I just realized that I hadn't really posted any pictures from our yoga practice. I wish I remembered what type of yoga this is, but I just call it Singhji yoga. These photos are from our last morning in Jaipur, and include an extra session of rooftop sun salutations led by Lisa.
morning yoga with singhji [jennifer turner]
it was early [jennifer turner]
rooftop sun salutations [jennifer turner]
colleen going into a handstand [jennifer turner]
Our main attraction for the day was the Jaipur City Palace Complex. First, we toured Jantar Mantar, the old royal astronomical gardens built in the early eighteenth century. The people of Jaipur put a lot of faith in astronomy and Vedic astrology, even determining their marriage compatability by the stars. I've always been interested in astronomy and astrology, so Jantar Mantar's complete dedication to the celestial sky amazed me. The geometry and precision of all the sun dials and other architectural instruments was incredible to observe.
the narivalaya yantra shows the rotation of the earth
detail of narivalaya yantra
a sundial
geometry
the samrat yantra is the largest sundial in the world with a height of 27 meters
the hindu chhatri is used to announce eclipses & the arrival of monsoons [jennifer turner]
another pretty door
the jai prakash yantra is used to calculate horoscopes in jaipur
these structures show the placement of individual constellations
me, at the leo structure
and, of course, the cancer structure, as i am a cancer/leo cusp
landin, on his gemini structure
grids & lines
the two main sundials
Next, we toured the Jaipur City Palace. It, like all the other forts and palaces, was very architecturally detailed and extraordinary to see up close. My favorite part was the courtyard with the seasonal doors. We also got to tour museums of weapons [like one called a tiger puncher...seriously] and textiles/costumes, but no photos were allowed. I wasn't so keen on the weapons, but I LOVED the textiles & costumes museum, which was right up my alley with my love for fashion and fabric.
part of jaipur city palace
guards
inside the gate
palace covered courtyard
chandeliers [joel kraut]
blair & some guards
gun art
door with guard
repeating hallway [jennifer turner]
the spring door; i LOVE that shade of green
the summer door
detail of the summer door [joel kraut]
the monsoon door
detail of the monsoon door with mustachioed sun
the winter door
We had lunch at the Four Seasons multicuisine vegetarian restaurant. It was delish but SPICY. I think it was spiced for the locals - they didn't take mercy on us Westerners. The potato things really grew on me, and I devoured all of them. I think they were coated in crunched up pomegranate seeds. And Blair & I were obsessed with the baby corn dish. YUM!
filing into the restaurant
all of us [jonathan dipratna]
onions, potatoes & spring roll things [joel kraut]
baby corn dish [jonathan dipratna]
With our bellies full, we went to a local Jaipur animal hospital & shelter, Help in Suffering. The founder, Jack, was a very kind British chap who gave us a tour of the grounds. The puppies were my fav, of course, especially one particular roly-poly guy. There were cows, donkeys, monkeys, peacocks, and a camel with a broken jaw. Also, there were tons of big ants and a dead horse covered in a tarp, because the body collector hadn't come yet. Sad.
help in suffering
broken leg [jonathan dipratna]
the article in the indian constitution about protecting animals & nature
pegji playing with the puppies
my favorite pup
cages
the housing next door was very colorful
jack with the donkeys, cows & water buffalo
camel with a broken jaw
up close [jennifer turner]
first animal transport van [jonathan dipratna]
monkeys! [jonathan dipratna]
plaque on building [jonathan dipratna]
jack explaining their work [jonathan dipratna]
After this sad but inspiring tour, we got back on the road to the kingdom of Kishangarh. Here, we stayed at the Phool Mahal Palace, the Maharajah's [King's] monsoon palace on the Gundalao Lake. The lake is monsoon-fed, so the water level was really low, as monsoon season doesn't start until June. But there were still great views across what was left of the lake. The palace was a beautiful shade of butter-creme yellow, and the rooms were exquisite. Me & Blair's room was HUGE, with a 20-foot long entrance hallway.
scenes from the ride to kishangarh; one of our drivers, arun, with his van
a close-up of what landin & i termed "indian truck nuts"
women in india carry impressive amounts of things on their heads
phool mahal palace [jennifer turner]
view from the front porch [colleen holland]
view from the porch
view from the porch
doors to the lobby area
a flirting chair
jennifer & lisa's room [jennifer turner]
landin's room complete with a mural of bathing nude women
me & blair's bedroom hallway, from inside the room facing out
view of the palace with the 17th century roopangarh fort at its back
landscape with socks [jennifer turner]
At dusk, we went on a walk through old Kishangarh. Singhji bought us fresh pea pods and crunchy fried snacks from local food vendors to snack on. We also got to look in the shops that were still open, and see locals who were still out and about.
the indian equivalent of the mona lisa
kishangarh by night
local village boys [jennifer turner]
vegetable stand [jennifer turner]
yummy street food [jennifer turner]
local boys cooking; the one on the left looks like indian jim halpert to me [jennifer turner]
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