Incredible India!! It is true. I enjoyed my entire India trip but the tour of Rajasthan was so colorful and exotic. In the countryside, the men wore colorful turbans and had unbelievably long, curled up mustaches, while the women had beautiful, colorful saris, large gold nose earrings, and jewelry galore.  Their bright clothes are such a picturesque sight against the contrast of the stark desert landscape. Rajasthan is home to the Rajputs, a warrior clan that has ruled the state for thousands of years. Rajasthan has majestic forts and palatial palaces that are still occupied by Maharajas and their families. You can identify a Rajput man by the earrings in each ear. They are extremely proud of their heritage and still follow traditions that date back centuries. I am always fascinated in learning about people and their customs, and the Rajasthan people were no exception!

However, Rajasthan is not only about its people; it is also about history, culture, architecture, bustling cities and rural villages. The first place we visited in Rajasthan was Jaipur, the City of Pink. Why might it be called the City of Pink? Well, every building in the old city is actually painted pink! The city was founded in 1727 and currently has a population of approximately 4 million people. The first stop was to admire the beautiful Wind Place or the Hawa Mahal. It is a five story sandstone facade with 953 windows and has become the symbol of Jaipur. Then we drove outside the city to the Amber Fort located on a hilltop overlooking Maota Lake. What a sight! It was so breathtaking approaching the fort, especially with the entrance we made – riding to the gate on top of an elephant. The fort was incredible with its gardens, courtyards and mirrored rooms. It was built with red sandstone and marble; a combination of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. Afterwards, we had lunch and continued on to see the City Palace where the Maharaja currently resides. The palace had beautiful painted ceilings and a gallery of exquisite miniature paintings. The last stop of the day was at Jantar Mantar or the solar observatory used to measure time, the position of the stars and to predict eclipses. Each instrument looked like a contemporary sculpture. Our guide showed us how to tell time with simple looking but complicated instruments. I was quite impressed with how a technique developed between 1727 and 1734 could so accurately tell the correct time to the second.

For dinner, a Jaipur family hosted us at their home.  The city has a program where families host tourists; however, the family needs to be approved beforehand for cleanliness and acceptability to Westerners. What a real treat, not only was the food delicious but the company was engaging resulting in an incredible evening. The host family was a young couple with a one and eight year old child. They lived in a huge house in the middle of Jaipur with several acres. Having so much land in the city of Jaipur was unusual. The husband was a Rajput or from the warrior clan and was very proud of his history. The house included extended family: a grandfather, aunts, uncles, and cousins. However, they all had their separate entrances and living quarters. This house had been passed down from our host’s grandfather. He also owned a farm outside the city and a small castle. However, it was obvious that he was struggling to keep what he has. As the property was passed down generation to generation, the government took a lot in taxes. The wife was now living with her husband’s family which is customary in India. When she is with her husband’s grandfather, she wears her sari over her face out of respect to him. She was not from an extended family. She said it took time to become use to an extended family but now would not have it any other way. She sees her parents once a week but feels sorry for them because they live alone. These few hours proved to be one of the highlights of the trip. I would recommend that everyone visiting Jaipur have dinner with a host family to experience a home cooked meal and most importantly have this special experience.

After leaving Jaipur, we stopped at a Bisnoi rural village where we met a local family and were shown their home. They all live in one room with no furniture and the floor and walls were actually made out of cow dung. Surprisingly, there was no smell and dung as a building material was quite durable. The family had 2 children, 8 and 13, who we met before they left for school. The eight year old boy showed me his reading book and proudly read to me. Interestingly, the girl will probably not complete school because she will marry young. Afterwards, we visited the local school. There were no desks, chairs, or windows in the classrooms. The children wore uniforms and sat next to each other on the floor. They were extremely polite and would stand as we entered a room. We brought pens as gifts and they were all so grateful.

These experiences were eye openers and very meaningful.  I realized that what we take for granted in the US like water, food and a heated or air conditioned shelter is sometimes a luxury in India and to see it firsthand makes me see that there is a different world out there. Traveling to India will be an eye opener to you too and you will learn a lot about yourself and others by visiting India.