Day 573 - A pink power-walk

For the first time in a number of days we woke up refreshed because our hotel is tucked away down some alleyways away from the constant honking and revving of the Indian traffic! By the time we made it out and about it was much closer to lunch time than brunch time, and with no muesli in site we settled for some papaya and a massive creamy lassi served out of the clay cups we love so much!

We entered the old town and set out for a day of exploration. We zig zagged down alleyways and peaked into marble workshops where workers chiselled in a cloud of white dust. As we made our way through town, we zipped into a few unmarked places and found these to be the treats of the day. The first one was a rocky pyramid-shaped Hindu temple raised above the streets. From here we got great views over the pink city and the chaos that reigned below. We finally made it to the major sight for the day: the City Palace where the Maharajas (previous and current) of Rajasthan live. Here we were transformed into classic tourists, as with our ticket came a free audio guide to the palace. Thus we walked around with our funky headsets on listening to a man telling us this and that about the palace, while visually absorbing textiles, art, weaponry, and architecture. The Durbar Hall was a highlight, with murals on the ceiling painted in elaborate colours and real glistening gold.

We then found ourselves in another unmarked spot, where we had total solitude amongst the marble floors and pillars, as light bathed the walls of this special find. Over the months we've been travelling, we've developed a sense for exploration beyond the main tourist traps, even if the traps are amazing too.
Finally we entered the Hawa Mahal, a huge temple dedicated to Krishna, modelled to look like the a crown. Here we slowly climbed level by level to get great views over the city, and spent a while watching a family of monkeys play together - the kids doing leap frogs over mum and dad, and playing a game that looked to us like tag!
Our eyes almost exhausted from the day we blitzed through the market lined streets and at 4pm, finally got some real food to fed our weary bodies.

We celebrated another New Year's Eve on the road in true Grandma and Grandpa fashion having a quiet meal at our favourite restaurant, chilling in front of the tube (we hardly ever get a tv in our room), and watching fireworks from our balcony with a few other travellers. This is the first sober new years Adam has had for as long as he can remember - is that a health breakthrough or what ... ?

Quietly adlibing in the new year!