Unlike our other stops on the Indian subcontinent, Jaipur was not ruled by Akbar or any of his family. Instead, the Maharaja of Rajastan is top dog here. The royal family still lives here, in the City Palace, but once inhabited the famous Amber Fort so it was to this place that we headed at the beginning of the day today.
Touring the Amber Fort (pronounced Amer) includes an elephant ride as we ascend the hilly terrain toward the fortification that lies atop. It's not the most smooth affair to ride an elephant, but they are gentle beasts who perform their duties with grace, usually between the hours of 8:30 and 11:00 am local time each day. The visit to the Fort lasts the better part of three hours, beginning when we step out of our hired van and immediately begin the battle of running through the gathered youngsters, each of which wants to sell us a trinket or two. Such battles have become de rigueur these days, and we're getting increasingly toughened skins (which is a definite asset in cases such as these).
The outlined tour also included a photo stop near the Lake Palace (built in the middle of a man-made lake) and another brief pause outside the Palace of Winds. All these properties are legally part of the posession of the Maharaja and his family. They form some of the major sights which attract tourists to this city which only sees an average of about 26 cm of rain per year.
Because of the lack of water, the land around Jaipur is not very favorable for the growing of crops. Instead the industry in this city of 3+ million inhabitants revolves around the sale of textiles, rugs and hand crafts. What visit to this oasis would be complete then without a visit to at least some of these artisans, to see demonstrations and to be tempted by the wares they offer for sale. That, after all, is their hope ... that we would take it all home with us, and leave our money behind.
Our guide also permitted us to stop and visit one of the two local Roman Catholic churches, administered by Jesuit priests. This stop was brief, but we did have a chance to meet one of the Brothers who is stationed there. In these parts, the Church is still very much involved in education, and so we were told that this parish has a school (located right next door) which has an enrollment of some 3,500 students (co-ed) from Kindergarten (or equivalent) up to and including all levels of high school. This is very important, since the average literacy rate in all of India is only about 30-40 percent, and many children get caught up in the rat race of selling trinkets to tourists, and begging so that they can provide money for their families, a practice which does not permit them to complete the education which in truth would do them so much more good.
As the day ends, and the evening becons, the little cruising vessel which holds the five of our party is coming in to dock for the night. Someone commented yesterday that we are not unlike the fabled seven passengers who set sail for a three-hour tour and then got shipwrecked. We ourselves are not shipwrecked, but we certainly have enjoyed this mini adventure, filled with history, and with an abundance of moments to share fraternity, to learn from one another, and to appreciate all that we have and are.
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