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2 trips & 23 days in Rajasthan - Our experience

2 trips & 23 days in Rajasthan - Our experience

Old Oct 24th, 2013, 11:43 PM
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2 trips & 23 days in Rajasthan - Our experience

In April 2012 we had our first brush with India, to be precise eastern Rajasthan. For eleven days we gazed at the most incredible Moghul architecture in Agra and Jaipur. We also threw in a bit of wildlife by visiting Ranthambhore National Park. When we returned in March 2013, we headed for the southwest of Rajasthan for twelve days, to marvel at these impressive forts & palaces in Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh, Bundi, Chittorgarh and last but not least Pushkar & Ajmer. Delhi was our hub during both trips.
More information: http://www.oneyearoff.net/summaries-...-days-summary/

On the beaten tracks…
Those three weeks were just enough to get a rough overview of the historic highlights and stray a bit from the main tourist path. We certainly did not rush, which would not have been possible considering the temperatures end of March, beginning of April. Between 11:00 am and 03:00 pm, it was best to hide in the shady garden or room of our guesthouse. Walking around was simply too hot. This way we spent mostly three days in a place, which allowed us to wander around the rural surroundings and check out hidden markets and alleys.

How easy is it to travel?
Rajasthan is incredibly easy to travel: the level of comfort covers everything from the cheapest backpacker hostel to 5 star palaces, from luxurious tours to riding tin 3rd class trains. We preferred staying in Havelis, the splendid homes of former noblemen. These have lots of cozy places to relax, read your book or chat. Above all, they are the perfect retreat from the noise and hassle of the streets.
Public transport and infrastructure are generally very good: modern buses crisscross all cities and Delhi’s metro is ultra modern. A longer journey is best done by train. Food and tea is served, toilets are clean and the air-conditioning just perfect. Trains are not only an extremely efficient and pleasant but also a cheap way to travel long distances. What we did find appalling was how Indian passengers get rid of their garbage. All trash leaves the train through doors and windows, in AC cars in whatever gap can be found.
Renting a car is a great way to do day trips to places a bit off the main drag. These can be organized within minutes through the hotel and are very cheap compared to Europe.

And Indians?
Friendly and curious of foreign tourists, this is how we perceived our host country. Those who speak English will use the opportunity to talk to tourists on trains, at tourist sights and whenever there is a chance. So often we were asked to pose for photos with the whole family and, most important, “questioned” how we liked their country.

Highlights?
• The elegant Taj Mahal… Yes, it is magical!
• India’s Great Wall in Kumbhalgarh… Just us and a few monkeys
• Hawa Mahal, the Palace of Winds in Jaipur, the world’s most stylish hide-out
• Rajasthan’s forts (Agra, Amber, Chittorgarh, Bundi, Kumbhalgarh…) and palaces (Udaipur, Jaipur, Bundi...)
• Cheerful Holi Festival - best enjoyed in smaller cities and early in the day
• Riding those long Indian trains

What will always be remembered?
• Grand Moghul architecture influenced by three different cultures and religions
• Hazardous rides in those three-wheeled Tuk-Tuks
• Having our photos taken - either with a family or just us… both Heidi & Gilles were high in demand, and 15 year old Kelly almost caused a riot in Ajmer!
• A sea of colors… Bright saris and scarves everywhere: a photographer’s dream!
• Air pollution in cities and people leaving behind garbage everywhere
• Priests and “Holy Men” asking for donation (Pushkar)
• The constant loud noise of honking vehicles, large or small
• The heat - beginning of April is already too late for truly enjoying this part of the India
• Huge social contrast: a wealthy middle class driving around in large SUVs right next to skinny men pushing heavy, overloaded bikes, with stuff piled up high

What we would do differently?
• Stay away from the noisy, bigger cities, if possible
• Invest enough time to move off the beaten tracks… Which is quite difficult in India
• Travel during the cooler season
• Two days in Pushkar will do - being well aware that people spend weeks there…
• Ranthambhore National Park was truly disappointing, though seeing a tiger in the wild before they will become instinct (and that will be soon, unfortunately) should be high on anyone’s list

As a conclusion?
Even three weeks are not enough to visit the highlights of Rajasthan. This leaves Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner to be discovered on another trip.
India is incredibly easy and cheap to travel independently. For 40 Euros per person / a day on average we enjoyed a pleasant level of comfort and a great flexibility. The only drawback was that it seems to be extremely challenging to go off the beaten tracks…
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Old Oct 27th, 2013, 12:38 PM
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thank you, OYO, for posting your thoughts. To visit India [where my mother and grandmother were born] has been a long-held dream but so far the closest I've got is Sri Lanka. to read that it is so easy to get around and pleasant to visit is very encouraging.
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Old Oct 28th, 2013, 12:17 PM
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I am a bit confused: July to September is monsoon time, with temperatures far above 40 degrees Celsius and humidity through the roof...
Best time would be in my opinion November through February, when temperatures are cooler, sky is blue and no rain is to be expected (or very little).
We were 2 days in Delhi this August, and it was utterly unbearable! We just couldn't get out...

Cheers
Gilles
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Old Oct 29th, 2013, 04:03 PM
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Can you tell us how to get information about the Havelis? They look as if they would be very expensive, but you traveled so inexpensively that the rates must be reasonable.
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Old Oct 29th, 2013, 07:13 PM
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Hi,
Well, you can find all level of comforts, but many are indeed reasonably cheap...
Inn Seventh Heaven was 27 € a night (Pushkar)
Jagat Niwas Palace was 29 € a night
We checked through TripAdvisor mostly
Cheers
Gilles
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Old Oct 30th, 2013, 05:00 AM
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thanks, OYO. Those are mo sort of prices!
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Old Dec 26th, 2013, 02:08 AM
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Dear Wesleysmith,
I do not see where I shall be confused, especially since you do not give any added value whatsoever...
I would definitely not recommend to travel by car on longer legs, as traffic is a disaster and travels by road are much longer than by train, except if you do not have good connections.
Cheers
Gilles
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Old Dec 26th, 2013, 05:24 AM
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Lovely report, thank you. As no doubt you figured out, the two odd posts were by advertisers for travel agencies.
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Old Dec 30th, 2013, 07:23 PM
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thanks for the informational post! My question: I am a big animal lover, and want to visit India (esp. Delhi and Udaipur) but am worried that I might see too many starving/sick/injured animals and not have a good time. I avoid many places in Asia for this reason. With India being vegetarian, is it better there? I don't mind seeing street animals as long as they are not suffering terribly. What was your experience? Any places I should avoid? Thanks.
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 01:07 AM
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Great to read of your experience, OneYear.Thank you for posting.
For the sake of future traveler expectations , I admit to being surprised by your statement that toilet on the trains are clean. Not my experience.. to put it mildly.

Napajan, the cows look pretty healthy. Dogs on the street are another story...
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Old Dec 31st, 2013, 10:45 PM
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Hi CaliNurse,

The cleanness of the toilets might very well depend on the class where you travel.
I must admit we did not go to 3rd class (non AC) and often offered us the the higher ones, as it was short trips (1st AC, AC 2 Tiers).

Hi Napajan,

I agree with Calinurse: Cows are really healthy, you will see tones of monkeys, street dogs look pretty sad... But there is nothing shocking compared to many other countries.
Rajasthan: Dehli, Agra (ok, not Rajasthan...), Udaipur, Jaipur, ... are amazing!

Cheers
Gilles
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