Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

A pleasant stroll through the Jantar Mantar Astronomical/Astrological Park in Jaipur proved to be a curious exploration into a world where the planets and architecture collide. Unable to climb the Samrat Yantra, one of the largest sundials in the world, my friends and I made better use of the complex because we had to be creative with what was accessible. Just before we left, a call to prayer had begun from a nearby minaret, and as we exited the park I caught a glimpse of this swooping stair leading up to one of the observation decks. The juxtaposition of two climbs - one to prayer and one to the stars - left me with a sense of how religion and science many times call us to appreciate the same things.