Swapneel Shah

…This post is part of the Rajasthan Trip series of posts where I have recorded memories and experiences from the trip…

Mahendra Palace- Nimesh's choice... And a disasterously WRONG choice!!!

Reaching Jaipur, Nimesh and Mayur went off to find a Hotel for night stay… And Pravin and I reached an ATM outside the station to withdraw money… Piyush came to receive us here… Nimesh after about around 5 mins called and we reached the hotel… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Am stuck here from last few days to find something to write about it… … … … … Though the hotel came at Rs. 250 per day (for two) and I would have not stayed here even for free!!! But it was with respect to Nimesh’s friendship then I spent the night there, and now will refrain myself from describing the Hotel… The key chain however looks lot better and I specifically clicked it to record this memory and Experience… With a sleepless night next day really started on a heated up end with Pravin; over bargaining with a Auto Rickshaw driver… Maybe I was wrong; but his bargaining expectations were too much and we finally got in a BUS!!!

Yes, a local commuter bus with the plan to change the bus again after some place to reach Amer Fort… It would have saved us with Rs 20 per head!!! I got super hot and came thrashing down on others one by one and then everyone as a whole as we got down from the bus at Hawa Mahal…

I stopped a rickshaw and got in without bargaining… Everyone followed in… By the time we reached JalMandir that falls in the way, I was cooling off… The JalMandir as it looks today is not even worth a click… Posting this snap of mine at JalMandir than the Jalmandir…

swapsshah near Jalmandir...

After that day, evertime we remember or talk over the hotel stay we have a good time… We are all laughs about it… Honestly it was a good experience for all of us… Thanks Nimesh!!!

Leaving Jalmandir, a small road climb and we stopped to get a view of the forts…

Amer Fort or Amber Fort... (Image looks nice in higher resolution... Click to Enlarge)

Having seen forts in black stone all over Maharashtra when I did numerous treks in childhood and that too most of them in ruins; I really felt like not accepting these as ‘forts’… They don’t look less than a lavish, rich and artistic huge huge palace!!! The use of different color stones, the carvings, the uniformity… Right from the stone flooring to the coluored, mirrored, decorated walls… It really feels unreal that they are forts!!! No, it is surely not with the maintenance or cleanliness as these are major tourist destinations of world… But in there prime time too they were surely much more than forts… Even the relatively unmaintained forts like this one look awesome!!!

Nahargarh Fort... (Image looks nice in higher resolution... Click to Enlarge)

The AutoRickshaw dropped us at Amer Fort… It was almost 10:00… Hungry we ate at will from Pakodas, Kachori, different types of sev and sweets at a nearby shop… It was indeed a good treat to have so many items at once for breakfast… And we returned back to the fort for the Elephant ride… The elephant ride was the major attraction why this place was 1st on the list in the morning… Each elephant takes only two rides at max and hence the limited rides finish by afternoon…

Amer Palace while going up the Elephant Ride..

Each ride costs Rs 540 for two + tip to the mahuat… I felt it was worth it… The swaying of the elephants is a wonderful experience… Our Elephant (swpasshah-Mayur) was young and was twice as fast the other (Pravin-Nimesh)… The child in me was happy as we teased another Elephants in way which we were overtaking as oldies, etc. It was fun!!! However on reaching Amer Palace and waiting for Nimesh-Pravin, the child in me felt like cheated as they got a ride for more time than us!!!

After getting down from the Elephants, Nimesh had a joyful time with the Elephants…

Nimesh holding the trunk of the elephant!!! !!! !!!

Amer Fort or Amber Fort as is know today was initially a palace complex within the original fort of Amber that is today known as Jaigarh Fort…

Amer Palace...

Amer Palace- Sheesh Mahal (Note the pigeon on bottom right too )

Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Forts are situated on hills above the Amber fort and connected by a fortified chamber that connects them… Nimesh and Mayur continued to explore the place while Pravin and I returned back to Jaipur to travel to Ramgarh… Ramgarh- Piyush’s native place… These forts remain to be seen on my next visit to the place (as I have promised to myself)…

Hawa Mahal- where Piyush came to pick us for Ramgarh-

Hawa Mahal...

We started towards Ramgarh around 1 in the afternoon, and reached Ramgarh around 3:30… We will Explore Jaipur the next day after returning from Ramgarh…

Swapneel*

…This post is part of the Rajasthan Trip series of posts where I have recorded memories and experiences from the trip…