Rajasthan : Part 1

JAIPUR

On 20 June our driver Kahn picked us up for our 7 night tour of Rahjastan, arranged this time by Incredible Tours. We drove to Jaipur and after a few restful hours at the Shahpura House Hotel, we were driven out to Chokhi Dani,  an Indian cultural Disneyland, popular with locals. These touristy cultural village experiences are not our thing but we enjoyed the traditional Rahjastani dinner eventhough we had to sit on the floor to eat! 

The next day we toured the magnificent Amber Fort in the morning and visited the Pink Palace and Palace of the winds in the afternoon.

Our guides took us to a fabric printing shop, where despite being a tourist trap, I had so much fun shopping. Next stop, a wholesale jewellers for Neil to shop.

We enjoyed drinking Chai with locals and chatting about cricket at a street cafe before returning to the Shahpura.

JODHPUR

The next day we were in the car by 9am, heading to Pushkar on the edge of the desert. A man-made lake now concidered very holy, surrounded by temples and ghats.

For a fee a priest will offer prayers on your behalf and then you toss flowers and rice into the water. 

It was oppressively hot and humid and we headed back to the car feeling rather sorry for the camels!

We drove to Jodhpur and enjoyed a wonderful stay the Bel Saman Lake Palace. The garden setting of their restaurant is magical at night, albeit 38°C at 10pm.

The next morning we toured the Mehrangarh Fort with it's beautiful Mogul architecture. Later we strolled through the city market and popped into the best lassi restaurant in India, for a taste of the famous mango and yogurt drink and some deep fried street food.

En route to Udiapur we stopped at the Ranakpur Jain temple.