Travelogue on thar desert ....................please be fast
Desert Triangle Travelogue (Road trip in Rajasthan)
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that youdidn't dothan by the ones you did do.So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.Explore. Dream. Discover!These words, spoken by Mark Twain a long time back, have been the motivator of many a journeys in the annals of time and this trip of mine is one of them. Sometime in August me and my wife were discussing about how little we have seen the diversity that is spread across our own country India. As I pondered upon where to start from with a dear friend of mine stationed in Jaipur currently, he said Why not Rajasthan ?Fantastic !- I thought and kicked in planning for a Rajasthan trip as part of my wedding anniversary celebration coming up in November. The occasion was right and the time couldnt have been better since I was looking at a trip from Nov. 13 to Nov. 22. This would be just before the Thanksgiving week but after the Pushkar fair which means less tourists would be around. At this time, the days are pleasant and nights are freezing. A perfect combination to experience the desert!
Itinerary:We planned to fly in and out of Jaipur and cover Rajasthan by road in a car with four of us my friend and I along with our spouses.The route we had planned for the next 7 days was (refer the map):- (A)Jaipur Starting Point
- (B)Bikaner(Break)
- (C)Jaisalmer(Halt)
- (D)Sam Sand Dunes(Halt)
- (E)Jodhpur(Halt)
- (F)Udaipur(Halt)
- (G)AjmerPushkar(Break)
- (H)Jaipur Completion Point
Within no time, you break the 100 kmph barrier and find yourself gliding smoothly on mostly straight, 2 lane roads.Sikar:We left at 5.30 AM from my friends house in Jaipur and were out of the city limits without much delay.One thing that glares most prominently as you drive deeper into the countryside is the fact that the sight of humans becomes rarer. Contrary to the sparse flora and fauna, there was ample wildlife that I witnessed on the way throughout our journey in the desert land of Rajasthan. There are deer, foxes, hyenas, camels and a lot of wild asses (yeah !).We stopped for tea at a place called Rashidpura(Tip:Bad choice, so better stop at Sikar)about 90 kms. on our way. Sikar is about 115 kms. from Jaipur and is a small, confusing town. I say confusing because we got lost finding our way to NH11 and spend a good 45 minutes in the interiors of the town being directed from one person to another in opposite directions. It was our luck that we finally spotted the Sikar railway station, with NH11 alongside and were back on track !
Bread and Butter (2 pieces) Rs. 50:We continued forward and took a tea break near Rajaldesar (around 100 kms. from Sikar) in a dhaba level eatery called Midway Kurja. I am mentioning it because this was my first experience of a tourist trap as I had only heard of them so far. This place had a huge gated parking space which was filling up with tourist buses as we parked at the dhaba. It was an old, stripped down building with primarily 3 sections inside dining area, open dining area and shopping area. Guess which one was the largest of them all ? Shopping, of course !Each and every handicraft item in that shopping area was marked up 5 to 10 times and even my wife was reeling with disbelief on the price tags. As expected, no waiter was interested in us and we had to scramble around to get to a menu.Bread and Butter (2 pieces) Rs. 50: this is how the first item was listed on that menu and the rates grew exponentially with the items as we scrolled down on the menu card. I asked the waiter if this menu was meant for the foreigners. He smiled and answered: Sir, that menu is kept separately. This isdesi(Indian)menu specially for our Indian guests. I wondered how much bread butter would be priced in that menu and closed it with a cold sighHowever, the mother of all extortions was going on in front of the rest room and is worth a mention. There was one guy standing with a pack of napkins outside the door of the rest rooms. Sounds hospitable ? Well, except for the fact that he was charging 10 rupees for the napkin, it was really a nice gesture. Let us also not consider that napkins were not available in the rest rooms, not sure of toilet paper though.After witnessing all this, we made haste in order to reach Bikaner in time for lunch. However, after driving 25 kms. I realized that I had dropped my cell-phone at the midway tourist trap and we drove back all the way to the dhaba. New buses, new prey and my cell phone was found in the sands of parking.We reached Bikaner around 1.30 PM and decided to drop our plans of going through the city. Originally I had planned to eat in the heart of the city but had a backup in mind, just in case, you know. So we drove directly toVasant Vihar Palace, a heritage hotel near the famous Lalgarh Palace in Bikaner. It was highly recommend by a colleague who was from Bikaner and this is where I first tasted 2 of the most authentic Rajasthani dishes Ker Sangri and Govind Gatte ki Sabji. I must say, I didnt find another preparation for these 2 vegetarian dishes anywhere in Rajasthan that could rival what I had in Bikaner.(Tip: This place is very tastefully restored and has some nice antique furniture inside. It also functions as a hotel and I can confidently recommend it for stay if you are stopping at Bikaner.)
By 3 PM we were back on the road to Jaisalmer after having some great food.From Bikaner NH15 starts that takes you directly to Jaisalmer. We moved on to our destination and took 2 more tea-breaks at some decent highway eateries. Good tea is common across Rajasthan highways, I must tell you that ! However, the price can vary from Rs. 5 to Rs. 25 depending on the distance of the next stop from where you have stopped. We also had an encounter of the wild kind with a deer. We saw this beauty beside the highway and braked to take a snap. However, this creature was in a playful mood and seemed to know our intentions. So, this fellow kept hiding behind the bushes when I got closer and would return back when I would start walking back in dejection. Finally I was able to capture this deer (in my camera) and we were again on the run to reach Jaisalmer in time.
It was almost 7 PM by the time we reached Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer is where I firsthand experienced distinct culture and people of Royal Rajasthan.Note:If I had taken a stopover at Bikaner, following is what I would have definitely done during my stay in addition to the usual stuff. This information is the result of a lot of research so I felt like sharing it for those who may be visiting Bikaner:- Visit Bhikaram Chandmal for all your Bhujia (famous Bikaner snacks) needs. Buy packed Rasgulla, Gond Ka Halwa and Moong Ki Dal Ka Halwa (only in winter) from there as well.
- Infront of Bhikaram Chandmal is a sweet shop. Get some Khatta Chooran for your better half from there.
- Beside Bhikaram, there is a beetle shop called Moolsa Foolsa Panshop. Try his Meetha Pan and thank me as you go through cloud 9.
- A couple of shops away from Bhikaram is Bishanlal Babulal. Go there if you are interested in tasting/buying some Lehsun Bhujia.
- Chotu Motu Joshi Mithai Shop is a famous landmark in Bikaner for samosas, kachoris and rasmalai. However, its not up to the mark these days and can be avoided. Same for Chhappan Bhog near Station Road. However, I hear that their Rajkachori is still worth killing for.
- Also ask the locals about the location of Sankhla kulfi which promises to sell the best Kesar kulfi in Bikaner.
- For shopping I would limit my recommendation to bhujias, papad and bari in Bikaner.
- Try to stop at Gajner Palace as you move towards Jaisalmer from Bikaner. Inside information is that they will let you have a private tour inside the palace on request (Its a private hotel property now and no public tours are available)