Friday, July 3, 2015

Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 4 of 4)

Phew ... the journey from Jaisalmer to Udaipur(our last destination) is nearly 12+ hours.

We broke the journey at Ranakpur for an hour. Ranakpur we saw the Arathi at around 6 pm. It was beautiful. Inside the temple, they still dont use electric lights (Jain temple and they feel it attracts insects) (Another thing that I did not understand was that they did something like an auction at the Arathi for the sponsorship - this explains why people from this area are so good at Business! - even the temple rituals are to the highest bidder!)


Udaipur was very scenic because of the lake. The Lake palace is organically built over the centuries by various kings and hence one can see different styles in the same building. The tickets were expensive for entry and photography


We stayed in a hotel called Rampratap. Its a small joint but a unique expeirence. Rooms are clean, service is good and best of all - he has one of the best lookouts to the lake, I dont think many of the other well known hotels can even match this property.





We drove to Ahmedabad and flew back to Chennai. (Udaipur is poorly connected and very expensive tickets to even Mumbai or Delhi)

It was one loooong vacation, but worth every bit of road travel Rajasthan roads were good. The much talked off Delhi Ahmedabad highway was a let down though as there was lots of road work and poor roads, very slow traffic at places.




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Friday, June 26, 2015

Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 3 of 4)

Jaisalmer on the extreme edge was one of the fun places we went to. The hotel we stayed was also great - Fort Rajwada.

The main fort area was good - glad we went in December - I cant imagine how it would be in Summer.

The fortress has a full fledged bustling town inside.




 The hotel arranges a evening desert camp/safari where you can ride a camel or para glide. This includes a dinner with a camp fire and rajasthani folk dances

Jaisalmer, was once part of the silk route and hence, this was home to several wealthy merchants. Each of them had beautiful ornate homes built in the city. Each multi storey building is worth visiting - These are called the Havelis.





The roads from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer is quite good - but it is mostly through the desert, hence not much to see or stopover.



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Friday, June 19, 2015

Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 2 of 4)

Jodhpur is en-route to Jaisalmer - When travelling Jaipur to Jaisalmer, just to break the journey stop at Jodhpur :-) . (Jaipur to Jodhpur is probably about 5~6 hrs)
At least thats my take on the city, in comparison to Jaipur and Jaisalmer.

Most tourists land up at the new palace - Umaid Bhavan - constructed as late as the 40s and is partially a hotel. The kulfi is good but does not stand up to the architecture or the history of the old fort - Mehrangarh fort.

Umaid Bhavan (Dont miss the Kulfi in the stall inside :-))



Mehrangarh Fort Please dont miss the old fort and palace (if you are short of time to head to Jaisalmer - see just the old fort)





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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Rajasthan round up: Vacation in 10 days (Part 1 of 4)

A post after a real long time. Had a great vacation in Rajasthan. For anyone wanting to travel, December is a great time to travel in Rajasthan (a little cold brrrrr.....) but its better than going in summer

A typical route could be Chennai-Jaipur (Stay 2 nights) - Jodhpur (1 day) - Jaisalmer (2 nights) - Ranakpur (1 night) - Udaipur(2 nights) - return from Ahmedabad to Chennai

I shall cover it in 4 posts - Jaipur (Part 1) - Jodhpur (Part 2) - Jaisalmer (Part 3) - Udaipur (Part 4)

Jaipur

We went to Albert Hall, Birla temple, on the way to City palace. In city palace, take the regular ticket (the 2.5K ticket may not be required unless you are an enthusiast). A guide can help and can charge anyway upwards of Rs. 400

Birla Temple - Our start for the vacation


 
Albert Hall - The pigeons are fun - they are trained to fly in unison and return - we saw this from outside only













City palace




Amber fort




Please feel free to contact me if you need any tips or clarifications and are planning your trip




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