If you have a common perception that India is dirty, filthy and…”feh…don’t want to go there,” prepare yourself for the magnificence inside the Amber Fort, once you’ve been helped off your elephant or out of the car. India is full of scenes, sites and surprises but never more so than in Rajastahan, the ultimate first visit to India. The interior palace is stunning with huge courtyards, temples and various residence areas. The Kali Temple, also known as Shila Devi Temple, is renowned for the huge silver lions and silver doors. Maharajahs were known for overindulgence, nothing but the best and obviously, there was no such thing as too ostentatious.

The strong walls surrounding Amber Fort guaranteed protection against invasion while the royal family lived in luxury inside. Both Hindu and Muslim ornamentation influenced the decor in the Amber Fort/Palace with intricate carvings on the walls and ceilings throughout. Mosaics, hand paintings, marble columns, sculptures, and great doors.

You’ll probably visit Diwan-I-Aam pavilion with a double row of columns, The Hall of Victory (Jai Mandir) with its mirror work ceiling, The Hall of Public Audiences, and definitely the Sheesh Mahal, known as the Hall of Mirrors. Teeny, tiny mirrors inlaid into the walls and ceilings that will blow you away. Our guide said that a single candle would shed enough light because of the completely mirrored surfaces.

The original City of Jaipur had a strict geometric layout inside the massive walls, unusual for that time, and the gates would be closed at sunset. Jaipur now sprawls in all directions with a population of over 5 million residents. Do you know why Jaipur is known as the “Pink City”? Because the Prince of Wales visited in 1853 and the entire city was painted pink to greet him.

The majority of tourists to India visit Jaipur, Delhi and Agra, part of what is called the Indian “Golden Triangle.” All three of these destinations have good air, road and train connections. The first time I heard tourists talking about the “Golden Triangle,” I thought they were referring to Thailand, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam, the infamous opium-producing area. Now you now, as do I, there are two “Golden Triangles’ in tourist language.

Our all too brief visit to Jaipur over, it was time to load up the little Ambassador and head to Mandawa…