Satrangi Rajasthan - A Place to Explore

Pragya Khare
Jul 11, 2020
11 min read

Updated: Oct 11, 2020

7 Days - 7 Cities - 3 People - A Rajasthan trip in a Budget...

Vibrant culture...Hospitality...Colours all around - This are the few words which pops up in my head whenever I think about this huge Indian State - Rajasthan.

A place rich in culture and heritage , full of palaces and forts was meant to be known as Rajao'n ka Sthan...(English - A Place of king's) that's why it is termed as Rajasthan.

We left from Pune at early Morning 3:50 AM...Jyo my friend was busy taking her morning naps on the cozy Indigo seats after spending sleepless hours at the airport..Just 15-20 mins were left and we will be in Jaipur...

The clock had ticked 5:00 am...It was still dark…I just peeped through the window...

Such aligned lights moving parallely to each other…houses placed at the equal distances...I had never seen such an organized city lights in India except in Chandigarh..It was pretty impressive.

We got our luggage and booked a cab to our Dorm in the city. It was 6:15 am, we had to take sleep for an hour or so and then our 3rd friend Aashu would be joining us whose flight was yet to land Jaipur from Bangalore.

As it was January ending, so winter was at it's peak. Even in normal Cold both me and Jyo feel much colder than other people and here we both were Shivering. The bedsheets in the dorm were so cold as if we were sleeping on Ice Sheets and the blankets too were chilly. Well we took out our winter gadgets(Shall, Extra Jacket, Winter Scarf and Blanket) from the bag and spread it over the bed and managed to sleep.

I got up in an hour, got ready. It was 9:00 AM and we met Aashu. We left the place at 10 in the morning...wooo our first day has started...

DAY 1 - JAIPUR

Hawa mahal

It was built in 1799 AD by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. The reason behind constructing it was that women of royal families could have a view of everyday life of people outside the palace through the windows, as they were not allowed to go in Public. Mahal is surrounded by the Windows and windows all around(Called as Jharokein in Hindi). There are around 365 small windows. We had a childish fun though in going and peeping through as many small windows as we can.

Jantar Mantar

Its an UNESCO World Heritage site. It was walkable distance at 1 Kms from Hawa Mahal. A pretty stunning work by Sawai Jai Singh II. If you have interest in the Astronomy, Universe, Solar System then I would suggest to hire a Guide because they will explain you all the astronomical Instruments very well. There are total 19 Instruments, When we saw them we were like - Kitna simple hai ye.

Say for Example - Yantra Raj Yantra When we looked at it firstly it was just some circular structure made of some Heavy metal. But when explained, we saw that there were small markings all over and it was an Astrolabe - Used to calculate different problems in Astronomy, such as it can be used to identify stars or planets, to determine local latitude given local time (and vice versa).

Our reaction were - What...??...bilkul bhi Simple nahi hai ye toh.

Later we had our Lunch and started with the Top item in everyone's bucketlist - Shoppiinnggg. We shopped at Bapu Bazaar and Nehru Bazar.

Tip

1. Bargaining skills are must if you don't want to get tricked by this Intelligent Shopkeepers. We had Aashu so we were little worried.

2. Before traveling to any place read or get an idea about the place. And always remember to hire a Guide If you are visiting any Historic Monument .Because you will get to know the background of the place and Which is very interesting when someone explains like a Story.

DAY 2 - AJMER and PUSHKAR

We boarded a train from Jaipur to Ajmer which is hardly at the distance of 2-2.5 hrs. After reaching Ajmer station, We kept the luggage at the cloak room and were off to pushkar, which is around 14-15 Kms from the Station.

We were confused either to book a Cab or an Auto.As we didn't wanted to waste time , So we took Auto which was readily available.

Maharana Pratap Smarak

On the way we saw the Maharana Pratap Monument. We got down there and clicked few..not few...Actually Many pics. I was personally moved by a so called Obsession of the Warrior to bring freedom to his Motherland. I would like you to read the Promise or Commitment which was written below on his statue.

It depicts How committed King he was , however we got more detailed description on him later in Chittorgarh as well.

Brahma Ji Temple and Brahma Lake

Then moved towards Pushkar. There we visited the Pushkar Lake. We spent much amount of time dripping our legs in the lake water and sitting idle watching Pigeons , swans, People performing religious activities. Then we visited Brahmaji's Temple. We wished to visit Gurudwara Sahib but we were worried if we will miss the timings for Ajmer Sharif , so left early from Pushkar.

Dargah Shareef

Then we reached the holy place - Dargah Shareef. As we had reached at the odd timings ie from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM when the doors of the Mosque were closed. So we had to wait for around 40 Mins sitting outside. Then we took the blessings and then left for "Dhai din ka Jhopda" which was at the walkable distance.After that we left for the Anasagar Lake and did some Eating and Munching activity at the Chaupati . Later we grabbed the bag's from the Cloak room and boarded the train to Udaipur.

Tip

Always remember to carry:

1. A Dupatta or a scarf if you are a girl and Hanky if you are a boy, Whenever you are visiting any Mosque or Gurudwara.

2. An extra pair Lock and Keys in any trip to pack your luggage's. Even in the Cloak room the luggage's are allowed to be kept only if it are locked.

DAY 3 - UDAIPUR and CHITTORGARH

After an Overnight journey to Udaipur, we reached hotel in the Morning, got ready and left for the Chittorgarh. We boarded a bus from Udaipur at 8:30 AM till Chittorgarh which took around 3 Hours. I was feeling little tired by the incomplete sleep but the thought of - "Rani Padmini's Palace" removed all the tiredness.

Chittorgarh Fort

If you are planning to visit Chittorgarh fort then remember it will take a whole one day. We reached the Fort around 11:30AM -12 PM, It is one of the largest forts in India and also the UNESCO World Heritage Site. This fort holds the history for Rana Kumbha, Raani Padmini, Meera bai, Vijay Stambh(tower of Victory), Jauhar Kund where total 3 Jauhars took place, Kirti Stambha , Alauddin Khilji Battle and the series of Stories linked covering the whole Era till the 16th Century. Windy atmosphere and the pleasantness all around the fort will make you feel extremely energetic. We were unable to figure out what was it that was making us so funny and Childish. Listening to so many Stories , roaming around on Scooty(Included in Guide Charges) in the the fort made us feel pretty refreshing after a long time.

Then we returned Udaipur in the evening around 7:30 PM. We visited Fateh Sagar Lake, explored various new food items at the Chaupati and then we were off to our hotel room.

Tip

1. Prefer to utilize night time for travelling the longer distances.

2. If ever you are planning a trip in the budget then try to include alternate days of hotel stays. Say for example if for Night-1 you have booked the hotel stay then Night-2 you can allot for Overnight Travelling.

DAY 4 - MOUNT ABU

We checked out from the Udaipur Hotel and Around 9:00 AM we took a State transport till Mount Abu Hill Station which is around 4 hours of distance and costed just 250rs/head.

We reached the hill station and booked a Cab for 700rs for whole day. We visited Gurushikhar Temple and was truly fascinated by the Blue color of sky. The view was truly amazing. Then we visited the Dilwara Jain Temple which left us almost speechless.Though photography was not allowed so we do not have much pics but trust me the architecture and the work is a true masterpiece.

Then we visted Nakki Lake. We had a walk around, took the dinner of Daal, Baati Churma with extraaaaaa Ghee and then left for our next point Jaisalmer.

Tip

When you book Auto or Cab anytime in trip, they will take you to the shops and places from where they get the commission. They will insist you to buy things or take ride or tell about any desert setup. Don't buy or get carried away by all that stuff, bcoz it will be like unnecessary expenses on you.
In Shopping List, Be specific about what you want to buy and buy those things only which are in your list to avoid regrets later. This year Navratri-2020, I wished to have my own Lehenga for Garba. So i was hunting it everywhere and finally i found it in Mt. Abu where it was completely unexpected.

Day 5 & 6 - JAISALMER

After an overnight journey from Mt. Abu, we reached our next and the best spot of the trip - Jaisalmer - A Golden place. This was the place in the whole trip where we were going to spend much of our time 2 days, 1 Night. After much research we had Pre-booked exclusive Package(1500Rs/head that too after much dealing) , so we were little worried if our investment was worth or not. Even in our earlier places, we used to ask our Cab drivers and the guides a repeated question to reconfirm if our decision was correct - that if there's any one place to visit in Rajasthan then what would it be and everyone's reply was - Jaisalmer.

Well the places we visited in the City were -

Patwon ki Haveli
Jaisalmer Fort
Ghadisar Lake
Pansari Bazar(Market Area)
Sam Sand dunes

After roaming in the city we left from there at 2:00 PM and reached Sam Sand dunes, which was at the distance of 25 kms. It was desert all around, A place with No traffic sounds, not those congested buildings and not even the trees.

Here we are at our tents finallllyyy. We placed our luggage's and were waiting for our Jeep to drop us to the desert. I remembered while booking the Package, I said to that person to cancel Jeep Safari to make it cost lesser but Aashu said 'No don't Cancel, it's the main Fun'. Jyo and Aashu were super excited about the Jeep and Camel Safari. I got a hint that this excitement could be a headache for me now. I was imagining myself either falling down from the Camel or flying away from the Jeep. I tried my best to stay quiet and act normal.

Finally our Jeep arrived, Jyo and Aashu got onto it and I was like - Please mujhe beech me khade rehna hai shyd mai girne se bach jau...

Both laughing and said - Come on..Kuch nahi hoga tujhe hum log hai na...

The Jeep started, We were on the road, the speed was normal..but then after 5 mins all of a sudden our responses -

Jyo - Woo-hoooo-hoo

Aashu - Wooooooooooooo

Me - Mummmmyyyyyy

The jeep was speedy as hell. The scary part started when the jeep got into the sand - Our hair , scarf and we ourselves were rotating in all the directions wherever the jeep was moving...Jyo falling on the seat from time to time. We all were actually Screaming and striking one another like a Ping Pong ball. We Screamed and laughed so much that after a while our voices had almost vanished.

After 15-20 mins of ride, Jeep stopped as we reached the Sand dunes and the Sun set point. Now the time for Camel ride. The camel hunching forward and backward made me feel like a pendulum. I was trying to look towards the Camel's face thinking Does he gets any Mood swings ? If yes, then what if he makes us fall down. Then i started to calculate It will not hurt more if we all fall on sand...Not much, So i should better enjoy the ride.

Then later one more beautiful moment popped up - The Sunset. We were just there, watching the Sun dissolving in the horizon. Jyo scratched our names in the sand. We spend around 2-3 hours in the desert and then had to return back to our tents.

So once again the return Jeep ride ,the Wind, Screaming, ping pong ball and all. Jeep was speedy, but the surface was smooth as it was a Coal road towards our tent. But that moment it just happened that we all were quiet, still holding the rods we had closed our eyes and felt the speedy air dashing on my face and its sound drumming in my ears, washing away all the thoughts which left me just blank..totally absorbed in the air ..Calm and Silent...No screaming...Just feeling the air...and that Moment....Everyone's eyes were watery... but that Silence...that moment was worth to be lived than to be described..None of us didn't said even a word .

After few minutes when we got down -

Jyo - Bhaarrii...Kay majja aali kharach. (English - Wow..It was so Enjoying.)

Aashu in Calm tone asked me - Soo Pradz, How was it ?

Me - Lively...I was just in that moment.

If ever anyone would ask me for the Jeep Safari, I would probably say No because I'm still scared..(lol..) but I believe that

"Best Moments Are Lived Only Once And I Would Like To Preserve This Moment Forever"

Then we had a cultural Night at our tent and the best part - The traditional Folk dance. I was excited that at last we would be doing Ghoomar but to our surprise It was other folk dance of that place named "Kalbeliya". Well it was still exciting to me until its a traditional dance form. Later we were served with tasty ever Rajasthani Food and then we returned back to our tents.

Next morning we got up early and we left for the city at 6:30 as we had to catch 26th January, Flag hoisting ceremony at Shahid Poonam Singh Stadium. Also there were many Cultural festival activities where 10-12 schools of Jaisalmer participated and it was for around 3-4 hours.

Jaisalmer is blended with Hospitality , respect , Culture. Starting from the point when we got down in the City and till the moment we left from the city we had experienced soo much attachment to every person we met. Jaisalmer you have my Heart and Soul.

If you know Marathi then i would request you to please read the Sand dunes Experience Post by Jyo...Its soo lively and worth reading.

Tip

Visit any place in some specific festival. It will let you mix up more with the Culture and crowd of the Place. We were initially planning for Sankranti but could not make it possible. So we locked the Republic Day Celebrations for Jaisalmer.

DAY - 6 - JODHPUR

Jodhpur, the last destination of our trip. We left from Jaisalmer by 12:30 AMand reached Jodhpur early in the Morning. We got ready and placed out luggages at the Cloak room. Then we left for the Mehrangarh Fort, roamed little bit and left early as we had the return flight at 1:40 PM. Well at Jaisalmer fort we were suggested by one of the shopkeeper that if we are going to Jodhpur then we should not miss the Mawa Kachori from Janta Sweets which was near by station only. So we had it and trust me that Mawa Kachori dripping with Sugar syrup was really very Yummy.

I was completely exhausted, but the best part of this return was that we all 3 friends were in same flight only, unlike the previous trips.

This was a trip which was Unforgettable and Memorable for me. Well it obviously depends on you how you plan the trip. For us it all started with the Map of Rajasthan, Calculating the distance between the Cities, finalizing the places and Confirming the mode of travel. It was not so easy but not very difficult too when we distributed the tasks. One person in the trip should take the responsibility of keeping track of the expenses, we used Splitwise App for it. Our trip was finally in budget. The total expenses for our Hotel stay, Food, travel, Entry and Guide Charges was around 14k/head (Including flight Charges ie 8.5k). Added few of our initial planning scratches on the Paper.