Solo Trip, why? Well, I am an avid traveler by choice. My parents don’t like to travel and hence I don’t have much travel stories from childhood. Neither is my sister fond of travelling and exploring as much as I do. Making travel plans with friends does happen but does not necessarily fructify at the right time. Few ditch. Few friends do come along but that is becoming a rarity these days. Or maybe I am not fortunate enough. And being bitten by the travel bug, I just can’t restrict my instincts to travel, explore and enjoy experiences even if it means solo. For me, life is all about living it up come what may. Being a solo Indian female backpacker/traveler is a bit uncommon, though it is gradually picking up. And yes, somebody did inspire me to go ahead and go solo. That’s my friend, Anumeha. Now, why did I choose Rajasthan for a solo trip? Well, my probation period of 6 months was about to complete. And I would be finally eligible to take leaves. So, I decided to do a trip. But then, at the same time, my friend and ex-colleague, Mohit was getting married in Jodhpur. And so I decided to explore Rajasthan, it being the month of November and winter would have comfortably set in the desert. As usual, I asked few friends who would be interested in tripping along but there were no hits. So, I went ahead and booked my return tickets. And, thus, it became a solo sojourn :).
Well, I am a planner by nature. But this time, the
enthusiasm had drooped to extremely low levels, don’t know why. And perhaps, I
wanted to just go with the flow and explore the city around. So, I had just
booked my onward and return tickets for the trip without even having asked boss
about leaves :P (I did ask for it though when it was about time!). So, this was a brief background of my
travel plan. Well, I have a habit of talking about actual things by first
describing the context that led to the situation. So, you’ll have to bear with
it. However, there was a little bit of planning involved too. I had managed to
do few hotel bookings and inter-city bus travel (Not that lazy also :P). And when the dates came closer, the
demonetization happened. Oh, what an unexpected event! What a mess it could
create for travelers and tourists specifically. I had to queue up at ATM’s to
collect as much cash as possible. I had not disclosed to my family folks that I
am travelling alone. But yeah, you must inform your folks. I did too but with a
bit of manipulation.
Day 1: It
was a Saturday. I boarded the 5.40 am flight to Jaipur. I landed at Jaipur at around 7.30 am
and then Uber’ed to Kumbha Marg. Jaipur is Anumeha’s home. So she had offered
me to stay at her house in Jaipur where her family lived. That was so sweet of
her. She messaged me her address and told me that her house is close to
airport. I happily chose to stay at her home. I had never met her parents. I
was so sleepy that I entered the wrong plot number in the Uber destination
address and then there was fun :). We went around searching the house. Then, I
called up Anumeha’s father and finally reached her house after lot of goofing
up. I was welcomed warmly by uncle offering me chai, poha, bread butter toast,
pyaaz kachori and dalia :)..And there, I had my encounter with the first pet in
the trip, a big Labrador named ”Toffee”. She came up all over me and I gladly
allowed so. But she didn’t get wary of me and continued to drool around me.
After an hour or so of chit-chat with uncle, I headed off to the city which was
quite far. I took the city bus and got down at the Ajmeri Gate. All the while,
I kept asking co-passengers to let me know when Ajmeri stop comes by. Everybody
was quite helpful. The bus was not that great, decent enough. I alighted at the
Ajmeri Gate and took a rickshaw to the City Palace. The city palace was quite
splendid.
It was around 2.30 pm. Then, I walked towards the
place where I could find a bus to Amer Fort. On the way, an auto-rickshaw guy
came upto me and convinced me to make a tour of the three forts. I then went
ahead with this rickshaw and started chatting with this fellow who rode upto
Nahargarh Fort. It was an exquisite view of the Pink City from the top of the
Fort and probably the highest point of Jaipur. Public transport buses don’t ply
upto this fort however, the tourist ones and private vehicles do. This is one
of the best places in Jaipur to enjoy sunset. You can have a spectacular view
of the city from the restaurant. I then moved to the step well on the way back.
The step wells are famous because of the “falling in the water” stunt scene of
Aamir from Rang De Basanti movie. This was highlighted by my
rickshaw turned guide :). And then as we drove down towards the Amer Fort, the
aerial view of Jal Mahal was amazing. Due to lack of time, I asked the guy to
head towards Amer instead of Jaigarh Fort. As I reached Amer, I was surrounded
by guides and I did take up one and he did a good job explaining the
intricacies and history and clicking my photos :). He also showed me around
Mirabai’s temple and then led me to a handicraft shop. Yes, I tried best to
avoid buying but then ended up buying a necklace in Minakari art. Then, I
headed towards the city stopping by at the Jal Mahal and catching a view of the
lighted up water palace. The Jal Mahal is 5 storeyed palace in the lake
with waters upto the 3rd level. There was no way to get into
the palace. The guide then took me around few other places by the road and I
enjoyed the night view of all decked-up and multi-color tinted Hawa Mahal and
Alber Hall museum. The rickshaw then dropped me at Ajmeri bus stop and assured
me that I will get a bus to Kumbha Marg. It was around 6.30 pm. I got the right
bus after some time and then boarded the bus to Anumeha’s place. It took around
one and a half hours to get back home. It was a bit marooned area at that hour.
So, I decided to get back early the next day. As I reached home, I met
Anumeha’s mom. She was busy making dinner. I was completely exhausted. I had a sumptuous
dinner and then went to sleep.
I
had booked a cycle tour for exploring the city next morning. It was to commence
at 6.45 am from Badi Chaupad, almost the other end of the city. Now, I had
double thoughts on whether to go for this or not. That meant getting up at 5.30
am, calling a cab and leaving at 6.00 am.(At one point, I thought I should not go, but then, I thought it’s
okay, let me go for it). Now, this is a cycling tour named Pink
Inside Cycle Tour with Cylin Jaipur, a company started up by two French ladies.
Day 2: Jaipur
I Uber’ed to the starting point and then met with my
fellow cyclers. One was a British lady from London, 44 years old. And the other
one was a French lady around 50 years old. The trip organizer was Eleanor and
there was a local guide too who was a native of Rajasthan. We got warming up
and started with our bikes wearing the helmet. Eleanor informed us about the 12
km circuit and major halt points. . We
moved through lanes and bylanes of the city crossing the fruit and vegetable
market, bazaars and halted at many points, devouring the history of the place.
Infact, Eleanor guided us up to a café infront of Hawa Mahal to get a closer
view and a far better picture against the palace. We had mouth watering lassi,
hot chai and kachoris on our way. Then, a reporter from DNA, Niharika, was
covering us for her newspaper. Eleanor pointed out herein that Indians
generally like to move around in SUV’s and don’t come out for bicycle or
walking tours. She exclaimed that I was her second guest from Mumbai in the last
2 years . Niharika
also wanted to understand what made me come for a solo trip being an Indian
female. After the gyaan session, we cycled through other major points and then
went ahead to have an authentic Rajathani cuisine called “Dal Baati Churma” at
a haveli of a lower middle class family. We were welcomed there by Srishti, a
Dachshund dog. All of us really enjoyed having it served hot and with a lot of
chit-chat over various cities and spicy Indian food. Post this, we also stopped
at an ancient Shiva temple for worship after which we went to the marble
carver’s district and checked out the craftsmanship. . Our cycle trip soon ended at the
starting point and we relaxed with a cup of coffee. And then I got some tips on
the food joints, bars and shopping areas.
Later,
I went to the Jantar Mantar and tried to understand the scientific way of
measuring time. And then, I moved to places of shopping, taking tips from
Anumeha on what and where to buy. I strolled to Badi Chaupad again where I
bought some stuff at National Handloom . After that, I went to LMB and had pyaaz
ki kachori and rabdi ghewar. . After a bit of street shopping there for skirts and shoes and
bargaining around, I left for Niro’s. Just before I reached Niro’s, I came
across Raj Mandir Cinema, a famous landmark. Niro’s is a must for
non-vegetarians. So I relished chicken there. But before that, I noticed the
famous Lassiwala just in front of Niro’s. And I had the Lassi of my life :). It
closes by 4 pm. And then, after satisfying my foodie instincts, I took a manual
rickshaw towards Birla Mandir. This was around 5 pm. I came across the Statue
Circle and the posh parts of the city. Birla Mandir is worth a visit. I watched
the sunset from there and then walked towards the Bar Palladio which the
foreigners boasted to be one of the world’s most beautiful bars. So, I thought
I must not miss it but at the same time I had to reach home early today. Bar
Palladio is indeed a very romantic and beautiful blue haveli bar. I had an old
monk there and then just Uber’ed back home.
I
reached home and had tasty food prepared by Aunty. Anumeha’s brother had been
to Brazil recently and so he offered me chocolates from Brazil. They were
indeed awesome. Toffee, as usual, came up all over me. After resting a bit, I
packed my stuff as I had to catch a train early morning to Ajmer.
Forgot
to mention above: Please do have Rawat ki Pyaaz Kachori
Lessons
learnt: Do stay close to the city. Helps spend more time outside and you don’t
have to think much. And it cuts down on your travel time to station and major
landmarks. Take a bus from Jaipur to Ajmer.
Day 3: Ajmer and Pushkar
I had pre-booked a hotel through GoIbibo. I reached
Ajmer at around 10.30 am and headed to the Hotel Vega. The view from the hotel
was quite scenic giving a view of the hills surrounding this small city. The
hotel room was quite good. I dumped my stuff and slept off. I got up around 1
pm and then quickly washed up. I decided to walk to Ajmeri Sheriff. It was a
bit far but still thought of just walking to the place. I had read somewhere
that you might try biryani at Dargah bazaar but I would recommend against it. I
tried at a place and it was pathetic. There, I was in the lane leading to the
famous Shrine. Quickly, I left my stuff at a shop where I bought Chaadar and
prayer stuff. I didn’t have much idea on to-do’s here. And thus, the
commercialization affair started. Every other person was trying to bait me,
forcing to give money. I sat down peacefully for some time and then the Darbar
opened. I just prayed and left. Then, I hired an auto to Pushkar.
The
way to Pushkar gave me a glimpse of the city. I could enjoy the view of Ann
Sagar lake. I was happy and quite amazed to see cycles available on rent and
open gym around. Pushkar is much more peaceful and cooler city. On reaching
Pushkar, I first went to the Brahma Mandir, the only temple of Brahma in the
world. In Hindu mythology, there are three Gods namely Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva .
After the worship, I walked towards the ghats. This place was bubbling with
foreigner tourists. I was hungry and as recommended by my friend, Kanuka, I
savoured the tasty malpuas and I must say they were the best till date. I also
had sumptuous Dal Kachori in Kadi and a hot masala chai. Contended to the core,
I walked towards the ghats. It’s a long walk but you won’t be bored because of
the shopping stuff around. Finally, I was there. The Pushkar lake was extremely
serene with peaceful atmosphere.
Day 4 and 5: Jodhpur
I
checked out and left for Ajmer Bus depot. I took a Volvo bus to Jodhpur by
getting rid of my sole Rs 500 note. The bus was quite okay. My neighbour was
quite chirpy and she was from Ajmer actually. We chit chatted a lot and she
talked about the Mayo college as we crossed it. She was a fashion designer
based out of Delhi. A freebie like me, she too loved travelling. She was
heading to Umaid Bhawan Palace for her cousin’s wedding. I was heading for my
friend, Mohit’s wedding at Indana Palace. The RSRTC bus took around 4.5 hours
to reach Jodhpur. On the way, it stopped at a RSRTC resort which was quite
clean. The bus took the route via Beawar. I reached Jodhpur at around 1 pm. I
then uber’ed my way to Hotel Niky International, my stop for the next two days
at Jodhpur. The event manager welcomed me and guided me to my room. I learnt
that the functions would be held at Hotel Shree International and Indana Palace.
I relaxed a bit and then headed for lunch to the other hotel and met my friend,
Mohit. The functions had begun. In the evening, I enjoyed at the Sangeet, it
being a big fat Marwari wedding. I didn’t know anybody there nor did I get
introduced to any of Mohit’s friends. So, it got a bit boring all alone.
However, there were two sweet sister-in-law’s of Mohit whom he had introduced
to me. While I was sitting with them, one of them, who would be around 9 years
old, asked me a very smart question, “Agar aap Mohit jiju ke best friend ho,
toh woh aapse kyun shaadi nahin kar rahe”. I was taken aback by this question.
That was smart. Little did I know that Mohit had told them that I was his best
friend. I corrected her that I was the best friend in office :).The Sangeet was
splendid with dance performances by the kith and kin and the lovely couple.
They had shot a short movie which was showcased and was quite well played.
Later on, I just left for the hotel.
Next
morning, I got up and had a heavy breakfast at the hotel. And then, I left for
the Mehrangarh Fort by Uber. The view of the blue city from the top of the fort
was mesmerizing. There is zip lining activity also over there. But I didn’t go
for it. Quite a lot of foreigners frequented there. Then, I left for Umaid
Bhawan Palace. Uber is quite handy in this city. Here, there is the vintage car
collection and museum exhibiting heritage collections. Later on, I left for
Janta Sweet Home, near station. I had Mirchi Vada, Mawa Kachori, Pyaaz Kachori,
one gulab jamun and one lassi. These were the recommended ones. But since I am
not a sweet-tooth person, I did not like the Mawa kachori. Others were really
tasty. Then, I headed to buy Lehria sarees and Rajai and headed back to the
hotel.
It
was the Baraat time. I wore the saree by myself and reached the Baraat location
on time. Got clicked :). And then enjoyed the Baraat and Jaimaal. I didn’t
enjoy the food much at Indana Palace. I managed to while away the time somehow
and then left for the hotel.
Day 6 and 7: Jaisalmer
I had pre-booked the Laxmi Travel bus for Jaisalmer.
I checked out at 6.30 am for the bus stop. I could see just 5 other tourists
travelling to Jaisalmer and the rest were locals. Out of 5, two were female
foreigners. The bus was a passenger one and kept stopping here and there. The
bus had stopped for midway break at Pokharan at a very lame place. There were
no toilets around. I managed to spot a toilet in the corners and it was locked.
I managed to get it unlocked and heaved a sigh of relief. The journey was for 5
hours. The roads were deserted as we were heading towards the western part of
Rajasthan which is actually a desert. I alighted at the bus stop and called up
the Zostel guy to pick me up. A Zostelier turned up on a Royal Enfield to my
utmost surprise given that I had a trolley and a backpack. But I love Enfield
ride :). I managed to sit at the back with such luggage. It was just 1.5 kms to
the Zostel.
This
was my first stay at Zostel. It was an experience in itself. All hotels in
Jaisalmer are in Haveli format and this one was too. I loved the décor. I got
an upper bed in a mixed dorm. As I entered, I found a French guy in the room at
the verge of leaving. I kept my stuff on my bed and went for a bath. Putting my
things in another small travel bag, I got all pepped up. I had to leave for the
desert “Sam”. I had pre-booked a hotel recommended by Anumeha, the Oasis Camp
Sam. On enquiring at the Zostel reception as to how can I reach the Sam, they
bullied me. They were charging me around 2400 bucks for the vehicle and since I
was solo, it was not making sense to me. I did not get into the trap and called
the Camp guy and asked how to reach via public transport. He advised me to take
bus which goes to the Sam village. So, I walked to the main road and then took
an auto and the auto guy guided me to the right bus and made me sit and also
told the driver the stop where I need to drop off. I just managed to squeeze
myself into some space in the bus near oil barrels. The bus was cramped with
villagers. It took around 1.5 hours to finally reach the camp.
The desert is around 40 kms away from the city. I
checked in to my Swiss tent which was again a first time experience. It was
huge. I relaxed for some time and then headed for the camel ride. It was the
time of the sunset. Again for the first time, I was doing camel ride. It was a
nice experience. Here again, the camp people and the camel guy were surprised
that I have come alone to the desert. The camel guy would be around 13 years
old. He asked me as to how marriages happen at your place. I quite plainly told
him that if I come across somebody I like and would be interested in spending
my life together, then I inform my parents and the marriage would happen. He
innocently replied to it asking, “Kahan pe dhoondoge? ..Aise hi
koi kaise milega. Maa baap hi dhoondhte hain gaon main and yahan shaadi hojaati
hai. Warna aap kab tak dhoondoge? Yeh toh galat baat hai”. Again,
I had no answer. Later on, I enjoyed the sun setting down amidst the sand
dunes. I got off the camel and spent some time on the sand clicking photos and
sitting. While I was enjoying alone, few guys started teasing me calling out
different names to me and started passing comments. I ignored them. After some
time, they were gone. I just hoped they did not belong to the camp I was
staying in. First time during the trip, I felt bad. Later on, I drove back and
was welcomed by the camp with tilak. The stage was set for the cultural
performances. Everybody was out and about. There were families and couples.
Slowly and gradually, people took their seats and the evening begun. We were
welcomed by the Kesariya song. And then folk dances followed. There was a
drinks counter as well. Chai and pakodas were offered. After that, the dinner
was laid out. It was quite a good Rajasthani Thali. The owner of the place,
Maule Khan, was conversing with everyone. He came upto me and assured me that
the camp is quite a safe place and feel free to stay. Most of the staff was
aware that I was up alone here. Maule Khan comforted me or rather encouraged me
exclaiming that only people with a big heart travel alone. I just nodded to it.
Yes, it is not easy. He then offered me a lift to the city the next morning.
And I agreed to it. Later, I went back to my room and closed the gate by tying
up the knots but still I kept the lights on while sleeping. And to my
amazement, a dog kept coming inside my room around 3 times during the night by
pushing through the tent gate. So, it was wise of me to keep the lights on and
I shooed the dog away when it kept coming. It was highly irritating. But, I
didn’t mind.
Next morning, I got up at around 6 am and took a bath. It was cold :P. After some time, I went ahead to see the sun rise and had a cup of chai. In an hour or so, the breakfast was ready. Hot water supply started. I packed my stuff and had a good breakfast. My bag was kept in the car and then we left. Maule Khan asked me to give a review on GoIbibio which I instantly did. I was dropped off at Hanuman Chowk. From there, I walked to Zostel, around a km away. And then, I packed my stuff and checked out. The luggage was kept in the common room. I then headed to the Fort on foot. It was again around 1 km away or more. I took a guide there and headed up. Jaisalmer fort is a living fort. Even the Chittorgarh one is. The view of the Golden city was amazing from the top. There are lot of hotels and guest houses in the Fort itself. You must have the Kanchan Icecream’s Makhaniya lassi there. I had googled up on the must-eats in Jaislamer based on which I headed to the Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia sweets place. It is near the Fort only in the lanes. The guide walked me through it. I tasted the recommended Ghotua and Panchdhari ladoos there. Also, I ate a Pyaaz Kachori. Each was equally tasty. Then, the guide took me through the lanes upto Patwon ki Haveli and another Haveli nearby explaining things along. Also, he cited about the various film shootings here and there, specifically, Sarfarosh. Then, we also went to the Heritage hotel and the victory tower. I had a cursory look.
Next morning, I got up at around 6 am and took a bath. It was cold :P. After some time, I went ahead to see the sun rise and had a cup of chai. In an hour or so, the breakfast was ready. Hot water supply started. I packed my stuff and had a good breakfast. My bag was kept in the car and then we left. Maule Khan asked me to give a review on GoIbibio which I instantly did. I was dropped off at Hanuman Chowk. From there, I walked to Zostel, around a km away. And then, I packed my stuff and checked out. The luggage was kept in the common room. I then headed to the Fort on foot. It was again around 1 km away or more. I took a guide there and headed up. Jaisalmer fort is a living fort. Even the Chittorgarh one is. The view of the Golden city was amazing from the top. There are lot of hotels and guest houses in the Fort itself. You must have the Kanchan Icecream’s Makhaniya lassi there. I had googled up on the must-eats in Jaislamer based on which I headed to the Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia sweets place. It is near the Fort only in the lanes. The guide walked me through it. I tasted the recommended Ghotua and Panchdhari ladoos there. Also, I ate a Pyaaz Kachori. Each was equally tasty. Then, the guide took me through the lanes upto Patwon ki Haveli and another Haveli nearby explaining things along. Also, he cited about the various film shootings here and there, specifically, Sarfarosh. Then, we also went to the Heritage hotel and the victory tower. I had a cursory look.
It
was around 2 pm. I took a share auto and left for the Gadisar lake where I saw
lots of catfish being feeded. After some time, I walked back to Zostel and
spent time on the roof top restaurant which gave a good view of the Fort as
well. I relaxed there stretching my legs. There were Indian families put up
there as well as foreigners. I had to while time till 5.30 to catch a bus at
Air Force circle at around 6 pm. I ate a sandwich and packed parathas for the
night journey. This was the Hanuman Travels and I had booked a sleeper seat.
The bus was not great but then there are not many options. Quite
coincidentally, just opposite to me were the same foreigners, who were seated parallel
to me in the bus from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. We smiled at each other at the
coincidence :). Again, the bus stopped at Pokharan after almost two hours for
the break and again, the stop was pathetic because of the washroom.
Day 8: Udaipur
The
bus reached the last stop at around 5 am i.e one hour before time :O. It was
quite cold. Nevertheless, I booked an Uber to Zostel. The Zostel was up on a
hill this time. I don’t know how I managed to drag my trolley up the hill in
the dark. It was 5.30 am. The Zostelier at the reception was sleeping. I was
lucky that I had taken the mobile number of the Zostelier the other day. I
called him up and then somebody opened the door. There was no space anywhere
around not even in the common room. Everybody was sleeping. I managed to sit on
a chair. As it dawned, I went outside to see the sun rise. It was chilling
outside, almost 11 degrees. Here, a friend of mine was joining me. The friend
reached Udaipur and reported at Zostel at around 7 am. Neither of us got a dorm
by then. We would get it by 10 am. Here, I came across a pet pug named
“Baadshah” who was cosily sleeping on one of the cots. I like pugs. So, I went
upto her and picked her up. And she was damn light. We then went upstairs to
the roof top restaurant and had breakfast. A friend of mine, Mohit Gupta, had
suggested me the itinerary for Udaipur. After breakfast, I got a bed in a
female dorm where I dumped my luggage and went ahead to bath. We then walked
for a few while and took an auto to the Jagdish temple. It was quite an
exquisite carving. After worship, we walked to the City palace nearby. We took
a guide over there. The guide told us that the Ruia’s grand wedding worth Rs.
300 crores was coming up in the next few weeks. And so, the Sky productions
team was all about the palace busy moving stuff around for the setup.
The view of the lake city was great. But there are much better views from different places. I ended up buying different types of sarees in the shop at the entry of the palace. Mohit had suggested Rajasthani thali at the Garden Hotel as a must-try. So we walked upto the place and it was around 1.5 kms away. It was all worth walking because I felt quite hungry by then. Finally, we had a sumptuous thali. It is also a heritage hotel. There is the vintage car collection. After having a heavy lunch, we planned to walk across to the Sunset point. We rested a while at the garden opposite the hotel and then walked towards the boating area. This was around 1.5 kms away. The boat ride on the Lake Pichola is a must as you get a view of the palaces around. Then we went to the Ropeway sunset point. The ropeway takes you to the Karni Mata mandir. There, after some time, I realized I had forgotten my sarees bag. We rushed to the boating point and I was finally relieved when I got it back. We again went back to the sunset point and enjoyed the view. Later on, we headed to the Bagore ki Haveli where the folk dance and puppet show takes place for an hour from 7 pm. It was a long queue but it was totally worth it. The ticket was for 90 bucks. What a show !. The night view of the lake city is amazing and gives you a feeling of Venice.
It was recommended to go to Hotel Amrai now to enjoy dinner by the lake but my friend was too tired to travel. It is just 1.5 kms away but if you walk across the bridge, it is hardly 600m away. So, we just searched for a place to eat along the way to Zostel. Many hotels were shut by then. It was around 8.30 pm. So finally, we ended up eating at the Chirag Roof Top restaurant. It was a good place with good décor and good music. The view of the bridge was also great. Afterwards, we walked upto the Zostel. And then there, another drama was awaiting. The day was not over yet. The Zostelier allotted me a bed which was already occupied by a lady who assumed her stay is being continued little realizing that the Zostel guy had already sold it out to me assuming the lady had checked out. So, there was a miscommunication drama unfolding now. Zostel was 100% sold out but luckily a guy had checked out earlier than scheduled. So, I was being requested to shift to a bed in mixed dorm. After some pester, I was even on the verge of moving out. But then, I started telling that it was my first Zostel experience and it is not going good. So, the co-owner, Tushar, understood that I will give a negative review online and hence, asked me to hold on to this bed and he would ask the other girl to shift. The altercation continued for a long time. I was not able to sleep till 1.00 am but it was Zostel fun :).
Day 9: Last day We
started early the next day for Monsoon palace. We had a quick breakfast at a
street side place. The samosa, poha and chai was good. We booked an Uber till
Monsoon palace. The Monsoon palace looks like a castle amidst the Aravalli
ranges. The view of the lake city from this palace is breathtaking. Pre-wedding
photography shoots were going on. We then headed towards Moti Magri. Had a
glimpse of the Chetak Smarak, the museum which showcased models of Chittorgarh
and Kumbhalgarh forts and Battle of Haldighati. History, read in the childhood,
came alive. We had an awesome masala chaas at the restaurant there. The guy
sold me the masala too :). I asked the uncle about the best place for sweets
and snacks and he recommended JMB (Jagdish Misthan Bhandar). We then Uber’ed to
JMB near Suryapole. We packed quite some stuff there and also tasted pyaaz ki
kachori and ghota. Both were really tasty. So, I packed Pyaaz Kachori for home
and further travel. From there, we moved to Hotel Amrai for lunch by the lake
side and I must tell you, you cannot ignore it while in Udaipur. I enjoyed a
pint of beer along with chicken. It is again a heritage hotel where you can
even book suites/room with lake view. Post that, we walked to Zostel and left
to catch bus for Ahmedabad. You could very well take a flight to Mumbai from
Udaipur. But, there was significant savings in taking a bus to Ahmedabad and
taking an overnight Duronto to Mumbai. So, I did it :).
And
I crashed on my bed at Monday morning 7 am. And then, reached office by 9.30 am
as there is a bio-metric sign-in :(.
The view of the lake city was great. But there are much better views from different places. I ended up buying different types of sarees in the shop at the entry of the palace. Mohit had suggested Rajasthani thali at the Garden Hotel as a must-try. So we walked upto the place and it was around 1.5 kms away. It was all worth walking because I felt quite hungry by then. Finally, we had a sumptuous thali. It is also a heritage hotel. There is the vintage car collection. After having a heavy lunch, we planned to walk across to the Sunset point. We rested a while at the garden opposite the hotel and then walked towards the boating area. This was around 1.5 kms away. The boat ride on the Lake Pichola is a must as you get a view of the palaces around. Then we went to the Ropeway sunset point. The ropeway takes you to the Karni Mata mandir. There, after some time, I realized I had forgotten my sarees bag. We rushed to the boating point and I was finally relieved when I got it back. We again went back to the sunset point and enjoyed the view. Later on, we headed to the Bagore ki Haveli where the folk dance and puppet show takes place for an hour from 7 pm. It was a long queue but it was totally worth it. The ticket was for 90 bucks. What a show !. The night view of the lake city is amazing and gives you a feeling of Venice.
It was recommended to go to Hotel Amrai now to enjoy dinner by the lake but my friend was too tired to travel. It is just 1.5 kms away but if you walk across the bridge, it is hardly 600m away. So, we just searched for a place to eat along the way to Zostel. Many hotels were shut by then. It was around 8.30 pm. So finally, we ended up eating at the Chirag Roof Top restaurant. It was a good place with good décor and good music. The view of the bridge was also great. Afterwards, we walked upto the Zostel. And then there, another drama was awaiting. The day was not over yet. The Zostelier allotted me a bed which was already occupied by a lady who assumed her stay is being continued little realizing that the Zostel guy had already sold it out to me assuming the lady had checked out. So, there was a miscommunication drama unfolding now. Zostel was 100% sold out but luckily a guy had checked out earlier than scheduled. So, I was being requested to shift to a bed in mixed dorm. After some pester, I was even on the verge of moving out. But then, I started telling that it was my first Zostel experience and it is not going good. So, the co-owner, Tushar, understood that I will give a negative review online and hence, asked me to hold on to this bed and he would ask the other girl to shift. The altercation continued for a long time. I was not able to sleep till 1.00 am but it was Zostel fun :).
Thanks
to all my guides, be it real or virtual, all were equally important :).
And I have missed many more anecdotes!
Writer: Sangeeta Patel
