The backpacking experience continues, this time through the princely Indian state of Rajasthan. 10 days, 5 cities and the journey of a solo traveler witnessing sights, art & culture and food of this royal state. Read to know more about the 3 post series called Rajasthan – the land of surprises.
First of all, a big thank you for paying a visit to Traveler Tales. Hope you enjoyed reading the last post. Today’s story is another solo backpacking travel experience touring the land of surprises called Rajasthan, India. So here goes the tale.
Well, it was the first week of September 2018 – a typical day in the life of an IT executive – I know the word popping up in your head – trust me I had the same word boring lingering in my head too! If you happened to be an off-season traveler then September is a great time of the year for India travel – primarily due to the withdrawal of monsoon – a period of pleasant and cool weather and of course the luxury of being the off-season. This was surely reason enough to ditch the work for yet another travel escapade.
The script called itinerary
Being in Mumbai I was again overloaded with plenty of options, this time I had good 10-12 days in hand – this increased the complexity of carving out an itinerary. Living alongside the coast, beaches becomes a common affair and hills I believe are best enjoyed in winters (a hill without the chill is like a warm beer!!) hence places which fell in these categories were straight away out of sight. For situations like these, the best help is obviously a map (Google Map to be precise), with decent travel time from Mumbai and distinctly old-time charm Udaipur seems to be a good initial spot. A distance of ~800 KM indeed best traveled by train, however, with only 3 trains (not running all throughout the week) between Mumbai and Udaipur impromptu confirmed reservation was next to impossible. With excess time at disposal, the thought of doing this journey in parts via Gujarat was running across my head. Another concurrent thought was doing this travel through city hop-on-hop-off, this is contrary to what I usually prefer (a relaxed holiday – stay longer at a place and live through various experiences, slowly and steadily).
Rajasthan is India’s largest state by area and has got varied experiences in the form of heritage (the famous forts and palaces), art & culture, fairs & festivals and a desert covering 200,000 square kilometers. Undoubtedly a fab destination for any traveler, the more difficult part of such a destination is getting the itinerary right, being verbose getting every experience ticked is seldom an option. Rajasthani cuisine is a quintessential experience in itself. The itinerary creation based on the central idea of city hop-in was finally taking shape, I picked up 5 cities – for doing mild sightseeing and gorge on best known local food – a theme equally liked by the heart and the tongue! A road trip of 1889 KM into the land of surprises called Rajasthan covering Udaipur-Jodhpur- Jaisalmer-Bikaner-Ajmer was about to begin.
Venice of the East – Udaipur
The journey started boarding an air-conditioned sleeper bus from the outskirts of Mumbai, 12 hours and ~800 KM later the dream of the multi-city tour turned real with the sight at a signboard reading Udaipur, a historic city and capital of erstwhile Mewar kingdom founded way back in 1559 AD. The surrounding Aravali hills and the sophisticated system of 7 lakes make the city picturesque, to this add huge forts & palaces, museums & gardens – what you witness is nothing less than a picture perfect frame.
Tourism is mainly centered around the western part of the city, more so in the vicinity of two famed lakes – the Fateh Sagar Lake up north and the Pichola Lake down south – the area around the later is the old Udaipur city brimmed with old havelis, temples, and ghats – the serpentine narrow by lanes are best discovered by foot.
The vicinity of the City Palace – situated on the east bank of Lake Pichola – is definitely one of the best places to stay – reasons?? Many, the foremost being the stunning views of the palace, doing walks around the old city to shop and eat or to just soak into the rustic charm of the bylanes and, the transit factor – closeness to Central Bus Stand/Railway Station (airport is good 24 KM away from the city center necessitating use of taxi anyway – by the way Udaipur has app-based cab services of Uber and Ola). Let me substantiate the stay choice motivator with a picture.
Udaipur has vast accommodation choices catering to the entire spectrum of travelers. The royal factor of living like a King can be experienced at two of the famed palaces, now transformed into ultra-luxury hotels – Taj Lake Palace and Leela Palace. Suites of these hotels are the costliest in India. On the other hand, there are amazing homestay, hotels, and hostels – good pocket-friendly options to chose from.
Being on a solo trip a hostel any given day is a better choice – I picked one called Eltravo Hostel, charges INR 216 per night (perks of off-season travel), the best part of the hostel was its location – 15 minutes of walk leads to the old city – letting one visit the City Palace, Jagdish Temple and, Lake Pichola view from Lal Ghat (ghat in the context of water body refers to a well laid elevated platform ladened with series of steps leading down to the water, ghats alongside the lakes of Udaipur are unique spot for romancing the blue waters!!).
Now the convenience factor – you’ve got everything within 300 meters from the hostel (shops selling anything from general items to beer, restaurants, and bike rental) also, Udaipur’s central bus station a straight 15 minutes walk. The hostel is located on the top floor of an apartment building and has a large terrace attached to it (City Palace all lit post-dusk can be seen from the terrace – quite a compliment).
Special mention about the owner of the place – the hostel was getting shut for a few days, bookings were closed. Few other patrons booked earlier knowing about the less footfall canceled out. The owner called to bring this situation and told me I’ll be the only person in the hostel if I still wish to continue with my stay. I thought for a couple seconds, being to myself exclusively in the space – I instantly conveyed my affirmation of continuing with the booking – such instances most of the owners back out but, not here, the owner happily invited me to the place – gestures like these are a pleasant surprise!! Accessibility, neat & clean air-conditioned dorms with private washrooms – highly recommended!!
I was greeted by a smiling young guy at the hostel, he was the caretaker and my companion for the next two days. There were two other guys from Argentina, I moved on towards my dorm after exchanging pleasantries. An hour later I stepped out of the hostel with initial thought of getting a two-wheeler and going around. The thought instantly changed as I started walking towards the City Palace, exploring the old charm of Udaipur on foot emerged as the new goal after a quick meal. The massive City Palace perched on a hill is a treat.
The palace remains open Monday through Sunday from 930 AM to 530 PM. Entry fee inside the palace comes in two forms – i) access to the peripheral areas costing INR 30 ii) access to one of the internal palaces called Zenana Mahal which is now converted into a museum costing INR 300. Depending on the access chosen, one can easily spend anywhere between 1 to 4 hour admiring the beauty of the palace. Being located atop a hill, the panoramic view of the beautiful lake city and the surrounding Aravali Hills is a compliment.
A walk inside, many shutter clicks and soaking the glaring views I exited the palace. The next destination was Jagdish Temple, a beautiful temple built more than 350 years ago, less than 300m from the entrance of the palace (also called the Tripoliya Gate).
The glimpse of a tea stall is a refreshing sight given activities of the past couple of hours inside the palace. Between the boil of milk and brew of tea leaves, I struck a conversation with the chaiwallah. I was trying to figure out if there’s a foot-friendly shortcut to Lake Pichola. By the time I was taking the last sip of the tea the route to the east bank of Lake Pichola registered well.
The shortcut starts at a narrow lane, the first left after exiting Tripoliya Gate, few meters on a downward slope, the lane below expands to sinuous by-lanes flanked by houses, shops and, hotels of various shapes and sizes, all painted in white.
In order to witness the charm of the bylanes I took a rather convoluted path to reach Lal Ghat to catch a glimpse of Lake Pichola, the ghat was devoid of any crowd, the water silently kissing the edge of the ghat and, the lovely view of the water and, the dotting palaces.
Satisfied with the lake visit I started walking towards Jagdish Temple, paid a visit and walked back to the hostel. The hostel, as expected was all to myself, I hit the bunk bed instantly, not to sleep rather plan out the rest of the day. The culinary scene post-dusk is quite a phenomena in Udaipur, there are a huge number of restaurants across the lakes, overlooking the palaces or simply at the corner of a street serving food catering almost all taste buds!
Six not so meaty meals and more than 30 hours later its high time for an overloaded dose of meat – I was looking for a place which can fill my stomach with a satisfying meal, in a soothing and relaxing ambiance. A quick search on the internet drew my attention towards Tribute – a pretty looking lakeside restaurant across the old city. Reaching the place was another story, after the failed attempt of getting an auto from the street I used Ola, three drivers canceled it (a short distance of 3 Km, a fare of INR 40 and, drive through one-way this is expected!!), the fourth one, a kind soul, admitted the one-way factor and gave me an option of dropping mid-way from where the place, as per him, a 10 minutes walk away. The clock just ticked 8 PM, without further brainstorming I hopped on to the auto. A quick ride of less than 10 minutes I was at the so-called midway, a spot 300m away from Jagdish Temple, a path I traced a couple of hours back!! Just like the afternoon, the driver suggested me a shortcut detailing about crossing the zigzag streets and a couple of bridges. Walking across the same street, now in dazzling lights wasn’t looking repetitive at all, especially when one has to follow a road like this
The location of the restaurant is quite a challenge especially if you are on foot, it is tucked away at a far corner in a residential area, all this, of course, goes away in a couple of seconds once you see the facade and the entry path leading to the interiors, there are two seating options – a swanky ballroom and an open-air setting onlooking the lake, I chose the later. The staff out there was very courteous and suggests best options from the menu with a smile – hospitality at its best form. I ordered a buttery soft meat starter called Maans Ke Sooley and Rajasthan’s famed Laal Maans – the lake, soothing Indian classical music, and the meat – a superb amalgamation for a perfect evening.
The mornings after a sumptuous dinner usually starts at noon. This day was reserved for long rides, I started off after renting a two-wheeler (cost INR 400, without petrol) empty stomach, reason, the start of the day was set aside for the famous Rajasthani Thali (thali, a Hindi word means plate, is an Indian style meal – an assortment of various dishes on the platter!!), at Udaipur’s best thali restaurant called Natraj Dining Hall & Restaurant. The thali served was huge, there were more than 17 items on the plate, fresh and hot. all served unlimited – costs INR 220!! You will be overwhelmed gulping the dishes but the servers never tired fetching the fresh supplies from the kitchen!
To burn all those extra calories I headed towards a destination which was built as a watch-house (rather a tower) to witness the monsoon cloud, hence, the name Monsoon Palace or the Sajjangarh Palace – situated atop a hill, outside Udaipur city. This place provides panoramic views of the magnificent Aravali Hills and a bird-eye view of Udaipur city. The drive till the palace, situated at a distance of 6 KM outside the city passes through unwinding hilly roads amidst a green forest which is now a part of Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary. The palace is accessible without any entry fee, however, entry to the sanctuary attracts a fee of INR 30 (for foreign national INR 300). The astonishing views and whiff of fresh air were the best virtues of this place. I spent a couple of hours looking at the vast valley, capturing a few glimpses like the below one on the lens
The two-wheeler started rolling on the downward slope towards Udaipur City, I was heading to a garden designed by a King as a present to the Queen – a distant place for the Queen to spend her leisure time with her companions and maids, well, the short story behind the garden’s name Saheliyon-ki-Bari. The garden remains open throughout the week from 8 AM – 8 PM, entry costs INR 10. The marble pavillions passing through the lush green lawns decorated with lovely flowerbeds make the garden a wonderful place for a stroll (the ultimate design goal transformed into reality, way back in the 18 century!!), pictures do better speaking, here goes a few
Being in the city of lakes, there couldn’t be a better place than a lakeside for sundown. With this thought, I started towards another fascinating lake of Udaipur – the Fateh Sagar Lake. This artificial lake was constructed during the 1680s is flanked by 3 islands.
One of the islands, exactly at the center of the lake, houses a solar observatory – modeled on the lines of one present at Big Bear Lake in Southern California. A six of the GONG (Global Oscillations Network Group) sites in the world, this observatory is second in the world to have the unique multi-application solar telescope for the detailed study of solar activities such as solar flares and eruptions. The observatory, however, is not open for public. A boat ride over the lake can give the closest view, a little distant view, as seen in the image on left, is possible from the lakeside promenade.
I wanted to end the day with a meal – the last one before leaving this wonderful city, and for this, there couldn’t be a better place than a lakeside restaurant – a perfect blend of food, dusk, and lake view! The restaurant I chose was supposed to open its doors after an hour’s time.
While thinking for the options for getting most out of this one hour I remembered the sight of a board, at the very entrance of Fateh Sagar Lake promenade – pointing at the existence of an aquarium. A little Google search revealed more about this little wonder called Under The Sun – touted as India’s biggest public aquarium gallery – partly underground, supposedly house to fishes bought from 16 countries. This sounded interesting and a good way to spend an hour! The place has an entry fee of INR 118 (INR 236 for foreign national). A 3D photo booth, a virtual reality kiosk and, a fish tank to experience a slice of marine life without getting wet!!
After good utilization of the buffer time, I started off to yet another place get the final hunger-dose. Fateh Sagar Lake too got fabulous restaurants along its bank, with portions of thali still intact within the intestine I was in a mood for a light meal. A quick search on the internet made me settle for a place called Panna Vilas Palace – this is basically a heritage property converted into a hotel and has got a lovely rooftop restaurant onlooking the lake. I ordered two dishes one made up chicken and other with fish, the service is quite fast, both the dishes were on the table within 15 minutes, taste and portion size equally satisfying.
There couldn’t be a better day than this for concluding the chapter called Udaipur. I was a little sad that I’ll be out of this amazing city after 8 hours. Before stepping inside the hostel, I promised myself to return back to the city for a long backpacking experience. I hit the bed after quickly stuffing my rucksack, the next challenge – catching bus to Jodhpur at 6 AM.
Hope you enjoyed reading through this experience, stay tuned for the Jodhpur experience and remaining part of the trip.
† The map image at the beginning of this post is a screen grab from ©Google Maps. All rights reserved.