Journey in Jaipur

There are acacia trees with doves cooing outside our window.  It smells of sandalwood and curry.  We eat dal and drink lime sweetened with sugar and soda water.

So far this is the most peaceful place we’ve found in India.  We’re staying in an Indian hotel that more of a guest house-apartment type place and a far cry from most of the big city hotels we’ve been in recently.  It’s in a lovely residential neighborhood that is quiet and peaceful.  Most of the buildings around us are private homes or low rise apartments.  Our apartment has long casement windows all around leading to a little veranda where we can sit and have tea and cookies.  The Indian family that run it are lovely and helpful.  Although this is air conditioning we haven’t used it as the air is soft and not too hot and there are ceiling fans in all the rooms that move a gentle breeze though the place.  The floors and veranda have some beautiful tile work, the veranda has intricate carved railings in a key pattern and posts with flowers embossed in them.   Everything is in tones of ivory except the brightly patterned India print bed spreads and drapes.  It’s really charming.  The air here is the first reasonably clear air we’ve found in India.  Most of the cities we’ve been in have been choking dirty.  Everything here is pastel and lovely.  Jaipur is called the pink city and it is very pink.  The old city has castles and towers that once housed rajahs and princes.