Jaipur 7 | bellsandtrance's Blog

Subject: Jaipur 7 gemstone Capital of the world!

Today was an amazing day!.
We were picked up by trusty old Milap the guide who rambled on at break neck speed.... understood about 20%.
We travelled to the outskirts of the city and drove on to the Amber fort. There is a breathtaking lake surrounded by hills and in the centre of the lake is the royal summer palace. The landscape looks like the Magaliesburg in South Africa....except for the hooting, people and denizens on the road. As you approach the Amber fort you see painted elephants cruising along with their Mahouts(trainers).
We rode three elephants up a long winding road on top of the hill to the fort. It's quite a ride and you have to hold on....I counted about 30 elephants and ours was called Shanty and is 25 years old. They are very well taken care of and each have a personality of their own. Only females walk to the fort as the males are too aggressive ...I think...as me no speak Hindi.

The Hindi language has a beautiful melodious ring to it and some words sound a lot like Afrikaans without the guttural G. We are becoming quite proficient in haggling and dodging beggars, touts and salesman. I have even started trying to sell things in return like my hat and sunglasses ... No buy only look....some even ask for discount and play along.

The fort sits atop a hill and is surrounded by a wall that not only encloses the fort but the city that lay within it. It looks like the Great Wall of India and is even more spectacular when you consider how they built it in the sixteenth century with horses, donkeys and camels. Inside is India's biggest hall of mirrors, one candle burning would look like a thousand shining stars, remarkable. This is like the fort in Cape Town times fifty, no lies. Inside there are fantastic painted archways and doors, carvings,inlay work.

We went for a cruise along the hilltops with views of the city, slums, skyscrapers and traffic . It was awesome. Poor Garth was hit by the flue worse than anyone today and he was walking around like the undead.
Lunch was up in a beautiful garden, Indian food of course but it was fun as there was a puppet show for the kids, we laughed as the puppeteers covered Bob Marley and Charmaine and I sang along. Even an Indian Michael Jackson was done. We had our astrological charts read and it was very interesting. Stella and Nev I'm putting yours on here so you can have them for all time.

Stella this is for you: always use moonstone ...I'll give you one.
Stella, very imaginative. Good decision making ability.
For love use yellow stone.
For work use white stone.
Moon in Aries.
Lucky-days.. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday . No 2,3,9
Only one child, good marriage. Love after 24.
64 NO TRAVEL.
Long life.(85 plus)..72 joint problems.

Neville this is for you:a divine soul. Fast and energetic.
For love use light blue stone.
For work use yellow stone.
Scorpio ascendant sign.
Lucky -days... Tuesday, Thursday and Monday.. No 9,3,2
Love after 27.
Very popular person possibly famous( whoo hoo) politics
Long long life 90 plus...71 problem with digestion.

Anyway it's time to head back to the Sheraton as poor Garth looks ready to pass out.

Next day Garth is still sick so he and Pa stay behind with the kids and Ma, Charmaine, Cate and I go shopping. Yay. We stay out the whole day. We are taken to all sorts of amazing jewellery shops. We learn so much about stone cutting and grinding and facets. We are shown huge emeralds, rubies, sapphires diamonds.....wow one shop is where Elizabeth Taylor and the Shah of Iran bought their diamonds and emeralds.....maybe one day when I'm big or when I'm a Maharani , or in my ....dreams...

We return to our supplier......tour of factory and gemstones. It's a fat jol! So ladies be warned, tell all your friends we are coming and we are loaded with jewels! Yipee!

Last night in Jaipur, exhaustion takes over and sweet slumber reigns supreme.

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Us!