With a day delay and a temporary repair of my oil leaking engine I leave for Jaipur. Still exciting whether the repair will hold and I check a few times along the way whether there is no oil leak, but everything is going well.
The drive to Jaipur is only 140 km and I have all the time in the world so I drive at ease. It feels great to be on the road again. Jaipur is a big city and my hotel is quite central but fortunately the traffic is not too hectic.
When I arrive at the hotel I see the white VW bus of Simon and Elya from Belgium. We have traveled through Pakistan together with a few others, have kept in touch ever since and I look forward to seeing you again. In the evening we go together to a lounge bar where beer is also served. That was also a while ago and we let it taste good during this pleasant evening.
We decide to visit Fort Ajmer (the amber colored fort) together the next day. It is a gigantic complex that is 6 km outside the city, where we go by tuk-tuk. The driver speaks perfect English and gives us information about everything we see along the way during the whole ride.
The fort is gigantic and consists of 3 palaces, connected to each other and walled by a huge 'chinese wall' that runs all around over the mountains. Elephants come and go to bring tourists up for a fee. On our way up we are approached countless times by salesmen and guides who persistently, but unsuccessfully, promote their wares.
On the way back to Jaipur we will visit Elephant Village. A large park where hundreds of elephants are cared for. The caretakers offer a whole program, such as feeding, washing or painting the elephants and the proceeds are used for the care of the elephants. The entire program (at €45) is too expensive for us and we will continue after a voluntary donation.
A little later we stop at a so-called stepwell. A deep well into which you can descend by means of stairs. This used to be the place where people from the area came to fetch water. Just before we are back in Joipur we visit the Jal Mahal, the water palace. This was built in the 18th century and is located in the middle of an artificial lake. Unfortunately, it cannot be visited and can only be viewed from a distance.
Back at the hotel I say goodbye to my Belgian friends who leave today for the next city. I have seen a lot again today and after a delicious meal in a local restaurant the day is complete again.
