JAIPUR DIARY 01.
Notes from home
June is a sleepy month in Jaipur. It’s the height of summer, it’s dusty, and it’s hot. Every sensible living creature goes quiet and seeks the shade.
There’s a languid magic in this stillness, and much to delight in. On the long drive from Delhi airport back to Jaipur, I saw these fabulous Giant Cranes out of the car window. They are huge and, at 6 feet, taller than me! I didn’t get a good photo, but I found these on the BBC Wildlife website.
I check in on our little garden and my cacti as soon as I arrive home. I’m so attached to my cacti (here and in NY) that my husband set up live camera feeds on my phone so I can watch them from wherever I am.
There’s a single baby monkey playing in the mango tree at the front of our bungalow. It’s rare to see a monkey on its own outside of the troupe, so I’ll keep an eye out to see if it returns. Our late dog Rosie Pug struck up a friendship with one a while back, and it came back periodically for years.
On Wednesday, we get up before dawn to drive out to the sleepy town of Amer before the heat makes it impossible. The town is hundreds of years old and has a beautiful stepwell. We watch the town quietly come to life, and decide to drop by Samode Haveli, a palace hotel in the old walled city of Jaipur, for breakfast.
Samode Haveli is an absolute oasis of calm in the city, and my favorite hotel in Jaipur. An early pre-monsoon shower breaks the heat, and we sip coffee on the terrace listening to the thunder rumbling in the Aravalli hills around us.
Wednesday is the most popular day to visit the Ganesh-Ji temple near our house, and there is a festival feel as we sit in the temple traffic jam on the way home. There is a line of newly purchased cars waiting for a puja, or blessing, from the temple priest.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Baby geckos. After the rain, they are everywhere in the house, zipping about. Including one that has made its home underneath the bathroom door and one in the kitchen sink. Also one that stowed away in my carry-on, and is now living in an airport hotel in Delhi.
Bye for now!
Caroline x