What would THIS be worth on the real estate market in Sonoma???
Detailed carving everywhere in the marble and sandstone
An important mode of transport at the Amber Fort
Tourists arriving up at the fort, as did the Rajah's years ago
Our friend Barbara Thomas making friends with one of the elephants
Janet admiring the carving in one of the hundreds of windows
Murals from centuries ago...this one celebrating the fort's most important creature
Here is the Hindu God "Ganesh" in another mural
We found it hard to believe that they painted the entire city of Jaipur pink in the late 19th century in honor of the first visit of a reigning British monarch there. Oh the glories of colonialism!
The Amber Fort is the main historical fortification, way up on top of a nearby mountain. Here lived in the Raja and his dozens of wives. Elephants were a main mode of transport then as now. Today, however, they are not treated well. Elephants need water, lots of water; Jaipur is a desert. They use nearly 100 elephants here to entertain the tourists, walking them up from town about 6 miles daily and giving them no chance to bathe. We heard that their feet get cracked and raw from the rough, hot pavement. So we did NOT choose to ride them here.
