Jaipur is placed around 10Km from Amber, and is the present city capital of the state of Rajasthan. It's a bussy city with more than 5 million inhabitants, and its design follows a very modern concept, with strait streets drawing square districts. The City Palace and the Palace of Winds are their main tourist features.

The Eastern Rajasthan is a good example of what actually is the modern India, a mix of two kinds of populations that differ in religious belevings. Hindu and Muslim cultures mix almost perfectly in this region, with a harmony that fights to overcome the historical confrontation between both communities. Unfortunately, such a conflict could be worsening at present, just after the sad incidents that spread terror in the city of Mumbay. Mix of both minds is seen in special at Amber fort, which we saw as a Muslim body enveloping a Hindu soul. From an aesthetic point of view, such a mix is exotic and beautiful, sometimes unbelevably luxurius, but always harmonious and elegant.

A complement of the trip was the placed choosen to stay for the three nights that we dedicated to the area. We always prefer a comfotable lodging in the countryside better than hotels in the centre of cities, so we accepted the proposal of Enchanting India to stay at Samode, 50 Km from Jaipur. The hotel's name was Samode Palace. As you can see in the pictures, it's a beautiful palace from the XIXth century emplaced in a gorge and defended by ancient walls. What surrounds the palace is a small hamlet inhabited by people dedicated to agriculture. The combination of the luxury palace and the wonderful hamlet is what we qualified as the perfect place to stay. But another lodge called The Bagh was waiting for us at Barathpur, and was even more pleasant. Pictures of The Bagh, Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary, Fatehpur and the beauties of Agra are coming soon.