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We just got home so it has been another very long day but a wonderful time was had by all! We left early to take an elephant ride. There is a Hindu celebration taking place in Jaipur over the next several days so the city is bustling. Although we were early we still had to wait in line for quite awhile but it was a great fun. Elephants rock and roll! We then explored the Amber Fort. We were driven up the hill in a caravan of jeeps. This is a most interesting 15 century fort. We then went to a gem cutting and polishing center and saw a demonstration of these skills. Star sapphire, blue sapphire, emeralds, onyx, and amethysts are just some of the stones mined in India. Some of us took advantage of our chance to buy right at the source. By this time it was time for another lunch at a nice Indian restaurant. We're enjoying trying new dishes from the state of Rajasthan. After lunch we went to a textile factory to see the process of hand stamping cotton fabrics by hand. Jaipur is known for these beautiful fabrics. Four of the men were fitted for turbans that were in the local tribal style while we were there. David ended up looking just like a Sikh. Our guide thought this was a great joke. In fact, we all had a good chuckle. We went back to the hotel for a few hours of free time. David and I had a refreshing swim and then got ready for a trip to a city palace of a Rajput. 19 of us were guests for a homemade Indian dinner. Very good! We even liked the goat. Getting there was the most amazing part though. The bus got stuck in a huge traffic jam and in order to get to the site we had to cross a street in the middle of a procession of floats and bands. We all made it in one piece which was no small feat. Now off to bed. Wakeup is at 6 for a yoga session... you could kill yourself having fun. Namaste!
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