Jaipur is actually called the “Pink City”, ever since Prince Edward’s visit back in 1876.  The Maharaja Ram Singh had ordered that the city be painted this rosy shade, a color representative of warm hospitality, in advance of the royal’s visit.  I kept my eye out for the bubblegum hue, but it really is a more natural shade of terracotta.  We decided to up our accommodation budget for our three nights here, staying at the Umaid Mahal, a lovely midrange heritage hotel, with a sparkling, mirrored mosaic entry, mini pool, Durbar Hall, colorful Indian frescoes painted on walls and ceilings, and rooftop linen restaurant, far from any street noises below.  The splurge was in honor of my November 2nd birthday, as I need no gifts, only good memories!

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We only spent the one night in Agra, and were headed from Uttar Pradesh state into Rajasthan that same day, with one final stop about an hour out of town at Fatehpur Sikri, another World Heritage Site, that was once the capital of the Mughal empire.  Here, we avoided a guide, allowing the children to run amuck instead, playing hide and seek through the fortified ancient city, and discovering our own beautiful details to stop and admire.

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Skipping ahead through travel time, I will attempt to catch up on a more significant event that occurred within the past month.  We are currently in Varkala, Kerala, after an amazing month in the North, primarily in the state of Rajasthan.

I started writing the below entry back on the 17th of November, and got around to finishing it on Thanksgiving, November 26th, but not being able to post until now:

Here we are in Udaipur, our final stop in a string of beautiful Rajasthan cities.  Unfortunately, this place that we have dedicated the most time to – 5 days and 6 nights, reputed as one of the “gems” of India with it’s romantic lakes and greenery, was not off to a good start…

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While in Delhi, we had the task of figuring out how we were going to travel to Agra and onward through the state of Rajasthan.  After much research, we decided that our best bet as a family of four, was to hire a car and driver for 20 days of road travel.  This seems like such a luxury (and it is!), but driving in India is completely insane, and the $42 a day price is quite reasonable when comparing to arduous bus rides and infrequent train travel for four passengers.

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Dan has been waiting twenty years to step foot in infamous India, and to finally experience firsthand the culture, music, color, food, spirituality, utter chaos, and pure magic.  We both feel that one cannot wear the true badge of “world traveler” until this country has become a part of your history and understanding.  We did however question if it was the right place to bring young children, for all of our fears about sickness and health.  We knew that the sights of poverty and poor sanitation would be shocking to us all, but strongly felt that this might be the best lesson for empathy, and gratitude for what we have.

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