Rajasthan Scenes

I love to take pictures of random scenes especially the unfamiliar ones. Along the streets of Rajasthan are lotsa vibrant, interesting subjects to keep photographers busy. During our travels in India I sat in front of the car so as not to miss the actions that would come our way. I made sure that my camera settings were set in place (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) and the shutter was ready to fire. Now here are the street surprises:

Camels are really tall! Some of these creatures we saw sat along the streets of Jaipur. 

Horses added to the chaos too. ;)

Colorful textiles which are sold in historical sites are quite pricy. Better look for
ones in the market. 

Uhm, wait, is that Gandhi behind the stall?

Beautiful mess.

Though majority of the areas we saw was chaotic, India never failed to sustain our curiosity. Along the corners there were movements, colors, and objects that would catch our fancy therefore we were attentive in every bend and brake. Carefulness was a must as well for pickpockets were just around and some people loved to ask for money when captured. I remember one time when we visited the first site in our 9-day tour--Amber Fort, when a milk vendor asked me for money after I took a photo of her. After the incident I never learned and still took photos of random people. Haha. 

Exploring the Astronomical Instruments at Jantar Mantar, A UNESCO World Heritage Site

        We visited Jantar Mantar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of the largest stone sundial (vrihat samrat yantra). This 290+ year-old observatory houses 14 huge, stone/marble/bronze-made astronomical instruments which function to tell the time, determine the movements of the planets and point the locations of heavenly bodies. For more information, just take a peek at this site. I don't have much time and ability to go on explaining deep astronomical facts, much more the structures labeled in Hindi terms. Oh, by the way, as I did my research, I learned that the movie titled "The Fall" was filmed here.

        It was lunchtime and the heat was unbearable, so after swiftly roaming around the site, I stayed in the grassy, shaded area near the entrance while letting my companions (JL & Tin) explore the instruments. There I got  to see chipmunks, had the opportunity to talk with strangers and enjoyed seeing people from afar. I was fascinated with different kinds of locals I met. One was a student who wore a bright orange saree whom I learned  to have come from Punjab and just got here due to a scheduled exam. Another was a couple with a small baby with golden accessories. A tourist guide-businessman who used to sell jewelries was also staying in the same area. He told me about his caste background and introduced me to his friends who were guides as well. Since the observatory also functions as a horoscope reference for some, they asked me if I believe in it and wanted me to give them answers when I said I didn't (click here if you're curious to know why). 

The tallest sundial, an instrument known to tell the time in an accuracy of two seconds,
 includes an observatory on its top. 

Unnatamsa, an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object in the sky, sat near
the entrance and the grassy area where I stayed. 

Maharajah Jai Singh started to build observatories in
different parts of the country when he was tasked to rectify the calendar.
The construction in Jaipur started in 1727.  

Krantiwritta Yantra, a tool used to measure celestial latitude and longitude.

Chipmunks freely roam around the area. 

View from afar. 

JL and Tin were able to roam around while listening to the audio guide. 

The entrance area.

I've got two shaky clips too :)


       


        Jantar Mantar's official site provided this notable fact: "Early Greek and Persian observatories contained elements that Jai Singh incorporated into his designs, but the instruments of the Jantar Mantar are more complex, or at a much greater scale than any that had come before, and in certain instances, are completely unique in design and function."

HUWA MAHAL EXPERIENCE

Hawa Mahal is one of the most visited buildings in India. Its design used to fascinate me. The more I was in awe when I went in: the symmetries and shapes in and out were just impressive and I could stay all day staring at those. We were able to reach the top of the building which provided us a view of the city. There I learned that most structures here have religious significance. When we went out of the building and had photo shoots in front of it, a drum vendor relentlessly tried to sell us his products and followed us through the pathway. 

View from one of its windows. Noises coming from the busy vehicles can be heard inside the building due to the way it was designed. The symmetrical holes provides the right ventilation for the people inside. © Rara Aguja

I only got two "decent" photos here. Others were blurred or don't have good poses/facial expressions. Anyway, what matters is that I had photos of this building. 

INDIA 2017: MY FIRST TRAFFIC VIOLATION

     Aside from experiencing Delhi Belly for a week after visiting India, we faced an incident we never thought would happen while we're there: being fined for not wearing a seatbelt. I am not used to wearing one while in the Philippines. Being seated next to the driver, it was a moment-by-moment thing that my travel companions would remind me about.

     After having visited a textile factory in Jaipur one afternoon, we were amazed with what we saw and the discounts we had that I forgot to wear it. Suddenly, a police officer approached our cab and called Abdul (our driver) to go with him to the station just located on the side of the road. Sadly, they were asking for 500 rupees as a violation fine. I didn't know how I would respond when they called me, so I asked the officers for forgiveness and pleaded that  they would let us go since we were tourists. We had no choice but to pay the penalty. Huhu.

    The notable thing was that it was my first time to experience being fined for committing a traffic violation. What made it more memorable was having experienced it outside the country. I realized that it was not a big amount though after converting it to Philippine Peso.

Textile factory in Jaipur.

Usual street scenario in India: parked vehicle, passing animals/wagons, business stalls, trashes and noises. I wonder why I have the desire to visit this place once more. There's much to discover. There's much to endure. 

Taj Mahal Countryside View

As we approached the Mehtab Bahg, I was clueless on how I would use the Taj Mahal as a background, highlighting the unseen, everyday events that occur around the renowned site. When we arrived at the gate, we were welcomed by a tourist who was grumbling about seeing nothing but the Taj itself. "There was nothing to see here, just the Taj Mahal," he uttered (non-verbatim). As we roamed around the place, I saw a group of farmers doing their thing around the field. There I found my subject. 

After gazing at the Taj from afar and taking mandatory photos, I went back to the place where the farmers were located. As I roamed around the trees on my way to my subject, I saw their horsecart and followed it until I arrived at a spot where I thought I could take the best shots. While I was capturing the scene, I was surprised to have been invited by them to sit upon the sacks of grass placed in the cart. This is more than what I had in mind!