We spent five nights at the lovely Alsisar Haveli hotel in Jaipur, mostly taking the time to relax and recuperate. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and departed on Tuesday morning, and it wasn’t until Sunday morning that everyone was feeling healthy enough to sightsee. The first few days we mostly hung out at the hotel, enjoying the pool and amazing service in their restaurant. One evening, I took the girls out to dinner at a less-than-stellar restaurant that had some beautiful decor. We also had a mini-celebration for Charlotte on her birthday. We had bought a few gifts and decorations, and the hotel staff so kindly set up this cake and flowers for her. Unfortunately, she still wasn’t feeling very well so we didn’t do anything else that day. Otherwise, we played games, enjoyed screen time and went swimming. It was really nice to be in such a relaxing location for a few days!

On Sunday we hired two tuk tuks to take us on a sightseeing tour. Driving through the streets of India is like being inside one of those Hidden Picture books–you never know what sort of “out of the ordinary” scene you will stumble across. Here are a few things we saw as we set out on Sunday.

We started at the City Palace,  a royal residence and former administrative headquarters of the rulers of the Jaipur State. We went inside the British Guest House where there was an exhibit on textiles and another building with a very interesting photography exhibit. Otherwise, we wandered the grounds and admired the architecture. Some of the details were quite impressive, but it is also quite run-down. Since we are here during Monsoon season, it could be the fact that the humidity is stifling and there is a thin layer of black something (mould?) over everything, taking away from the beauty.

Afterwards we walked across the street to the Jantar Mantar observatory which was very interesting! I would say it was our favorite stop of the day. We got a guide right when we walked in and he was so knowledgable. Unfortunately, the heat was starting to get to the kids so slowly they dropped out of the tour and found a spot to sit in the shade. Jantar Mantar features the world’s largest stone sundial (absolutely fascinating!!) and many other astronomical instruments, built in 1734. It is quite impressive how curious and determined scientists of the day were to figure out these astronomical innovations, including calendars, clocks, and tools for navigation. We were all really impressed. We also got another dose of “will you please take a photo with me/my baby/the whole entire family”. LOL It is pretty fun, and everyone is very respectful and understanding when we say we have to move on.

From there we hopped back in the tuk tuks and drove all the way up to Amber Fort (Amer Fort). This place was a bit of a disappointment. It was very crowded, so hot and humid, and pretty dirty. We did not get a guide here which might have been a mistake but, by then, we were all pretty done with sightseeing for the day. We walked up to the entrance on the hill, looked around a bit and then headed back down to the road.  

On the way back to the hotel we made a couple of quick stops. First to Jal Mahal (on Man Sagar lake) that you can only see from the outside. While I was able to snap this beautiful photo, what you don’t see is the trash lining the shores of the lake and the foul smell. Needless to say, no one was thrilled with this stop.

As we made our way to the last monument, one of our tuk tuk drivers insisted he wanted to show us something. I didn’t completely understand what he was saying so I just agreed (ha ha), and we found ourselves at a block printing workshop where they use vegetable dye and mud resist (dabu) to create these beautiful, intricate block prints. While we were tempted, we resisted buying anything since our luggage is already bursting. And it also felt a bit slimy because it was clear that the driver would get some sort of kick back if we bought something. It was still very cool to see how they make it–all by hand and they work so quickly yet precisely.  

Lastly, we had a very quick stop outside Hawa Mahal. I think we should have gone into this monument, but we just couldn’t keep the sightseeing going. We kind of rushed by it, so didn’t get the full effect. The main purpose behind the construction of this palace was to allow the ladies of the royal family and the court to observe the busy streets of the Johari Bazaar from the many carved windows of the palace, without being seen themselves, and it would have been neat to see it from their perspective. But alas, it was not meant to be. Long-term travel with kids/teens involves a lot of compromise (like everything in life) and we did not want to push the kids any more that day. We spent the rest of the day eating dinner and relaxing at the hotel.

We had heard from our hotel that there was an “Elephant Village” nearby which I thought was a sanctuary that I had found online. So on Monday, we called our faithful tuk tuk drivers to ask them to take us to the elephant village to check it out. When we got there, it looked much smaller than what I had seen and they offered us elephant rides, a chance to feed or paint the elephants and a few other activities that felt not quite like what a sanctuary would offer but also peaked our interest. And the animals seemed well cared for, so we went ahead and rode them. It was a very neat sensation, even in the pouring rain, but we did leave feeling a bit guilty, especially after I read more about the damage that riding elephants does to their backs. I looked at their website and it seems as though they are trying to protect the elephants and give them a good life. We may never know exactly how well they are treated there, though of course we hope they are treated kindly, and have become a bit more wary of what we agree to before getting all the information. Everything is a learning opportunity!

Then Tuesday morning it was time to say goodbye and move on. We really can’t recommend the hotel enough! The staff were so kind and attentive. They even put flowers out on our breakfast table the last morning!