Jaipur - Monkey gangs and palaces

Our visit to Jaipur is only short, but we take a lot with us. On our way to Amritsar, we want to spend one night and one day here. Our hostel is great, especially with one staff member we get along with really well. He takes us to the city center and gives us a private tour around the City Palace. We learn a lot about the history of the 'Pink City', the Rajputs, and the nearby fort (Tiger Fort), where tigers are still occasionally spotted today. At the end of the tour, our guide treats us to a chai. Typical Indian, in a shed that looks more like a garage, where the tea is served in small clay pots. Delicious and authentic!

Afterwards, Kai and I grab a rickshaw and head to the famous Amber Fort. The sight blows us away, we feel transported back centuries into the realm of the Mughals. Slowly, we make our way through the defensive structure and soak up the atmosphere. If we had more time, we could visit the two adjacent forts, connected by underground tunnels and also visited by tigers.

In the evening at the hostel, our new friend tells us a lot about life and especially politics in India. From a student's perspective, we haven't learned anything about it yet, and we listen attentively. For a relaxed ending, we actually want to watch our first real Bollywood film together, but a gang of monkeys prevents that for now. On the night before our arrival, they broke into the hostel and ransacked the reception. Now, the whole thing threatens to repeat itself. The monkeys are sitting on the premises in the stairwell, one meter away from us, and want to attack Kai because he stands up to them aggressively, while everyone else wisely withdraws. Eventually, we manage to drive the monkeys away and lock the doors with brooms. After this eventful day, we are very happy to have seen Jaipur, even if only briefly, and go to bed contentedly. :)