Have you ever been to some unexpected trip with your college friends after not seeing each other for many years? I know, it sounds difficult. But this time all of a sudden, me, my roommate and classmate Pranjali and our hostel mate Juhi decided to plan on it. Finally, we all made it because we wanted to make it happen.
I always prefer visiting isolated and off the road destinations. But, it was the first time when I decided to be a city girl exploring the beauties of the urbane and hence, ended up diving into the Royalty of Rajasthan. As much as Rajasthan oozes royalty, so do their cities ooze out their peculiar colors. They have a dedicated color code used for painting walls of houses, forts and palaces. This way you get to see those cities from the air just as you see colorful flowers in a garden. This is being followed since centuries to make Rajasthan a colorful state.
The Pink City, Jaipur
I landed in Jaipur early morning and started with the city tour. I never rush to visit all the spots of a place that I am visiting. I had option of visiting many historic sites but selected few based on my preference.
I started at Albert hall Museum, which is the oldest museum in Rajasthan. As the name suggests,it resembles the architecture of the Victoria and Albert Hall Museum in London and it was initially used as a concert hall. It has a massive collection of art galleries brought from the different regions of the world. Pigeons flying around make the place photogenic and sky looked absolutely gorgeous.
The next destination on my list was Udaipur - The City of Lakes. It took us a complete day to reach Udaipur from Jaipur via Chittodgarh. For me, the biggest challenge while traveling within Rajasthan was the distance between cities. Every city is a minimum 400 kilometers drive away from the other. Although, I enjoy road trips thoroughly, but it is not feasible to visit Rajasthan if you are not out for a long holiday.
Udaipur is a city that utterly depicts the royalty of Rajasthan and the best place to witness it is The City Palace of Udaipur. I opted for a tour guide since it's a huge place with fine details. It was quite challenging to decide where to get a tour guide. But thanks to our driver, we found a good one in no time.
The Main attraction of the day was Amber fort which is built over an area of 4 square kilometers and made out of sandstone and marble. It consists of a series of four courtyards, palaces, halls, and gardens. Make sure to keep some extra hours as this place is far away from the city and you need to climb up the hill to reach this fort. You can Opt for elephant ride also but I enjoyed walking as the view was spectacular and stunning. Then came evening but since I was tired from my travel, I missed to catch the sunset in demand of good sleep. Rajasthani cities offer beautiful sunsets that can excite you as you can see in my pictures moving downwards.
Where to Stay:
My stay was at Hotel The Livin with room type Emerald Room with complimentary breakfast.I highly recommend this hotel.
https://www.hotelthelivin.com/emerald-room-detail.php
Room was budget friendly and spacious with amenities like TV, Fridge, AC,WiFi and everything else that makes you a city sloth. The staff was friendly and helpful. My flight was early in the morning and they arranged early check-in without any prior notification. So thank you folks for that! Breakfast was good with a lot of varieties after which, we headed straight for Chittodgarh.
Chittodgarh
Chittodgarh can be a good option if you want to witness the historical offerings of Rajasthan. Alternatively, you can opt for Pushkar which is famous for its huge camel festival which is held during the month of November. Pushkar City is a Sacred site for Hindu pilgrims with more than hundred of temples.
Chittodgarh fort is around 4-5 hours drive from Jaipur. A large part of the fort has been damaged over the past few years but the leftover remains reflect ancient Indian history. It is a living fort as it still serves as home for many villagers.
The White City, Udaipur
The City Palace, situated on the bank of Lake Pichola which is majestic and took over 400 years to build. Kudos to the folks' commitment then! It took more than 2 hours to go through this massive Palace. I am so glad that my guide was pro-active and he narrated details of every painting, room and belongings of rulers of the Mewar Dynasty who lived here.
Udaipur, is also known as "The City Of Lakes" because of the presence of seven man-made lakes which are interconnected. Several water activities can be done on these lakes and I planned on trying speed-boating at Fateh Sagar Lake just to divert my mind and not make history boring. Shining Sun, breezing air and calmness of lake was thrilling and refreshing at the same time.
But that was not the end of an exciting day. The best moment was yet to be experienced and what a dream like sunset it was from top of the hill! The whole city was shining with the falling rays of the sun making it calm and beautiful.
Rope-way service is available to reach to the top. Bright night view of the city with lights reflecting around lake was another unplanned exploration for me. I must say that my timing was just perfect, although it was coincidental.
Where to Stay:
I was not so satisfied during my two nights stay in Hotel Hopp Inn. Nothing great about the infrastructure of hotel. Room size was smaller than the standard deluxe room type.
http://hopp-inn.com/
Food Service was too slow during complimentary breakfast even when dining area was almost empty. My suggestion, look for a better place if you can!
Since the fort is situated above the city, you get to see all the houses of an old area painted blue, thus giving it the name "Blue City".
Next was the Umaid bhawan Palace which is a grand elegant hotel and was once home to the Jophpur royal family. Visit to Jodhpur will be incomplete without heading to this Palace. This Palace truly depicts ancient class and royalty. It is the Last Royal Palace built in India before Independence. The foundation for this grand palace was made in 1929 by Umaid Singh and completed in 1943. There is a museum section that holds artifacts and personal collection of the royal family like vintage clocks, classic cars of the king and ancient paintings.
Where to Stay:
Have you ever wished to live in a huge Haveli which turns into a haunted one during the night? Well, I found just the right place! ????
http://www.kuchamanhaveli.com/
Living in a huge Haveli with courtyards in the middle was a totally new thing for me. Rooms and bathrooms had a traditional touch, which made it raw and natural taking you to a trip to the past. I just loved my stay here.
The Golden City, Jaisalmer
Then, finally it was time for the most awaited evening - a stay at Thar Desert. Thar Desert was the place for which I was most excited about. I was looking for Serenity and peace, and Desert safari was the answer for all my desires. I was enjoying every passing second and now they have become part of my memories which will never fade away. Sitting in a jeep crossing several sand dunes was something which I never did in my life. It was an exciting time indeed.
I remember when I was planning this trip with my friends, the only thing I could imagine was the camel, the red sky and myself sitting in sand gazing around. But the reality turned out to be more charming than my imagination and everything was magical, no exaggeration whatsoever!
Unfortunately like every other journey, this was the end of my trip. But like always it was a new experience added to my life's million others and I came out as a better person with positive vibes.
Where to Stay:
My stay was arranged at Desert Adventure Camps.
Tent Stay
I was warmly welcomed at the camp followed by Folk dance performance. Dancing with local people on Rajasthani beats was enjoyable. However unfortunately, the food quality was not up to the mark. The night stay was a bit scary as tent was not stable and it was flattering due to a sand storm, which planned to hit us just during our stay. But again, it was something new for me and I enjoyed the overall experience. After all its not comfort that I seek, I believe in adjusting and enjoying every type of experience because experience molds you into a better version of yourself!
Live the entire experience through my eyes. Clink the link below ????:
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw8Uf2-mn-A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serene_whispers/
I started my day roaming around the Jaisalmer Fort with a tour guide. Jaisalmer Fort, is a living fort just like Chittodgarh fort.
The fort is comprised of huge yellow sandstone walls and gives an incredible "Golden" view of the entire city. Don't miss to catch the complex structured old beautiful Jain Temple built in 15th century by trading merchants when Jaisalmer was part of the silk route.
The Blue City, Jodhpur
Jodhpur is considered as the cultural capital of Rajasthan, being a five hours drive away from Udaipur.
Mehrangarh fort, popular as Jodhpur fort, is one major attraction here. It is built at 400 feet above the city with thick walls and consists of a number of palaces with carvings and courtyards.
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