Snake charmers and an elephant ride were in store as we traveled to Amber Fort on the outskirts of Jaipur. The ride was an adrenalin rush. Vendors harrassed us the whole way up the hillside. The fort was quite a tribute to the King of Jaipur and his twenty wifes. The fusion of Hindu and Muslim architecture was beautiful. The rivalry between wifes and offspring for succession made for a lot of drama in the life of the "poor" king. The wall surrounding the palace and fort snaked up, over and around a beautiful mountainous region. Referencing snakes.....I could swear the snake was watching me rather than its handlers. I was frozen as I flashed back to images on the Discovery Channel of the reach of their strike. A visit to a Blue Pottery manufacturer and a couple other heritage sites made for a great morning. It is Sunday so we had the afternoon off. Naturally, we all headed to the shopping district. I had fun looking at all the natural gem stones that Jaipur is famous for and then drooling over exquisite Kashmir carpets. If only I had some of the King's bangles!!
