Incredible
India and Rajasthan tourism advertisements were so lucrative to hold back. A
long research of the must visit tourist and offbeat places in Rajasthan helped
me finalizing my trip to Rajasthan covering Jodhpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Indo
Pak border in Tanot and Longewala.
This is the
first travel blog post from the 7 day tour of Rajasthan. I was accompanied by
my friend Vishwanath. We used public transport for a major portion of our
travel except in Jaisalmer. In Jaisalmer we rented a Hero Impulse motorcycle
for three days to tour in and around Jaisalmer.
Here is the plan we chalked out
Day 1: Mumbai to Jodhpur [Overnight journey by train]
Day 2: Jodhpur to Jaisalmer [Overnight journey by train]
Day 3:Kuldhara, Sam Sand dunes and
stay somewhere enroute Tanot [Touring on motorcycle]
Day 4:Tanot, Longewala and back to
Jaisalmer [Touring on motorcycle]
Day 5:Explore Jaisalmer Fort and
city [Touring on motorcycle]
Day 6:Jaipur in a Day [Rented a cheap combo of hotel room and car with driver]
Day 7:Back to Mumbai [Jaipur to Mumbai by train]
Short excerpt from the trip:
The tour
provided us a firsthand experience of cultural and spiritual insights of people
living in remote expanse of Thar. It made us feel the high spirit they have to
tackle the challenges arising from hard surrounding. Their simplicity, never
complaining nature and feel of Indian aesthetics in their daily life are still
alive in our minds.
The
tour put our negotiation skills at test. And we are happy we managed it
well. We will remember the trip for the experiences which soldiers at border
shared with us, the never ending roads rolling on the desert hills and the high
speed winds which make the bike shake like anything.
We will
also remember the tour for the time we spent sitting behind the Jaisalmer Fort
road lost. At last, we will also remember sipping Coffee in Joshi German Bakery
and our eyes fixed on Jaisalmer Fort visible from the small iron caged window.
Mumbai to Ahmedabad by Train:
‘Aunty chalo jaldi, train sirf 2 minute hi rukti hai’ with a bit of tension I
encouraged the fat lady struggling to cross the small door of Indian
Railway. Heavy bag on my back and camping Tent in my hand I managed
to enter the crowded sleeper class coach at Borivali.
I could not hold my
wide smile longer. Our Waiting List 239 ticket booked no less than a week got
confirmed yesterday. Even the gods wish for such fortunes J Met
Vishwanath who took the train from Bandra and shared high five looking at our
confirmed berths. It was 9 PM when the train left Borivali station, took off
for the day tired from day work.
Ahmedabad to Jodhpur by train:
We reached Ahmedabad around 5 AM in the morning. Our train to Jodhpur was in 2 hours. I remember a strange army man sitting next to us who was
travelling from Bangalore to Jodhpur. I was stunned by his competence to eat
Namkeen. Just as we eat rice and dal he decorated his big thali with Namkeen
and finished it in one go. It is always interesting to talk to army men, they have lots of interesting stories to share.
Ahmedabad to Jodhpur by train takes about 7-8 hours. Same
afternoon of 15th August we were at Bhagat ki kothi railway
station. It is another terminal for Jodhpur bound trains. Bhagat ki kothi
railway station is 5 km behind Jodhpur. Auto-rickshaw were charging Rs 100.
We made it cheaper, walked for 50 rupees and hired auto for 50 rupees. We
believe in saving ;)
Small artists on
smaller Ganesh and big artist on bigger Ganesh.
We were at Jodhpur station around 4 PM. Our train to Jaisalmer was
at 11:45 PM, so we had close to 7 hours in Jodhpur.
Janta Sweets Pvt. Ltd - Must visit for every foodie to try local flavors :
If you are in Jodhpur you cannot afford to miss Janta Sweets. They
have become so huge that they converted their shop into a Limited enterprise.
Janta sweets home is famous in Jodhpur for Indian snacks and particularly
Rajasthani flavors. We ordered Maakhanyia Lassi. And yes the spoon
stood upright in the glass; this is how we test Lassi.
Janta Sweets - One of
the best places in Jodhpur for Rajasthani snacks
Left the place and moved ahead towards Jodhpur bazaar. It’s an old
market with narrow lanes and is usually crowded. We were late for Mehrangarh
Fort as it closes by 5 PM.
Busy scene of Jodhpur market
I know, my turban is gorgeous
Spotted this aunty lost in deep thoughts near Jodhpur market
Ladies busy in evening
gappe
Jodhpur Ghanta Ghar or Clock Tower:
From market a right turn from Chauraha or junction takes us to
Ghanta Ghar. Only information we could gather is there was a king who ordered a
British company for this clock and paid 1 Lakh for its construction, 1 Lakh for
transportation and 1 Lakh for copyright of the design.
Clock tower in Jodhpur
Walking straight from
Ghanta Ghar lead to a castle styled hotel, which we entered unknowingly
thinking of some historic place. Came out and walked the straight road which
took us to a nice lake surrounded by old architectures and temples.
Lake Bridge in Jodhpur
Lake side temple in Jodhpur
Even the schools in Jodhpur have heritage and royal buildings :)
Searching for budget accommodation in Jodhpur brought us to a Dharamshala:
Returned to Jodhpur main circle and started hunting for cheapest
Dharamshala. We required it for 3-4 hours to charge our mobile/cameras and
getting fresh. Not far from the main circle we got one for Rs 75/person for 24 hours. It
had everything we needed.
If you are in Jodhpur and looking for place to stay do not worry,
you will get a wide range of options. Dharamshala’s are the cheapest. They
start from 50 rupees per cot but do not expect attached washroom. Lodges and
budget hotels in Jodhpur are in plenty. Whenever you are looking for rooms, come out from the Jodhpur railway
station and walk towards the main circle in the right hand side.
Ajab gajab train kahani (Fiasco at Jodhpur station):
All set, we left the Dharamshala and reached Jodhpur railway
station. Train to Jaisalmer was at 11:45 PM. We were there at 10:30 PM. Station
was heavily crowded with Ramdev bhagwan devotees. It was the time when people from all over country come to Ramdevra station which lies between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer route. With a
quick look at the indicator we came to know train was at platform no 2.
Jodhpur railway station
Train to Jaisalmer was already standing at platform 2. But I could
not find Sleeper S1 coach all were general. ‘Abe saare ke saare chalu
dabbe hain re!’ I said to Vishwanath. It was the third time we were
running end to end of the platform. Yes, all coaches were general and
heavily packed with devotees. We crosschecked the train, it was same. We
crosscheck our ticket it was correct too. Hardly 1 minute was left for the
train to depart but where was this S1?
We asked a police standing there he explained something like this.
Train will be divided into two parts. Half of the train will leave the station.
Half will remain here. The half which left the station will go where the S1 and
B1 coach are parked. Those coaches will be linked to the train which went there
and again the train will come back to Jodhpur station and connect the other
half. Once all this is done you are ready to go, simple. Simple indeed
Email me your comments or suggestions at budgetyatri[at]gmail.com or use the comment box below. I will be more than happy to listen your words.
Thanks.
Niraj Yadav.
Let your friends know about this!
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