Jon and I have been on our travels for three weeks now! Can’t believe how time has flown, and we seem to have done so much already. We thankfully managed to escape the dreaded “Delhi Belly” that everyone had warned us about, yet we seem to have both picked up something similarly nasty since we’ve arrived in Rajasthan. It’s not stopping us from going out, but we do seem to be losing weight at a rapid pace ;o)
The past two weeks have been spent touring Rajasthan, which is a state to the Western side of India. Rajasthan is known as one of the most beautiful and diverse states in India, and I’d have to agree with that. We’ve had a fantastic time and seen some great places. Here’s a quick rundown:
Jaipur
The first main town you hit (and the largest) in Rajasthan is Jaipur. It’s a town which has got both good and bad about it. There is an old and a new part, the old is based around a fort, within the fort walls are small narrow streets with loads of street venders plying their wares. The other part of Jaipur is the new “up and coming” part of town, with coffee shops, Pizza Hut, the odd bar (men only) and a busy main road that runs right through the middle of it.
We decided to stay here for three days to recharge our batteries. We headed straight for Pizza Hut upon arrival, for a bit of “proper” food ;o) After the mayhem of Delhi and Agra, it was nice just to check in a hotel, without a plan, and just spend our time relaxing, eating and sleeping!
We also visited the Raj Mandir cinema, which is the biggest in Rajasthan, and watched a Bollywood film called “Vivah” which is a love story based on two young people getting engaged and then married. Of course it was all in Hindi so at times it was hard to follow, but you kind of get the jist of it and it was a good film.
Jodhpur
We hadn’t planned on spending long in Jodhpur as from the guide book it seemed like there was just another fort and not much else to do there, so we only allowed two days there. We arrived by train late at night, and, not knowing where our hotel was, we jumped in a rickshaw and headed off. After about a 15min drive we pulled up at the hotel and paid the guy about 50rupees. It was only the morning after when we ventured out of our hotel did we realize that we were actually staying literally opposite the train station… the cheeky beggar had driven us around the block a few times just to make a bit of extra cash… typical!!!
We did go and see the fort, as it is supposed to be one of the best in India, and it was good. You can buy a little audio guide, which you listen to through a pair of headphones (as if we don’t look enough like tourists!!) which tells you some interesting facts about the fort. We also got some great pictures of Jodhpur (known as the Blue City) as it’s right up high on a hill.
The next day we went out on a village safari. Basically this means we were taken out in a jeep, into the sticks of Rajasthan, to see how the villagers live. We saw several villages with several different trades, including pottery, rug weaving, block printing, and carpet making. It was great to see how the villagers lived, we even had lunch in a traditional Rajput village house. It consisted of Dhal (lentils), chapatti and some twig like things. I was so hungry I ate the lot, but at the time I couldn’t help but think how nice a big pie and chips would be :o)
The best thing about this day was meeting all the village children. At first they are so shy and coy around you, peering round corners and waving. Yet when the jeep pulls away, they sprint as fast as they can trying to keep up, shouting BYE!!! …smiling and waving. Even though they have a meagre amount to live on out there, we didn’t see one unhappy face the whole time.
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer is called the “golden city” of Rajasthan and it’s clear why. Every building is made from golden sandstone, and it gives the city a real “Lawrence of Arabia” type feel. Like most of the other cities in Rajasthan, Jaisalmer is built around a fort, with an old and a new town. We stayed inside the fort walls, in a great little guest house which had a terrace upstairs overlooking the city. Great for having a cup of Chai tea and watching the sun set over the desert… magical!
The first day we spent wandering the streets within the old fort. It was kind of like walking around Camden Market, but just a bit bigger. There is every kind of Rajasthani ware to buy here… clothes, wool, silk, jewelry, precious stones etc. The shopkeepers are still quite persistant like in all the other places we’ve been, but it’s such a touristy place they aren’t quite as pushy, and normally after a “no thanks” they leave you alone. Having said that it’s a great place to pick up some bargains, we both bought a beautiful scarf each for about 2GBP!!
The second day was the best day so far!!! We went out into the Thar desert (about an hour away by jeep) where we embarked on a two hour camel ride over the sand dunes. This was AMAZING! I’ve never ridden a camel before, let alone been in a desert, so this was a great experience for me. Riding over sand dunes on a camel that farts every 2mins was quite hilarious!
After the camel ride our tour guide cooked us another traditional meal of curry, rice and chapatti. We ate this as the sun was going down, then sat around a camp fire under the beautiful moon and watched the stars. You know you have those moments when you know this is one time in your life that you will never have again, and you’re just humbled by the beauty of something… well this was it for me.
We had a bit of a hard time trusting tour guides after our bad experience, but this tour was one I would definitely recommend to anyone.
Udaipur
We arrived in Udaipur after a marathon 15hr train then bus session. This was the first bus ride we’d been on and OH MY GOD they seriously don’t value their lives out here. Our driver was cutting people up, overtaking on high mountain roads, speeding… my nerves were shot by the end of it but thankfully we arrived here ok!
Udaipur is a beautiful city based around a huge lake. It’s by far the most beautiful place we’ve seen so far. Everything here is so serene and tranquil. You can eat your breakfast overlooking the lake, surrounded by mountains. It could be like a small Italian lake village rather than a place in India!
There’s not a huge amount to do here apart from relax, which is fine for us. We have four nights here in a brilliant guesthouse geared towards travellers. Our room overlooks the lake, so we have a great view in the mornings.
We’ve spent our time here walking round, watching sunsets and drinking lots of tea! There’s loads other travellers staying here so we have been making friends and getting lots of tips, as it seems everyone else has traveled India about 3084671 times and we’re definitely the newbies!
So far having a great time travelling, the journeys are sometimes hard and stressful but you know at the end of each one there’s another amazing place to see :o)
