Rise and shine, to whom it may concern!

         Today's morning was wonderful, as always in India. We started our day by packing since we are on the way to somewhere too fun not to come! First, some eggs, toast, naan, and mango juice gave us a sweet, savory, and filling meal for the day. Right after, we met up with Deepesh, who was a little late, but that's alright. Tip: Make the most of your time. Since we waited, I took the time to work on the journal.  Deepesh informed us of the plan for the day, and we were all set. The first destination was Hawa Mahal, one of Jaipur's famous landmarks. We were supposed to touch it yesterday, but due to time constraints, we did not, unfortunately.

         When I first saw it, I was genuinely impressed by its architecture. The building was huge, salmon-colored, and built with sandstone. There were a ton of windows, which was why I was really impressed. When we entered, Deepesh explained that this is also called the Palace of Winds and was built for Muslim women so they could look down on the people below. Hawa Mahal was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh to give Muslim women a way to relax while still seeing others. There were five floors in total, with each floor having its own several designs like circle, square, or hexagon. We also guessed how many windows there were and were told there were 956, but three had been recently closed for unknown reasons. Not only that, but Hawa Mahal was also built for privacy for the Mughal empire, which represents its architectural style. We also explored some rooms, and I came across a room with a lot of colorful square windows, like yellow, orange, blue, red, etc. These rooms aren't designed for watching, but rather for 24/7 light accessibility, as these rooms will provide light even at night or during the day. After we explored Hawa Mahal, we discussed the plan for the next hour before leaving for the next destination. 

We decided to go shopping, but there was a slight problem. There was too much traffic for the bus to bring us there. After ideas, we decided on a tuks, which is a motorcycle that is connected to a carrier. If you are travelling, try different modes of transport, like a bicycle, a train, or even a tuk-tuk. Each one could fit up to four or five, depending on the size, so we went with five, four, four, and using 3 tuk. Each one costs only 100 rupees, which is approximately one U.S. dollar. Driving through the city, I was shocked to see how chill Indian people were about traffic, since some drivers were literally one inch away from me.

We arrived at one block of the market where there were mainly clothes. The only reason we were there was to look for a scarf, saree, or tunic. A scarf is popular and high-quality in Jaipur, so we wanted to look for one. We were also looking for a saree/tunic, which is a sacred tradition in Hindu culture and is widely used by tourists visiting the Taj Mahal. A saree is for women, while a tunic is for men. We came across one shop that, fortunately, sells both, so we took up the chance. At first, I did not want to buy it along with Lani and Kaelyn, but I was convinced by the design and how cool it looked. I also wanted to use one for the Taj Mahal, so I started looking for options. I wanted an orange design, but I did not mind if other options were available. After searching, some girls already found their preferred saree, but I didn't like any of the options. Tip: In India, many shops sell similar things, just in different colors and designs, so do not be afraid to leave. Antonio also got his preferred tunic, and we left. But I somehow also found an orange tunic that I loved. If you are planning to travel, Google to see if that country allows negotiating so you can get a lower price like mine. I negotiated my price from 2,200 to 1800 rupees. 

A bit later, we went back to the hotel, where we were picked up by a company called Elefantastic. The drive was about 20 mins long, but we stopped to eat at a woman's home. We ate thali yet again, which was so delicious, and ended it with rice pudding, which was also really good. We finally arrived at a big area with grassy plains. This area is Elefantastic, which is an elephant sanctuary where we can also sleep with them. We were assigned four elephants: Padma (36 years old), Masakali (24 years old), Shampa (33 years old), and Shaku (48 years old). They also explained to us that elephants love sugarcane and that their regular food is alpha alpha and dry hybrid corn stalks. They also gave us bread to eat, and we painted them purple, green, orange, yellow, pink, and blue.

The paint was made from organic colors derived from soil and water. They also explained that they had 2 males and 22 females, and that their captain or boss is called Chachal, a 59-year-old female. I asked some questions and was shocked to be informed that elephants were allergic to nothing. Elefantastic explained that we would not socialize with two males, as they are usually aggressive and harder to handle. They also told us they had two rescues. After that, we gave these elephants a bath and a walk too. They served us sodas and water throughout the tour, and we finally had access to our quarters. Our quarters were in an area with four glamping sites, and there were different animals like quail, turkeys, elephants, and a peacock. There was also a farm with papaya and shallots, and a grassy field in the middle. We all had about an hour of rest before our dinner. At 6:30 pm, we met in the middle, and the staff provided chairs, a table, etc. We got a complimentary traditional dance show, and dinner was provided. Dinner was yet another Thali, served with paneer sauce and two other sides, along with white rice and naan. We are all too full to even eat most of it. After dinner, we decided to call it a night.

                                                                                 Kind Regards, Huey