We visited Jaipur in September 2015. Although it was a hurried 4 day tour of Jaipur and Udaipur, it left a long lasting impression on us.
The city of Jaipur which is a globally popular tourist place is more than just its forts and palaces. There is definitely a royal touch, a mystic sense of royal aura that oozes out of its Rajputana "Royal" culture, tradition and people as well. Although the city has evolved as a modern capital of the state of Rajasthan, what amazed us is the manner in which the history of the "pink city" with its grandeur has been kept intact.
We boarded the overnight bus from Ahmedabad which takes around 14 hours from Ahmedabad. Buses can be conveniently booked online. The frequency and options of transportation between Gujarat and Rajasthan is definitely never an issue.
The Stay
We stayed for 2 nights at the Royal Orchid Central hotel which is on MI Road. Be careful when booking Royal Orchid as they have two hotels there - one near the airport and the other one which we stayed in at MI Road. It is a 4 star hotel with modern ambience and suited our taste and requirements. Some travellers may prefer staying at a heritage hotel having a traditional "Rajputana" touch to get a larger than life feel of the pink city's culture but that we would say is a personal choice. Jaipur has so much to offer anyway that even if you stay at a modern hotel, you would not really feel left out! We would suggest to stay on or near M.I Road as it is near to quite a few of the famous sightseeing places like Jantar Mantar as well the traditional markets are nearby. That way we saved a bit on transportation!
1. The street shopping at Johari Bazaar, Nehru Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar
Spending the evenings shopping or simply window shopping at these amazing pink themed markets would definitely not let you down! Here, we got a feel of the true meaning behind the city being called a "pink" city. The variety of items you get to see is simply unbeatable. With some haggling and bargaining we got some really good deals. THIS is the place to collect your memoirs of Jaipur! The long series of pink themed shops and the traditional items on offer takes you back in time and the experience is unbeatable!
2. The cheating Autorickshaw wallah!
Well, this shouldn't be on top but unfortunately it is. We boarded an auto from our hotel and he promised us to drop at the "best market in town" for just Rs. 20. (Wow, we thought!). To our utter disappointment he dropped us near a building at a secluded area. The basement of the building had a single big shop and he obviously got compensated for dropping customers there. He explained to us that the main market is "closed today because of some procession". We'd never been fooled like this ever before. We felt cheated right before we could have glimpse of anything in Jaipur. Somehow we left the place amongst their constant persuasions and pressure to buy something. We suggest you to clarify with the autowallahs beforehand about exactly where you want to go to avoid being trapped.
3. The Full Day tour to the famous places - Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jantar Mantar, Jal Mahal, Birla Mandir.
Read full details of our day trip at these most popular places of Jaipur here.
4. The Golden Hearted Samaritan who returned us our lost mobile phone.
Click here to read the story of our lost phone just outside Jantar Mantar
5. Absolute stunning cuisine and ambience at Handi restaurant
We were told it's a famous restaurant and we didn't have enough time to visit Chokhi Dhani which is the benchmark for traditional cultural experience of Jaipur, we zeroed in to Handi. The food was delicious and the ambience was gratifying!
6. The huge influx of foreigners
We're not sure where they are from, but they are there in large numbers! And there is this innate gene inside every Indian which fills us with pride when a foreigner appreciate the beauty of the land. Their abundance is a sign of their love and respect for our country and we truly appreciate that in the right spirit!
Indeed we understood in its true sense why Jaipur always has a special place in Indian tourism. It definitely deserves a part of being in the "Golden Triangle".
Caution:
Stirctly avoid summer. All the important places of sightseeing are outdoors and there is no way one can bear the heat and enjoy at the same time. Winters are ideal.
Protip:
Finding a cab for a day tour in budget is sometimes not easy. Hotels charge exorbitantly! There's a save though. We booked Ola Cab for a short ride from our hotel on M.I. Road to Jantar Mantar and during this short trip we negotiated with the driver for a full day tour. (The previous day we had already inquired the market rates). He agreed and logged out of Ola to stay with us for the whole day. It was a win-win. We have noticed that drivers of Ola/Uber and other standard operators are usually polite enough and refrain from ripping us off and we suppose one of the reasons is that we can give driver ratings and reviews!
Give us a smile by sharing, liking and subscribing to our posts! To contact us for any ideas, suggestions, queries or simply to say Hi!
We followed Jaipur with Udaipur, the experience of which we will be sharing soon!
Cheers! And Happy Travelling.
The city of Jaipur which is a globally popular tourist place is more than just its forts and palaces. There is definitely a royal touch, a mystic sense of royal aura that oozes out of its Rajputana "Royal" culture, tradition and people as well. Although the city has evolved as a modern capital of the state of Rajasthan, what amazed us is the manner in which the history of the "pink city" with its grandeur has been kept intact.
We boarded the overnight bus from Ahmedabad which takes around 14 hours from Ahmedabad. Buses can be conveniently booked online. The frequency and options of transportation between Gujarat and Rajasthan is definitely never an issue.
The Stay
We stayed for 2 nights at the Royal Orchid Central hotel which is on MI Road. Be careful when booking Royal Orchid as they have two hotels there - one near the airport and the other one which we stayed in at MI Road. It is a 4 star hotel with modern ambience and suited our taste and requirements. Some travellers may prefer staying at a heritage hotel having a traditional "Rajputana" touch to get a larger than life feel of the pink city's culture but that we would say is a personal choice. Jaipur has so much to offer anyway that even if you stay at a modern hotel, you would not really feel left out! We would suggest to stay on or near M.I Road as it is near to quite a few of the famous sightseeing places like Jantar Mantar as well the traditional markets are nearby. That way we saved a bit on transportation!
Our top 6 memories of Jaipur, The "Pink" City !
1. The street shopping at Johari Bazaar, Nehru Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar
 |
| Johri bazar Jaipur |
Spending the evenings shopping or simply window shopping at these amazing pink themed markets would definitely not let you down! Here, we got a feel of the true meaning behind the city being called a "pink" city. The variety of items you get to see is simply unbeatable. With some haggling and bargaining we got some really good deals. THIS is the place to collect your memoirs of Jaipur! The long series of pink themed shops and the traditional items on offer takes you back in time and the experience is unbeatable!
2. The cheating Autorickshaw wallah!
|
| Pink city-pink shops-jaipur |
Well, this shouldn't be on top but unfortunately it is. We boarded an auto from our hotel and he promised us to drop at the "best market in town" for just Rs. 20. (Wow, we thought!). To our utter disappointment he dropped us near a building at a secluded area. The basement of the building had a single big shop and he obviously got compensated for dropping customers there. He explained to us that the main market is "closed today because of some procession". We'd never been fooled like this ever before. We felt cheated right before we could have glimpse of anything in Jaipur. Somehow we left the place amongst their constant persuasions and pressure to buy something. We suggest you to clarify with the autowallahs beforehand about exactly where you want to go to avoid being trapped.
3. The Full Day tour to the famous places - Amer Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jantar Mantar, Jal Mahal, Birla Mandir.
|
| Jantarmantar Jaipur |
Read full details of our day trip at these most popular places of Jaipur here.
4. The Golden Hearted Samaritan who returned us our lost mobile phone.
|
| Broken Mobile |
Click here to read the story of our lost phone just outside Jantar Mantar
5. Absolute stunning cuisine and ambience at Handi restaurant
|
| Handi Restaurant Jaipur |
We were told it's a famous restaurant and we didn't have enough time to visit Chokhi Dhani which is the benchmark for traditional cultural experience of Jaipur, we zeroed in to Handi. The food was delicious and the ambience was gratifying!
6. The huge influx of foreigners
We're not sure where they are from, but they are there in large numbers! And there is this innate gene inside every Indian which fills us with pride when a foreigner appreciate the beauty of the land. Their abundance is a sign of their love and respect for our country and we truly appreciate that in the right spirit!
Indeed we understood in its true sense why Jaipur always has a special place in Indian tourism. It definitely deserves a part of being in the "Golden Triangle".
Caution:
Stirctly avoid summer. All the important places of sightseeing are outdoors and there is no way one can bear the heat and enjoy at the same time. Winters are ideal.
Protip:
Finding a cab for a day tour in budget is sometimes not easy. Hotels charge exorbitantly! There's a save though. We booked Ola Cab for a short ride from our hotel on M.I. Road to Jantar Mantar and during this short trip we negotiated with the driver for a full day tour. (The previous day we had already inquired the market rates). He agreed and logged out of Ola to stay with us for the whole day. It was a win-win. We have noticed that drivers of Ola/Uber and other standard operators are usually polite enough and refrain from ripping us off and we suppose one of the reasons is that we can give driver ratings and reviews!
Give us a smile by sharing, liking and subscribing to our posts! To contact us for any ideas, suggestions, queries or simply to say Hi!
We followed Jaipur with Udaipur, the experience of which we will be sharing soon!
Cheers! And Happy Travelling.
No comments:
Post a Comment
GIve us a smile. Subscribe, Like and Share our blog!