For us, Rajasthan was the best part of India. It’s rural, authentic, beautiful and has some laidback small towns worth visiting! We started our journey in Udaipur, following Jodhpur, Jaiselmer, Pushkar and Jaipur. Why traveling to some of these cities of Incredible Rajasthan? Let me explain!
Udaipur
I call it small Italy. Not whole Udaipar, but it’s this area you have to pay entrance for which is really pretty. It’s the City Palace surrounded by its huge towers and decorated gardens. Behind the complex you will find lake Pichola with its blue-greyesh hills on the background. Take the 1-hour boatcruise to witness the lake glimmering during sunset. You will pass the Taj Lake Palace (one of the most expensive hotels in India) and have a little break on Jagmandir Island which was, for me personally, the actual highlight of the trip. Other reasons for visiting Udaipur? Imagine this: You’re on the rooftop of your haveli guesthouse during sunset, enjoying the rare silence and view of lake Pichola while having a cup of Indian chai. Isn’t this romantic or what?
Jaiselmer
It’s called the Golden City because of the many golden coloured Rajasthani styled havelis. The Jaiselmer Fort is like a huge sandcastle rising up to the sky. It’s home to more than 5000 Rajasthanis living & working inside the enormous walls. Even many guesthouses, hotels and restaurants are situated here nowadays for touristy purposes. We went there for the famous camel safaris and decided to do a 2-day trip into the desert. Passing by small villages, having freshly prepared lunch and dinner, sharing stories & singing songs with our guide and fellow travelers during campfire… only good memories! Why sleeping in the desert? When you get the chance of sleeping in a 5 million star hotel for free, you do it!
Pushkar
Aah Pushkar… We liked it so much that we went back with our family. It’s hell of a laidback small pilgrim town where you can stay for weeks without getting bored. There is this relaxed atmosphere hanging around with many markets where you can buy local handicrafts and delicious food (we had our best Indian Thali over there). The people are nice and very friendly. There are some beautiful havelis to stay in with amazing rooftop views over the town. Rent a bike & you can ride around the small town for days, passing by rural villages, agriculture & beautiful green-greyesh hills.
Jodhpur & Jaipur
We liked Jodhpur and Jaipur the least since it was like the rest of India: extremely hectic, dirty and noisy. At one point in Jodhpur, I just closed my eyes, covered my nose and ears in an autorickshaw because the traffic chaos, constant honking and the polluted air had really gotten into me. It was suffocating. Also Jodhpur was not as blue as I hoped for. It was only really visible when you were on a hill point (Mehrangarh Fort) and not while walking through the alleys. Two reasons to still visit Jaipur is the Amber Fort which is really amazing and the Rajmandir cinema with its beautiful entrance hall. They say it’s a cinema where locals interact intensely with bollywoodmovies and dance along with the songs, but when we went that didn’t happen unfortunately. I must say it was a crappy movie, maybe that was the reason.
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