Early morning wake up for breakfast and to check out of the Trident Hotel. Today is Diwali and the hotel has decorated their lobby with the traditional Marigold flowers as well as rose petals. Our drive through th town of Jaipur is exciting as the streets are bustling with locals shopping in preparation for the Dewali festivities. In the markets there are carts filled with fruits, vegetables and there are mounds of marigolds and garlands of marigolds hang everywhere. This flower is placed in all homes for good luck. You can feel the excitement in the air. There are many women in the market today and their colourful saris are quite a site to behold. There's as much excitement on the bus as there is in the streets. The ladies are moving from one side of the bus to the other to take in all of the sites.
It's a long drive to Jaipur. Everyone settles in and enjoys the scenery and conversation. Along the way we stopped to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of Fatehpur Sikri which was once the capital of the Mughal Empire with one of the largest mosques in India within a complex of monuments and temples. We continue our drive along the highway and stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant. We dined outside under colourful tents. The King Fisher beer was cold and refreshing and the curry warm and delicious.
Upon arrival into Jaipur we stop for a demonstration of block printing on fine cotton and silk fabrics. The showroom is open today just for us. The ladies enjoyed shopping here and some ladies have ordered
custom tailored outfits and shirts.
Our hotel for the next 2 nights is the Narain Niwas Palace which is one of the Heritage Collection. Every room is different and the decor quite royal. Our tour guide gave us a traditional Indian outfit and asked to wear it to the Diwali celebration. We met in the back garden for the ceremony to worship the God Lakshme which is for prosperity and wealth. From here we moved to the front garden to enjoy dinner and entertainment. Local musicians played traditional music and dancers performed in their colourful outfits. We enjoyed a wonderful fireworks display put on by the hotel. The fireworks could be heard all night long.
It's a long drive to Jaipur. Everyone settles in and enjoys the scenery and conversation. Along the way we stopped to visit the Unesco World Heritage site of Fatehpur Sikri which was once the capital of the Mughal Empire with one of the largest mosques in India within a complex of monuments and temples. We continue our drive along the highway and stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant. We dined outside under colourful tents. The King Fisher beer was cold and refreshing and the curry warm and delicious.
Upon arrival into Jaipur we stop for a demonstration of block printing on fine cotton and silk fabrics. The showroom is open today just for us. The ladies enjoyed shopping here and some ladies have ordered
custom tailored outfits and shirts.
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