Taj Mahal and Jaipur

The Taj Mahal for me turned out to be one of those iconic attractions that more than exceeded expectations. What I had never fully appreciated through pictures or reading about the Taj is the incredible workmanship involved in the inlaid marble work that is everywhere throughout the mausoleum. It is a pity therefore that for such a global icon the organization of the huge amount of tourist traffic is as hilariously chaotic as the rest of the country. When we turned up early in the morning shortly after opening time there was a 100m long queue for the women to get in while the men sailed straight trough. This was due to separate security lines of which there were two for the men and only one for the women. For all the crowds and chaos though it was well and truly worth the effort to visit.
After the Taj visit we headed off on the five our drive to Jaipur. I know I am getting a bit repetitive talking about the traffic however the amazing sites on Indian roads alone I have discovered are enough of a reason to visit this country. Once we got out of the city the unbelievable road behavior was replaced by unbelievable forms of transport. Camel cart, donkey cart, horse cart, and every conceivable form of motorized transport both mass manufactured and home made share the freeway. The numbers of people jammed into busses, trucks and carts make the cartoon clown cars look like they aren’t trying.
Arriving at Jaipur at about 5pm we ran headlong into the peak of a major Muslim holy day. It becomes obvious very quickly in India that anything that happens, happens on the roads. Normal traffic movement if there is such a thing was replaced by bands, parades, hordes of drum wielding kids and a general cacophony of sound and movement. Every road that the driver turned turn to try to get to the hotel was either officially or unofficially blocked so we spent about an hour going in gradually decreasing circles until finally reaching the hotel.
Today we have spent a long day sightseeing and shopping in Jaipur. The Amber fort has been a highlight of the trip so far although we keep saying that about each monument that we visit. A sprawling complex fully enclosed by imposing walls circling the edges of a ridge overlooking Jaipur. The fort and all of Jaipur really is a lot better organized for tourist traffic and we actually saw the first example of organized rubbish collection.
Jaipur is renowned for handicrafts, jewellery and textiles and the place is full of markets, bazarrs and emporiums offering amazing stuff and ridiculously cheap prices. We were not immune to the goods on offer like most of the tourists here and the credit card got a good work out.
Tomorrow we are off to a fort/hotel that is slightly off the regular tourist trail to spend a couple of days in a more rural setting.

I have also posted some more photos on Picasaweb. You can follow the same link as below.