Article# 21: Travel
"Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul", one of the best quote I read somewhere. Of course, I am not someone who is passionate about adventures, but yes recently even I had an adventure, never like before. Its totally a different experience for someone like me who doesn't travel more. Not sure, if I can get similar experiences again, but this one remains special forever. This article is all about my recent trip to Rajasthan.
There comes a stage in our life when we get overloaded with the happenings around and feel like taking a break from everything. I experienced similar situation recently and wanted to run away from the routine at least for some time. I didn't think much, just decided a destination, booked the tickets, hotel and packed my bags. I was in a daze and not sure if I was doing right or not. Till last minute, I was not confident that I would make it happen. But finally, it happened
Early Morning, I started off with minimum luggage and maximum thoughts. It was not the first time that I was travelling, but it was the first time I was travelling alone for some unknown destination. Not sure what I would do there, how I would reach there, how I would survive there that too for almost a week. It was going to be completely a different location with different people, different language and everything different. It was not that easy for someone like me who never stepped out of comfort zone. But I thought, No, I should do it. I got into the flight. It was my first domestic flight journey. Surprisingly, I found one of my colleague in the flight. Ooh, I felt happy to meet someone I know at least during the journey. We landed in Mumbai and talked for a while until he left along with his relative. I planned to visit Juhu beach in Mumbai as I would have another 6 hours for my connecting flight to Udaipur. But there was a heavy downpour due to which I had to spend the time by roaming in the airport. It was little boring after lunch until I met a passenger to Udaipur. I was very curious about the place I was going to. I kept on asking people about the tourist spots to visit and started validating with the checklist I prepared. The connecting flight started one hour late. But the view from the window of the flight once it started was extraordinary. I fell in love with Mumbai just with a glance, then after sometime I got to see the sunshine and the clouds. I thought life could take a pause for a while. Tried my level best to capture that moment in my camera. It was almost 8 PM, but it was not completely dark. I could see the blue clouds clashing with the red sunshine and couldn't take my eyes off. Finally, I reached my destination, Udaipur in the night. I got along with an IT professional and shared the cab to my hotel. For the first time, I experienced a star hotel stay. It was impeccable, every part of the hotel depicted the Rajasthani culture. I fell into sleep keeping my fingers crossed for the days ahead in Udaipur.
On the first day, I was much excited. Slowly, I was trying to understand the environment there. I was surprised to see the prices of an ordinary breakfast or lunch everywhere. The reason was simple. If I see something like restaurant, I would get a good feel with effective ambiance, A/C and furniture. But, there I noticed only normal chairs and tables, not even a fan in some places, still with a competing price of a restaurant. Later, I realized that it was all just because of the tourist attraction in the city. My hotel located in the central part of the city. So, it was easy for me to pay a visit anywhere within the city. I started to City Palace, the first one in my checklist. Usually the way we read about Rajasthan in our books, we could be under the impression that it contains only deserts. But no, the state was far more than my imagination. The City Palace was a marvelous construction. My two eyes were not sufficient to view and appreciate the beauty of the palace. I visited the City Palace Museum. There were many interesting things inside like the bow and arrows, maps from the ancient times, sculptures, etc. Every frame depicted a story from the history. The view of the city Udaipur, lake Pichola and Taj lake palace from the City Palace were lovely. There were local guides all over the Museum for the tourists to provide more information about the history of the palace. The only complaint I had was the humidity, I was sweating like anything even inside the palace. There were stairs with less width inside the palace. I got to see many musical instruments and even kitchen equipment from the olden days. In the meantime, I got stuck at a place as I could hear someone speaking in my language. Yay, in an unknown place, it was like I was with some known people. They were talking in Telugu. One of them figured out that I could speak Telugu just by looking at me. I smiled and moved on. It was already afternoon and I was damn hungry after roaming for hours together from morning. I had lunch along with Kesar Kulfi to get rid of the heat there. But, there was a heavy rain for some time. Then I started roaming in the streets of Udaipur for a while. I was very happy, not sure if it was just because of my freedom and independence or the Palace effect. I also fell in love with the city. I purchased a hat similar to that of a soldier so it could protect my head from sun or rain. After some rest at the hotel, evening I visited "Sajjan Nivas", a garden full of trees and pools. There, I got into a tram to have a scenic view of the garden which was beautiful. My day came to an end with a Gobi Paratha.
The second day was my birthday. It was the first time that I was between unknown people on my birthday. It made me sad for a while, but no I wanted that day to be special as always. I got ready early in the morning and visited the famous Jagadish Temple. Then I went for a boat ride on lake Pichola. But I could say the prices for food, transport and entry pass for anything were extravagant. The boat ride was exemplary, one side the back view of City Palace and the other side, Taj Lake Palace, in between water with fresh wind, no words to say. On the ride, I reached Jag Mandir Ghat, an island palace which was built by the then king Karan Singh. People say that Shah Jahan took rescue here so that no other Muslim invader can enter into it since the name says it as Mandir which means temple. But actually there was no temple inside. Its also been said that Shah Jahan took inspiration from here to build the famous monument Taj Mahal. I found an insider who helped me in taking some pics there. It was little late by the time the boat ride got completed. I was exhausted by that time. After some rest in the hotel, evening I again came to the City Palace for photography. I felt that I should do nothing, but just sit there in the garden area ideally by looking at the palace. Common, it was so beautiful. With some wonderful pics from my camera, I attended something called "Manek Chowk" which was a light and sound show. It said about the various stories of Mewad Dynasty. I was overwhelmed with the way they presented the show. With a voice from one side of the palace, we could see the corresponding lights there. It was just that we had to imagine the characters, the dubbing and sound were in place. At some point, I was too involved in those stories that I even got goosebumps. No doubt, the show just made my special day even more special. Then the palace was also glowing like anything even during the night.
The third day, I started little late to Fateh Sagar Lake for another boat ride. I came across a Punjabi couple inside the boat who created lot of fun all over the ride. Then I went for a horse ride on the roads of Udaipur. It was fantabulous. After that I spent some time in a park nearby and had Hyderabadi Biryani. I just wanted to check to what extent they were enlightening my city's Biryani. And yeah it was good. Then I started walking for a while to reach my next destination as I couldn't find any other means of transport there. It was a remote area and the day was very hot. Two men came on a bike to ask me some address which I was not aware. Then they asked me to get into their bike so they could drop me somewhere nearby. I did so and reached Udaipur Art and Craft Museum. I didn't have the idea of buying something there. But once after I was inside, I felt like I should have a traditional Rajasthani attire. That's it, I got Pagdi, Kurta, dhoti and chappal. I loved every bit of their culture. Later, I reached another garden called "Saheliyon ki Bari" wherein I got irritated with the way the guides forced me to come along. I completely denied them and roamed around the beautiful place. But this time, I got stuck in a sudden heavy downpour. I rushed towards an auto and reached hotel soon. The rain didn't allow me to roam further in the evening.
On the fourth day, I started for Chittorgarh with a new top that I got from the arts and crafts museum. In the bus, suddenly I heard a famous telugu song. I felt as if my wings were opened. Of course, I was not going to talk, but it was just a feeling that hey I found someone from my place. But later I got to know that it was a tamil guy who had some telugu songs in his mobile. As soon as I stepped out of the bus in Chittorgarh, at least I found 10 people who surrounded me saying that they would show me the city as a tourist guide. I had to choose one among them who was also an auto driver. It was already afternoon. So, I had Rajasthani Thali as lunch and then started towards the fort. It was a very historical place. But I felt that it had nothing much to offer. The tourism development was still in progress. It was an excellent view of the city from the top of the fort. I saw the famous Meera Temple first. The sculptures inside the temple were extraordinary. Then I got into something called "Vijaya Stamb" which was a 7-storey vertical building. The stairs were 4 feet height and there was no proper light inside. I was trying assiduously, but it was like an uphill in the battle. Finally, I went to the top of the building, but couldn't find any great view as expected. The time when I was coming down from the stairs, my leg got slipped and I fell towards my back. If I had fallen towards the front, it would have been worst. I managed somehow and took rest for a while. Then I visited the famous Kalika Temple wherein I got afraid of monkeys that surrounded me. Later, I also visited the Rani Padmini palace. On my way back to Udaipur, I even saw the Kumba Palace.
On the fifth day, I had an awesome lunch at a Punjabi restaurant and started to Shilpgram in Udaipur where I found lot of traditional items. People from various states like Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan come together to showcase their art and culture. Then I visited Monsoon Palace or Sajjan Garh. It was almost 10 kms up the hill and I could see breathtaking views from there. The road was also in a zig-zag way and at some point, it was terrific. There was nothing on top of the hill that is inside the palace. But the view was good. Later, I visited Sajjangarh biological park and wax Museum. I even experienced 5d Movie, Mirror maze and horror show.
On the whole, it was an amazing experience. I couldn't identify when the days passed easily and I had to take the return flight on the next day morning. Lot of memories and lot of experience. I just felt not leaving the city although the climate was miserable that time. I thought that I would have planned well to visit Jaipur as well during those days. But after all, it was my first trip and first trail which was a hit for me. Maybe, I could plan a way better next time. Someone said true, "Travel heals everything". At least for some days, I was out of everything and experienced life never like before. All thanks to my family and friends whose support and encouragement indeed made this happen. Now, what are you thinking about? The quotes on solo trip are very true. We should experience it at least once in a life time. What do you say?
There comes a stage in our life when we get overloaded with the happenings around and feel like taking a break from everything. I experienced similar situation recently and wanted to run away from the routine at least for some time. I didn't think much, just decided a destination, booked the tickets, hotel and packed my bags. I was in a daze and not sure if I was doing right or not. Till last minute, I was not confident that I would make it happen. But finally, it happened
Early Morning, I started off with minimum luggage and maximum thoughts. It was not the first time that I was travelling, but it was the first time I was travelling alone for some unknown destination. Not sure what I would do there, how I would reach there, how I would survive there that too for almost a week. It was going to be completely a different location with different people, different language and everything different. It was not that easy for someone like me who never stepped out of comfort zone. But I thought, No, I should do it. I got into the flight. It was my first domestic flight journey. Surprisingly, I found one of my colleague in the flight. Ooh, I felt happy to meet someone I know at least during the journey. We landed in Mumbai and talked for a while until he left along with his relative. I planned to visit Juhu beach in Mumbai as I would have another 6 hours for my connecting flight to Udaipur. But there was a heavy downpour due to which I had to spend the time by roaming in the airport. It was little boring after lunch until I met a passenger to Udaipur. I was very curious about the place I was going to. I kept on asking people about the tourist spots to visit and started validating with the checklist I prepared. The connecting flight started one hour late. But the view from the window of the flight once it started was extraordinary. I fell in love with Mumbai just with a glance, then after sometime I got to see the sunshine and the clouds. I thought life could take a pause for a while. Tried my level best to capture that moment in my camera. It was almost 8 PM, but it was not completely dark. I could see the blue clouds clashing with the red sunshine and couldn't take my eyes off. Finally, I reached my destination, Udaipur in the night. I got along with an IT professional and shared the cab to my hotel. For the first time, I experienced a star hotel stay. It was impeccable, every part of the hotel depicted the Rajasthani culture. I fell into sleep keeping my fingers crossed for the days ahead in Udaipur.
On the first day, I was much excited. Slowly, I was trying to understand the environment there. I was surprised to see the prices of an ordinary breakfast or lunch everywhere. The reason was simple. If I see something like restaurant, I would get a good feel with effective ambiance, A/C and furniture. But, there I noticed only normal chairs and tables, not even a fan in some places, still with a competing price of a restaurant. Later, I realized that it was all just because of the tourist attraction in the city. My hotel located in the central part of the city. So, it was easy for me to pay a visit anywhere within the city. I started to City Palace, the first one in my checklist. Usually the way we read about Rajasthan in our books, we could be under the impression that it contains only deserts. But no, the state was far more than my imagination. The City Palace was a marvelous construction. My two eyes were not sufficient to view and appreciate the beauty of the palace. I visited the City Palace Museum. There were many interesting things inside like the bow and arrows, maps from the ancient times, sculptures, etc. Every frame depicted a story from the history. The view of the city Udaipur, lake Pichola and Taj lake palace from the City Palace were lovely. There were local guides all over the Museum for the tourists to provide more information about the history of the palace. The only complaint I had was the humidity, I was sweating like anything even inside the palace. There were stairs with less width inside the palace. I got to see many musical instruments and even kitchen equipment from the olden days. In the meantime, I got stuck at a place as I could hear someone speaking in my language. Yay, in an unknown place, it was like I was with some known people. They were talking in Telugu. One of them figured out that I could speak Telugu just by looking at me. I smiled and moved on. It was already afternoon and I was damn hungry after roaming for hours together from morning. I had lunch along with Kesar Kulfi to get rid of the heat there. But, there was a heavy rain for some time. Then I started roaming in the streets of Udaipur for a while. I was very happy, not sure if it was just because of my freedom and independence or the Palace effect. I also fell in love with the city. I purchased a hat similar to that of a soldier so it could protect my head from sun or rain. After some rest at the hotel, evening I visited "Sajjan Nivas", a garden full of trees and pools. There, I got into a tram to have a scenic view of the garden which was beautiful. My day came to an end with a Gobi Paratha.
The second day was my birthday. It was the first time that I was between unknown people on my birthday. It made me sad for a while, but no I wanted that day to be special as always. I got ready early in the morning and visited the famous Jagadish Temple. Then I went for a boat ride on lake Pichola. But I could say the prices for food, transport and entry pass for anything were extravagant. The boat ride was exemplary, one side the back view of City Palace and the other side, Taj Lake Palace, in between water with fresh wind, no words to say. On the ride, I reached Jag Mandir Ghat, an island palace which was built by the then king Karan Singh. People say that Shah Jahan took rescue here so that no other Muslim invader can enter into it since the name says it as Mandir which means temple. But actually there was no temple inside. Its also been said that Shah Jahan took inspiration from here to build the famous monument Taj Mahal. I found an insider who helped me in taking some pics there. It was little late by the time the boat ride got completed. I was exhausted by that time. After some rest in the hotel, evening I again came to the City Palace for photography. I felt that I should do nothing, but just sit there in the garden area ideally by looking at the palace. Common, it was so beautiful. With some wonderful pics from my camera, I attended something called "Manek Chowk" which was a light and sound show. It said about the various stories of Mewad Dynasty. I was overwhelmed with the way they presented the show. With a voice from one side of the palace, we could see the corresponding lights there. It was just that we had to imagine the characters, the dubbing and sound were in place. At some point, I was too involved in those stories that I even got goosebumps. No doubt, the show just made my special day even more special. Then the palace was also glowing like anything even during the night.
The third day, I started little late to Fateh Sagar Lake for another boat ride. I came across a Punjabi couple inside the boat who created lot of fun all over the ride. Then I went for a horse ride on the roads of Udaipur. It was fantabulous. After that I spent some time in a park nearby and had Hyderabadi Biryani. I just wanted to check to what extent they were enlightening my city's Biryani. And yeah it was good. Then I started walking for a while to reach my next destination as I couldn't find any other means of transport there. It was a remote area and the day was very hot. Two men came on a bike to ask me some address which I was not aware. Then they asked me to get into their bike so they could drop me somewhere nearby. I did so and reached Udaipur Art and Craft Museum. I didn't have the idea of buying something there. But once after I was inside, I felt like I should have a traditional Rajasthani attire. That's it, I got Pagdi, Kurta, dhoti and chappal. I loved every bit of their culture. Later, I reached another garden called "Saheliyon ki Bari" wherein I got irritated with the way the guides forced me to come along. I completely denied them and roamed around the beautiful place. But this time, I got stuck in a sudden heavy downpour. I rushed towards an auto and reached hotel soon. The rain didn't allow me to roam further in the evening.
On the fourth day, I started for Chittorgarh with a new top that I got from the arts and crafts museum. In the bus, suddenly I heard a famous telugu song. I felt as if my wings were opened. Of course, I was not going to talk, but it was just a feeling that hey I found someone from my place. But later I got to know that it was a tamil guy who had some telugu songs in his mobile. As soon as I stepped out of the bus in Chittorgarh, at least I found 10 people who surrounded me saying that they would show me the city as a tourist guide. I had to choose one among them who was also an auto driver. It was already afternoon. So, I had Rajasthani Thali as lunch and then started towards the fort. It was a very historical place. But I felt that it had nothing much to offer. The tourism development was still in progress. It was an excellent view of the city from the top of the fort. I saw the famous Meera Temple first. The sculptures inside the temple were extraordinary. Then I got into something called "Vijaya Stamb" which was a 7-storey vertical building. The stairs were 4 feet height and there was no proper light inside. I was trying assiduously, but it was like an uphill in the battle. Finally, I went to the top of the building, but couldn't find any great view as expected. The time when I was coming down from the stairs, my leg got slipped and I fell towards my back. If I had fallen towards the front, it would have been worst. I managed somehow and took rest for a while. Then I visited the famous Kalika Temple wherein I got afraid of monkeys that surrounded me. Later, I also visited the Rani Padmini palace. On my way back to Udaipur, I even saw the Kumba Palace.
On the fifth day, I had an awesome lunch at a Punjabi restaurant and started to Shilpgram in Udaipur where I found lot of traditional items. People from various states like Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan come together to showcase their art and culture. Then I visited Monsoon Palace or Sajjan Garh. It was almost 10 kms up the hill and I could see breathtaking views from there. The road was also in a zig-zag way and at some point, it was terrific. There was nothing on top of the hill that is inside the palace. But the view was good. Later, I visited Sajjangarh biological park and wax Museum. I even experienced 5d Movie, Mirror maze and horror show.
On the whole, it was an amazing experience. I couldn't identify when the days passed easily and I had to take the return flight on the next day morning. Lot of memories and lot of experience. I just felt not leaving the city although the climate was miserable that time. I thought that I would have planned well to visit Jaipur as well during those days. But after all, it was my first trip and first trail which was a hit for me. Maybe, I could plan a way better next time. Someone said true, "Travel heals everything". At least for some days, I was out of everything and experienced life never like before. All thanks to my family and friends whose support and encouragement indeed made this happen. Now, what are you thinking about? The quotes on solo trip are very true. We should experience it at least once in a life time. What do you say?
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