The final place on our Rajasthan adventure was an eco lodge nestled just outside of Nawalgarh, in the Sheekhalwati region. After 3 weeks of being almost constantly on the move we were looking forward to some relaxation before we continue up to Himachal Pradesh for our Himalayan hike. The lodge, Apani Dhani, was truly stunning,… Continue reading Nawalgarh – Rest & Relaxation
Arriving in Bikaner, we were truly in the midst of the desert. It was hot. And sandy. And dusty. And there were lots of flies. The desert itself wasn’t actually just sand dunes, it was threaded with sections of grassy savannah and trees. The greenery was not there all year round however, only the few… Continue reading Bikaner – Rats, Camels & Castes
From Jodhpur we caught the earliest train possible (5.30am!), catching some more sleep en route to Phalodi. We had organised to be met by Jitu Solanki, zoologist, wildlife guide, and owner of Viniyak Guesthouse, where we would be staying in Bikaner. But first stop was Khichan (like 'kitchen'), a small village about 4km outside of… Continue reading Khichan Village & The Demoiselle Cranes
We decided to hire a driver for the journey from Udaipur to Jodhpur, as we wanted to stop a few times en route, firstly to see the mighty Kumbalgarh Fort that's based on a remote rocky point surrounded by jungle, and secondly to visit the Jain temple in Ranakpur made famous by it's elaborate interior… Continue reading Jodphur – the blue city
We arrived in Udaipur by train after the sun had set. Our beautiful guest house, Hari Niwas, welcomed us warmly, and kindly cooked for us a simple but delicious dinner of dhal, chutney, rice and chapatti. The people of Udaipur claim to be direct descendants from the Suryavanchi tribe (people of the sun), so pride… Continue reading Udaipur – Romantic City of Lakes
From Jaipur we continued on our Rajasthani adventure to Pushkar, a small dusty and camel-filled town settled around the shores of a holy lake just outside of Ajmer. We travelled by train again, this time in seater class. I found myself sitting next to a very friendly Indian girl around my own age. She was… Continue reading Pushkar – Parties, Ghats & Dreadlocks
Due to Roo's unfortunate ( but probably not unexpected - most people who've been to India seem to have been sick or some point or other) illness, the honours once again fall to me for another exciting guest blog. Roo could give you a very full account of what the walls of the hotel room… Continue reading Jaipur – Busy & Bustley Pink(ish) City
It turned out that our train to Sawai Madhoper was a mere 6 hours delayed, so we enjoyed a lazy day at our homestay before heading out by tuk-tuk across a decidedly blustery and grey looking Bharatpur. Overcast and heavy, you could almost hear the clouds groaning above us, ready to drop the monsoon on our… Continue reading Ranthambore – Monsoon, Tigers & Forest Temples
A short tuk-tuk ride to the main Fatephur Sikri junction and then one easy peasy barely-20-minute-and-only-slightly-squeezey bus ride to our next destination- Bharatpur and the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. 29 square km of beautiful protected wetland in the heart of North India, Keoladeo is known as one of the most popular sites in the world for… Continue reading Bharatpur – Bird Watching at Keoladeo
Our first bus experience in India was a success! After a scorchingly hot wait for only 30 minutes at Agra bus stand, and not much help from the grumpy ticket office man, it wasn't looking very hopeful as every bus name was written in Hindi and my limited knowledge of Sanskrit was proving completely unhelpful.… Continue reading Fatephur Sikri – Akbar’s Abandoned City
