This is the Amber Fort which was begun in 1592 by Maharaja Man Singh.  It has walls that ramble all over the hills which surround it and is very formidable.  We got to ride elephants up the hill to get to it.  One of our number, Stephanie, was a little scared to get on the elephant because she is afraid of heights.  The reason we all had a good laugh over this is because she is a flight instructor!  She’s the one on the left below.  Ashley is another of our traveling companions.

 

The interiors of the fort are as incredible as the outside.  And for Betsy, the ceilings are just exceptional!

Jai Singh, a descendant of the guy who built the fort was very interested in time and astrology.  In 1728  he built this, the largest sun dial in the world.  It is accurate to 2 seconds.  The grounds of the site also house many other astrological features that he used to study the skies.  Below is device by which he could track the signs of the zodiac.

We went to a co-op which makes all sorts of handicrafts.  We watched a rug being made and we all had fun shopping for carpets, clothing, and other trinkets.

 

This is the Jaipur City Palace Museum.  It is full of textiles, weapons, the reception rooms of the Maharaja and other things detailing life in the long ago.

 

Here is the famous Palace of the Winds, which is just a facade used by Indian woman to watch the street scenes below.  They would hide behind the screen-like Windows to watch parades of departing or returning warriors and other pageants.

From Jaipur we travel to Ranthambhore National Park to see tigers, hopefully!