"From the cackle of its colour-charged cities to the luminous splendour of its sun-kissed desert, Rajasthan is romantic India wrapped in gaudy royal robes... Compiling a must-see list in Rajasthan can cripple the fussy traveller..." - Lonely Planet
Deciding what to see in Rajasthan can be tough so here's my top ten sights/activities to give you a helping hand on your way...
MONKEY TEMPLE in Jaipur (Galtaji)
"Just through the gate (by the inner arch – surrounded by imitators) on the northern side of the square, the Omelette Shop claims to go through several thousand eggs a day – the egg man has been doing his thing for over 30 years. Two tasty, spicy boiled eggs cost Rs10, and an oily two-egg omelette with chilli, coriander and four pieces of bread Rs15." - Lonely Planet
"...the destination is an apt sobriquet of composite culture, where people of all faith and culture — Muslims to Naga babas', 'bagwa' or the 'jatau' sages soak in the ethos of the town."
"Travellers journeying through the desolate landscape of the unforgiving Thar desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan would know when they had reached their destination. The sky would fall to the ground and everything would become a single color – blue. Jodhpur would lie before them, opening up like a blue treasure in the desert."
Deciding what to see in Rajasthan can be tough so here's my top ten sights/activities to give you a helping hand on your way...
MONKEY TEMPLE in Jaipur (Galtaji)
" The temple complex of Ramgopalji temple is colloquially known as Monkey temple (Galwar Bagh) in travel literature, due to the large tribe of monkeys who live here. These rhesus macaques were featured in National Geographic Channel's Rebel Monkeys series and "Thar Desert - Sacred sand" episode of Wildest India Series. "
THE EGG MAN in Jodphur
"Just through the gate (by the inner arch – surrounded by imitators) on the northern side of the square, the Omelette Shop claims to go through several thousand eggs a day – the egg man has been doing his thing for over 30 years. Two tasty, spicy boiled eggs cost Rs10, and an oily two-egg omelette with chilli, coriander and four pieces of bread Rs15." - Lonely Planet
COLOURFUL ELEPHANTS Amer Fort in Jaipur
This is actually a controversial one because the elephants are simply used as novel taxis for the tourists (we walked up to the fort), but for a balanced Indian perspective on the elephant situation at Amer Fort have a look at the link above.
"The elephants at Amer are merely joyrides... So it is quite clear to me that they must be stopped. However, I am not willing to see the elephants at Amber starve to death simply because there is no employment for them forcing their owners to abandon them.
The solution is obvious and two-pronged, but I will state it anyway. We need the following:
a) The creation of a government or private sponsored facility to "retire" the elephants and look after them until they die
b) A program to re-skill and provide gainful employment the mahouts so that their families don't starve."
CHILLING HOLY BABAS in Pushkar
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/A-trip-to-Pushkar-the-holy-abode/articleshow/8920052.cms?referral=PM"...the destination is an apt sobriquet of composite culture, where people of all faith and culture — Muslims to Naga babas', 'bagwa' or the 'jatau' sages soak in the ethos of the town."
SHOPPING WITH THE COWS in Pushkar
"Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters."
Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters. - See more at: http://saharanscot.blogspot.de/2010/10/pushkar-india.html#sthash.PeNwIzTv.dpuf
Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters. - See more at: http://saharanscot.blogspot.de/2010/10/pushkar-india.html#sthash.PeNwIzTv.dpuf
Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters. - See more at: http://saharanscot.blogspot.de/2010/10/pushkar-india.html#sthash.PeNwIzTv.dpuf
Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters. - See more at: http://saharanscot.blogspot.de/2010/10/pushkar-india.html#sthash.PeNwIzTv.dpuf
Central Pushkar is a walking heaven compared to other Indian towns. For Indian town planners, the concept of a pavement is as abstract as the smell of unicorn shit. Pushkar however has a small centre where pedestrians have equal rights with the cows, motorbikes and scooters. - See more at: http://saharanscot.blogspot.de/2010/10/pushkar-india.html#sthash.PeNwIzTv.dpuf
CITY PALACE in Udaipur
"The City Palace in Udaipur was built in a flamboyant style and is considered the largest of its type in Rajasthan, a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, and was built on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding..."
A NIGHT IN THE THAR DESERT in Jaisalmer
"Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is the quintessential subtropical, arid wasteland that comes to the imagination from books and movies; parched, sun scorched sand dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, only disturbed by the wind exhaling across the quiet barren plains of Rajasthan."
RAT TEMPLE in Bikaner
"The Karni Mata Temple at Deshnoke, 30 km from Bikaner, India, is one of the strangest temples in the world. The temple is home to over 20,000 rats, that not only live and dine within the temple premises but are actually worshipped by devotes who throng the temple in great numbers. These holy animals are called “kabbas”, and many people travel long distances to pay their respects."
BLUE JODHPUR from the Fort
http://www.kuriositas.com/2011/01/jodhpur-indias-blue-city.html"Travellers journeying through the desolate landscape of the unforgiving Thar desert in the Indian state of Rajasthan would know when they had reached their destination. The sky would fall to the ground and everything would become a single color – blue. Jodhpur would lie before them, opening up like a blue treasure in the desert."
TAJ MAHAL
(ok, technically just over the border in Uttar Pradesh but always on the Rajasthan tour schedule!)
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