Glam and Dazzle

I'm actually back home already, writing this on my computer which is oh-so-much-more-comfortable than on my phone, even if said computer is balanced on my leg which is propped on several cushions due to the ankle strain I managed to pack into the last day. But that's a story for another post! (tl;dr: it's all good, I made it home and nothing's broken.)

But now that I'm back everyone's obviously asking about India and want to hear what the most beautiful/amazing/memorable experience of the trip was and while that's a tough question to answer, because really the whole stay was all of the above, the one quintessentially magical and slightly bonkers experience was our dinner at the City Palace in Jaipur. We had already visited the palace during the day with all the other hundreds of tourists (read about that here) but being there at night, alone, with a palace guard escort is obviously a whole other kettle of fish. So as Oma Grete would have prompted: "Well, you arrived..."

Well, we arrived at the palace and were greeted by a host of musicians and palace guards in full livery riding horses, camels and (I kid you not) a full-size elephant. My first thought when we got off the bus was actually that they were waiting for someone else.

But no, it really was all for the white ladies in their finest attires.

Where we were promptly showered with rose petals like the princesses that we are.

Then we got to inspect the guards and their animals like a trooping of the colors. Starting with the horses and the camels and ending with Monica, the elephant, who had been bedecked in her best colors for the occasion.

Of course this is the same courtyard where just a day earlier we had stood around and gaped at all the beauty with all the other tourists so it felt extra crazy to be in this space but completely alone, save for 30 plus guards and musicians. And Monica.

But that was just the beginning...

Next we were led into the private area of the palace where the current maharaja and his family live. With flower garlands and bubbly we got to enjoy the view of their private gardens and then ascended to the higher floors for some more maharani cosplay.

Then there was dancing. Of course there was dancing! (I'll spare you the videos of us joining in because some things are best left to professionals. We had great fun though!)

And only then did we go in for the actual dinner which of course was spectacular and amazing and words will not suffice to explain just how magical it all felt.

So if you're asking about the most magical experience we had in India, this was it. Truly a night to remember.