Trip to Rajasthan - Day 1: Exploring Jaipur
We had a very early morning flight to catch, 5.30 to be precise. Wasn't willing to take our chances with Uber or Ola in the middle of the night, so had booked a Meru cab for 3.30am. They are generally good for early morning airport transfer and we were not disappointed. As expected, the roads had almost no traffic and we were at the airport in no time. Our packing plan worked perfectly and there were absolutely no issues either at the airline's ticketing counter or at security check. We had some time to kill and having explored the limited things you can at an airport, we knew we were hungry. A quick bite and a cup of tea were just perfect. We were ready to fly!
The flight was on time and fortunately, uneventful. In about two hours we had landed and by 8am we were on our Uber headed for our hotel. The city was still asleep. Most of the shops were closed and there were only a few cars and two-wheelers on the roads. It was cloudy and there was a slight drizzle. We thought it will be perfect to explore the city without the sun beating down. Half an hour later we had reached our hotel - Hotel Kalyan. We had earlier emailed for an early check in and the hotel staff were glad to accommodate our request. After the check-in formalities, we were ushered into a pretty large room and I wasn't sure if I had booked the same. We quickly freshened up, organised our daypacks (generally we carried our camera, a powerbank, phone chargers, guide books, IDs and a bottle of water each) and were off.
Our first stop was at the reputed Rawat Misthan Bhander. This place is kind of an institution in Jaipur and is as popular with locals as with tourists. It was about a 15-min walk from our hotel, which became about 20 since I read the Google map wrong and missed a turn. Of course there are scores of auto rickshaw drivers along the way to distract you, offering you entire city trips for only 20 rupees or even less. Surprisingly they don't have many takers. Anyway, we did eventually find Rawat and without wasting any time had ordered their signature pyaaz kachori. And we were simply bowled over. The crispy exterior shell held within it just the perfect mix of onion and spices. We had soon ordered a couple more. Not only do they taste amazing but are quite filling as well. But we were not done yet. We still had to try the mawa kachori, another of their popular offerings. It was what it was supposed to be. Sweet, crispy and sweet. Done with our breakfast, we were now headed to the walled city.
This time we took an auto rickshaw to Hawa Mahal. My earliest memory of Hawa Mahal is from a family album that had a photo of the monument and I was told Baba had to literally lie down on the opposite side of the road to capture the entire structure in one frame. The architecture didn't disappoint -- the intricate latticework, the quintessentially Rajasthani jharokas and the sheer size of the structure did leave us spellbound. We also crossed the road, just as my parents and sister would have a few decades ago, and took a few photos. With modern phones, it was probably easier, but any day Baba's shot was much better. I blame it on the traffic :P. Having had our fair share of photos of the facade, and a few selfies, we did venture in. While many tourists skip this, I would highly recommend it, if for nothing else but the view you get of the city. From the lower floors, you can just peep down and watch unnoticed the city move by, and as you move up you can feel the wind and absorb the tranquility. One also marvels at the coloured glasswork and filigree inside.
After spending about a couple of hours at the Hawa Mahal, we headed to our next destination, the City Palace. A short walk brought us to the gates of the palace, which is still home to the royal family, though that section is off limits, for obvious reasons. But even then there is plenty to see. Having been here in 2009, I had very clear recollection of the palace, and tried playing the guide to my wife. The two silver urns were the most fascinating objects to me, closely followed by the collection of horse carriages and the artillery. The palace has its fair share of opulence but I will not say the buildings are remarkable. By the time we had covered all parts of the palace we were pretty tired and quite hungry as well. However, the plan was to next head to the Jantar Mantar. Since it was quite overcast we decided to skip the observatory for the day and do it when we return to Jaipur towards the end of the trip.
Satiated, we settled to call an end to the sightseeing for the day and head back to the hotel. We booked an Uber and after five minutes the driver called to know where we were waiting. I had no clue, asked him to reach the location, further questions were asked leading to more confusion. Thankfully we could both locate a flyover being constructed and agreed to meet there. By sheer luck we were able to spot the car in the traffic and headed back to the hotel.
We were to catch the Delhi-Jaisalmer express at quarter to midnight so there was no question of sleeping. We had an early dinner at the hotel and packed our bags ready to leave by 1030. Adventure with Uber wasn't over yet. The first Uber we booked never moved though the driver kept saying he was reaching in five minutes. The second Uber never picked up the phone. It was getting a little panicky. While the station was a short distance and could be walked, it was very late and we didn't want to risk it. To our great relief, the hotel staff somehow managed to get an auto rickshaw from somewhere and we finally were on our way to the station. Three cheers to Hotel Kalyan!
The station, like most major Indian stations, was busy though most of the shops had closed. The Delhi-Jaisalmer express was on time, and we were off to the land of the Golden Fortress.
A brilliant piece...
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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