. Although the line was long, it moved fairly quickly, and I was in the front of the line in no more than ten minutes. The first thing that hit me when I got on to the elephant was a mild, earthy oder, that was not at all unpleasant. It was a fun but brief ride up the hill, and then the elephant drivers helped us off the animals. I got to say hi to my groups elephant and learned her name was Vishnu. I thought it was a very pretty name. Once I got into the fort, I was amazed. It was huge, and was very ornately carved. I joined a tour group that was about to start a tour of the fort, and nobody realized they had never seen me before. I felt kind of ashamed for sneaking in, but it was faster than waiting in line with every body else. By the time the tor was over, I was so consumed with guilt that I vowed never to sneak into anything again. The guide showed us around the many rooms, but the one I liked most was one with thousands of miniature mirrors. It was amazing! I learned a lot about the Meenas, the people who built the fort, and some about the Kachhawa people too. After the tour was over, and I managed to get away unseen, I had lunch at a cafe near the entrance. I had a wonderful cup of Masala tea, more commonly known as Chai, and a chicken dish I have no name for. It was really good, and after lunch, I went to check out a different part of the fort. I wandered around, only half listening to my groups tour guide (no sneaking in for me this time), and staring out the windows. There was the most amazing view from up here! I was mesmerized. I could see all the way to Jaipur, and remember, it was eleven miles away. Eleven! I stayed for a while and had dinner at the cafe again, because I wanted to see the lights show they put on at night. I twas cool, but I had to leave half way through to be able to get back to my hotel with out falling asleep at the wheel. It was a great day, and I am really enjoying this trip so far. the hall of mirrors See the elephant in the lake? the elephants!