Arriving of the plane in India, i really didnt know what to expect. My flight had been changed so arrived just after midnight!! And wow was i in for a surprise, there were hundreds of touts waiting to take any of us passengers to a hotel of there choice. My pre-arranged airport pick up never arrived! Typical, luckily however i met a great American guy who was also on holiday in India at the airport and together we managed to get a cab driver where he would actually take me to my hotel of choice instead of telling me it had burnt down!! The american Dan also joined me which was kind of nice for my first arrival in Delhi the crazy city making me relatively relaxed as i arrived.
My first couple of days in Delhi were taken up with seeing the sights of the Red Fort, Humaynams Tomb, Cannught Place and visiting the Zoo to see some white bengal tigers :) Which was fun :) However i did get ripped off by nearly every tuc tuc driver in Delhi CBD. Most tuc tuc drivers try and take you to there preferred places of interest and shops so they can get commission!!! I also spent the first few days sampling the wonderful food India has to offer including Dosa, Thali, Mixed Veg, Roti, Naan and plenty of other magical dishes along the way :)
My plan on arrival to Delhi was to take a couple of weeks to travel Rajasthan, i decided to do this in the way of a tour :) making it easier to get around. First stop was Agra to see the magnificent Taj Mahal which is ever more beautiful when seen in real that what you see on the postcards, a beautiful story :) Agra itself did not have alot more to offer :( Next stop on the adventure was Jaipur a great buzzling place with a beautiful fort known as the Amber fort which i have to say is alot more impressive than the fort i had visited a few days previous in Delhi :) Shopping in Jaipur is massive too with the sales of Carpets and Jewellery taking the top spot in this town. In Jaipur i visited the local theatre and one of the most magnificent theatres i had ever been to take in a bollywood movie in Hindi, i had a little help with translation from a local :) From Jaipur i visited the beautiful country get away of Ranthambore a national park in Rajhastan that keeps tigers, spotted deers, monkeys and lots of other animals to see. It was great to get away from the constant drone of car horns and people shouting! This was my favourite stop so far! I took an open top jeep around this park on the look out for birds and other animals that i could spot, unfortunately no tigers on this accasion but all the stay a blissful getaway. Next stop on the magical adventure was Mahangarth a very small village full of locals who make there living by farming crops and vegetables and take them to the nearest towns to sell! Here i stayed in a heritage property which is a fort over looking the village and what a delight it was so peaceful, i also had the pleasure of listening to local musicians play and learning some indian dance moves, wearing a sari that was leant to me by a local! Next stop Bundi a small place in comparison to Jaipur and Agra but again with a great village atmosphere where the children follow you and ask you for one pen, one rupee or anything taht you could give to them.....
Next stop was a lakeside haven kown as Bassi which is around 1 hour south of Bijapur, here i stayed in a tent looking over a beautiful lake this is where i spent Christmas 2010 overlooking the lake with some local food and a bonfire to enjoy when the sun went down :) After tening it for a night i moved along up to Bijapur a town 1 hour north of Bassi. Here i stayed in castle heritage listed which was magnificent equipped with pool, library and massove grounds to walk around! On arrival in most places in Rajasthan you are greeted with a bindi placed on your forehead and flowers wrapped around your neck as a sign to welcome you :)
My favourite stop on my journey around Rajhastan was Udapuir a beautiful town set on the river, with a magical floating palace and beautiful cobbled streets that led you to the little stores and cafes ready for the tourists to hoard. But here i had a great time spending a couple of days exploring the streets and eating some great food!!
Last stop of the trip in Rajhastan was Pushkar a holy town taken over my Israeli tourists, being a holy town there was no meat eaten or alcohol drunk there whatsoever :) In Pushkar i took a camel safari through the town and then on into the dunes to watch the sun come down, which was a wonderful experience, very different to the last time i rode a camel in Broome in Western Australia over 2 years ago.
Following on from Pushkar it brings me back to Delhi to which i started, here i stay in a wonderful palce called the Amax in costing 500rupees a night a bargain for the price, yes its basic but its relatively clean for Indian standards. The staff are pleasant and there is a roof top terrace where you can drink a kingfisher and enjoy the company of locals and tourists alike, from archeologists to backpackers to local workers!
In Delhi is where i right this post from and with that i have to go back into the busy streets to take yet some more beautiful food :) Until the next time ...... Emxx
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