Adventures in the Pink City: Our Indian-Style Vacation

Last week our team had the opportunity to take a break from the work we have been doing this summer and explore the city of Jaipur. Our journey began early (like really early) on Wednesday morning at the train station at 5:30 a.m.

We were surprised by what we found there. Let’s just say our train didn't quite compare to the trains in America. This fact, coupled with the fact that Anna Grace could not come because she was sick, made us kind of sad.

But we decided to make the best of it and the next 11 HOURS flew by. (That’s right! We got to experience the wonders of Indian public transportation for most of Wednesday. You can be jealous.)

Needless to say, we were thrilled to arrive in the Pink City, a common nickname for Jaipur. We rode in rickshaws to our hotel and Justin was once again linked to Justin Bieber by one of the drivers. (Ask Justin to sing you a Bieber song when he gets back home. He would love that.) We spent that night resting in our wonderful hotel and making a plan to see the sights on Thursday. This is where we stayed. (Okay, not really.)

We made an early start Thursday morning and were so excited to start touring the city. Ten minutes later, the car that we rented broke down, (Oh, India!) but luckily our driver was able to fix it without too much trouble. We eventually made it to Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory that was built in the 1700s. Among other things, we saw the world’s largest sundial, standing 27 meters tall.

After that, we visited Gatore Ki Chhatriyan, a hidden gem of Jaipur. It was used as a royal crematorium. This site was surprisingly unknown by most tourists but was absolutely incredible.

We loved it so much we took a lot of pictures.

Next stop was the Amber Fort. It was built in 1592 on top of a high hill overlooking a lake. Another beautiful site.

 By the afternoon, we were worn out and hungry. Our solution? We had a super classy lunch complete with swirly straws.

Our last stop of the day was Nahargarh Fort. It is located on a mountain and we had to ride on a one lane road to reach the top. It was touch and go for a while, but we made it just in time to see one of the most amazing views of our whole trip.

There was a perfect view of Jaipur spanning as far as we could see on every side. As I looked down on this city, I could feel the burden the Father has for His people here. These lyrics came to mind: You're the Light in this darkness/You're the Hope to the hopeless/You're the Peace to the restless… For greater things have yet to come/And greater things are still to be done in this City.

Then we headed back to the hotel to recover from our busy day and to prepare for our journey home the following evening. The next day we did some shopping in the markets which is always a special experience. (Even cows need to shop for souvenirs.)

We were sad to leave the hotel later that night but were thankful for the short time we spent in the Pink City. It was a great taste of true Indian culture and a unifying experience for our time. What could be icing on the cake of a great few days? The night train, complete with summer camp style bunk beds. 

How can you be pr@ying for us? 

• Please pr@y for our team member as she continues to discern God’s call for her after our trip. She is looking to stay in India to do more work after we leave. 
• Pr@y for the health and energy of our team. We currently are all in good health (a very rare occurrence since we have arrived), so pr@y that this continues.
• Pr@y for the people that we are seeing regularly and for the people we may meet in the coming weeks. 
• Pr@y that we would finish the summer well for His glory.

Before I go, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…
Justin with a snake charmer.

Jill Collins