Jaipur [India]

"Jaipur is the 'Pink City' because in the 1800's the whole city was painted pink to welcome Prince Albert.  The old city walls are still standing and inside there were things to see at every turn!  Monkeys, fruit stands, street food vendors, crumbling pink walls, old wooden shutters, cows, goats - everything!  It literally looks just like my daydreams - an exotic place stuck in time - a faraway land..."

"...As the evening crept in to night we wound through the streets snapping photos everywhere and enjoying everything.  Everyone in Jaipur has been so friendly... We found our way to a hindu temple, and a fair-trade shop where I proceeded to die and go to heaven.  The shopkeeper took us through the side streets and up an ancient spiral staircase (don't look down!) to a rooftop overlooking Jaipur.  Amazing!  Really?  How cool is this guy?  And as if the night couldn't get any better he took us back down to the square with a flower market.  While the girls bought spices I snuck away and found jasmine perfume..."

"We ended our evening with a rooftop dinner and watched fireworks (wedding season) over the Jaipur skies... what an absolutely perfect afternoon and evening... right when I least expected it, India delivered this gem of a city.  Tomorrow awaits!"

"The Hawa Mahal (above) was really only a photo opportunity but next door were snake charmers - real snake charmers.  This was unreal!"

"JAIPUR IS AWESOME.  This is what I was dreaming of when I was dreaming of India.  Incredible India!  Jaipur is so charming and totally exotic...  We rode in a rickshaw!  How fun!  It wasn't as scary as it looked in Delhi but the traffic here is so much calmer (still crazy) and there aren't as many horns.  It was exhilirating to drive in the hustle and bustle of everyday life."

"We bounced along in the tuk tuk - winding through the bustling streets of the old city.  Past all the beautiful women in their vibrant saris.  We saw our first elephant when we stopped to admire the Amber Fort (I'm pictured above at the vista point!)...  The views of the Amber Fort were expansive and very beautiful.  It sits on a hill range with a winding wall snaking its way through the peaks.  Really stunning!"

"The Fort and Palace was gorgeous.  I must be in some kind of dream world with all these beautiful archways at every turn (my weakness)."

"...And one of the highlights of the day was our stop at the block printing studio (see photo below).  So cool!  I picked some up to take home!"

"Everywhere I turn I see a picture... I know now that I have certainly missed my camera over the last couple months..."

"We were up on the top of the hill overlooking the city - after foregoing a visit down the other side of the hill to the Monkey Palace (too many monkeys!).  I love the view.  What a whole different world than my own - the constant tug between old and new... it continues to humble me..."

"...Someday I'd like to return to Jaipur - the city that so far has embodied my ideal of India..."