Jaipur Day 2: From Palaces to Pigeons

The first stop on our 2nd day in Jaipur was to the Hawa Mahal which is also known as the Palace of Winds. Built in 1799, the Hawa Mahal is built entirely in red sandstone and is considered to be the world’s tallest building constructed without a foundation. The team had a great time exploring and peeking through some of the 953 windows. Spencer, Maeve and Tara even spotted a man on the street below that had a cobra in a basket. 









Next, the team (except Spencer who did some urban exploring outside) went on a guided tour of the City Palace of Jaipur. Originally constructed in 1729, the palace is still used as a royal residence. Our tour guide informed us that if we wish, we can find the current prince/polo player extraordinaire on Instagram. The private tour was great and a nice change from the crowds. Here we learnt about traditional pashmina scarfs and saw a demonstration of painting with fine-hair brushes. 








After and just across the street. It was time for the Jantar Mantar, which is an old observatory and UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of a collection of 19 astronomical instruments. Here we saw the world’s largest stone sundial and learnt a little more about astronomy. 





After lunch Maeve and Tara experienced what may have been the highlight of the whole trip so far, and got to feed/get close to some pigeons! By a few… we mean there must have been hundreds. Chloe unfortunately and for reasons we could never understand, did not share the same excitement regarding the pigeon experience. 


The final of our Jaipur activities was the Albert Hall Museum, which originally opened in 1887. Here we saw a variety of artifacts including paintings, musical instruments, jewelry, carpets, and sculptures. 



Next stop is the city of Agra! Where we will be celebrating Christmas together and seeing the Taj Mahal! 


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