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08/03/22 - Taj Mahal

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  It has been a VERY busy couple of days. So much to do, see, experience and enjoy. Accessing wifi has been a low priority as I have been simply trying to take in all that Incredible India has to offer.  August 4 Today was espectionally warm. We made a spectacular stop at the stepwell on our way from Jaipur to Agra. It is a bit of a detour, but so very worth it. Many Bollywood films have been made here, as has a scene from one of the Batman movies. The well is fairly shallow now, and of course not maintained as a water source. However, the frogs seemed to love the algae! This particular area is known for its “homemade BMWs”. The cars are entirely wooden with an engine roaring in the front. Most had rubber tires of some sort. Definitely not a lot of tread on the rubber, good thing it’s hard to hydroplane on mud, dirt and cobblestones. I always  learn something new when I come to India. Today it was a lunch time cooking tip. Emma had an awesome vegetable sizzler. They cooked it wrapped i

08/03/22 Jumpin’ Jaipur

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  08/03/22 Jumpin’ Jaipur We were very busy today. We entered the gates of the Pink Cuty and made our first phot stop at the Palace of the Winds. Jaipur’s Maharaja insisted that the entire city be painted pink in 1868 as part of the preparations for a visit from the Prince of Wales. Within the old walled city of Jaipur the buildings continue to be pink. The Amber Fort is Jaipur is high up on the mountain. The lake at the bottom served as a water source for centuries. To reach the top of the hill visitors take either a hero or elephant to reach the top. Even the ride down by jeep still takes 5-10 minutes.  The vendors were very aggressive. To the point that one of the photographers rode all the way down the hill and back to the bus on the back of our jeep. After our visit to the Oalace of the Wind, definitely had to stop at the Palace of the Waters. we had another fabulous lunch. This time it was complete with birthday cake. We were celebrating Leslie’s birthday! We kept celebrating wit

08/02/22 Jaipur Jewels

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 August 2nd  Jaipur Jewels It was a long road trip today. Between the colourful trucks, building facades and clothing worn by farm help, the trip was anything but boring.  The road trip was long, so a couple of pit stops were involved. I am grateful to have found a fun skirt at one of the stops. Emma was grateful for some Diet Coke. Upon reaching Jaipur, Bhanu surprised us with a fantastic BBQ lunch. Skewers of veggies, paneer, chicken, fish and shrimp were served over a charcoal rotisserie at our table. There was also a main course buffet. Sooo much good food.  My favourite discovery today was a dessert called kulfi. It is a traditional “ice cream” that tasted like sweetened condensed milk. Absolutely stunning!! After lunch we had a quick walk-about. I checked out the Crocs shop. I find it interesting that “name brand items” (Crocs, Swatches, iPhones etc cost the exact same amount here. For example Crocs run around $35 at home. Here they are around 2100 rupee, which is just under $35