Hello from Jaipur

Jaipur is magical, it's a bit like being in an Indian Alice in Wonderland. It is  a city rooted in history with ancient forts defining the city's skyline. It is difficult to comprehend half of what you see. So many people, young and old of all nationalities, elephants, camels, cows, dogs, cars, bikes, motorbikes, carts, battered old buses full of tired ,weary looking workers squashed together like a can of sardines, and ornate lorries painted blue, yellow and red, sporting tinsel and tassels.

I have been lucky to find a wonderful place to stay, with a family in their home. The lady of the house is the most wonderful cook and creates the most exotic dishes. This evening I had a  South Indian feast of coconut chutney, sambhar, idli and dosa. Sambhar is lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions and fragrant spices. Yummy! Idli is a bit like white hard polenta and is ground rice and daal left to ferment and then formed into spaceship shapes and steamed. Dosa is a very thin crispy pancake stuffed with potato masala. After a hard days shopping this was very acceptable!

Jaipur is famous for its silverware, it's precious and semi precious stones and is the nerve centre of blue pottery. On the outskirts are the towns regarded as the centre of textile block printing. You cannot fail but to be captivated by the charm of this wonderful place, it's rich history, it's colourful culture and the grandeur of the royal palaces and forts.