We visited jaipur on the 10th of december 2005. We took a volvo bus which leaves bikaner house in delhi every hour and the rates are an affordable Rupees 400 . The journey was extremely comfortable with a quite air con as compared to the noisy TATA buses . The return was by the shatabdi express which unfortunately does not offer the same view of the country side as a bus journey does. We had booked in advance at the RTDC run, Hotel Teej. The service wasn’t as expected but we were able to reserve a seat for a full day tour of rajasthan which was again an affordable Rs.150 . To our surprise we were accomodated in a hired sumo( jeep) with 4 more friendly people from different states. The Tour covered all the places to visit in jaipur . The best part was a visit to all three forts nahargarh, jaigarh and amber forts. we also saw the lake palace and city palace and its museum.the world famous jantar mantar observatory and laxminarayan temple run by the birlas. The guide was friendly and did not show any prejudices. He was accomodating he let us explore when required. The last place we stoped was at the shopping place suposed to be run by rajasthan tourism but when I compared prices with the rajasthali showroom next day it turned out to cheaper.Like the famous jaipur blanket, It is one product which needs to be used to believe its warmth. The other sore point was the place where we stopped for lunch. prices were marked up to accomodate commissions and the food was very spicy. The next day we shifted to a private hotel in Bunny park near the railway station. There are many hotels to choose from . the price range being 500 to 1000 in peak season.we chose hotel kartikeya , a mid range hotel for Rs.550. it had all the amenities . Food quality was horrible so we chose to eat in the nearby ’chit chat’. It is frequented by overseas travellers . The next day we decided to venture out ourselves again in an affordable maruti van for Rs.300. We again went to the shopping area which was deserted being a sunday so we decided to visit Rajasthali showroom isnstead and picked up small wooden miniatures , textiles and jootis. We also went to the shopping area on amber road where we picked up rewari and gajak from laxmi gajak( sweet) house. There were some shops open near hawa mahal too which offered traditional lehnga and jackets. The sore point of our visit was the museum of indology run privately by MR. Sharma , The artifacts weren’t labelled so had a tough time to figure out with the cluttered stuff kept in a private claustrophobic home. Its private and run only for commercial gains. Its a one man collection with things collected from here and there. Also please avoid guides who start their rhetoric and then expect bakhshish.Avoid video camera as the entry fee is high in each place.Overall the fee is about Rs.25 for each entry which I think is high for an indian tourist . I didnt understand the logic behind the charges being five times higher for foreign tourists??? Isn’t this discrimination?How would you feel if dineyland charged five times higher? I would like to recommend jaipur to anyone needing an escape from our crowded cities . The forts offer relaxation and splendid views of the country as well as the city below. You also get a sense of thoroughness in their construction. Go there to experience what chivalery and palaces meant to these rulers man singh , jaisingh and others who followed them. Go there to discover modern existing with tradition. Go there to shop for traditional stuff.Go there to see, experience and absorb a truly great culture of India. There is a program of dance , music with food in choki dhani , some miles away . The charges are Rs.200 and it starts late eve. Good luck to you.