Fatehpur Sigri, Jaipur and a Lame Ass Puppet Show

After Agra, we quickly hit Fatepur Sigri, but I hasten to add, not as quickly as we did 2nd time 'round in week four. I forget the details and I don't have my guide book handy to provide any sort of interesting insight. I think it was one of many royal residences establish and then abandoned in about the 16th century, this may, then again may not have been, due to the inability to get a consistent water supply.














It was however an example of the types of beautiful archetecture and construction that are scattered all throughout India. In some of these places, every single surface, every post, every window frame, every tower and every walk way was decorated with a pattern, picture or some sort of deeper meaning providing a depth not seen in a purely 'flat surface'.














And here's a shot of a monkey on a bike, as I've fallen behind my quota.














Next up was the Amber Fort, so called, as in comparison to the Red Fort the stone used here parted a dusky yellow or light orange/amber shade. The golden age of construction in India, there's a more classical name for this period which I forget, ran from the 13th-16th century when many key sites and monuments were built. This also coincided with a very bloody period in history as the Moghul's invaded from the north, with masscres being common.

India was a collection of distinct and independent states, hundreds of local dialects still exist, so some stood, some formed alliances and many fell. The number and the location of these massive, almost impenetrable, forts found in most states is driven by this bloody history.














The local taxi service to the Amber fort wasn't known for it's timeliness.
Pizza delivery isn't even worth discussing.














Based on my camera chronology which I'm using in an attempt to reconstruct events, we also saw a token puppet show in Jaipur. I say this because I'm sure there is a proper, living and quality tradition of story telling through puppets out there. However the perfomance was saw in the hotel garden reeked, with all the benefit of hindsight( and an absence of Kingfishers), of a shallow drive for tourist dollars.

So yeah, it sucked. If however you are running any type of cultural event in Oz and would like to book a lame-ass "traditional" puppet show 'straight outta Rajasthan' then this guy is waiting for your call. Be sure to give him some money so he can buy a beer or twelve to drink with his 'wife'...