You know how fancy, hoity-toity people tell you that when you go to Rajasthan, you absolutely must stay in a palace? "It's part of the experience," they say. And depending on the kind of person you are, you may nod politely and say mentally, 'Ya, right', or you may just shoot the suggestion down.We didn't stay in a palace, no, but we did stay at Kothi Heritage, which was used for two months in a year as a vacation home. And how was that possible? Because Make my Trip offers you a free night when you do a certain number of bookings!Kothi Heritage belonged to Shri Bachhraj Ji, Senapati to the Maharaja Jaswant Singh (IInd). Many, many years later, his great great grandsons Tapan and Trideep Singhvi decided to convert it into a heritage hotel. They handpicked the furniture and set it up -- and it's truly charming. We had breakfast outdoors on the lawn in perfect weather. (I … [Read more...]
People and Places, Jodhpur
I think local cuisine is a big part of the travelling experience. At Hotel Prateek in Jodhpur, the menu card had a little note telling me what to visit and what to eat! And I love meeting new people when I travel; it's all part of the experience!Walking down from Mehrangarh Fort, we met a couple standing outside their little blue house. It was a steep slope, and we really had no idea where we were headed. We wanted to know whether we would get a rickshaw at the foot of the hill."Bilkul! Kyun nahin? Lekin kahaan jaaoge aap?" "Bas, poochna tha ... Rickhsaw milega, to theek hai!" He clicked his tongue. "Paidal hi chale jao! Ghantaghar ke ek taraf se andar jaakar doosri taraf se nikalna. Vahaan se aap seedha jaakar nayi sadak dekh lo. Aur phir, Hotel Priya mein dinner kar lena. Sirf Priya mein khana, theek hai? Baki sab bekar hai, vegetable bahut ganda … [Read more...]
Ghantaghar, Jodhpur
A Ghantaghar, a huge clock tower, stands at the centre of the market at Jodhpur. In my mother's time, there were camels around the Ghantaghar too, but now, I can barely imagine there being enough room for a goat, let alone a camel!The clock cost three lakhs way back in 1911. One lakh was paid for the making of the clock in London, one lakh was paid to have it installed in Jodhpur, and one lakh was paid to ensure that a clock like that was never made again! From the Mehrangarh Fort, we saw it standing out of the Blue City. That's when I knew I wanted to visit it.As darkness began to fall, we saw it lit up in all its glory. It was magnificent!And, loveliest of all, we read a board there saying that one could climb to the top between about 10:30 and 5:30 on any day except Saturday! So we went back the next day at 4:15, and stayed there for over 45 minutes.Why … [Read more...]
Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur
Jodhpur - how welcoming you were to us! I know that Jodhpur, much more than Jaipur, is a place I'll visit again!After my workshop at Central Academy, Pal, I heard stories about the Jodhpur Fort. I heard about how there are people who do not want to leave Jodhpur because they cannot live without their daily darshan of the fort. I don't know how true that is, but it is true that the fort took our breath away! Sure, India has many beautiful forts. I've been to a few. Sinhagad - I've been more times than I can count. Daulatabad - I went long ago, and among the few things I remember is the fact that the whole place smells of bats.Mehrangarh FortCost per adult (Indian) Rs 100Still camera Rs 100Audio guide Rs 170Visit duration We spent just about two hours. I recommend three hours at least!Mehrangarh Fort was something else. From the structure of … [Read more...]