Three Weeks in Delhi, Agra and Rajastan - Alert - This is a long one!
Dec 11th, 2009, 05:07 PM
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Three Weeks in Delhi, Agra and Rajastan - Alert - This is a long one!
Three Weeks in Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan (Nov 10>>Dec 3):
New Delhi (3N) >> Agra (2N) >> Sawaimadhopur (2N) >> Jaipur (2N) >> Shahpura Bagh (1N) >> Udaipur (2N) >> Ranakpur (1N) >> Jodhpur (2N) >> Jaisalmer (2N) >> Khimsar (1N) >> Jaipur (1N) >> Delhi (1N).
Amazing! Magical! I kept using these words over and over during our trip. India is a feast (or maybe overload) for the senses – the sights, sounds, smells, tastes – and a kaleidoscope of impressions:
The brightly colored saris of the Rajasthani women, who are carrying every imaginable burden on their heads (huge bundles of firewood, multiple water pots, sacks of potatoes); the camel carts on the highways; trucks, cars, motorcycles - most often going the wrong way against traffic (hey, it’s India); herds of camels, flocks of sheep and goats, but cows have the (only) right-of-way; trash piled everywhere, with cows, pigs and dogs scrounging for anything edible; people spilling willy-nilly from crowded buses and local ‘taxis’; incredibly rich history and architecture; palaces; lavish weddings; villages with no running water, electricity or anything resembling modern conveniences; oxen drawing up water from a well or grinding sesame seeds into oil; men sitting around smoking and talking; the incredible feeling of calm and peace being in the temples; scenery and food and dwellings changing every 40 km or so as we drove… my new addiction, Masala Indian chai (esp. in Jodphur, where it is spiciest); the delicious, endlessly varied vegetarian fare….
I think I read somewhere (probably on this forum!) that there is no middle ground on India – you either can’t wait to leave, or can’t wait to go back. Put us firmly in the latter camp!
We booked our trip through Legends and Palaces (VP Singh). We were very happy with the itinerary Mr. Singh put together for us. He was very responsive and accommodating during the planning process. We changed our minds several times and had lots of questions but nothing was ever a problem for him. He also checked in with us several times as the trip progressed to make sure all was well.
We enjoyed the pace and the variety of accommodations and venues (luxury hotels in big cities to upscale tents in Ranthambore to havelis in the ‘middle of nowhere’). Everything went very smoothly indeed, from the transportation to the hand-offs to the different local agents and tour guides in each city. In general, we really liked our guides and found them to be very knowledgeable and personable. Our driver, Sohan Lal, was with us the whole time and we highly recommend him.
We are really glad we decided to go with a private car/driver during our 3 weeks in Rajasthan. It enabled us to get ‘up close and personal’ by stopping to experience some of the everyday life: how people in the villages live; getting to see the aforementioned oxen performing tasks the same way it must have been done for hundreds of years; stopping along the roadside to buy peanuts fresh from the farmer’s field to eat in the car; watching charcoal being made; visiting the ‘motorcycle’ shrine…just a few of many experiences made possible by our driver, Sohan Lal.
In addition to being an excellent (and very safe) driver under the very trying conditions of Indian traffic, Sohan also had a sharp eye out for photo ops and experiences for us, including great bird and animal pics. He was very cooperative and made detours more than once so we could see things not on our planned agenda that either we had read about in our guide book (such as the cranes at Khichan) or sights he mentioned as being close by and worth seeing, if we wanted to. He was always on time and kept the car spotless.
Sohan’s wife had their first child (a baby girl) 2 days before the end of our journey with him. We were thrilled to have a chance to stop briefly by the village to see wife and baby and extended family (also the water buffalo who provided the milk for our tea, the butter on the millet chapatis and the lassi!) before ending our trip in Delhi. It was also a very interesting insight into village life.
Tourism seems to be suffering quite a lot – a perfect storm of the global recession, H1N1, elections and terrorism fears (our visit coincided with the anniversary of 26/11). As a result, almost all the hotels we stayed at were practically empty (except in Delhi and Agra) .
Now some of the details….
Delhi (3 Nights)
Hotel Le Meridien, Club Level. Top-notch business hotel and a great way for us to start our trip by being pampered, getting on the time zone and easing into India. (I know, I know, but it worked for us – loved that expresso in the AM and French wine at happy hour!)
Sightseeing – did pretty much the usual stuff (India Gate, Presidential Estate, Old Delhi by cycle rickshaw, National Museum (which we really enjoyed).
We visited a Sikh temple with VP Singh, who was doubled as our tour guide in Delhi. We found this a very moving, spiritual experience.
Agra (2 Nights)
ITC Mughal Sheraton Hotel. Just OK. Beautiful lobby, room was fine but nothing to write home about (ended up with twin beds vs a double or king – bummer - even though it was a “Chamber of Emperor” room, one of the better ones). Room showing wear (stained bedspread and old grout) but overall clean enough. Lots of big tour groups. Hotel undergoing renovation – they are constructing some new spa suites. Had dinner at Peshwari restaurant. Service was excellent, food was good but pretty expensive for what you get.
Agra itself is an unlovely city, very congested. It had rained during the night and was foggy in the morning. We arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6:10 AM but they don’t open the gates until after sunrise (due to security, they said). We got lucky and did have about an hour of sunshine during our visit.
Taj was amazing, magical (I told you I used those adjectives a lot!) – I don’t think I can add anything more than what other folks have already.
Ranthambhore National Park (2 Nights)
Our driver took us to the train station at Bharatpur, then we took the train to Sawaimadhopur. Train was late, so we were rushed to our private Jeep safari after a drive to our hotel, Khem Villas. (Times and number of vehicles for touring are strictly controlled, so if you miss your slot, you’re out of luck.).
Our visit here was a fantastic experience. Even though we didn’t see any tigers in two attempts, we saw lots of birds and other wild life. Also many birds to see at the Villas – wonderful for bird watchers. And, of course, the resident crocodile…
Equally good, if not better, was Khem Villas itself. Great on all levels – ambiance, staff, service. Very good, home cooked veg meals. No attention to detail was missed. We had a luxury tent the first night, then upgraded to a cottage the second night when one became available. (Tip: Luxury tent was excellent but you’ll love the cottage – especially if you like to bath privately under the stars after a bone jarring jeep trip!)
Best of all is the history and significance of this place in helping to save the tiger here. Goverdhan Singh Rathore is the son of the founding father of Ranthambhore National Park and it was fascinating talking to him at night around the campfire and hearing about how Ranthambhore came to be, and Goverdhan’s own efforts in establishing a local school, hospital and ‘model’ farm to help local people improve animal husbandry practices (and reduce deforestation and overgrazing in the Park at the same time).
Jaipur (2 Nights)
Our hotel was Shaphura House, a Heritage hotel. We had a huge suite, architectural detail was very interesting and service was excellent. However, our room faced the street, which was very noisy. Construction going on didn’t help. But we could sleep with windows closed and A/C on. Food mediocre and cold on the buffets.
Note: We were on the MAPI plan, so had Breakfast and Dinner included in our package on most days. Since this invariably meant buffets, we often were faced with less than desirable food temps.
The first evening we went to the Old Town market in Jaipur, which included the wedding market (amazing colors, activity), kitchen market, bangles market, spice market – you get the picture. Since this is a locals’ marketplace, no touts and no pressure to buy.
Excellent guide with us that evening and next day, which included the elephant ride to the Amber Fort. We enjoyed the ride until I read later about the mistreatment and lack of proper facilities for the elephants. I have written a letter, as suggested by Lonely Planet, to urge the government to improve the elephants’ situation.
Amber Fort was incredible for details of architecture and decoration. This is a theme that was repeated throughout our journey in Rajasthan – one fort and palace grander than the next.
We saw Palace of the Winds, of course, and the City Palace and Museum, but my favorite was the Museum of Astronomy/Astrology, home of the world’s largest sundial, that is accurate to 2 seconds!
Jaipur to Shahpura
Although I (fortunately) never got tired of looking out the window, there is not a lot to see on the road to Shahpura, a 6 lane highway flanked by flat, scrubby landscape (just a few small villages to break up the scene).
Shahpura Bagh is off the beaten path, but a magical surprise: A big estate, set back from a small, unspoiled village. Stunning grounds, beautiful landscape and pool area. Lots of birds, although we were told that due to weak monsoon, no waterfowl and other migratory birds compared to what is normally there. We did see about 20 different species, though, including owls and owlets.
All organic produce. Excellent vegetarian Indian food. They offer cooking classes but chef had to leave for family emergency, so no classes during our visit. Beautiful and immaculate accommodations in guest house, as well as lovely dining and sitting areas. Our room, 207, was huge, high ceiling, big bath, etc.
We had a jeep tour to the fort for sunset, which was great – we had tea overlooking the village from the top as the sun set. Driving back at night was pretty scary, though!
Shahpura to Udaipur, via Chittor garh (2 Nights in Udaipur)
On to the Chittorgarh Fort. Very impressive and we had a very good guide – a charming young woman who lived inside the walls of the fort. She shared a lot of insight into local life as well as giving a great tour of the Fort. She brought us to her house after our tour and offered tea.
The Trident Oberoi is set on beautiful grounds. We had a very nice room and bath (115 on the ground floor). Service was top notch, Oberoi quality. Food was the best we had at a hotel buffet so far. No service charge added and no tips (communal tip box). Unluckily for our pre-dinner and dinner libations, it was dry the whole time we were there (even in our room) because of elections going on.
There was a huge wedding taking place during our visit (it’s wedding season after all) and 75% of all the hotel rooms in the area of the Lake Palace were booked by this one wedding party. We could not take the scheduled boat trip around the lake or stop at Jagmandir Island, because all the boats (and the island and the Lake Palace hotel) were also booked privately for the wedding. Our guide did manage to get us on a ‘local’ boat ride around Lake Pichola (about 20 minutes). Tour guide was knowledgeable but arrogant. City Palace tour was good. We visited the Hindu temple first. We skipped the Crystal Museum (500 Rs each, which our guide offered as not being worth it.) Car Museum – no big deal (100 Rs each). After 7 hours of touring, we called it a day.
On to Ranakpur
We stayed at a trans-located haveli hotel, Fateh Bagh, which was constructed by numbering and removing all the stones from a medieval house in Jodphur, then rebuilding here. Beautiful grounds. Nice room, big, but bed not too comfortable. They showed us some spectacular suites the next day before we left (we were one of only 2 rooms occupied in the whole place – maybe they should have offered to upgrade us – or maybe we should have asked if we had known!)
The Jain temple is truly an amazing place with intricate carvings and symbolism. Made an offering of flowers – it feels so peaceful here.
Went back to the hotel and sat outside. We got lucky – the tour buses that had made a lunch-only stop there en route to the temple had left. The hotel has a very nice pool, lovely courtyards, restaurant, bar and patio, and two small ‘houses’ set up for massages and other Ayurvedic treatments. It was nice and quiet, and we saw about 10 or 12 different bird species, while we had a glass of wine and a snack.
At first, I was thinking that it was not worth it to stay overnight here, but it turned out to be an enjoyable, restful break in the journey.
(So far, our biggest expense has been wine ☺. Indian wine is heavily taxed, and therefore averaged 1300-1800 Rs a bottle. Sula (an Indian winery) has a nice Sauvignon Blanc, with good varietal typicity. Later on in our trip, the same wine only got more expensive – more like 2000-2200 Rs per bottle!)
En route to Jodphur
Approximately 45 km from Jodphur, Sohan showed us the ‘motorcycle temple’. Here is the story: 21 years ago, a young man was killed at the intersection. Police came and picked up the body and motorcycle. The motorcycle then disappeared from the police station and was discovered back at the site of the accident – having driven itself back there. Every night since, the motorcycle starts itself at 12:05 AM – the time of the accident.
No further accidents have taken place at this dangerous intersection after this. So, a shrine was established there. There are pictures of the young man that was killed, the motorcycle is there, bedecked with marigolds and the red strings that represent prayers/wishes, coconuts burn perpetually and other offerings, such as sweets, are also made. Scores of truck drivers stopped to pray and make offerings, as did Sohan. There are also several small shops that have sprung up at the site, selling flowers, coconuts, sweets, etc.
We checked into the Taj Hari Mahal, then went out on a tour of the local bazaar, around and past the clock tower. No touts. Very polluted air – tuk tuks use petrol, not natural gas and we seriously could barely breathe – by far the worst air of our trip. Really interesting markets, though. Jodphur is also known for their spices.
Hotel was empty, with only a couple tourists (26/11 anniversary). Lovely hotel. Room very nice, on ground floor directly overlooking the pool. Food was tasty and plentiful (a la carte – not enough guests for buffet). Trouble getting hot water – even though we let it run, it just got barely warm. I hope they recycle, given the drought!
In the morning, we visited Mehrangarh Fort and the Royal Crematorium. Both these tours were excellent and again the local guide was really good. City Palace was nothing to see really. There was a small museum. All the Art Deco was in the hotel, which you can’t visit unless you stay there or have dinner..
On the road to Jaisalmer
Sohan stopped at a small village so we could look inside one family’s home, which was comprised of three separate huts (with baked mud walls, thatch roof) – one each for the kitchen, guest room and sleeping quarters for family. Bathroom was outside (hole and bucket). No running water or electricity. They kept their food under baskets or higher up to keep it away from any hungry critters – dogs, goats, cows, etc. There was a newborn baby goat under a basket in the yard (to protect it from dogs, since it was too young to follow its mother out for grazing). Everything was neatly swept and tidy.
The road to Jaisalmer has views of scrub/arid desert. Nothing much grows (desert after all), lots of goats (and some sheep). Only goats seem to thrive in this environment, everything else, including the people, is starving. Saw some of the worst conditions in animals and people here of our whole trip.
Hotel Fort Rajwada – Façade, grounds and common rooms are grand. But the room (a Deluxe Double) was basic. Quite large but furnishings did not match the outside luxury. Kind of rundown around the edges (cracked dirty windows, chipped fixtures, dirty grout, those types of things), no complimentary water. Staff friendly and accommodating, food was pretty good for buffet, esp. the 2nd night. Breakfasts OK.
Jaisalmer – I’m sorry to say, this was my least favorite fort/city. Just didn’t speak to me. Fort has lovely architectural details but it is crumbling and really, really dirty and smelly (you will notice I have not complained about this so far, so this should tell you something). LOTS of touts, too. I will try and be charitable and note that tourism is really down and people are poor to start with, so this no doubt contributes.
First night – sunset at Royal cenotaphs (with lots of begging kids).
The next day, the Hindu temple by the lake was our first stop and that was the best experience of the day.
This was followed by the fort/city tour (hard to appreciate for all the filth and touts). The fort is very beautiful in the sunlight though – it really is the Golden City.
The camel ride to the dunes at sunset – well, ya gotta do it and actually I liked the ride itself (it was like riding a horse, sort of). We each had our own camel, so it was quite comfortable, even at the trot. But it’s 50km each way for a 1 hour experience with about 500 other tourists and dancing, begging gypsies.
Road to Khimsar
We asked Sohan to stop at Khichan to see the demoiselle cranes. Even though it was not peak time (they feed the birds at 7 AM and 4 PM), it was still quite a sight. Lake was very low, unfortunately.
We also stopped briefly at a Hanuman temple (there were hundreds of red flags flying in the trees and adorning the statues). This was built up over time through donations from people like Sohan.
Osiyan – 2500 year old Jain temple in various states of repair/construction. The priest gave us a very informative tour. We were the only tourists, the rest were pilgrims and worshippers and priests. Beautiful temple – lots of gold and silver in addition to the intricate carvings.
Back on the road, we were talking with Sohan about food and he asked us if we knew what ‘moongphali’ was. We couldn’t figure it out, so he said, “I’ll show you”. Shortly after, he pulled off to the side of the road, next to a field where two women were crouched down in the soil, next to a big pile of something. Sohan got out and an old man came over. Money was exchanged for a handful of…Peanuts!! Mystery solved – and we munched on the freshly picked peanuts as we continued on to Khimsar.
We’re at a heritage hotel, Fort Khimsar. The hotel is in the process of renovation and adding new buildings. We were in a Grand Heritage Suite, in a section that is only 2 years old (there is still paint on the cement steps to the roof that is accessible from the room). The maharaja (with his wife, 2 children and mother-in-law) lives on the premises in a palace.
Magnificent buildings and grounds, beautiful views from the ramparts, esp. at sunset. Beautiful pool and green lawns you could putt on. (Unfortunately, like all the hotel pools, pigeons also enjoy drinking and bathing, and white clouds of pigeon poo float in great clouds over the pool. Not too appetizing to swim in!)
Our suite was huge, including a soaking tub, separate shower, en suite hot water tank in the bathroom. However, virtually no water pressure. Again, there are almost no guests at the hotel. I think they have 90 rooms or so, and there were only 20 people (not rooms, people), so it was very empty. Kinda cool, though – like having a palace all to yourself.
Service did not match the ambiance. Very aggressive for tips (despite ‘tip box’ concept) and very disorganized, even though there were few guests and lots of servers.
Dinner was buffet in the old ruins, which was lit with candles and small kerosene lamps. Romantic atmosphere but food was cold (it was all brought in from the kitchen which was several buildings away, and the sterno couldn’t compete with the transport time).
Likewise, the breakfast buffet, in a huge dining hall, was pre-cooked and cold (even the Indian selections). I settled for wheat flakes and yogurt.
Pushkar
Stopped here on the way to Jaipur. We ended up not going into famous Brahma temple because Hans’ camera was not allowed in and we would have to go in one at a time.
We went down briefly to the ghats. We were the only foreign tourists, so got none of the hassle in the markets or by ghats that we probably would have received at peak time.
Saw our first Nano ☺ - Sohan was thrilled. (Nano is the latest car from Tata, built to be very inexpensive.)
Jaipur
Arrived at Taj Jai Mahal. Room was fine but was in the ‘basement’ – below ground level – so no view whatsoever. But no matter, it was only for one night. Enjoyed the luxury: great bed and pillows, so we had a wonderful sleep. A la carte dinner at Cinnamon was superb – best of our trip – ambiance, quality, variety, service.
However, mosquito spraying was HORRIBLE. When we arrived in early evening, there was such a heavy cloud hanging over everything, we thought it was smoke from wedding fireworks! It was really bad, because we had to walk outside for quite a ways to get to our room. Very dangerous – this is the type of stuff you’re supposed to stay inside with the windows closed when spraying takes place. Yikes! We did complain to the hotel, but they pretty much said they have lots of gardens, and therefore lots of mosquitoes and needed to spray a lot.
En route to Delhi
We stopped at Samode Palace for tour and lunch. It’s about 30 km off the beaten path. Quiet, lovely grounds, beautiful mirror work and paintings, infinity pool. Had a very nice buffet lunch in banquet dining room.
Hotel Metropolitan, Delhi:
Well, we finally arrived (10 hours after we started – traffic was beyond terrible). Completely underwhelmed. Glad we did not begin our trip here. (Legends and Palaces had originally booked us here for our first 3 nights, but after reading lots of poor reviews on TripAdvisor, we asked Mr. Singh for a different hotel.)
Staff was indifferent, bordering on rude. They did upgrade us to club floor (apparently there was an issue with availability for day use with the double room that was booked). Couldn’t use the Club Room lounge for a drink, though, since we had been ‘upgraded only ‘. There was a strong sewer smell in the hallway.
Service at the restaurant was poor – people standing around talking instead of serving. Oh, well, tomorrow we go home!
We had the room until 9 PM. It was nice to have time to leisurely pack, have tea in the afternoon, a little last minute shopping, light dinner in Sakura restaurant.
Our only slight schedule burp was a delay at the airport. Flight was supposed to leave at 12:55 AM, but they announced an indefinite delay due to ‘technical problems’. Security was very tight. They started boarding about 1:40 AM and we took off about 2:30. Still made our connection with no problem. We had a statue of Ganesh with us, so we said - thank you, Ganesh, for removing obstacles!
All in all, things went amazing smoothly – handoffs, transportation, lodging, etc. Job well done, Mr. Singh! We can highly recommend your services.
New Delhi (3N) >> Agra (2N) >> Sawaimadhopur (2N) >> Jaipur (2N) >> Shahpura Bagh (1N) >> Udaipur (2N) >> Ranakpur (1N) >> Jodhpur (2N) >> Jaisalmer (2N) >> Khimsar (1N) >> Jaipur (1N) >> Delhi (1N).
Amazing! Magical! I kept using these words over and over during our trip. India is a feast (or maybe overload) for the senses – the sights, sounds, smells, tastes – and a kaleidoscope of impressions:
The brightly colored saris of the Rajasthani women, who are carrying every imaginable burden on their heads (huge bundles of firewood, multiple water pots, sacks of potatoes); the camel carts on the highways; trucks, cars, motorcycles - most often going the wrong way against traffic (hey, it’s India); herds of camels, flocks of sheep and goats, but cows have the (only) right-of-way; trash piled everywhere, with cows, pigs and dogs scrounging for anything edible; people spilling willy-nilly from crowded buses and local ‘taxis’; incredibly rich history and architecture; palaces; lavish weddings; villages with no running water, electricity or anything resembling modern conveniences; oxen drawing up water from a well or grinding sesame seeds into oil; men sitting around smoking and talking; the incredible feeling of calm and peace being in the temples; scenery and food and dwellings changing every 40 km or so as we drove… my new addiction, Masala Indian chai (esp. in Jodphur, where it is spiciest); the delicious, endlessly varied vegetarian fare….
I think I read somewhere (probably on this forum!) that there is no middle ground on India – you either can’t wait to leave, or can’t wait to go back. Put us firmly in the latter camp!
We booked our trip through Legends and Palaces (VP Singh). We were very happy with the itinerary Mr. Singh put together for us. He was very responsive and accommodating during the planning process. We changed our minds several times and had lots of questions but nothing was ever a problem for him. He also checked in with us several times as the trip progressed to make sure all was well.
We enjoyed the pace and the variety of accommodations and venues (luxury hotels in big cities to upscale tents in Ranthambore to havelis in the ‘middle of nowhere’). Everything went very smoothly indeed, from the transportation to the hand-offs to the different local agents and tour guides in each city. In general, we really liked our guides and found them to be very knowledgeable and personable. Our driver, Sohan Lal, was with us the whole time and we highly recommend him.
We are really glad we decided to go with a private car/driver during our 3 weeks in Rajasthan. It enabled us to get ‘up close and personal’ by stopping to experience some of the everyday life: how people in the villages live; getting to see the aforementioned oxen performing tasks the same way it must have been done for hundreds of years; stopping along the roadside to buy peanuts fresh from the farmer’s field to eat in the car; watching charcoal being made; visiting the ‘motorcycle’ shrine…just a few of many experiences made possible by our driver, Sohan Lal.
In addition to being an excellent (and very safe) driver under the very trying conditions of Indian traffic, Sohan also had a sharp eye out for photo ops and experiences for us, including great bird and animal pics. He was very cooperative and made detours more than once so we could see things not on our planned agenda that either we had read about in our guide book (such as the cranes at Khichan) or sights he mentioned as being close by and worth seeing, if we wanted to. He was always on time and kept the car spotless.
Sohan’s wife had their first child (a baby girl) 2 days before the end of our journey with him. We were thrilled to have a chance to stop briefly by the village to see wife and baby and extended family (also the water buffalo who provided the milk for our tea, the butter on the millet chapatis and the lassi!) before ending our trip in Delhi. It was also a very interesting insight into village life.
Tourism seems to be suffering quite a lot – a perfect storm of the global recession, H1N1, elections and terrorism fears (our visit coincided with the anniversary of 26/11). As a result, almost all the hotels we stayed at were practically empty (except in Delhi and Agra) .
Now some of the details….
Delhi (3 Nights)
Hotel Le Meridien, Club Level. Top-notch business hotel and a great way for us to start our trip by being pampered, getting on the time zone and easing into India. (I know, I know, but it worked for us – loved that expresso in the AM and French wine at happy hour!)
Sightseeing – did pretty much the usual stuff (India Gate, Presidential Estate, Old Delhi by cycle rickshaw, National Museum (which we really enjoyed).
We visited a Sikh temple with VP Singh, who was doubled as our tour guide in Delhi. We found this a very moving, spiritual experience.
Agra (2 Nights)
ITC Mughal Sheraton Hotel. Just OK. Beautiful lobby, room was fine but nothing to write home about (ended up with twin beds vs a double or king – bummer - even though it was a “Chamber of Emperor” room, one of the better ones). Room showing wear (stained bedspread and old grout) but overall clean enough. Lots of big tour groups. Hotel undergoing renovation – they are constructing some new spa suites. Had dinner at Peshwari restaurant. Service was excellent, food was good but pretty expensive for what you get.
Agra itself is an unlovely city, very congested. It had rained during the night and was foggy in the morning. We arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6:10 AM but they don’t open the gates until after sunrise (due to security, they said). We got lucky and did have about an hour of sunshine during our visit.
Taj was amazing, magical (I told you I used those adjectives a lot!) – I don’t think I can add anything more than what other folks have already.
Ranthambhore National Park (2 Nights)
Our driver took us to the train station at Bharatpur, then we took the train to Sawaimadhopur. Train was late, so we were rushed to our private Jeep safari after a drive to our hotel, Khem Villas. (Times and number of vehicles for touring are strictly controlled, so if you miss your slot, you’re out of luck.).
Our visit here was a fantastic experience. Even though we didn’t see any tigers in two attempts, we saw lots of birds and other wild life. Also many birds to see at the Villas – wonderful for bird watchers. And, of course, the resident crocodile…
Equally good, if not better, was Khem Villas itself. Great on all levels – ambiance, staff, service. Very good, home cooked veg meals. No attention to detail was missed. We had a luxury tent the first night, then upgraded to a cottage the second night when one became available. (Tip: Luxury tent was excellent but you’ll love the cottage – especially if you like to bath privately under the stars after a bone jarring jeep trip!)
Best of all is the history and significance of this place in helping to save the tiger here. Goverdhan Singh Rathore is the son of the founding father of Ranthambhore National Park and it was fascinating talking to him at night around the campfire and hearing about how Ranthambhore came to be, and Goverdhan’s own efforts in establishing a local school, hospital and ‘model’ farm to help local people improve animal husbandry practices (and reduce deforestation and overgrazing in the Park at the same time).
Jaipur (2 Nights)
Our hotel was Shaphura House, a Heritage hotel. We had a huge suite, architectural detail was very interesting and service was excellent. However, our room faced the street, which was very noisy. Construction going on didn’t help. But we could sleep with windows closed and A/C on. Food mediocre and cold on the buffets.
Note: We were on the MAPI plan, so had Breakfast and Dinner included in our package on most days. Since this invariably meant buffets, we often were faced with less than desirable food temps.
The first evening we went to the Old Town market in Jaipur, which included the wedding market (amazing colors, activity), kitchen market, bangles market, spice market – you get the picture. Since this is a locals’ marketplace, no touts and no pressure to buy.
Excellent guide with us that evening and next day, which included the elephant ride to the Amber Fort. We enjoyed the ride until I read later about the mistreatment and lack of proper facilities for the elephants. I have written a letter, as suggested by Lonely Planet, to urge the government to improve the elephants’ situation.
Amber Fort was incredible for details of architecture and decoration. This is a theme that was repeated throughout our journey in Rajasthan – one fort and palace grander than the next.
We saw Palace of the Winds, of course, and the City Palace and Museum, but my favorite was the Museum of Astronomy/Astrology, home of the world’s largest sundial, that is accurate to 2 seconds!
Jaipur to Shahpura
Although I (fortunately) never got tired of looking out the window, there is not a lot to see on the road to Shahpura, a 6 lane highway flanked by flat, scrubby landscape (just a few small villages to break up the scene).
Shahpura Bagh is off the beaten path, but a magical surprise: A big estate, set back from a small, unspoiled village. Stunning grounds, beautiful landscape and pool area. Lots of birds, although we were told that due to weak monsoon, no waterfowl and other migratory birds compared to what is normally there. We did see about 20 different species, though, including owls and owlets.
All organic produce. Excellent vegetarian Indian food. They offer cooking classes but chef had to leave for family emergency, so no classes during our visit. Beautiful and immaculate accommodations in guest house, as well as lovely dining and sitting areas. Our room, 207, was huge, high ceiling, big bath, etc.
We had a jeep tour to the fort for sunset, which was great – we had tea overlooking the village from the top as the sun set. Driving back at night was pretty scary, though!
Shahpura to Udaipur, via Chittor garh (2 Nights in Udaipur)
On to the Chittorgarh Fort. Very impressive and we had a very good guide – a charming young woman who lived inside the walls of the fort. She shared a lot of insight into local life as well as giving a great tour of the Fort. She brought us to her house after our tour and offered tea.
The Trident Oberoi is set on beautiful grounds. We had a very nice room and bath (115 on the ground floor). Service was top notch, Oberoi quality. Food was the best we had at a hotel buffet so far. No service charge added and no tips (communal tip box). Unluckily for our pre-dinner and dinner libations, it was dry the whole time we were there (even in our room) because of elections going on.
There was a huge wedding taking place during our visit (it’s wedding season after all) and 75% of all the hotel rooms in the area of the Lake Palace were booked by this one wedding party. We could not take the scheduled boat trip around the lake or stop at Jagmandir Island, because all the boats (and the island and the Lake Palace hotel) were also booked privately for the wedding. Our guide did manage to get us on a ‘local’ boat ride around Lake Pichola (about 20 minutes). Tour guide was knowledgeable but arrogant. City Palace tour was good. We visited the Hindu temple first. We skipped the Crystal Museum (500 Rs each, which our guide offered as not being worth it.) Car Museum – no big deal (100 Rs each). After 7 hours of touring, we called it a day.
On to Ranakpur
We stayed at a trans-located haveli hotel, Fateh Bagh, which was constructed by numbering and removing all the stones from a medieval house in Jodphur, then rebuilding here. Beautiful grounds. Nice room, big, but bed not too comfortable. They showed us some spectacular suites the next day before we left (we were one of only 2 rooms occupied in the whole place – maybe they should have offered to upgrade us – or maybe we should have asked if we had known!)
The Jain temple is truly an amazing place with intricate carvings and symbolism. Made an offering of flowers – it feels so peaceful here.
Went back to the hotel and sat outside. We got lucky – the tour buses that had made a lunch-only stop there en route to the temple had left. The hotel has a very nice pool, lovely courtyards, restaurant, bar and patio, and two small ‘houses’ set up for massages and other Ayurvedic treatments. It was nice and quiet, and we saw about 10 or 12 different bird species, while we had a glass of wine and a snack.
At first, I was thinking that it was not worth it to stay overnight here, but it turned out to be an enjoyable, restful break in the journey.
(So far, our biggest expense has been wine ☺. Indian wine is heavily taxed, and therefore averaged 1300-1800 Rs a bottle. Sula (an Indian winery) has a nice Sauvignon Blanc, with good varietal typicity. Later on in our trip, the same wine only got more expensive – more like 2000-2200 Rs per bottle!)
En route to Jodphur
Approximately 45 km from Jodphur, Sohan showed us the ‘motorcycle temple’. Here is the story: 21 years ago, a young man was killed at the intersection. Police came and picked up the body and motorcycle. The motorcycle then disappeared from the police station and was discovered back at the site of the accident – having driven itself back there. Every night since, the motorcycle starts itself at 12:05 AM – the time of the accident.
No further accidents have taken place at this dangerous intersection after this. So, a shrine was established there. There are pictures of the young man that was killed, the motorcycle is there, bedecked with marigolds and the red strings that represent prayers/wishes, coconuts burn perpetually and other offerings, such as sweets, are also made. Scores of truck drivers stopped to pray and make offerings, as did Sohan. There are also several small shops that have sprung up at the site, selling flowers, coconuts, sweets, etc.
We checked into the Taj Hari Mahal, then went out on a tour of the local bazaar, around and past the clock tower. No touts. Very polluted air – tuk tuks use petrol, not natural gas and we seriously could barely breathe – by far the worst air of our trip. Really interesting markets, though. Jodphur is also known for their spices.
Hotel was empty, with only a couple tourists (26/11 anniversary). Lovely hotel. Room very nice, on ground floor directly overlooking the pool. Food was tasty and plentiful (a la carte – not enough guests for buffet). Trouble getting hot water – even though we let it run, it just got barely warm. I hope they recycle, given the drought!
In the morning, we visited Mehrangarh Fort and the Royal Crematorium. Both these tours were excellent and again the local guide was really good. City Palace was nothing to see really. There was a small museum. All the Art Deco was in the hotel, which you can’t visit unless you stay there or have dinner..
On the road to Jaisalmer
Sohan stopped at a small village so we could look inside one family’s home, which was comprised of three separate huts (with baked mud walls, thatch roof) – one each for the kitchen, guest room and sleeping quarters for family. Bathroom was outside (hole and bucket). No running water or electricity. They kept their food under baskets or higher up to keep it away from any hungry critters – dogs, goats, cows, etc. There was a newborn baby goat under a basket in the yard (to protect it from dogs, since it was too young to follow its mother out for grazing). Everything was neatly swept and tidy.
The road to Jaisalmer has views of scrub/arid desert. Nothing much grows (desert after all), lots of goats (and some sheep). Only goats seem to thrive in this environment, everything else, including the people, is starving. Saw some of the worst conditions in animals and people here of our whole trip.
Hotel Fort Rajwada – Façade, grounds and common rooms are grand. But the room (a Deluxe Double) was basic. Quite large but furnishings did not match the outside luxury. Kind of rundown around the edges (cracked dirty windows, chipped fixtures, dirty grout, those types of things), no complimentary water. Staff friendly and accommodating, food was pretty good for buffet, esp. the 2nd night. Breakfasts OK.
Jaisalmer – I’m sorry to say, this was my least favorite fort/city. Just didn’t speak to me. Fort has lovely architectural details but it is crumbling and really, really dirty and smelly (you will notice I have not complained about this so far, so this should tell you something). LOTS of touts, too. I will try and be charitable and note that tourism is really down and people are poor to start with, so this no doubt contributes.
First night – sunset at Royal cenotaphs (with lots of begging kids).
The next day, the Hindu temple by the lake was our first stop and that was the best experience of the day.
This was followed by the fort/city tour (hard to appreciate for all the filth and touts). The fort is very beautiful in the sunlight though – it really is the Golden City.
The camel ride to the dunes at sunset – well, ya gotta do it and actually I liked the ride itself (it was like riding a horse, sort of). We each had our own camel, so it was quite comfortable, even at the trot. But it’s 50km each way for a 1 hour experience with about 500 other tourists and dancing, begging gypsies.
Road to Khimsar
We asked Sohan to stop at Khichan to see the demoiselle cranes. Even though it was not peak time (they feed the birds at 7 AM and 4 PM), it was still quite a sight. Lake was very low, unfortunately.
We also stopped briefly at a Hanuman temple (there were hundreds of red flags flying in the trees and adorning the statues). This was built up over time through donations from people like Sohan.
Osiyan – 2500 year old Jain temple in various states of repair/construction. The priest gave us a very informative tour. We were the only tourists, the rest were pilgrims and worshippers and priests. Beautiful temple – lots of gold and silver in addition to the intricate carvings.
Back on the road, we were talking with Sohan about food and he asked us if we knew what ‘moongphali’ was. We couldn’t figure it out, so he said, “I’ll show you”. Shortly after, he pulled off to the side of the road, next to a field where two women were crouched down in the soil, next to a big pile of something. Sohan got out and an old man came over. Money was exchanged for a handful of…Peanuts!! Mystery solved – and we munched on the freshly picked peanuts as we continued on to Khimsar.
We’re at a heritage hotel, Fort Khimsar. The hotel is in the process of renovation and adding new buildings. We were in a Grand Heritage Suite, in a section that is only 2 years old (there is still paint on the cement steps to the roof that is accessible from the room). The maharaja (with his wife, 2 children and mother-in-law) lives on the premises in a palace.
Magnificent buildings and grounds, beautiful views from the ramparts, esp. at sunset. Beautiful pool and green lawns you could putt on. (Unfortunately, like all the hotel pools, pigeons also enjoy drinking and bathing, and white clouds of pigeon poo float in great clouds over the pool. Not too appetizing to swim in!)
Our suite was huge, including a soaking tub, separate shower, en suite hot water tank in the bathroom. However, virtually no water pressure. Again, there are almost no guests at the hotel. I think they have 90 rooms or so, and there were only 20 people (not rooms, people), so it was very empty. Kinda cool, though – like having a palace all to yourself.
Service did not match the ambiance. Very aggressive for tips (despite ‘tip box’ concept) and very disorganized, even though there were few guests and lots of servers.
Dinner was buffet in the old ruins, which was lit with candles and small kerosene lamps. Romantic atmosphere but food was cold (it was all brought in from the kitchen which was several buildings away, and the sterno couldn’t compete with the transport time).
Likewise, the breakfast buffet, in a huge dining hall, was pre-cooked and cold (even the Indian selections). I settled for wheat flakes and yogurt.
Pushkar
Stopped here on the way to Jaipur. We ended up not going into famous Brahma temple because Hans’ camera was not allowed in and we would have to go in one at a time.
We went down briefly to the ghats. We were the only foreign tourists, so got none of the hassle in the markets or by ghats that we probably would have received at peak time.
Saw our first Nano ☺ - Sohan was thrilled. (Nano is the latest car from Tata, built to be very inexpensive.)
Jaipur
Arrived at Taj Jai Mahal. Room was fine but was in the ‘basement’ – below ground level – so no view whatsoever. But no matter, it was only for one night. Enjoyed the luxury: great bed and pillows, so we had a wonderful sleep. A la carte dinner at Cinnamon was superb – best of our trip – ambiance, quality, variety, service.
However, mosquito spraying was HORRIBLE. When we arrived in early evening, there was such a heavy cloud hanging over everything, we thought it was smoke from wedding fireworks! It was really bad, because we had to walk outside for quite a ways to get to our room. Very dangerous – this is the type of stuff you’re supposed to stay inside with the windows closed when spraying takes place. Yikes! We did complain to the hotel, but they pretty much said they have lots of gardens, and therefore lots of mosquitoes and needed to spray a lot.
En route to Delhi
We stopped at Samode Palace for tour and lunch. It’s about 30 km off the beaten path. Quiet, lovely grounds, beautiful mirror work and paintings, infinity pool. Had a very nice buffet lunch in banquet dining room.
Hotel Metropolitan, Delhi:
Well, we finally arrived (10 hours after we started – traffic was beyond terrible). Completely underwhelmed. Glad we did not begin our trip here. (Legends and Palaces had originally booked us here for our first 3 nights, but after reading lots of poor reviews on TripAdvisor, we asked Mr. Singh for a different hotel.)
Staff was indifferent, bordering on rude. They did upgrade us to club floor (apparently there was an issue with availability for day use with the double room that was booked). Couldn’t use the Club Room lounge for a drink, though, since we had been ‘upgraded only ‘. There was a strong sewer smell in the hallway.
Service at the restaurant was poor – people standing around talking instead of serving. Oh, well, tomorrow we go home!
We had the room until 9 PM. It was nice to have time to leisurely pack, have tea in the afternoon, a little last minute shopping, light dinner in Sakura restaurant.
Our only slight schedule burp was a delay at the airport. Flight was supposed to leave at 12:55 AM, but they announced an indefinite delay due to ‘technical problems’. Security was very tight. They started boarding about 1:40 AM and we took off about 2:30. Still made our connection with no problem. We had a statue of Ganesh with us, so we said - thank you, Ganesh, for removing obstacles!
All in all, things went amazing smoothly – handoffs, transportation, lodging, etc. Job well done, Mr. Singh! We can highly recommend your services.
Dec 15th, 2009, 06:01 AM
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Great report thank you.
Did you take malaria medication? We found too in Tanzania the mosquito spray was awful. We figured if the mosquitos didnt kill you then the spray would!
to other india experts....do we need malarone or malaria medication in Jan/Feb? We dont like to take it if we dont need to......I know..you cant predict that one mosquito that could carry malaria but just wondering what others do.
Ms Sommelier, did you hear much about H1N1? Here in Canada it is on the news all the time and a big push to get everyone vaccinated. I figure it is for the Olympics however so that visitors from around the globe will think Canadians are all vaccinated and they wont be afraid to come to Canada, but just curious about any hype in other countries.
thanks.
Did you take malaria medication? We found too in Tanzania the mosquito spray was awful. We figured if the mosquitos didnt kill you then the spray would!
to other india experts....do we need malarone or malaria medication in Jan/Feb? We dont like to take it if we dont need to......I know..you cant predict that one mosquito that could carry malaria but just wondering what others do.
Ms Sommelier, did you hear much about H1N1? Here in Canada it is on the news all the time and a big push to get everyone vaccinated. I figure it is for the Olympics however so that visitors from around the globe will think Canadians are all vaccinated and they wont be afraid to come to Canada, but just curious about any hype in other countries.
thanks.
Dec 15th, 2009, 06:51 AM
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We took malaria meds -- doxycycline -- on our recent trip. I'd take taken it before with no problems. Larium can cause some neurological side effects and malarone is very expensive.
We saw a few mosquitoes in India and were bitten a few times, even with repellent. There were over 800 cases of dengue reported in Delhi since Jan. 2009 and, of course, there's no vaccine for that.
We both had H1N1 vaccine before we left.
We saw a few mosquitoes in India and were bitten a few times, even with repellent. There were over 800 cases of dengue reported in Delhi since Jan. 2009 and, of course, there's no vaccine for that.
We both had H1N1 vaccine before we left.
Dec 15th, 2009, 09:01 AM
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Thank you, Live42day. We did not take any anti malarial drugs, since it was deemed unnecessary for Rajasthan at that time of year (very dry). I did take precautions by using a Deet based repellent on any exposed flesh (like my feet and hands) when we went out at night. Also did the same in Delhi even during the day because of the dengue fever situation.
We stayed in A/C hotels, plus they all had mosquito plug-ins or coils in the room. So, we had no trouble with mosquitoes.
For innoculations, we got Typhoid, Tdap booster and Hep A. We did not have H1N1 vaccine because we couldn't get any here - we're not in high risk group and there were not enough doses to go around.
There is a lot of coverage here in the US, both in newspapers and TV, about H1N1.
There was also quite a bit of coverage about H1N1 in the major Indian newspapers we saw, especially regarding areas where larger outbreaks occurred (Jaipur, for instance). We also saw billboards about H1N1 but since they were in Hindi, I don't know what they said
Although I brought an entire pharmacy with ;-), we didn't need any of it, thank goodness.
We stayed in A/C hotels, plus they all had mosquito plug-ins or coils in the room. So, we had no trouble with mosquitoes.
For innoculations, we got Typhoid, Tdap booster and Hep A. We did not have H1N1 vaccine because we couldn't get any here - we're not in high risk group and there were not enough doses to go around.
There is a lot of coverage here in the US, both in newspapers and TV, about H1N1.
There was also quite a bit of coverage about H1N1 in the major Indian newspapers we saw, especially regarding areas where larger outbreaks occurred (Jaipur, for instance). We also saw billboards about H1N1 but since they were in Hindi, I don't know what they said
Although I brought an entire pharmacy with ;-), we didn't need any of it, thank goodness.
Jan 13th, 2010, 02:26 PM
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Loved reading your journey. Can i ask how much the tour cost you roughly an the details of your driver?
me and a friend are going there soon and would like to enquire the prices of local drivers. As we are comtemplating whether it would be too expensive.
me and a friend are going there soon and would like to enquire the prices of local drivers. As we are comtemplating whether it would be too expensive.
Jan 19th, 2010, 05:26 PM
#9
It is built into the price.
Some drivers sleep in their cars, others at very cheap places that cater to long distance drivers. The driver we use has friends in several of the popular who let him stay there; a much, much better option, according to him.
Usually when you eat lunch, he'll eat out back or in a cheaper place. At first, I felt kind of bad, but our driver/friend said that most drivers feel a lot more comfortable with the other drivers...They can smoke and joke, speak in their own language, and get a break from being on their "driver" mode.
Some drivers sleep in their cars, others at very cheap places that cater to long distance drivers. The driver we use has friends in several of the popular who let him stay there; a much, much better option, according to him.
Usually when you eat lunch, he'll eat out back or in a cheaper place. At first, I felt kind of bad, but our driver/friend said that most drivers feel a lot more comfortable with the other drivers...They can smoke and joke, speak in their own language, and get a break from being on their "driver" mode.
