After staying in Delhi using it as springboard for traveling Rajasthan (itinerary/stay&dine), the land of the great kings, my husband and I ended our Indian trip in Mumbai, the same place where we first stepped foot on Indian land when visiting the country more than two decades ago. At the time, we could only cast a glance at this “City of Dreams” – as it is for many Indians – and wanted to see more of it this time.

What to do on a short stay

Being here, this is your chance of a little break from city chaos by going to Elephanta Caves. A boat trip departing from Gateway of India brings you to these Hindu and Buddhist caves from the 5^th century, located about an hour’s ferry ride into the Mumbai Harbor.

Next stop is the house where the Indian activist Mahatma Ghandi, leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule had his headquarter for 17 years, the Mani Bhavan Ghandi Museum. It is a lovely building located in a quiet neighborhood.

The tour continues along the Marine Drive, South Mumbai’s iconic sea-facing promenade, to Malabar Hill, a quiet, upscale neighborhood where historic buildings are plentiful. A good stop here is the Hanging Gardens, built on top of a reservoir, with lovely views of Mumbai (Marine Drive & beach).

As the drives goes on to the last sight, Dhobi Ghat, watch out for the Antilla building.It is deemed to be the world’s most expensive private residential property, valued over 1 billion Dollars, used by a single family and owned by an Indian business magnate.

Dhobi Ghat is a well-known open-air laundromat, which was built under British rule. The washers (dhobis) work in the open to clean clothes and linen and the whole scenery makes a good picture.

Just as in Delhi where were we stayed at The Oberoi we chose for our visit to Mumbai one of India’s oldest grand hotels, the Taj Mahal Palace. As already mentioned, it is not only a hotel amongst many others but Mumbai’s most famous landmark. This iconic Arabian Sea-facing hotel, inspired from architecture styles from around the world – marrying Gothic, Greco-Romans, Islamic & Rajasthan elements -, was built in 1903 and was the clear marker of the Bombay harbor until the construction of the Gateway of India 20 years later. Since then this fairy-tale hotel has undergone a 100 million Dollar refurbishment. The original building has seven floors, in the 1970s a 22-floor tower annex was added offering more modest accommodation & services.

In case you plan a stay at the Taj Mahal Palace, I would strongly suggest that you opt for lodging in the original building, i.e. the Palace Wing. Out of the 285 rooms at your disposal we went for the Taj Club Room King Bed Sea View. The comfortable room was in the sixth floor, of an adequate size (37 sqm), with Rajput bay windows overlooking the sea and the Gateway of India

as well as a spacious Italian marble bathroom.

In addition, we had access to the club offering complimentary afternoon tea, pre-dinner drinks and canapes as well as after-dinner cognac and chocolate service.

I absolutely loved the Palace Wing’s interior, especially the stairwells, be it the main one with the splendid dome

or the one where the rooms are located.

Housekeeping service was fantastic. Whenever we went to our room, staff chatted with us and even prepared a foot bath with exfoliating effect for us when we returned to our room after dinner on our last day. Speaking of dining, there are half a dozen restaurants to choose from. Souk on the tower rooftop offering a range of Eastern Mediterranean dishes was our choice for the first evening.

As I have just mentioned, we had dinner once at the Taj Mahal Palace and this in the restaurant Souk where we relished tasty Middle Eastern food in a stylish ambiance with great panoramic views.

 As a starter we shared a vegetarian sampler,

followed by a Lamb Tagine.

On our second day, we wanted to try out a favorite among the city’s trendy crowd and headed to the nearby restaurant The Table. Here tapas-styled food inspired from all over the world is on offer using the finest available ingredients, which are locally sourced whenever possible. The varied menu changes often according to produce available. The varied menu is comprised of small and large plates that are intended to share. The chef is from San Francisco but is proficient in kitchens around the world. Each of the eight plates we had were immaculately prepared, nicely arranged and full of taste, but the pasta dishes were just phenomenal! The restaurant is contemporarily styled taking a casual fine dining approach.

Staff is friendly and relaxed, we liked our experience here very much!

We started with The SOBO Salad, a delicious mix of Avocado, Grains & Greens, Chickpeas, Feta, Pumpkin Seeds and Mustard Vinaigrette.

Third on the list were Sweet & Sour Fried Brussel Sprouts accompanied with Balsamic Agrodolce (vinegar & sugar), Sauce Gribiche (mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce from France), Roasted Onions and Walnuts.

Then it was time for the first pasta dish, Burrata Ravioli with Table Farm Basil Pesto, Brown Butter Vinaigrette and Pine Nuts, what a delight!

The meal was continued by Korean BBQ Beef Taos with Kimchi (the Korean national vegetable dish), Scallions, Mung Sprout and Horseradish Sauce.

Also the two desserts we sampled were divine, a Chocolate Budino, a pudding with Cocoa-Walnut Crumble and Earl Grey Ice Cream

as well as a Kerala Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Gelée, Balsamic Reduction and Vanilla Crumble.

If you like a somewhat eclectic approach, food infused from almost each corner of the globe, generating a diverse and enthralling experience, this is a must do for you!

We were glad that we made it back to Mumbai after we had gotten a quick glimpse of it more than twenty years ago. It is such a vibrant place and boasts with some of the best colonial-era architecture we have ever seen!

When doing a Rajasthan trip (itinerary/stay&dine) and having two more days to spend in the country, I would suggest that you fly into Delhi and fly out from Mumbai. In such a way, you will get to know two bustling Indian cities which are quite different from each other but both with their specific charm.

Date of stay: April 2018

The post What to do and where to stay & dine in style in Mumbai/India first appeared on Swiss Traveler

Delhi in short

Delhi is the second largest city in India (the largest one is Mumbai) and also amongst the world’s most populated ones. The city consists of two parts, Old Delhi

– being the historic one – lies in the north. New Delhi – located further south – was established as capital of British India in the 20^th century. While time seems to have stood still in Old Delhi, dating to the 1600s, New Delhi is its modern counterpart with colonial-era parliament buildings as well as a business and commercial center around Connaught Place.

Although being one of the world’s most polluted cities, it boasts with many sights well worth visiting.

What to do on a short stay

The adjoining Chandi Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest market in Old Delhi,

was our next destination. The best way to move here is by rickshaw in order to get through the hustle and bustle of this shopping strip. Have also a look at Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India.

Now it was time to visit the governmental district in New Delhi. Drive along the Rajpath Promenade, which runs from the Presidential Palace to the National Stadium through the India Gate (a war memorial),

bordered with gardens, trees and canals. In contrast to Old Delhi, this part of the city is nearly devoid of people and cars in some places. A short stop at the Presidential Palace (Rashtrapati Bhavan), built in British colonial style, is recommended although when my husband and I were here, we could not see a lot as large parts of the grounds were not open to the public.

The historic Qutab complex, a number of monuments and buildings around the Qutub Minar, a minaret,

was next on the list.

The highlight of our Delhi tour came at the end, the Humayun’s Tomb.

This was the first garden-tomb in India and served as model for the famous Taj Mahal. The splendid tomb of a Mughal emperor, surrounded by gardens and gates, is kept in the typical Mughal style, an Indo-Islamic architecture.

In case you have another time slot, visit the Lodhi Gardens. We were told that this oasis of calm is worth visiting. Unfortunately, we did not have time to do it. This is a historical park with a number of monuments scattered among lawns, ponds and flowerbeds.

Where to stay in style

For our stays in the mega metropolises of Delhi and Mumbai (a blogpost will be published soon) we decided to choose not “only” some exchangeable luxury hotels but two of India’s oldest grand hotels, The Oberoi in Delhi and the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

My husband and I had the chance to decide onsite which view we prefer – we were shown to two rooms – and went for the one overlooking the golf course as the other view is a bit affected by a busy road.

We immediately fell in love with our Premier Plus Room, which was very spacious (51 sqm), featured large picture windows allowing much natural light and was beautifully decorated using an array of bright colors.

The bathroom was large, modern, furnished with Italian marble and had a bathtub with a view of the lush green surroundings of the hotel.

Our room came with an access to the Resident’s Lounge (club), which offered fabulous pre-dinner drinks from a trolley – what a treat –

and tasty canapes.

Unfortunately, we did not have the time to make use of the hotel’s impressive wellness facilities, we only took a stroll through the gardens and had a look at the gorgeous exterior pool (there is also an interior one).

As to dining, there are three restaurants, the main restaurant (threesixty°), an upscale Indian dining-spot (Omya) and a high-end Chinese restaurant (Baoshuan). We only tried out the iconic threesixty° that has been a Delhi’s favorite dining-spot for years, which was completely redesigned. It is a contemporarily styled place with lots of charm and natural light.

International food is served at this restaurant and we enjoyed two delicious breakfasts and a fabulous Indian dinner here.

We also went twice to the new open-air rooftop bar, Cirrus9, where you have fantastic views of Delhi, meet a trendy crowd and enjoy creative cocktails.

We were sad to leave, having enjoyed our stay here immensely, and this not only because of the immaculate facilities but also owing to the heartfelt attitude of the staff.

Where to dine in style

As I have just mentioned, we had dinner once at the Oberoi in the restaurant threesixty° where we encountered exceptional food in a pleasant ambiance.

and you get surprisingly good value for money here, at least for western standards. My husband and I had each three courses from the a la carte menu, accompanied by a bottle of wine, for less than 200 $! Everything we sampled was of exceptional quality and big on flavor. We were very impressed by the inventive take on Indian food and thoroughly loved our experience at this culinary hotspot!

We started with Panko Crusted Bharwan Mirch, Goat Cheese Mousse and Chilli Aam Papad Chutney (stuffed pepper)

as well as Pepper Paneer Cornets and Smoked Papad.

As mains, we opted for Baked Paneer, Smoked Eggplant and Winter Green Peas

as well as Butter Scallops, Rawa Prawns, Malwani Pulao and Kokum Curry

together with Basmati Rice and Traditional Indian Breads (Roti, Naan and Parantha).

We ended the dinner with two desserts, the “Old Monk” Rum Ball and 70% Valrhona Chocolate,

the other one Mishti Doi Canolli (pastry tubes filled with fermented sweet curd) and Popped Amaranth.

Deli proved to be the ideal starting point for our Rajasthan trip (itinerary and hotels/restaurants), a place with a mix of Indian and Western influences so we had time to immerse in the culture so far away from the one we are used to.

After our tour through “Mughal land” we let our Indian experience end in Mumbai, the topic of my next blogpost where I will go once again into what to do as well as where to stay and dine when appreciating the finer things in life.

Date of stay: March 2018

The post What to do and where to stay & dine in style in Delhi/India appeared first on Swiss Traveler

General

5 of the best hotels for staying in style

We started our trip in Delhi and ended it in Mumbai. There will be a separate blogpost of these two cities later on, now I will only go into the hotels being part of our tour in Rajasthan. Whereas we also dined outside of our hotels in these two metropolises, we decided not to do this when being on route in the land of the maharajas. There are three reasons for this course of action. First, you can assume that the quality of restaurants in high-end hotels is normally quite high. Second, alternatives I found are mostly located in other similar hotels. Third, as you certainly are aware of, you have to be concerned about food safety in India. Consequently, we did not venture out to explore the restaurant scene outside of hotels as we usually do on vacation.

While be booked our hotels in Delhi and Mumbai ourselves, we did not this for the accommodation of our road trip in Rajasthan as it was part of our booking arrangements as outlined in my last blogpost. As mentioned there, we stayed at luxury hotels only with one exception (non-touristy Shahpura), and this on a bed and breakfast basis. As far as hotel brands are concerned, we had six nights at Oberoi hotels, two at a Taj hotel and one – the above-mentioned exception – at a place not being part of a hotel chain. Everywhere we stayed two nights except in Shaphura where we had only one night. As to the room category in the chain hotels, we were booked in the lowest one as this is common when booking via a travel agency without requesting differently, which we did not.

Generally, it could be said about all the hotels of our Rajasthan trip, from which you will find individual reviews in the following, that the level of service was consistently good to very good. It is apparent that the Oberoi & Taj group put a heavy focus on this aspect.

 

1. Agra: The Oberoi Amarvilas

The biggest asset of this property is by any means its location just 600 metres (650 yards) from the iconic Taj Mahal and the fact that all the rooms offer uninterrupted views of this monument.

But do let yourself to be fooled, it is not really close (picture taken using a telephoto lens). Nonetheless, it is a great thing to soak up the magical view whenever you want.

The hotel’s construction pays homage to the Taj Mahal’s Mughal architecture with an array of reflection pools, pavilions, fountains and terraced lawns,

which is very nice to look at. Also our room featured Mughal design as well as other India-specific details (beds, rugs).

The bathroom was quite classy with some marble and granite. It had a bathtub and a separate shower but was a bit cramped.

Negative as far as room was concerned, was the fact that you could not open the window (for taking pictures of the Taj Mahal) and that the room showed some signs of an older propriety.

When it comes to restaurants, we enjoyed our breakfasts at the Bellevue (good buffet selection) but decided not to have dinner here because it had the feel of a workplace canteen, although a rather stylish one.

We dined twice at the Esphahan, the Indian specialty restaurant, instead, which clearly was intended as a more upmarket dining experience. While we liked the pleasant atmosphere, we found the food so so. Some dishes were quite good, but others were bland and not very inspired. It was also inconvenient that you had to book for specific sittings.

2. Jaipur: The Oberoi Rajvilas

The bungalow buildings where many rooms are located, look similar to the well-known pink houses in Jaipur’s old town, besides they show many Mughal characteristics. They are laid out in clusters with a courtyard in the middle. Our room was spacious, with a seating area where you can look out across the grounds. It was nicely decorated with natural materials in neutral colors.

The large bathroom had double sinks, a sunken bathtub as well as a separate shower with views of a private walled garden.

We felt very comfortable in here.

As mentioned, we very much liked the food in this hotel. The breakfast was great with a well-assorted buffet and a good selection of hot dishes from an à la carte menu. We had two fabulous dinners here. Once we enjoyed a tasty meal

in the international restaurant Surya Mahal where we were seated in the picturesque courtyard.

The other time we had a delicious Indian dinner at the Raj Mahal, which serves local food, sometimes also unusual dishes from everywhere in India.

The al fresco setting of this dining-spot is also magnificent.

On balance, our stay here at the Oberoi Rajvilas was one of the two highlights of our Rajasthan tour in terms of lodging and dining. We were very impressed by the hotel’s performance in all important areas. The one thing that was a bit annoying, a tour group, was perfectly handled by the staff in order to not let it impact too much on other guests, my congrats!

3. Shahpura: Shahpura Bagh Hotel

Here, in this working farm estate in a rural area midway between Jaipur and Udaipur, we had the most relaxing and peaceful stay of our trip. The 18-hectare (45-acre) property with 9 suites set in gardens and pasture is surrounded by two lakes and still owned by the family that once ruled the town. Maya, the lady of the house, is a great host and does everything to make you feel at ease. Recommended activities include sunbathing by the lovely pool

and visiting the colorful village of Shahpura just outside the hotel’s gate. It was so interesting to walk in one of the mains streets and to get a glimpse of local life. Another good thing to do is take a trip to the family owned Dhikhola Fort for having a look at it and enjoying a sundowner at the top of the building.

For our one night stay we resided in a Royal Suite, the best room category. It was located in the main building where visiting British regents were put up in colonial times. It was expansive, with high ceilings and decorated in a colonial style.

The bathroom was large and well-appointed.

The only thing that was a bit annoying was the air-condition that only cooled down a part of the suite.

As to our meals, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast outdoor in the garden.

The Indian dinner (set meal) took place here too and was decent albeit not one of the best of our Rajasthan trip. Food was served by local staff, which were friendly although not as trained as in your typical luxury hotel.

On the whole, we had a good time at this rural retreat. It was a stunning place to unwind from touring in busy cities and made a pleasant change from the chain hotels we otherwise stayed at. Shahpura was an interesting place to visit as is a real working town and not a tourist spot as all the other destinations of our tour.

4. Udaipur: The Oberoi Udaivilas

and the setting appealing,

we were a bit underwhelmed by the dinner experience in the international restaurant (Chandni) where we were seated outside

and judged the cuisine as rather mediocre.

When it comes to the staff, the service level is generally high as this was the case for all Oberoi properties of our Rajasthan trip. Having said this, we had one or two issues that did not fit the picture. First, as our room was not ready upon our arrival (we were early), we decided to have a light lunch in the meantime. To our astonishment, an employee of the reception desk accompanied us and stayed with us – he was talking while we were eating – until our room was ready. Another thing that puzzled me was the fact that there was an attendant present by the pool, but he did not offer to cover the sunbed with a towel but watched me doing this myself. Other guests arriving after me faced the same situation but decided to use the sunbeds as they were.

The best thing about the Oberoi Udaivilas is certainly the property itself, which spreads over 20 hectares (50 acres) including a wildlife sanctuary with deer and wild boar. The building complex consists of interconnected domes and walkways as well as of a variety of canals and pools, which is a feast for the eyes.

In addition, you always have splendid views of the gardens and/or the Lake Pichola with the other famous landmarks – the Lake Palace Hotel and the City Palace.

Speaking of latter, this monument was clearly the model for the construction of the hotel.

We were booked into a Premier Room with Pool View – we were given (a small) upgrade because our room was not ready when we arrived. The room was spacious, with a nice bay window seating,

the large bathroom was bright with view to a private courtyard, a free-standing bathtub and a separate shower.

While we liked the accommodation, we had an issue with the air-condition – at the foot of the beds and directed to them –, but the staff managed to fix it after the first night.

In sum, this is a fantastic property with generously laid out rooms, wonderful gardens and views. As to dining, it has to be said that only the Indian restaurant offered a good enough performance. Also the service was not faultless. Nonetheless, I would return I was delighted by the beauty of the hotel complex.

5. Jodhpur: Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace

This hotel was not only one of the two highlights of our Rajasthan trip when it comes to lodging, but by no doubt one of the most beautiful hotels I have ever stayed at. In contrast to most accommodations mentioned so far, it is a historic building or more explicitly, a heritage palace,

where tourists come to view it although they may only visit the small hotel museum and the vintage car collection unless they are willing to pay the somewhat prohibitive cover charge to have a drink in the Trophy Bar and to catch a glimpse of the unbelievably beautiful central dome, which is the second largest in India after the one at Taj Mahal.

The Umaid Bhawan Palace is perched on a hill, the highest point in town, spreading over 10 hectares (26 acres). It was constructed by the Jodhpur royal family in order to provide employment for the famine-stricken local farmers. The palace, built in the so-called Beaux Arts style, is one of the world’s largest private residences. Nowadays, it is divided into three parts, the mentioned museum, the hotel managed by the Taj group and the residence of the royal family.

The hotel has 64 Art Deco style rooms amongst them also the Maharaja Suite, originally designed for the king with a masculine touch, and a Maharani Suite for the queen in a feminine décor. We were booked into a Palace Room but were upgraded to one of the Historical Suites, which were once the accommodations for royal visitors. What a privilege to reside like royalty in a large room with all modern comforts,

 complete with an immense bathroom

and a spacious balcony,

we loved it!

We were treated like royal visitors too, with a glass of Champagne upon arrival, daily afternoon teas, various tours through the estate if desired and the best breakfasts ever. Both our evening meals were exquisite as well. You can either dine in the beautiful restaurant

that used to be the banquet hall or outside with views of the lawn.There are two menus to choose from, an international one and an Indian one.

I had my share of awesome hotel stays, but never before in such an out of this world setting! It was so good to linger in the hotel’s public halls, especially in the area of the spectacular central dome where the atmosphere was always so serene, to stroll through the beautifully landscaped gardens or to go around the subterranean zodiac pool.

 I was just awestruck by so much beauty around me!

Overall

Date of stay: April 2018

The post Rajasthan/North India, stay & dine in style appeared first on Swiss Traveler

 

In contrast, the long sea-coast of South India brought along a coastal lifestyle, unknown in the Northern Hemisphere. India’s greenest state, Kerala, has lots of lush tropical beaches and terrific backwaters, 

other states, such as Tamil Nadu,  have plenty of wonderful temples. Here religion and pirituality are omnipresent.

Other things are different too such as racial origins, dressing style, language, music/dance and food. As to the latter, it is spicier in the south where more tamarind and coconut are used whereas in the north the curries are said to be tastier and creamier and you also get lots of food from the tandoor oven.

Consequently, it can be said that only by combining both North and South India you get a distinct awareness of how vastly different they are. Despite this fact, there are more than enough similarities too. In both parts, we encountered color-charged towns full of vividness, constant movement and joie de vivre as you can rarely see it somewhere else. Here is a video that captured this special way of life just great:

A Day in India from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

Rajasthan is widely regarded as the must-see state of India. There is hardly a region more fascinating and multi-faceted than this one. In Rajasthan, it is the magnificent palaces and the massive forts that grab your attention, built by the great kings who vied with each other to build bigger and better. And then there is the celebration of colors …  As soon as you enter India’s largest state, you are hit with them, the effect of emerald green, fire-engine red and canary yellow saris and turbans is dazzling!

If you have not that much time for traveling the area, confine yourself to the famous Golden Triangle. It starts in the metropolis of Delhi with its Mughal heritage, then angles to Agra with the unquestioned highlight of the trip, the Taj Mahal, and the triangle is completed at Jaipur, the “pink city” and gateway to Rajasthan.

Fortunately, my husband and I had more time to travel this fabulous region than just a few days. We flew into Delhi and out of Mumbai, so that we were able to explore these two mega-metropolises too. A separate blogpost about my experiences here will follow.

As far as the itinerary for Rajasthan is concerned, it is based on a tour called “India for connoisseurs” of the Swiss travel agency Travel Worldwide in Zurich – where we also booked our last year’s trip to Ecuador –, and handled through the Indian tour operator Cox & Kings. We were traveling in our own chauffeured car, which is the most flexible and comfortable way to move around in India. We had the most proficient driver we could imagine – and a really nice guy –, Manjeet Sing, a free-lancer from Punjab, and changing local guides onsite. We had to shorten the original trip a bit – unfortunately a side trip to Varanasi, a major religious hub on the banks of the Ganges, had to be dropped. At the end, the tour started in Delhi, then went via Agra, Jaipur, Shahpura (countryside), Udaipur (“city of lakes”) to Jodhpur (the “blue city”).

The journey had been planned to move at a sensible pace to avoid palace-and-fort fatigue (two nights in every place with the exception of non-touristy Shahpura) while staying in luxury hotels (apart from Shahpura). You will find a report on how to stay in style in the “land of the kings” later on my blog, here a map of our trip including places, sights, hotels and restaurants with more pictures:

The tour started with a four-hour drive to Agra, home of the world-famous Taj Mahal mausoleum. Shortly before arriving our destination, we made a stopover in Sikandra, where the tomb of the Akbar, a Mughal emperor, is located. This was a good introduction to Mughal architecture – I was fond of the absolutely symmetrical construction – and in addition a peaceful place with extensive gardens and a herd of deer.

Day 2: Agra

The absolute highlight of the trip was already scheduled on the second day, the legendary Taj Mahal. It is the final resting place of Mumtaz Mahal, the favorite wife of Shah Jahan, a Mughal emperor. This one-of-a-kind building made out of translucent marble is widely regarded as best example of Mughal architecture. It is of an almost surreal beauty, the best thing you can do is find a place to sit down – of course after having taken too many shots of it – and marvel at its sheer perfection.

It is recommended to visit the Taj Mahal as early in the morning as possible, preferably be here at 05.30 am to have the chance to enter amongst the first ones at 06.00 am. My husband and I did not want to get up that early and arrived only at 08.30 am, when it was already quite crowded but not too much so. At least we were lucky enough to gaze at the Taj Mahal from our hotel whenever we felt like it because our lodging offered this feature (read more about it later on my blog, when I report on the accommodations we had).

Agra has one more architectural treat for later in the day, the Agra Fort, a set of palaces, audience halls and pleasure gardens from where the Mughals reigned their empire.

Another sight on route near Jaipur is Chand Baori in Abhaneri, one of the largest stepwells in India and a beauty too.

Day 4: Jaipur

Jaipur, the “pink city” – called like that because the buildings are kept in this color – is the capital of Rajasthan. At its heart is the opulent City Palace,

still home to the former royal rulers. There is also a garden of giant astronomical instruments, the Jantar Mantar, which includes the world’s largest stone sundial.

Quite a sight is also the Palace of the Winds, the Hawa Mahal, with many windows to allow the breeze to flow through and keep the building cool.

The top attraction in Jaipur is out of town in the city’s surrounding hills, the Amber Fort. This palace complex with a fascinating blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture is a real scenic marvel.

The next tourist hub on our itinerary was Udaipur, about a seven-hour drive from Jaipur. To break up the long journey and the sometimes busy touring schedule, a retreat to the countryside was thrown in and very much welcomed by us. Shahpura is the ideal place for getting a taste of rural India. It was such a good thing to stroll along the lively streets and get an insight in the everyday life of the locals in a real working town.

Day 6: Shahpura – Udaipur

After a break to the touring schedule in the non-touristy area of Shahpura, the next dose of heritage was promised, however only in the evening. After checking in our hotel in Udaipur we had some leisure time on the property’s grounds with spectaculars views of the Lake Pichola, the Lake Palace Hotel (a filming site for the iconic Bond film Octopussy) and the City Palace.

Towards evening we were heading out to see two temples, a non-active one in Nagda, where the remains of a temple complex, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, can be admired and an active one in Eklingji, where Lord Shiva is worshiped. It was a good experience to visit Hindu temples again after so many viewed in South India. The atmosphere in there is always so serene.

The prettiest of all Rajasthan’s cities is undeniably Udaipur, the “city of lakes” because of its numerous waters.

It is also the state’s most relaxing city, something that the other ones cannot claim for themselves. In addition, the old town is small enough to be explored by foot, just ask your guide to cross the central area after visiting the City Palace. Speaking of which, the old city is dominated by this splendid cupola-crowned complex consisting of eleven single palaces, which makes it the second largest one in India.

Also a visit to Saheliyon Ki Bari, the Garden of the Maidens, with a lotus pool, fountains and marble elephants, is worthwhile doing.

Day 8: Udaipur – Ranakpur – Jodhpur

On our way to Jodhpur we drove via the marble Jain temple at Ranakpur, which is a true beauty, both from outside and from within. With its many halls filled with natural light and its numerous carved pillars it is an architectural marvel.

After five hours on the road we reached Jodhpur, Rajasthan’s second largest city, at the edge of the Thar desert. Our destination was the Umaid Bhawan Palace, one of the world’s largest private residences. One part of it was converted in a hotel – later on I will report on my experiences here –, another one houses a museum about the royal family’s history and the third one is still a residence of the royals.

Jodhpur is the “blue city” of India because of the many blue painted houses in the walled city. You get a more real life feeling here than in touristy Udaipur, in tiny alleys you encounter a vibrant everyday life, where donkeys and rickshaws try to get through. Just get lost here in the blue walls.

The main attraction here is the mighty Mehrangarh Fort,

one of the largest one in India, that towers over the sea-blue city, which is quite a sight. Take the elevator to the top of the building, visit the museum and then walk down. Have also a look at the neighboring Jaswant Thad, the mausoleum of the royal family.

Our last tour of our Rajasthan trip went to the Bishnois people in Jodhpur’s outskirts, also called tree-huggers, whose religion is based on care towards nature. It was interesting to see how they live although I could not help feeling like a voyeur in some respects.

Earlier on I raised the question whether the sights to follow the Taj Mahal tomb in Agra were able to catch up with this formidable attraction and I came to following conclusion. While this stunning monument left me awestruck because of its peerless beauty and perfection, I benefited from the overall picture of the trip, i.e. from the total of experiences. I had seen, heard, smelled, tasted and touched more than I ever thought possible.