In the morning, we went to Amber, stopping enroute for a few moments at Jal Mahal (Water Palace) and the recently restored Kanak Vrindavan temple with its manicured gardens.

At Amber fort-palace, we hired an elephant to take us up to the sprawling fort-palace complex. The main attractions are the Sukh Mandir (Temple of Contentment – an aptly named pleasure chamber, cooled by a stunning water cascade) and the Sheesh Mahal (Mirror palace).

We were closed into a tiny room with mirrors all over the ceiling. In the pitch dark, an attendant lit up two candles and holding them, waved his arms slowly over his head. In a typical guides’s tone (Don’t blame the guy – he must be repeating the same thing hundreds of times a day!), he said – "Thish is the winter bedroom of the rajah. Shince it was too cold to sleep in outshide, he made thish bedroom with tiny mirrors on the ceiling. If you look up onto the ceiling, you will find the same effect that the oil lamps beshides his bed made. Tinkle, tinkle, little ishtar…" And it really was a marvellous sight - twinkling stars on a clear night!!

On the way back to the city, we took a look at the intricately carved Jagat Shiromani Temple. For lunch, we hopped over to Niros (Web Link) - one of the most popular restaurants on the bustling M.I.Road.