Jaipur

Jaipur is a new and planned city, less than 300 years old. It was layed out in a 9x9 grid, with one of the grids displaced by a fort on a ridge and relocated to the opposite side of the city. Although three million people live here, it does not seem crowded like Delhi. The grid pattern of streets in the old town might have something to do with this feel, and it could also be that the streets are simply wider and there is more off-street parking available.

The buildings in and around the palace are beautiful and well preserved. All the streets are residential over retail, and there are arcades over the sidewalks in front of the shops that both shade the shoppers and support a 2nd story terrace that runs the length of the roads and serve as a urban front yard for the residents of the homes on the upper stories.

We saw beautiful, clean, and well maintained chandeliers in the palace. Its too bad that the handicraft trade is so important to the local culture, because while they help preserve traditions and are beautiful, the trade may distract the entrepreneurs, and draws resources away from, from other trades or educational opportunities that would also help preserve and promote Rajasthan culture. The lunch was fabulous - it was a restaurant with a long history in Jaipur, it all-veg, they had one great room with rows of tables that felt like a German beer-garden, and they had great treats for sale next to the cashier.