What to visit in Jaipur, India?
Capital of the Rajasthan state, Jaipur is the city where I went to stop as a desire of the destiny, with all the gratitude! I’m suspect to tell how much I love this city, I feel even to be a Jaipuree! In my opinion, it’s the most authentic of all the main Indian cities.
In the perception of many Indians, Jaipur is a small to medium city, it doesn’t look like a metropolitan city or a capital. Thus, it transmits an unique atmosphere that only who have already been there know what I mean. It’s a very Indian atmosphere: vibrant, colorful, intense, smells, extreme social inequalities. Below, I write a list of some places that resume this atmosphere of Jaipur.
Pink city: historical place, it’s literally the old part of Jaipur. Surrounded by pink walls and gates, it’s the best place to experience what the Pink City has to offer: crazy and chaotic traffic, vibrating colors, crowds, cows, monkeys, elephants, camels, shops and bazars; but, be careful if you buy there…The prices are for tourists, you don’t see too many Indians buying there, you know? Many sellers cheat foreigners and practice all kinds of scams!
Monkey Temple: located uphill, it permits to visualize Jaipur from above. Carried out with cows and monkeys along all its space, it’s one of those places where you feel that sensation “I’m in India!”. Animals, crowds, religiosity, a beautiful lake and temples remark this local.
Amber Fort: it’s the most touristic place of Jaipur. It’s worth at least a whole afternoon of visit. Another place where it’s possible to visualize Jaipur from above! The fort includes a huge palace exposing monuments and artifacts that symbolize the history of the city.
Water Palace: next to Pink City, this palace is located in the middle of a lake and is noted by its loftiness. It was the palace where a local king used to enjoy the time with his wife. Nothing bad, right? Lucky couple!
Raj Mandir: it’s the most traditional movie of Jaipur, one of my favorite places in the city! It’s pointed out as the biggest movie in Asia. Inside, it make us feel being in the Raj times! And as Indians are crazy for movies, especially Bollywood, it’s a great opportunity to be in touch with one of the main aspects of local culture. In the most expected movies of the year, the line to get into the movie usually takes some laps around the cinema.
Indian Coffee House: this is one of the places that distinguish those who know the city from the tourists. Frequented by locals and foreigners, this café in an Indian style have been a meeting point for intellectuals, writers, journalists and foreigners who live there. Good place to visit, good prices, retro style, really worth to visit!
Diwali: known as festival of the lights, Diwali is religious festivity. The dates vary according to the hindu calendar. The celebration of Diwali in Jaipur is one of the most renowned in India. I was really lucky to see how amazing it is!
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