So this happened almost a week or 10 days before me and my best friend decided to go on to a trip just both of us exploring places and learning thing on our own and thats when this trip to Rajasthan happened.
DAY 1 - JODHPUR
So we travelled by train as we were travelling in a budget of course. We reached Jodhpur at 6:00am and quickly checked in to this amazingly vibrant cafe cum hostel - Dylan Cafe. Lovely place with a direct view of the lovely Mehrangarh Fort.
A refreshing meal was all that I needed to get the exploration started. It was about a kilometre or two from the place we were staying and so we rented a bike there to roam around the city and see every possible corner of this gem of a place. The fort was a piece of art oozing the depth of culture and traditions back in time. You can easing make a guess looking at the details this fort is full of, of how the lifestyle must have been of the kings and the queens. Also the museum gives you a detailed insight of the past if you are an enthusiast.
It actually took a reasonable amount of our time on the first day to get see the fort to bits and not leave any corner unexplored. After the fort was shut we experienced this beautiful sunset right opposite the fort at Jaswant Thada. The setting sun painted the sky ombre contracting to the blue landscape of the city.
DAY 2
Hopped on to our bike early in the morning treated ourselves with local breakfast it was the star to our Day 2. We aimed today to visit the interiors of the city, the small lanes of blue city which is a different part of the city all together. If you aim to visit the interiors of the blue city walking around the place is the only option as the lanes are way too narrow & full of inclined slopes for a vehicle to run on those. Trust me it is worth a long walk.
Getting there!
You can take a local rickshaw or rent a bike like us to reach the Blue City. But it gets really difficult to take a bike in the extreme interiors of the place. I would advice you to chuck the bikes at the very start of the city and walk around the place. You might walk down some of the some narrowest lanes that you'll ever visit.
While walking around the lanes of the blue city I also discovered the very same place where the iconic picture was shot by Steve McCurry. Met the family and the boy in the picture all grown up now. Such a warm and welcoming experience.
A small chat with the locals will land you in their houses and you can treat yourself with such stunning view of the entire city. More than the place I remember this place because of the people I met there. I learned there's a lot to the world, lots of interesting stories all you need to do is to take out some time for yourself & just step out. There's always a surprise awaiting!
DAY 3 - JAISALMER
We took a bus early in the morning from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. It take 3-4 hour to reach Jaisalmer from Jodhpur and the ticket should not cost you more than INR 300-350. The first day of Jaisalmer we went for a Camel safari to the desert, stayed there for a night under the stars and the magnificent moon in its full glory. Best way to relax your mind away from the chaos, witnessing the magical sunset.
DAY 4
JAISALMER FORT - The living fort.
We hopped on the bike we rented in Jaisalmer and drove inside the fort. The best thing about this fort is that it is open 24*7 obviously the major temples , the main palace have their closing times but other than those you can roam around the fort, shop local art pieces, eat and just chill.
We ended our day in this beautiful cafe on the top of the fort - Panorama Cafe with a city landscape view, wonderful music and of course how can I forget the sunset.
Day 5
Patwon Ki Haveli
An interesting piece of architecture which is also a major attraction in Jaisalmer for its detailed structure & local markets. You can also find people here who have been keeping the tradition alive for generations there. The haveli is a cluster of five small havelis. The interiors gives you an insight of the lifestyles back in the time. The bedrooms, kitchen, dressing rooms, meeting rooms etc is still kept intact for the tourists to see. The arches as worth a stare if you love the details you may also notice that each arch has its own different theme.
JAIPUR
Travelling by train from Jaisalmer to Jaipur was a bit tiring so I kept it light and only explored the streets and local markets. A little shopping does no harm. ;p
DAY 7
City Palace, Jaipur
Being a bigger city as compared to Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, Jaipur was a little much crowded.We started our day with City Palace. A highlight of it was obviously the four beautiful gates inside which depict the four seasons.
Hawa Mahal
Standing tall at the edge of City Palace is this magnificent piece of architecture. A stroll in the palace gives you a beautiful view to the city and of course beautiful coloured glass details inside enhancing the beauty of the palace when the sunlight passes through them.
Though there's a lot to do around the palace the streets are full of interesting arts and culture to explore. I ended my day at this beautiful cafe - The Tattoo Cafe right opposite Hawa Mahal.
Good food, lovely ambience, stunning view to look upon and all the more great people. the trip was made even more memorable when me and my best friend got inked with similar tattoos here. It was indeed very special.
The Last Day
AMER FORT | NAHARGARH FORT | JAIGARH FORT
Saved our last day specially for these amazing forts of Jaipur very close by to each other. But trust me guys it wasn't possible for us to explore all three to the best especially Amer Fort. It is huge I mean really really huge. Honestly for a person like me who would want to touch every corner of it will easily take half of your day here.
Do not miss to treat yourself with a beautiful sunset at Nahargarh Fort.
And do not miss a sight of world's largest Cannon at Jaigarh Fort which we missed. Honestly in the scorching heat and I don't know how many kms of walk our bodies gave up to climb up the peak for a glance of the giant cannon.
Travelling comes with a lot of uncertainties. At times you would push yourselves to the limits you may have never imagined and sit back on the other hand. But this is what is the spirit of travelling to let go of your fears, inhibitions & step out of your comfort zone. Meet new people, learn new things about the place you visit, try your hand on a craft, skip the luxury of the hotels and stay small places in budget that helps you connect more with your fellow travellers because you will not spend your time in the bed of a luxurious room watching television may be but would stay out listen to the stories, their life motives, about their culture and most importantly to cut off from your daily monotony and just - Observe the world around you. #learningholiday.
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