Elephant Rider

5/20/10
Location: Jaipur, India

List of Cool Things I’ve Done On This Trip So Far:
--paraglided off a cliff in New Zealand
--scuba dived by the Great Barrier Reef
--Rode an elephant up a hill in India

Yes, today everyone in the group got to ride the largest land animal on the planet. We traveled about 10 km outside the city to Amber Fort, where the elephants take tourists from the bottom of the fort to the main courtyard and palace on top of the hill.

Like so many other experiences on this trip, my past experience with elephants has been superficial and minor, e.g. the Shrine Circus. So, I was so excited when I saw over a dozen elephants at the fort shortly after we walked in, waiting to bring us up the steep pathways.

They were so beautiful. They are Asian elephants, so they are a little smaller than African elephants, but they still weigh about 10,000 lbs. They are a lighter gray and they also have large areas of pink speckled skin on their ears, trunks, and chests. All of the elephants that escort people up the pathways are female, because as our guide said “like every species, they are more gentle and don’t have a quick temper like the males.” They all had brilliant red, royal blue, and gold cloth draped over their backs, and on top of that was the strapped on “saddle” (iron enclosure with a pillow inside), where the people sit en route. The “drivers” sit on the elephant’s neck, right behind its head. Most of the elephants were decorated with brightly colored makeup on their faces. The guide said the elephants like to get made up, and I’m not sure whether that is true, but they looked so cute. The pastel colors on their gray skin reminded me of sidewalk chalk.

Each elephant can take two people up at a time, so I shared an elephant with Brock. Our elephant had a line of orange swirls above her eyes and whimsical flowers and stars over her ears, face, and trunk. The elephants pull up alongside a tall platform for riders to board. As Brock said, “That’s great parallel parking.” Brock and I climbed in, the bar was latched across our laps, and we were ready to go. At first, I was a little nervous and wasn’t sure I could get my camera out to take pictures because the “saddle” shifts from side to side with the elephant’s gait. However, they aren’t speedy creatures by any means, and I soon got used to the ride. Our elephant slowly ambled up the broad pathway as she swished her tail like a lightweight pendulum and flapped her ears. I didn’t realize elephants flap their ears so much and watching it reminded me a little bit of Disney’s Dumbo. A couple of times, she sprayed water or elephant saliva, I’m not sure which, and it came back toward Brock and I. I got my feet a little wet and Brock got a few drops in his mouth—yum! 

Riding elephant felt like I was royalty in an Indian procession and the views of the gardens and the fort were endless from that height. Brock and I were also reminded of another Disney film, Aladdin, and we sang a few lines from the song that goes, “Make way for Prince Ali…”! I’m not sure of the title of that song, but it’s when Aladdin is in a procession on an elephant so it seemed appropriate. The ride took about 10-15 minutes, but it went by quickly since there was so much to see. We dismounted at another platform by the main courtyard of the fort and tipped our driver.

We met our guide, Rikas, for a tour of the fort. Rikas was my favorite guide; he was so funny and very interesting. His family runs a jewelry business, for which he travels extensively, and in his free time, he gives tours. He’s given tours to some celebrities too, like Richard Gere, Rickey Martin, and the editor of Vanity Fair. Amber Fort was built by the Meenas and its name comes from Amba, the mother goddess. The palace at Amber Fort was built by Raja Man Singh, the commander-in-chief of Akbar’s army. If you remember, Akbar is the one who started the lost city in the last entry, Fatehpar Sikri. Amber Fort is unique because while it’s made of red and white sandstone and has a rugged, military look to its exterior like Agra Fort, the interior is lavishly extravagant with both Hindu and Muslim ornamentation. The palace entrance has the original paintwork and the pink, gold, turquoise, and red colors are all still very vivid. Rikas said this was because they used crushed semi-precious stones and minerals mixed with a glue substance to make their paint, so it never fades.  The palace entrance was completely covered in decorative designs: over the door alone there is a dressed-up elephant with a crown, all kinds of flowers, vines, and trees in a multitude of diamonds and triangles, There are so many small details in every image, even the smallest flower, and it made me wonder how many artists and how much time the palace entrance by itself took to complete.

The best part of Amber Fort (besides the elephant ride, of course) was the Diwan-i-Khas, or the hall of private audience. It is also referred to as Sheesh Mahal, or “Glass Palace.” Why is it called glass palace? Because the walls and ceilings are nearly completely covered in cut concave mirrors. The mirrors are cut in small pieces, most no bigger than a human eye, and are used to create hundreds of different designs with the accompaniment of gold-leaf, onyx, and colored glass and semi-precious stones. It’s like walking into a long hallway of stained glass windows, only the windows are mirrors that catch the sunlight and glimmer and twinkle as you move beside them. It’s truly dazzling. I can’t imagine that the hall of mirrors at Versailles has anything on the glass palace.

After Amber Fort, we went back to our hotel to take quick showers and gather our luggage for the bus ride to Delhi after the rest of the day’s tours. We had lunch a small Indian restaurant in Jaipur that Rikas recommended. I had “The Murg” chicken again, with some cheese naan. Cheese naan is so yummy—it’s like naan with the taste of gooey mac & cheese on the inside. I’m going to have to try to make some when I get home! After lunch, we checked out a few shops. I got a few scarves. Some of the group got scarves as well, and others got crossbody bags in bright colors with embroidered Indian images like elephants and flowers. 

Next, we got a tour of the City Palace in Jaipur, where the king and queen still reside. They don’t have any real political power, but are important figures for the city nonetheless. This palace was all pink, white, and gold. The buildings that surround the king’s residence and the middle courtyard are a pink brown with white trim and I think it looks just like a giant gingerbread house. Rikas showed us all kinds of memorabilia from Jaipur’s former royalty such as the king’s long cape and crown, a queen’s wedding dress, cricket uniforms, chess sets, sterling silver chairs, and much more. After that we explored an outdoor observatory that has huge instruments that can tell you practically anything you wanted to know: the time, the day, the season, and even the Zodiac house the sun was currently in. The observatory offered little shade though, and we were all withering from the intense Indian heat. We were all relieved to get back on the bus to head to Delhi, even though we had a very long drive ahead of us.

Today was my last day in India, and there are a lot of things I won’t miss about it. I will not miss the temperatures hovering around 115 degrees and the dry dust that burns my eyes. I will not miss having to pay every time I use the bathroom. I will not miss the traffic on their lanes optional roads. But there are more things I will miss. I will miss the little boy who approached me at the Jama mosque because I can’t forget him and he reminds me of the injustice in the world and that I need to think of others more often than I do.  I will miss their wonderful, delicious food because even though I know I can get Indian food in the States, I have a feeling it won’t be the same as it was eating it there, in un-airconditioned restaurants on plastic tables, talking and laughing with the group even though we’ve been traveling for hours. I will miss the beauty of India, both the ear-to-ear smiles I saw and the richness and grandeur of their historical places. India has left a mark on me, and I hope to return someday. I really hope to return during a month other than May, though.:)

The elephants at Amber Fort.

Aren't they gorgeous?

Brock and I on our elephant ride!

The view from the elephant.

Group photo at the palace in Amber Fort.

Me in the Sheesh Mahal, or "Glass Palace."

Me at the City Palace in Jaipur.