Fit for kings

 Today we went to the Pink City to visit the Royal Palace. We spent a bit of money to get a tour guide who took us into the palace grounds. There, we saw one of the outdoor meeting rooms for dignitaries, decorated in the traditional terracotta which is more widely seen as the “pink” of the Pink City. Then, we walked into the dancing square where the very famous peacock gate is. Turns out, there are four gates, each decorated for a season - the peacock representing spring.

We took an elevator up to the rooftop where the ruby stones and gold plated room is, where the king hosts prayers once a year for his family and we could sit where he sits while the staff took instagram professional photos one after another. And then like 15 pics more for good luck. I feel like they’ve done this before. We saw the famous blue room, and also a silver plated room fit for winter as it keeps warmer than the rest of the palace. The silver glitters and it is said the queen of the time liked starlight, but then the tour guide pondered why she wouldn’t have just slept under the stars so maybe it’s just a story.

Each room was adorned with delicate flourishes in its architecture and painted with beautiful colours. At the end of the tour we were invited to sit with a royal artist, one of three brothers that share the space, each painting traditional designs with just a single hair on a brush (the other hairs supporting the painting hair). They take about 2 weeks to make, and a mistake puts that painting straight in the bin. We bought two of small pieces painted on book pages for our new house and the artist signed them for us. His sons are also going into the painting biz. We then had a coffee and sandwich with our guide who was a lovely guy and gave us good recommendations to check out.

We then took a long walk to Bapu Bazaar down the streets of the pink city. We passed cows and dogs, endless alleyways with people going about their business of the day. The market stalls are hectic and the salesmen are pushy trying to get you in. We did buy some souvenirs, but to be honest, when they hassle you one after another it’s all a bit overwhelming. My dad instinct kicked in, and I could see the concern on Ethan’s face as street hawkers tried to get him to hold toys that were dirty just to get a few dollars. We did give some local kids some cash, as how can you not when they clearly need it. We took an Uber home and into the pool. What a contrast of wealth and status. It’s irksome at times, but what can we do? We explain to Ethan why some people we can help and others we can’t.

We had a rest and then got an Uber to Bar Palladio for an early drink and dinner. Our mistake other nights had been assuming Ethan can stay up till 8 or 9, but he’s still on Sydney-ish time, so we arrived at 4:30 and left by 6:30. The cuisine is Italian, so we had gnocchi, pasta and pizza with a few cocktails and it was all delicious. It came highly recommended by most locals, and we could see why as the decor was reminiscent of the blue room in the palace - gorgeously style in blue theme from room to room. We sat outside as the sun set and heard more fire crackers for divali in the hum of the city traffic. It was a perfect day.