Common Langur or Hanuman Monkey (Semnopithecus Entellus) around Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Pushkar has changed, Mr. Sharma explained. And he should know, a 5th generation descendant of a Brahman family. Now his family lives next door to the Seventh Heaven Hotel and advertises their services there: walks around Pushkar, Henna Painting, Indian meals… Continue Reading →
52 bathing Ghats surround Pushkar Lake, Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Over three thousand (3.000!) pilgrims arrive daily in tiny Pushkar, Hindi from all over India and even abroad. They come for one reason – to leave money with the countless priests and temples. Even the most devout Hindi commits the odd sin that hurts his karma… A pilgrimage to Pushkar and a pile of money can undo that. Continue Reading →
Train arriving at Ajmer Junction Station, Rajasthan, India
Except for firing the tour guide in Chittogarh, the day had passed with the preciseness of a Swiss clock. Ajmer Train station finally offered a bit of excitement. At around 11:00 pm it was nothing short of a shelter. The floor was completely covered with people wrapped in shawls, sleeping on the hard concrete. Outside it was as busy as any train station in India. Continue Reading →
Chittorgarh Fort, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India
The long, long wall of the Garh (fort) running along the top of a hill greeted us long before arrived in Chittor. Thirty overwhelming kilometers of wall encircle the fort. Our hearts fell – how could we possibly visit this place during one afternoon – a very hot afternoon. Was this doable? Continue Reading →
Prehistoric Rock Paintings, discovered by OP “Kukki” Sharma near Bundi, Rajasthan, India
A small mountain range was where we stopped after an hour drive. Marching for another hour on parched lifeless grounds took us to a beautiful gorge with lots of green trees at the bottom, once the hunting ground of the Maharana. Continue Reading →
Young girl in a village near Bundi, Rajasthan, India
With a big smile, the receptionist of our hotel brought to our attention the existence of pre-historic site art near Bundi. Alerted we did find a small entry in our travel guide. Before we could wreck our brains as how we could possibly find those – help was offered. Again by our receptionist. Continue Reading →
Dhabhai-ka-Kund, one of the 60 Baoris or step-wells of Bundi, Rajasthan, India
We did not really know what to expect when we set out to find Bundi ’s famous stepping wells. Considering we had only a vague idea of where to look, we did pretty well. Our little expedition took us through the bazaar and some busy market area. It was a constant struggle – taking in the chaos that surrounded us or to move forward. Continue Reading →
Taragarh Fort, Bundi, Rajasthan, India
Given the temperatures, we headed for the fort first. So high up, we could only see its walls from the distance. Before that, we had to fend off a young man who offered to show us around the fort and keep the monkeys at bay. Not that we didn’t want a guide, but he was a real turn off. The mumbled, incomprehensible words kept pouring from his mouth like an avalanche and demanding 400 rupees for his services made it easy to put our foot down and say no. To put things in perspective, we paid 350 for an excellent three-hour tour of the Taj Mahal the year before. Continue Reading →
Taragarh Fort, Bundi, Rajasthan, India
Being on a rumbling rain riding through the pitch-dark countryside of southern Rajasthan can be a soothing experience. When we saw bright golden lights on the top of a hill, we race to the open door of our train. These are always open in India – even in air conditioned cars. It is the Indian way of getting rid of the trash and enjoying a better view of the countryside, since the windows are often too dirty to really see what’s outside. Continue Reading →
Holi Festival, when Indus celebrate the beginning of Spring, by throwing coloured water and gulal (powder) at anyone within range, Bundi, Rajasthan, India
We could not wait to see what this color throwing was all about and stormed into the street early morning. Whether this was a good or bad idea we will never know… This early start made us the first and actually only tourists in the small streets of Bundi… And hence a prime target for anyone. Continue Reading →
