Unusual trip to Rajasthan November 2022 (page 5 of 6)

Hey Gabriele, If you're heading to Rajasthan, I’ll add a few temples to visit: Between Kota and Chittorgarh, the Baroli temples. South of Kota, Jhalawar during the Jhalarpatan fair is amazing. Around Udaipur, you’ve got the Sas Bahu and Eklingji temples, and in the area, there are painter villages, but I don’t know them well. Between Udaipur and Dungarpur, the Jain temple of Rishabhdev is really beautiful and less known than the one in Ranakpur. In Dungarpur, the old palace, the old town, and nearby, the Devsomnath temple. A lifetime won’t be enough to see it all! 😂😭

Between Kota and Chittorgarh, the Baroli temples South of Kota, Jhalawar during the Jhalarpatan fair is amazing. Around Udaipur, you have the Sas Bahu temples and Eklingji, and in the area, there are painter villages, but I don’t know them. Between Udaipur and Dungarpur, you have the Jain temple of Rishabhdev—very beautiful and less known than the one in Ranakpur. In Dungarpur, the old palace, the old town, and nearby, the Devsomnath temple. A lifetime won’t be enough to discover everything 😊😢

Kota, Chittorgarh, Eklingji, Dungarpur, Rishabhdeo... and so many more... So many memories you’re bringing back. I think, oh well, one more won’t hurt—I’ll publish my Rajasthan travel journal when I get home... In Dungarpur, did they let you into the Maharaja’s secret chamber? Did you go to Roopangarh?

Hi Marie Jo,

This’ll be our 12th trip to India, but you’re right—one lifetime won’t be enough to see it all!

Our Rajasthan itinerary is already pretty set, but we’ll try to include some of the ideas you gave us 👍😊. We’ve been to Chittorgarh and Ranakpur. As for Sas Bahu (out in the countryside) and Eklingji, we’ve visited both twice, and they’re definitely worth seeing! You mentioned painter villages—do you know what kind of painting they specialize in? I’ve heard of Nathdwara (30 min from Eklingji) for Pichwai paintings. Do you know of any others?

See you soon! 😊 Gabriele

Are you talking about the painter villages? Do you know what type of painting it is? I’ve heard of Nathdwara by name.

Yes, that’s the one I’m not familiar with. https://ramaarya.blog/2022/08/15/temple-and-craft-trail-of-mewar/

Thanks Marie Jo 😊

A huge thank you for this story—it really immersed me in a Rajasthan I’d never seen before. I love your way of traveling and staying "above" all the hassles that would’ve at least annoyed me. See you for the next part!

Roopangarh No, I don’t know it. I’m not familiar with the Pushkar area either. On the other hand, I do know Dungarpur—heading toward Dhar, there are the Arthuna temples in the middle of the fields.

Roopangarh No, I don’t know it. I don’t know the Puhkar area either.

It’s not in the Pushkar region at all. You’ll have to save it for your next trip to Rajasthan—you, who love places where few travelers go. You, on the other hand, pointed me to spots I didn’t know, and I’ll visit them if I ever return to Rajasthan. I’d like to, but the state’s obscurantism puts me off. I met a journalist there, a local radio commentator, who told me so many horrors about what was happening in the villages that I thought he was exaggerating to impress me. "Impress" isn’t the right word—no, to horrify me. And later, other people confirmed it.

He invited me to take part in his show, but I declined.

And if you don’t know the Pushkar region, then you probably don’t know Ajmer either—you’ll have to add it to your new itinerary. It’s another side of Rajasthan (Muslim and Jain) that you need to discover.

You didn’t answer me about the "secret chamber" in Dungarpur...

Yeah, I know about the secret cabinet 😄 I’ll try to make it to Pushkar another time, but Rajasthan isn’t on the agenda anymore—unless I sneak in a quick getaway to Udaipur, which I’m already missing.

Thanks so much for this amazing travel journal, full of discoveries and great photos. The day we head to Rajasthan, it’ll be a real source of inspiration.

You were lucky, Marie-Jo, to see that python! We had to settle for waiting in front of the hole, but no luck. So thanks to you, I now know what we missed out on. The day we were there, the locals were making as much noise as in big cities... and the birds flew away, much to our dismay. Roberto

You’re such a comfort, Marie Jo, with the disappointment you experienced with your driver—I was afraid I was the only one who’d had this kind of experience in India. Our driver, from the very first day of our trip, refused to take us where we wanted to go so he’d have time to take us to tourist shops to earn his commissions; and as you said, suspicion sets in quickly. In other travel journals, and in other places, many forum members who value their freedom get frustrated quickly when visiting a country with a driver; we’re among them. Your photos are gorgeous. Roberto

In other travel journals and places, many forum members, used to their cherished freedom, quickly get frustrated visiting a country with a driver;

It’s a real shame for them because my experience proved the opposite exists too. Thanks to our drivers (Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu), we discovered some great spots without any visits being on the itinerary.

I think taking a taxi for the day suits me better unless I'm required to have a driver in certain areas like Chhattisgarh, and in that case, he was great and I wasn’t alone for that spot.

Hi Marie-Jo, I’m not sure if this is the ideal place to write to you, or if I should post publicly in case others are interested. Anyway, here goes—this is the spot!

So, Hi Marie-Jo, where to start? I have so much to say, but VF might not be the best place for it. In short, a huge thank you for all your travel stories—they’re fascinating, make me dream, and are packed with useful info. Thanks for sharing! This will make planning our next trip so much easier. Unlike what you mentioned in a comment, personally, what interests me most are discoveries off the beaten tourist paths, where info is harder to find and time-consuming. I also love the vibes and atmospheres you describe—what a joy to get lost in markets and small villages, where you usually make the best encounters. I loved your latest trip to Chhattisgarh. I didn’t get a chance to comment while you were writing because I wasn’t following you then, which is why I’m being so chatty now—but I won’t fill pages and pages. Still, one remark: what stamina!! Visiting places after a 24-hour journey—bravo.

If you don’t mind answering, I have a few practical questions and would love your opinion on our planned route (I’ve been working on it for less than a week, so it might not be fully set, but we need to book the flight soon). I took the time to read your stories since 2015 to avoid asking questions you’ve already answered, and I’ve mainly listed the stops without details of the visits. We’re planning to travel as a couple for about 7 weeks from October to December. - I saw you went to Mandawa instead of Nawalgarh because you couldn’t find accommodation. Do we need to book far in advance? (We usually book 2 to 4 days ahead to keep our route flexible.) - For transportation, we’re thinking of choosing between taxi, bus, or train depending on the stops. In your November 2022 trip, after your driver disappeared, it seems you had no trouble getting around, even in remote places (like your great experience in Kaithoon). Do you think it’s easy to book a taxi through the GH? - Here’s our rough itinerary with a few personal notes and questions—like whether we should include Varanasi or skip some stops:

Itinerary Arrival: Delhi Day 1: Delhi – Tijara Fort Palace (2h Uber, bus, or taxi—TBD) Overnight stay on-site Day 2: Tijara – Alwar (check bus, or ask Solene40 about transport and the cow ashram location—I couldn’t find it on Google) Visit the city Day 3: Alwar – visit surroundings: Rajgarh – Sariska Day 4: Alwar – Bharatpur (check duration) Visit Deeg (round trip) Day 5: Keoladeo Reserve – temple Evening: Bharatpur – Mathura (40 km by bus?) Day 6: Mathura – visit the city Day 7: Morning market walks Mathura – Agra (sunset in the gardens) Day 8: Agra Visit Akbar’s mausoleum (round trip)

Consider adding Varanasi from Agra (+5 days: 2 days travel + 3 days on-site) or a round-trip flight from Delhi (+4 days)

Day 9: Agra – Dholpur (56 km by bus?) Day 10: Dholpur Day 11: Dholpur – Gwalior (72 km by bus or train?) Day 12: Gwalior Day 13: Gwalior – Dholpur – Karauli (bus from Gwalior to Karauli seems complicated—check) Day 14: Karauli Day 15: Karauli – Dausa (Bhandrej Baori 10 km away) Day 16: From Dausa: Chand Baori and Bhangarh Fort (taxi) Day 17: Dausa – Jaipur (60 km by bus or train?) Days 18–19: Jaipur Bagru printing workshop, Sanganer blue pottery—Marie-Jo, could you share the addresses for these places? (For reference: Jaipur Jamode Amber Panna Meena Ka Kund stepwell… taxi) Day 20: Jaipur – Tonk (3h30 bus) Visit Day 21: Tonk – Bundi (morning bus, 115 km) AM visits Day 22: Tonk Day 23: Round trip to Kota Day 24: Bundi – Chittorgarh (2h30 taxi) Visit the fort Bus to Udaipur Days 25–26–27–28: Udaipur and surroundings Day 29: Udaipur – Pushkar (300 km train—TGV from Udaipur to Ajmer, 5h, then 1h bus) Day 30: Pushkar and surroundings

Consider skipping Pushkar to save 2 days

Days 31–32–33: Jodhpur (190 km by bus or train?) Day 34: Jodhpur – Barmer (200 km bus, 4h30) Look for craftsmanship spots Day 35: Kiradu Temple (round trip, 35 km) Day 36: Barmer – Jaisalmer (160 km bus, 3h30) Days 37–38: Visits Day 39: Jaisalmer – Phalodi (230 km bus, 5h) Day 40: Phalodi Day 41: Phalodi – Bikaner (160 km bus) Day 42: Bikaner Day 43: Bikaner – Nawalgarh (217 km bus) Day 44: Visits Day 45: Nawalgarh Day 46: Visits

Consider flight from Jaipur to Varanasi

Day 47: Nawalgarh – Jaipur (train), Jaipur – Varanasi (flight) Days 48–49: Varanasi Day 50: Varanasi – Delhi Return

Hi Eric What a trip!!!! That’s a lot of stops. I’d skip Varanasi and Gwalior. In Dholpur, you can get there in a day by bus or train from Agra. You can visit Tonk in a day from Jaipur to Bundi by taxi. Shekhawati is really interesting—plan a bit more time there. Staying in Mandawa is nice, no regrets on my end. I see a lot of my own stops in your plan. Happy planning. MarieJo

Hi Marie-Jo, thanks for your quick reply! I’m aware there are a lot of stops—that’s actually one of the reasons I reached out to you. I’ll take your suggestions on board to refine my route.

Basically, I was thinking of going from Agra to Dholpur, doing the visits, and spending the night there since it’s on the way and avoids backtracking. I know—I’ve sacrificed a bit of Shekhawati to fit Varanasi in. I’ll book the flight and take another look at my route in more detail.

You can’t hide anything from you!! I drew a lot of inspiration from your different routes—it’s the price of success. (No shame at all!)

I hope I’ll be able to follow your next adventures more directly. I subscribed to your account, so if I understand correctly, I should be in the loop. (I contacted you in 2020, but our trip was canceled due to Covid, and other destinations came up in the meantime.)

Thanks, Eric

Hi there, Your story is fascinating! Just one question. You write, "We leave Amber for the Gata Ji Temple." Are you referring to the Galta Temple? Thanks for your reply.

Hi, Your story is fascinating! Just one question. You write "We leave Amber for the Gata Ji Temple." Is that the Galta Temple? Thanks for your reply.

Hi Alain,

Yes, that’s it—I forgot the L 😅 Thanks for reading! 😊