Rajasthan Had always been on my travel radar .... Somehow I have always felt this immense attraction towards Grand Structures ... palaces and Royals ....... And Rajasthan is a feast for such interests .....
I chose UDAIPUR for My First Solo Trip... Reasons .. Interests - Duration and Cost :) ;P
Here is my honest Experience of my First solo trip ... Straight out of the oven :)
I started my trip by visiting Jagdish Temple..... Absorbed the strengthening vibrations of Morning prayers and the Temple Bell for a while .... and then on my rented Bike (400 per day - Udaipur Bike Rentals ) headed towards the Prime attraction of the City .... The City Palace ....
Badi Pole is the Main Entrance to this grand palace .....here You can get an Audio Guide(200) , Entry(300) and parking(25 for two wheeler) tickets...
Past Badi pole Lies Palace Front Yard housing many Handicraft shops , fountains and a Restaurant .....You Enter through the Ganesh dwar Into the palace and get glimps into the lives of The Royals of Mewad...
As you move through the beautifully built Palace.... keep an eye on the outside view of udaipur from every Window you can peep through .....
Besides This I would also advice to take a Human guide instead of an audio guide....
After being awe-struck by the lifestyle of The Royals of Mewad ..... I enjoyed my Rajasthani Thali lunch at Nataraj Hotel at city Center(220 rs) and moved to my Next destination .. Doodh Talai lake... You can take a boating ride of lake pichola from this place(300 per adult)... or you can go to City palace back door to book a boat ride and Jagmandir palace Visit..... (800 rs, Boats leave every Hr)
Doodh talai is also a Hop in point for the ropeway to karni mata mandir sitting over a neighbouring Hill .....
Being a first timer ... by this time I started feeling a little Low as I was the only one travelling alone around me :( .... But after talking to some Experienced friends of mine ... I realised it is very common thing to happen on your First solo trip. Best thing to do in such situation .... take a break for a while and do something you love .... I .. Hit the market :P
City Palace road and Jagdish temple road are filled with beautiful Handcrafted Items ... but do remember to bargain before you buy something ..... ;P
after a nice stroll through the market and some chitchat with local artists on the go.... I was back in the groove ... :)
Somewhere on the back of my mind ... this trip reminded me of the quote from a movie .." Happiness is only real when shared. - In to the wild"
It was Past sunset now ... Visited Ambrai ghat and Clicked some Pictures of City palace and Taj Hotel ..... Had dinner at a Lake view restaurant upre ( You can try Lal mass . They also have Rabbit meet dish But I didn't dare trying it .. Rabbits are cute :* ) and decided to end my day ....
Woke up all fresh the second day at my bunk " Back packer panda - Lake Pichola " a nice comfy and budget hostel right next to lake pichola ....
On day 2 ,I went walking to fateh sagar lake and Visited Maharana Pratap Smaark built on the lake Bank...
Its developed over a small hill.... You can walk up the steps .. or take an auto/vehicle up the hill.... I chose to walk... you can enjoy beautiful view of Aravali mountain range from top of this hill ...
Next Stop: Ahar Cenotaphs ... Took an ola to this place (100 rs) ... This is a Resting Place for the royals of mewar .... all memorials are marked with beautiful Domes decorated with marble carvings .....
This Place was deserted when I entered ... not many people count it as a tourist spot as it actually is a Cremation place... but indeed ..it is beautiful :)
Super hungry ... I returned back to main city to try "Dal bati Churma" at Krishna restaurant situated behind vintage car museum .... was not so impressed by the restaurant though ...
after taking some rest at the hostel ...decided to spend the evening reading a book by the banks of lake pichola waiting for the sunset .... zeel rooftop is the best place to do so with a cup of coffee .....
Taking a stroll along the ghats is the best thing to do in the eveing in udaipur ... You can also enjoy the rajasthani folk art show at bagore ki haveli on gangaur ghat....
I sat on the ghat and enjoyed some long exposure shots of the capital of mewad through my eyes ... before I would say good bye to this beautiful city the next day....
Though I couldn't cover all the places I had planed earlier like the monsoon palace..... Overall it was a beautiful experience for a first timer. Places still left to cover ... a reason for my next visit..
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