Amber Palace

After Samode we headed to Amber, this was seriously a great great day, rounding the corner and seeing this site took my breath away. I actually need to work a panoramic shot so you can see how big this place actually is but for now this one will do.



We hired a guide - Gordo - who was smaller than small, I mean pocket size, in fact he could probably have fit inside my camera back pack, he would definitely have been lighter than my pack.

Lining up is something that needs to be addressed here. In the UK people queue, and i mean they queue for anything.. even if they don't know what they are queuing for.

Well here it is completely different - here it is how much can you push in front and shove your money into the ticket box all the whilst guarding your back pack and your modesty. It also does not help being an Amazonian (see Honduras' blog).

So I am queuing for like 10 minutes, I'm almost there, at the front of the queue and I see this guy attempting to squeeze in front of me to pay for his ticket(which is almost 10% of mine), and by this stage I had been through enough. There were going to be no more hands on my pack, my backside, my thigh or brushing against my breasts, I wanted out..

I did my customary .. umm excuse me, I think I was before you .. followed by my OI buddy (with a very stern glare) 5 seconds later..
and finally I took his 100R's (2.50) FROM HIS HAND along with a big loud 'EVER HEARD OF LADIES FIRST' whilst shoving my 500R's (12.50) money to the ticket guy and yelling two please with cameras.

well you would have thought I had murdered his mother by his reaction.

I left the throng of people to find Susan, who was quietly photographing yet another amazing site and was completely unaware of all of my situation. She went into kung foo mode instantly when I informed her - just like my body guard.

So we set off with the very patient Gordo for the Palace where we shot these scenes.



This is where the queen would sit (the open window at the top)to welcome home the king.







The courtyard where you can see the winter palace on one side - I am standing on the summer palace side.



This king only had two queens. The original one was the boss (of course) however they apparently got along.

This however was the old courtyard, the old maharajah had 12 wives, one for each month of the year. oh and he also had 365 courtesan's, just because he could. Ever met any one like that?? :)

Anyway the king had to build this courtyard where the women would be separated in to separate apartments because they apparently used to fight. You can see the side of the walls of the apartments.



So each wife had an apartment which could open and they could have tea / conversations and fights (if necessary). Probably why the next king decided to only have two wives.



This is the secret passage way that the king used to use to get from room to room.



Susan in the secret passageway - with gordo in front of her.


This beautiful family followed us around for a while and we managed to get them to take pictures of us together.



This shot was actually where I was attempting the reflection of the main courtyard in Susan's glasses however it turned out to be just a good shot of Susan.



Susan at the welcoming gate.


Susan in action.. funnily enough there are no shots of me in action, or if they are they don't look half this good, so she isn't allowed to publish them.



The maharajah built this for the priests. 7 floors for 7 priests. not bad.