Tourist Time!

Hi everyone! Two blogs in a row. Lucky you!

Today was my day to explore the city. Mr. Vinod arranged for a rickshaw driver to take me to all of the tourist spots in the Pink City. This included Hawa Mahal, City Palace, the Water Palace, the Amber Fort and this astronomical observatory with the world's largest sun dial. The trip was supposed to start at 9:30, and it actually started right on time. The temperature at 9:30 a.m. was bearable, but it quickly became close to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I had enough water, but it was so hot and the sun was blindingly bright! I was ridiculously cautions with my sunscreen, and I'm happy for it.

The Amber Fort was by far the most impressive of the places I visited today. It is a huge structure that seems to go on forever, and is like a labyrinth inside. Unfortunately the Amber Fort was at the very end of the six hour tour, and I was completely pooped by the time I got there. I was able to make the best of it by reminding myself that I will not have another chance to check it out. Ever. That seemed to do the trick because I walked it from end to end, or at least as far as I could get. At first, every hall way I walked down led to the exit. I was able to get further in eventually, but by the time I wanted to leave the exit was nowhere in sight. Talk about frustrating.

The Amber Fort was much nicer than the Red Fort I visited in Delhi. I was amazed that as a tourist, there was very little to which I didn't have access. I can imagine that if the fort was in the U.S., only 1/5 would be open to tourists. The specific path would be roped off for visitors to follow, replica room furnishings from the era would full a few rooms, guard rails would have been drilled into the 4,000 year old walls. In a way, I'm glad I was able to walk everywhere, see whatever rooms I wanted to see, take pictures I wanted to take. But another part of me sees this ancient, historical fort being trashed, touched and vandalized six days a week from now until eternity. It makes me a little sad.

I took many, many pictures and I'll upload them soon. Right now I have about 15 minutes before Mr. Vinod comes to my guest house to talk with me for an hour and then we go to dinner. I'm so starving now, but dinner doesn't happen till at least 7:30. Good thing I bought digestive biscuits at the market today. They're pretty good - think Ritz cracker mixed with a vanilla wafer. It'll do till dinner.

**Update: I have uploaded my pictures onto Facebook. Click here to see them.***