About ME
Hi!
I'm Mara, thanks for visiting my blog! I will be traveling around the world for the next years and explore amazing places in different countries! I am always seeking Adventures, Good Food, Martial Arts Experiences, Unique and sometimes Weird Stuff. \(^o^)/
INDIA
Bollywood! Curry! Chai Latte! Those were the first words coming to my mind when I heard, that we would be going to India for a competition. India is one of the countries, that has always been on my traveling list and so we planned another 3 extra weeks for traveling.
India is a huge country with a hidden beauty inside. You might experience a little culture shocked at first, if you haven’t been traveling a lot. There are huge piles of garbage at both sides of the streets and especially in Mumbai, the air is full of fine dust. Even in Goa we couldn’t see the sunset completely. She always disappeared in the dust and not the horizon. But we soon figured out, there is more to the land of holy cows than dusty air!
Our 13-days Rajasthan itinerary
Delhi – Mandawa – Bikaner – Khuri – Jaisalmer – Jodphur – Udaipur – Pushkar – Jaipur – Agra – Delhi Special: desert safari and elephant ride
Arriving in NEW DEHLI
The driver waited for us at the Airport with a jewel of Oldtimer car and brought us straight to our hotel. The lights of Delhi flew past the window, making us curious and wanting to explore the city the next day.
It was late when we arrived in front of the cute WALNUT CASTLE HOTEL. We just checked in and went directly to our room. I wanted to shower before dinner, so I went to the bathroom to find a bucket next to the toilet but no shower. There was a cheap plastic board on the wall, but no matter where I pushed and handled nowhere came water out. My friend couldn’t figure it our either and we started to wonder, if the bucket was meant for showering. No way! So I stepped outside to call for help and the kind front desk guy showed me how to use the shower. It was actually really easy and I felt like a fool.
1. Day; DEHLI
We started the day with a light breakfast and met our driver afterwards. Then we began the Delhi sightseeing tour with the RED FORT. An impressive building where we strolled around for hours. Second was the JAMA MASJID. A large mountain of shoes expected us at the entry and as soon as we got in, they tried to sold us strange coats. We were taken by surprise and rented them, looking like the tourists we were. Then we walked through the CHANDNI CHOWK MARKET. Here I have to say, my friend and me, both have blonde hairs and a really fair skin - we stood out and practically got over rolled by men trying to sell us their stuff loudly and wildly gesturing. Luckily, our driver got rid of the most, he must have seen our faces and lead us back to the car quickly. We visited the giant GATE OF INDIA and just like in Mumbai, many strangers came up to us, asking for a picture. I don’t know in how many pictures you can find us. Maybe I will stumble across one on Instagram someday. Anyways, somehow we got caught up in the GANDHI MUSEUM and spent more time there than actually planned. It was kinda nice, since only a few other tourists were there and we could recover from the unfamiliar crowds.
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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian activist and the leader of and the Indian independence movement against British rule. Gandhi inspired movements for civil right and freedom across the whole world. In Indians call him the Father of the Nation.
The World Peace Gong is a symbol of brotherhood. It bears the national flags of all United Nations member countries and symbols of prominent religions of the world.
After learning the history of Gandhi we headed to the impressive LOTUS TEMPLE. The vibe around this temple was mystic and even when there where many people, it did not shortened the impact of the lotus shaped building. The sun was already low, as we drove past the PRESIDENT HOUSE. We ended the day at the BIRLA TEMPLE, where we ate together with hundreds of people. When entering such a place, women are requested to hide their hairs and shoes have to stay outside. They gave us head covers at the wardrobes and then we visited the giant kitchen where the food was prepared, before dinner. After we were full, we headed back to the Walnut Castle Hotel.
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The Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion or any other qualification.
Recommendation: I think you could spend a lot of time in Delhi. One day was really hectic and we didn't see as much as originally was planned
2. Day; MANDAWA
We started the day early because there was a 6h ride and 270km waiting for us on our trip to Mandawa. The ride was an adventure itself and we stocked with our nose at the window, training to catch every little thing. Mandawa was one of the places I liked the most. There were way less people around and the town was kinda sleepy. We visited different HAVELI, old palace styled houses, mostly from Muslim traders back in the days. Each one of them was pretty and had their own unique style. We also saw some homeless dogs, which broke my heart. This little puppies were so cute, I almost took them with me! The hotel we stayed in was also a Haveli and the owner showed us proudly the exclusive Mosaic Room for special guests. No kidding, there was no free inch everything was covered in Mosaic stones. It was a nice hotel and from the rooftop you had a perfect view on the city below. In the morning, we were woken by the prayers that sounded out of speakers, which were spread all over the city.
The word haveli is derived from Arabic hawali, meaning "private space" popularised under Mughal Empire.
Recommendation: One day in Mandawa is just fine!
The Havelis are displaying images of gods, animals, scenes from the British colonization, and the life stories of Lords Rama and Krishna.
3. Day; BIKANER
The next day started with a breakfast and 4h car ride, 200km to Bikaner. There we visited the JUNAGARH FORT and I think some kind of Indian Bollywood Star was in our group. He was shielded by two grim looking man, probably bodyguards. They didn’t took off their black sunglasses inside and I asked myself how they could even see their man. Whatever. The Fort is huge with many palaces and stunning decorated rooms. Even the ceiling was an art work itself. There was also a museum in the Fort with all kind of things from long gone days and, for my pleasure, a whole room full of different weapons and armory.
The next stop was the RAT TEMPLE, oooooh yes one big building full of rats! Isn’t that every woman’s dream? Well...I thought they were really cute, drinking their milk, running around and chasing each other. My driver told me if I can find the white rat, a wish would be granted. I really found it! Honestly, I know it doesn’t sound very attractive, but once in your life you should have seen this. The rats are friendly and won’t bite you ^.^
Home to 20,000 rats and all of them ought to be reincarnations of Karni Mata's male children.
On our way to the next stop we drank some Chai Tea at a Road House. Some guy played the flute and charmed a snake out of a basket. This was the first time I have seen a snake so up close.
The night we spent at another Haveli, the RAMPURIA HAVELIS, which was really nice and quiet too. We went outside and strolled around the OLD CITY before sleeping.
4. Day; DESERT
Excited! And it almost held during the whole 7h and 380km until we finally arrived the Kuhri Desert Village. There were a lot of places and some huge, luxury Resorts with all kinds of Desert things to do. We settled the camels and took off towards the slowly setting sun. I took some pictures with my gorgeous looking buddy Jim and then we just sat in the sand and watched the sunset. We headed back afterwards right in time for dinner and a dancing show, later we danced around the fire too. It was a great way to get to know the group we would spent the night with, below night sky in the desert. A carriage brought us in the desert and left us to ourselves. It became freezing and we wrapped us in layers of cloths and sleeping bags. The bags and mat were provided by the resort. This is something everyone should experience at least once in live. It was magical. I spent almost the whole night staring at the sea of stars above me.
5. Day; JAISALMER
Off to the GOLDEN CITY JAISALMER the next day. After 1h, 50km we reached the nice hotel and left our stuff to explore the giant GOLDEN FORT. We spent most of the day there, strolling around, shopping, visit the cafes and so on. There were also a lot of cows and one was chawing on a t-shirt a seller had hung up. Nobody cared about it and I guess there I realized that cows were really holy, maybe not in their behavior but in the belief. When we left the Fort there were some artist at the exit, joggling and tightrope walking. After we watched them for several minutes and headed to the PATWON KI HAVELI, which is to find on many bucket lists. It is a stunning building, so crazy detailed, I can’t imagine how long construction work went on. A little trip to the GADISAR LAKE and then right on SUNSET time to the BADA BAGH, where we watched a magical sunset all by ourselves. We had a great time there and it was a pity that we had already to leave the next day.
Recommendation: If you can, stay longer and discover the city!
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6. Day; JODHPUR
Another 5h ride 270km later we were no longer in the golden but the BLUE CITY JODHPUR. We visited the MEHRANGARH FORT another huge place enthroned above the blue city below. A long street leads up to the Forts Gate and there were all kinds of street performers. I really liked the feeling of this place, it was like a time travel back in time. Also the art work inside was amazing and I’m pretty sure my chin touched the floor, seeing the history as drawings all over the place. When we stepped outside we found a woman sewing creepy looking dolls, I never had a thing for dolls, so maybe they were pretty. Standing at the wall looking down on a sea of blue houses I felt like a queen watching over her kingdom. Some Squirrels ran along the walls snatching whatever they could. Cute little guys.
We arrived at the hotel and headed to the CLOCK TOWER MARKET and did some shopping, basically we bought all the fruits we didn’t know. We also visited some stores, and stubbled across one, exclusively for SAFRAN. Safran is this yellow spice - it’s the most expensive all over the world.
7. Day; RANAKPUR & UDAIPUR
The next day was a 6h and 300km ride planned. On the way we stopped for the RANAKPUR JAIN TEMPLE. PS. Women having their red days are not allowed to enter..I'm wondering how they would check this. But there was no body-inspection at the entry.
In front of the temple were a lot of monkeys hanging around. The Temple was beautifully, everything is white and there is an elephant sculpture encircled by pillars.
Back on the road for a few minutes we stopped again and the driver gave us cookies to stick out the window. Immediately the car was surrounded by monkeys. They snatched the cookies out of our hands. I dared to go outside to feed them and almost got jumped. I love bold monkeys! Maybe because my grandparents always made me watch a German TV Show “Our Charly”, probably the best German TV Show I have ever seen.
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Anyways, we continued our ride and the moment came! I was allowed to drive! I love cars and I love driving! The wheel was on the left side and also the traffic was left, but there was no one around in part of the country side.
We arrived in UDAIPUR and felt like a drink, so we went out and found one of those rare and hidden Liquor stores and bought a bottle of wine. Back at the hotel we ate dinner on a terrace with a nice view on the lake. Some Italian guys we had seen before in the desert were there too and we enjoyed a nice dinner together.
8. Day; UDAIPUR
Day 8 and Christmas day! We started our day visiting the CITY PALACE, there I saw the most majestic toilet ever, if there is something like that. No kidding, it was basically a throne where you do your business... >.< We also visited a Tropical Park, which was really nice. Afterwards we headed to explore the town by foot. We found a vintage car collection museum and many other shops. We didn’t have warm clothes packed so we went looking for some jackets and found a TIBETAN MARKET.
It was Christmas eve and we felt like we needed something homily. And there it was, a huge LAVAZZA sign. My friend almost fell over in her hurry to reach the promise behind the big letters. I don’t have a clue about coffee and I don’t really drink it, but apparently LAVAZZA is an Italian Espresso Coffee brand. I’m so unbelievable happy we found that Cafe. Our Christmas meal consisted of Pizza and Cola. Real Pizza, not Naan bread with tomato sauce on top, real pizza. The Italian guys would probably have given a sniff, but for us it was paradise! Look out for the GOVINDA CAFE.
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9. Day; AJMER & PUSHKAR
We went for breakfast at the Govinda Cafe and I had myself a Nutella Pancake with Banana filling. Yum!
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Then we started the 300km, 6h ride to Pushkar. On the way we stopped at Ajmer, finding ruins and a strange TOXIC GREEN LAKE. In Pushkar we strolled through another market and watched a beautiful Sunset at the holy lake.
10. Day; JAIPUR
3h and 150km later we arrive in the city Jaipur. We did some stopped at a lake surrounded by blue birds and.
We checked in the hotel, but my friend ran out the room after she had spotted a cockroach and I followed after seeing two of them speeding over the bed. The driver took care of it and drove us to another hotel. I was somewhat embarrassed about the situation.
Anyways, we headed to the city and found a McDonald and our Italian friends! We decided to do something off the beat and went for bowling at a shopping center. When dinner time came we said goodbye and walked through the PINK MARKET. We bought some cookies and headed back to the hotel. Tucked us into bed, eating cookies and watching a Bollywood movie on a tablet, but fell asleep after 2h. Bollywood movies are crazy long and more than half of it is singing and dancing.
Recommendation: List of my favorite Bollywood Movies to get the feeling!
11. Day; JAIPUR
The next day started with some sightseeing. On the way to the organized Elephant Riding we met our Italian guys again and shared a coconut from the street. Yum!
Then we headed to the AMBER PALACE together and arrived a the pick-up for the elephant riding. Honestly, I was more than disappointed and extremely shocked. There were so many Elephants with tourists, walking up the hill for 10'. I don't recommend it, better have some fun with the Elephants in a sanctuary, where they are treated nicely. I felt really sorry for the animals.
After the Amber palace we went to the OBSERVATORY. Kinda weird space with stairs leading to nowhere all over the place. We were amazed by the Wind palace and headed back to the hotel for another night in Jaipur.
12. Day; AGRA
After 5h and 245km we arrived at the home of the travel organizer. He actually was meant to be our diver, but he had a change in plans. So he invited us to his home village and for lunch with his family. The house is on the country side and surrounded by yellow fields. A beautiful and calm place. His mother and sisters showed me how to roll and flattened naan. We had a great dinner at their typical Indian house. The house itself was small, but the a part of it was an open and the kitchen was in a separate small building. I felt honored to be invited and we had funny conversations.
We visited another FORT FATEHPUR SIKARI and drove to AGRA. The hotel there was amazing and the standard seemed higher than in each we had been so far. Also the food was intercontinental and it seemed like they were more tourist oriented. There was even a television in the room and we or I, watched a Bruce Lee movie before sleeping.
13. Day; AGRA
The best at last. We got up early in the morning before sunsrise and headed towards the next destination. I was curious and excited. A Rikschaw picked us up and drove us down the street, after a few minutes I got jittery and asked, if I could try it and I drove my first Rikschaw!
Then we saw it. The huge, majestic, beautiful TAJ MAHAL. It is an ivory-white marbled masterpiece and a sign of eternal love.
It has it’s root in the Mughal Dynasty, a line of Muslim emperors who reigned in India from 1526 to 1858. Shah Jehan had a harem full of women, but there was only one, that was special to him. His childhood love and the one he called the chosen one, Mumtaz. They were especially close for their time and shared a rare, romantic love. There was no other one, whom he trusted this much and they were considered soul mates. When giving birth to her 14th child, Mumtaz dies tragically. Deeply affected by the loss of his other half, the emperors black hair and beard turned snow white within a few months. Overcome by grief he vowed to keep his beloved wife’s memory forever alive. Ooooooooooh....yes I know, imagine! 14 kids! JK.
We walked around the Taj Mahal, in the Mehtab Bagh and then went for Delhi to catch our flight to Goa.
>>> Download the Rajasthan To-Do List with a lot more interesting points here. There's also a Map and Route-Plan here. <<<
