Rajasthan, India

To say "I am positively impressed with India" would not truly express the thoughts that went through my mind these last 10 days. Our trip was, on purpose, mostly in the State of Rajasthan and oh my goodness, is it beautiful or what? I felt like I was diving into the pages of History books.. I couldn't believe that there I was, finally walking, riding elephants...

Climbing up the hill to see the Amber Fort in Jaipur

...and driving through the lands of the famous Maharajahs and Maharanis... me in India after so many decades of buying and wearing Indian dresses and costume jewelry... every now and again I'd pinch myself to make sure I was not sleeping... to make sure that it was really happening... that me, myself and I were actually breathing (and loving it) and living the atmosphere I've tried to extract from books and stories for so many years.

Sipping a cup of coffee as we experienced Amber Fort

Only in India I had the guts to play for a cobra!

Riya, my Indian Friend who double acted as a tour operator, put this trip together, chose the right places for us to visit, including rooms with a view to the Taj Mahal...,

... lunches in Palaces...,

Lunch at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur

... a stay in a semi Palace...

The Shiv Villas Hotel in Jaipur

... and another stay in a TRUE palace. Just so awesome!!

The Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur

Because honestly, we all know that India has made the religious option of giving the cow total freedom, so we all know that when traveling in India, we will bump into cows or other big animals for that matter. We also know that poverty still hangs around a bit more than our human side would like to see. So, I chose not to make this feature of India my central point, but rather, the flawless beauty of the architecture of Rajasthan as my central point of attention.

Also, a trip to Rajasthan that starts in Mumbay with 4 good friends ...

coming from different parts of the world to meet in India for a wedding, just doesn't go wrong, does it? It was fabulous meeting the three ladies, getting ready for the wedding, where I felt just like I was a Maharani. Riya made sure we all had the henna done to our hands...,

hair and make up, proper India outfits, car with driver at our disposal and all the rest that comes with a true Maharani's way of life! Thank you Riya, just perfect! Of course, I can't afford not mentioning my astonishment in seeing SO MANY diamonds and other stones, all gathered in that one spot, a banquet for 1,200 guests. Security was at its full power... dear readers, the number of carats in that party was something no mine in my good old Brazil has ever produced, LOL!! The ladies really brought it all out... fingers, necks and ears were exposed to a level waaayy beyond anything a sophisticated banquet in the West offers. Just amazing!!

On a side note here, cheers to the Indian men... when the dance floor was opened, they all came down and danced like crazy...and I thought Brazilians were good at parting, hey?

Besides my own personal desire to visit India being accomplished, this trip also meant that plans and dreams DO COME TRUE. The idea of this trip started some 4 to 5 years ago, around a scrapbooking table. For all these years we much planned and talked about a trip to India. We had no specific date in mind and when this wedding came up, the four of us cleared our diaries and voila, a plan/ dream came true. Just fab!

City Palace in Jaipur