Sunderbans Tour

In Kolkata, winter is the only time when you don’t have to bother about the weather related problems, and you feel like going out, visiting places, and having fun in the sun. So, even though the beauty of Gangtok was still afresh in our minds, we were looking forward to shape up another short but memorable tour, and Sundarbans seemed to be a promising option.

To we Indians, the name ‘Sundarbans’ itself spells danger, adventure and wilderness, and reminds us of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. The recent release of detective Feluda’s Royal Bengal Rahasya added more fuel to our expectations from this short visit to the dreaded beast’s hometown.

Unfortunately, Sundarbans fell much short of our expectations as the beauty and the beast both went missing. Let alone tiger, we could hardly see any animal, bird, or reptile in the so-called dense mangrove forest. Even the forest was not very intimidating and seemed more like low-height bushes. The greenery was not the kind of green that pacifies our eyes. I know beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, but to me, the monotonous view of Sundarbans consisted nothing more than stagnant water, silt and bushes that seemed to be on the verge of getting submerged in recent future. Personally, I would not recommend anybody to visit Sundarbans in search of wildlife or natural beauty.

However, for those who would still like to visit Sundarbans to witness the reality themselves, here is an account of our tour.

We learnt that Sundarbans is not the kind of place where hotels are galore and you can choose the one that suits you best. So, we decided to go for a package tour. As always, finance was a concern since we were a group of 9 people and we had to look for a package that costs less on per head basis.

After some research, we decided to take services from Sky Sketch India who was offering an economical package (Rs 2500 per head + guide charges) that included night stay at a lodge.

The tour package began on 28^th January 2012. We were picked from our residence at 9 AM on a Sumo that got off EM Bypass near Science City and took us to Gadkhali through bumpy village roads. At 12:15 PM, we reached Gadkhali where our tour operator, Mr. Mutsuddi was waiting with his boat ‘Jungal Queen’. The boat was neat and spacious with several chairs on the deck and sleeping berths underneath the deck. We kept our luggage on one of the berths and took the deck with lots of excitement.

The boat started at 12:30 PM and tea was served immediately. The sunny weather was fantastic and the breeze lifted our mood. We clicked lots of photographs (of ourselves only) as the boat cruised through the stagnant water in between the mangrove forest.

Within an hour or so, we reached Sudhanyakhali Island that had a so-called tiger reserve and a broken watch tower. After waiting for a while near the watch tower, we saw two deers that had come for a sip of water.

We boarded our boat again and had lunch on the boat itself.

At around 5 PM, we reached the Pakhirala Island. After a 5 minutes walk through the village, we reached a cottage where our accommodation was arranged. The arrangements were up to the mark, but the tank water was dirty. We bought drinking water from the nearby shops and decided not to use the tank water for bathing.

Apart from water problem, another issue on the Pakhirala Island was that there was no electricity. Generator facilities were available only between 6 PM and 11 PM.

However, the hospitality was good and so the problems did not bother us much. Breakfast was served soon after we adjusted in our rooms.

We spent the evening playing cards and chatting with our Tour Operator, Mr. Mutsuddi, who seemed to be a simple, straight-talking person and a generous host. He got the dinner prepared according to our preferences and it was too tasty.

Next morning, our day started at 7:15 AM. Within half-an-hour, we reached Sajnekhali Island where our boat permissions were to be taken. While the permission process was going on, we had a quick visit to the wildlife museum.

From Sajnekhali, we went to Dobanki Island that had a deer park and an adjoining forest separated by a canopy. We walked through the canopy and could see several deers — no traces of tiger though. On the way to Dobanki, our guide briefed us about the Sundarbans and asked us to keep looking for the Royal Bengal Tiger. Unfortunately, we could see only fresh footsteps of a tiger that had crossed the river a while ago.

From Dobanki, we had a long boat ride to Gadkhali. We had lunch on the boat at 12 noon and reached Gadkhali at 3:30 PM. Our otherwise boring, long boat ride was made eventful by another boat that broke down on the way and joined our boat.

Our Sumo was waiting at Gadkhali and dropped us home at 7:45 PM.

Overall, the tour was not a memorable one, but we can still take note of a few high points. The weather did not cause any disturbance, Sky Sketch India’s services were admirable and so was Mr. Mutsuddi’s generosity. Also, somewhere on our way back, we reached a point where 5 rivers met and it looked like a wave-less, endless sea. Most importantly, we did not get into any kind of trouble throughout the tour.

Doodling Noodles

Doodling Noodles

This one is dedicated to all the Mothers and Housewives who spend their entire life in feeding their families and rarely receive their due reward for a job well done. Seriously, cooking is one of the most essential and the least valued art that we can think of.

The incident dates back to my bachelor days when I could cook only Maggi and that too in crisis situations. My confidence in cooking (or the lack of it) reflected in my cooking repertoire, which was also not strong enough.

On a rainy weekend in Gurgaon, I went to Sadar Bazaar along with my scientist neighbour-cum-friend, Dr. Salman Hashmi (no, the name is NOT changed for confidential reasons; it’s his real name only). Just as we were about to return, it started raining cats and dogs, and drowned the market in a matter of minutes. There was no point in waiting for the downpour to stop, so we decided to brave the rain and took a rickshaw.

Luckily, that day I had purchased a covered bucket, which we made good use of by putting in all our valuables like mobile, purse, watch etc. As our rickshaw snailed through the waterlogged streets, we could hardly keep our eyes open — the rain was that heavy. Specky people like me would agree that rain poses an additional problem for us…wish we had wipers on our specs, don’t we?

Although completely drenched, we reached home safe and sound before dusk. However, I had an additional problem to reckon — there was nothing to eat for dinner and there was no way I could go to my nearby eatery either. The water on the streets was waist-deep, I thought.

So, I pressed F1 on my scientist friend’s door and searched for a Maggi. Probably, I wasn’t ‘feeling lucky’ enough and so I got some Hakka noodles instead, which I took as a substitute of Maggi.

I thought my survival problem was solved and so I passed the next couple of hours with my companion i.e. my computer. 

At around 9 o’clock, I opened the Hakka noodles pack and discovered that it was not meant for novice chefs like me. It was actually one type of chowmin and there was no trace of any in-built masala pack.

I knew noodles had to be boiled first and then fried as well along with some vegetables or peanuts, at least. Problem was that I was not having any ingredient other than oil and salt. I looked down my balcony praying, “water, water please retreat, this lonely bachelor needs to eat”, but past experiences told me that the water-logging would not log-off until the next two days.

I returned to my room, ignited the stove, and boiled the noodles. Just as I was about to draw out the remaining water from the boiled noodles, I got distracted for a second and the vessel toppled. Half of the noodles fell on the floor and the remaining half fell on the mat on which I used to rub my feet before going to bed.

When tragedy strikes, be prepared to receive the next blow. Perhaps, this is what my tarot cards read on that day. But I was not the one to give up. I took the noodles from the floor as well as from the “clean” part of the mat, and washed it with cold water to purify it. I wondered what Ma would have done in such a situation.

I finished the remaining procedure of cooking noodles and ate it as well. It did taste awful, but at least I could eat it without vomiting.

Often, adversities teach us better ways to live. For me, that ill-fated noodles incident gave a new found zeal. Noodles or chowmin (cooked by my Ma only) was one of my favourite dishes. I thought if I could prepare edible noodles without the necessary ingredients then definitely I could cook it lot better when I am well prepared.

The zeal paid off, and in the next couple of months, I learnt to cook a number of items. Of course, with a lot of technical support from my Mother.

Chowmin still remains a mystery for me, and I believe no one can cook it like Ma does in her own unique way.

A Memorable Sunday

You don't learn a lot of things unless you get into problems. This is something that I learnt from a bizarre incident that took place a couple of months back.

After having several busy weekends in the previous months, I wanted to enjoy a hassle-free, restful weekend and so I chose not to accompany my wife on her visit to her maternal uncle's place.

I had passed the Saturday as merrily as I could and wished to pass the Sunday with similar glee. However, we had plans to buy a refrigerator and so I decided to meet my wife on her way back at Ultadanga and visit Capital Electronics together.

I was awakened by a call at 11 AM. My wife was coming back and I had to move fast to meet her within an hour. Alas! Even on a cloudy Sunday with no rain, there was no scope to wake up and say "let me sleep again!"

At Ultadanga, I found my wife with two attachments - her sister and a small bag. As per our plan, we purchased a refrigerator from Capital Electronics and asked them to deliver it next day.

Thereafter, we boarded an auto for Haldiram's. The auto had some space at the back and I decided to make good use of it. I placed the bag there and thought I would take it after de-boarding and paying the fare.

On our way back to Haldiram's, my wife was too happy about the refrigerator acquisition and was completely aloof of the surroundings. We got down at Haldiram's and I paid the fare. When the autowallah returned the change, for a moment I started calculating if he returned the correct amount.

I am a bit weak with mental calculations and often get lost in them. After I was done with the calculation, I remembered that I had to take the bag that I had placed at the backside of the auto, but by that time the auto was gone. Unfortunately, neither my wife nor my sis-in-law had remembered to take the bag. Usually my wife does not forget to take her belongings but that day she was probably in a different world throughout the auto ride.

 

I ran after the auto, but it was too far and stopped nowhere. In tense situations like these, it is difficult to keep one's cool; else I could have easily retrieved the bag by waiting for the auto's return at the other end of the road. Instead, I followed it on another auto. I informed the second auto driver about the bag and got down at Kaikhali where the vehicles stopped at the red light. Unfortunately, the auto that I was following was not the one that had my bag. I had lost it.

I desperately peeked into each auto standing there, but could not find the bag. Soon after, I gave up and returned to Haldiram. At the Haldiram stop, the driver of the auto that I had used for chasing informed me that he had found the auto that had the bag, and I could retrieve the bag from their union office. The auto driver provided me the address of their union office, but I was reluctant to go there.

My wife is very possessive about her belongings and insisted that I must retrieve the bag anyhow. So, I took another auto from Haldiram and asked the driver to drop me at their union office at Narayantala. The driver informed me that there were two union offices; one for the stand auto and the other for the flying autos. The office at Narayantala was for flying autos and those autos can be recognized by an orange logo at the back.

When I visited the union office and explained the problem, the staff showed me a register containing photographs and addresses of all the auto drivers of flying autos in Ultadanga-Airport route. I tried to identify the auto driver, but it was futile. After all, how often do we try to remember the face of bus conductor, rikshawwallah, or autowallah? We depend so much on them and still, to us, they are just faceless identities. Isn't this incredible?

From the auto union office, I could not get more than a mere assurance that I will be informed if the bag is deposited, but the way the auto network was organized really amazed me. Truly, it works like an organization in all senses, with every member's information duly recorded and their roles and scope properly defined.

I came back home empty handed and could sense my wife's despair. My Sunday was ruined.

I waited till 4 o'clock and then called the union office multiple times, but my calls were not picked. So, I again went to visit the union office.

After waiting for almost an hour in front of the union office, I asked an auto driver if the office was going to open in the evening. He asked what the matter was, and I told that I had lost my bag in an auto. The auto driver started querying further and I described the entire episode including the bag's contents and all. Then the auto driver told me that I had left the bag in his auto only and he had looked for me at Haldiram's, but in the afternoon he had deposited the bag in a shop near his home.

I was so glad to hear that. I thought it is rightly said that when you set your heart on something and make the requisite efforts to achieve it, the entire universe conspires to make you succeed.

I requested the auto driver to take me to the shop where he had kept the bag, but he ensured that he will get it himself.

The auto went, and I had to wait for another hour for its return. Finally, I got the bag and rewarded the auto driver with Rs 100.

The bag did not contain anything precious, but still, it feels really good when you find a lost item, isn't it? For me, it felt even better because my efforts did not go in vain and I could make my wife happy. Also, I felt happy that through this bizarre incident, I learnt something new. I learnt how the auto network operates. I learnt that even in today's greedy world, honesty still persists.

                                                       Gangtok Tour

INTRODUCTION

Over the last one year, I have been to so many places that one may start considering me as a seasoned traveler. Well, I may not be a seasoned traveler, but I do have a penchant for writing and I strongly believe in sharing information. So, I am back with yet another blog on my travelling experience — this time, from Kolkata to Gangtok.

For many reasons apart from nostalgia, being employed in Kolkata had been on my wish-list for a long time. Very recently, my wish got fulfilled and I relocated to Kolkata after having spent a decade in Delhi-NCR. 

People who have relocated with family would agree that relocation takes away a lot from you, apart from money of course. Having relocated recently, I was barely having any energy to think about a tour, but a long weekend always calls for a vacation plan and I got that just after joining my new company. The Bengali New Year is celebrated on 15th of April, and this New Year, 1418, started on a Friday thereby giving us the opportunity to enjoy an extended weekend.

Like Delhi, Kolkata has a few tourist spots within its 1000 km radius, and one can take advantage of that during the extended weekends. Gangtok is one such place, and I must admit, though Gangtok is not as celebrated as its counterparts Shimla and Nainital, it has lot more to offer —

There is peace, there is calmness

Away from the chaos, away from the madness

There are lakes, there are green hills

And above all…there is snow in the month of April!

Gangtok and Darjeeling are two neighborhood hill stations, but in different states. Gangtok is ideal for vacationers having a week's time, while Darjeeling can be covered during the weekend. So, initially Darjeeling was on our radar, but the news of some regular disturbances in Darjeeling perturbed us, and we had to zero-in on Gangtok.

 Both these places, Gangtok and Darjeeling are well connected from a place called Siliguri, which is in West Bengal. There is no direct link to Gangtok or Darjeeling. First you have to reach Siliguri by bus, train, or by air and then you can board a car or SUV to reach Gangtok or Darjeeling. There is a toy train from Siliguri, but it takes lot of time and tickets are not readily available.

 We chose to reach Siliguri by bus. The Royal Cruiser bus service provides comfortable AC buses, and we booked our tickets 10 days in advance.

 TOUR SUMMARY

·         Dates: 14.4.2011 to 17.4.2011

·         No. of Members: 5 (including 3 ladies and 2 gents)

·         Duration: 4 nights and 3 days

·         Places Visited

o   Nathula Pass

o   Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake

o   Tsomgo (Chaangu) market

o   MG Marg Market

o   Enchey Monastery

o   Flower Exhibition

o   Ropeways

·         Route Followed:  Kolkata -> Siliguri ->Gangtok->Siliguri->Kolkata

·         Distance and Time

o   Kolkata to Siliguri: 600 kms/12 hrs

o   Siliguri to Gangtok: 114 kms/5 hrs

o   Gangtok to Nathula Pass: 54 kms/4 hrs

·         Mode of Transport and Cost

o   Kolkata to Siliguri: Bus (Royal Cruiser)/Rs. 900 per head

o   Siliguri to Gangtok: SUV (Sumo)/Rs. 1300 (reserved)

o   Gangtok to Nathula Pass: SUV (Mahindra Max)/Rs. 600 per head (shared)

o   Gangtok City Tour: Car (Maruti Omni)/Rs. 1600 (2 cars)

·         Total Expenditure: Our total expenditure was round about Rs. 21000 and this included:

o   Hotel bills for 5 members for 2 nights

o   Overall traveling cost

o   Entry fee at various sites for 5 people

Note: Food and shopping costs are not included here because these are subjective.

TOUR DETAILS

Day 1 (Thursday, 14th April, 2011)

We boarded the bus from Korunamoyee in Kolkata at 8:00 PM. On the way, the bus stopped once for dinner and then the overnight journey led us to Siliguri at 8:15 AM.

Day 2 (Friday, 15th April, 2011)

At Siliguri, we first got our return tickets of the same bus. We had booked the tickets in advance, but the rule was to get the return ticket from Siliguri only.

We were approached by a few travel agents who offered ‘complete’ packages for Rs 14000 or so, but we did not pay heed to their offer because our recent tour of Rajasthan had given us a lot of ideas and courage to visit places on our own. As per our experience, it’s a lot cheaper and better to select the hotels and conveyance ourselves rather than depend on package providers. So, we reserved an SUV and started off for Gangtok at 9 AM.

The road to Gangtok was filled with twists and turns, but it was not a joyride; due to regular landslides the road had become one-way at several turns, leading to frequent traffic jams. Though a river accompanied us all along the way to Gangtok, the frequent traffic halts marred the beauty. Besides, it was hot and humid; when my sister asked the driver if we would find snow at Gangtok, we laughed out loudly — really, at that point it did not seem that we were destined for a mesmeric surprise.

It took more than 5 hours to reach Deorali stand in Gangtok.

The external SUVs are not allowed to enter main city, and so we had to board small taxis to reach the taxi stand called 'Petrol Pump'. It took us just 10 minutes to reach the main city.

At the main city, we were approached by a few touts who offered help to search hotels, but again we searched hotels on our own and checked into a hotel called Sunny Guest House. After refreshing ourselves, we had a nice Bengali lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Back at the hotel, we talked to the hotel Manager regarding the scenic places of Gangtok, and he suggested that since we were not having enough time, it was best to visit Nathula Pass where we could get snow. We agreed to his suggestion and decided to visit Nathula Pass the next day.

Visiting Nathula Pass required identification documents of atleast two group members and photographs of each of the group members. So, we had to get those formalities done before moving out for a stroll at the main shopping arena of Gangtok —The MG Marg. It was raining incessantly, though not heavily, and we could not really enjoy the ambience.

The market was open only till 8:30 PM, and so we came back by 9 PM and had dinner at the hotel.

Day 3 (Saturday, 16th April, 2011)

The day started with a beautiful sight — that of the snow-covered Kanchenjunga Mountain amidst a couple of green hills. The hotel staff informed us that we were lucky to witness the magical sight because it’s not visible too often.

We set-off for a visit to Nathula Pass at around 8:00 am on a shared SUV that took 12 passengers. On the way, some time was spent in getting the documents verified by the authorities before we could actually set-off for Nathula Pass. The distance from proper Gangtok to Nathula Pass was merely 54 kms, but the path was treacherous.  There were innumerable twists and turns, and with each turn we were climbing several meters and the climate was getting colder. Soon, we could see far away mountains filled with snow.  The more we progressed, the more we found snow scattered here and there. Also, there were waterfalls in abundance.

After traveling for more than two hours, our vehicle stopped at Tsomgo market. When we de-boarded the vehicle, we could not control our excitement. The makeshift tents at the market were filled with snow, and for the first time in life, we got the chance to touch snow.

From the market, we got jackets and boots on rent (50Rs each), and again moved forward. On the way, we crossed the Tsomgo (Chaangu) lake, which was partly frozen. After an hour or so, we finally reached the Nathula Pass at 12:15 PM — the sight was absolutely awesome; nothing less than what we saw in movies. We were informed that we were at 14000 ft above the sea level, and a restaurant called 14 Thousand symbolized the height.

The Nathula Pass was the gateway to a small snow covered hill where we did some cheeky skating and played with snowballs. Besides, we could salute the national flag and touch the Indo-China border.

It was a place where any tourist would like to spend hours, cherish every moment, and capture every second as the treasure of lifetime experiences. Unfortunately, the driver did not allow us to spend more than 45 minutes, and soon we were backtracking. On the way, we stopped at Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake.

The sun had risen by then and the beauty had improved a million times. Words cannot explain how it looks when sun rays fall on snow-covered mountains. We clicked many pictures, and all of them looked fit to be set as our Desktop background.

People do silly things when on a tour, and so did we. At the Tsomgo (Chaangu) Lake, we rode on Yak and clicked a few pictures. Thereafter, we moved on to Tsomgo market, deposited the rented jackets and shows, and had lunch in the form of Maggi and fried rice. The snow melting from the rooftops was giving the impression of rains and the climate was chilling. After lunch, we hurried to get into our vehicle and reached Gangtok at around 4 PM after yet another treacherous ride.

While coming down to Gangtok, we looked below and saw dark clouds covering the Gangtok city, but thankfully there was no rain in the city. In the evening, we again visited the MG Marg market and did lot of shopping.

Day 4 (Sunday, 17th April, 2011)

Our day again started at around 8 AM. After breakfast, we hired a couple of taxis to visit the nearby sight-scenes. We visited a few monasteries and a flower exhibition. We also had a ropeway ride and reached hotel at 11:30 AM.

After lunch, we set off for Siliguri on a shared SUV and reached Siliguri at around 5 PM. The way back took us only 4 hours because there were lesser vehicles on the road due to the upcoming elections.

Our bus was scheduled to depart at 7 PM, and so we thought of doing some shopping at the HongKong market in Siliguri. Our decision backfired and we were somehow able to make it to the bus stand at 7 PM.

We had our dinner on the way back to Kolkata and reached Kolkata the next day at around 7 AM, and my hectic office life started the same day.

Rajasthan Tour

Introduction

A family tour is something that we all look forward to, but rarely do we find the time and opportunity to make it concrete. Thankfully, with my sister’s initiation and my contemplative planning, our Rajasthan tour ended up being a very satisfying tour on all counts.

In the age of Information Technology, it is always helpful to keep a record of our experiences and share it with others. Hence, I am providing a detailed account of our tour.  

Tour Planning

We all strive to find ways for utilizing our resources in the best possible manner. In this case, the two important resources to be considered were time and money. So, when I started planning the tour, my objectives were to:

·        Cover maximum cities in the minimum time. I took advice from my colleagues regarding the cities worth being visited in Rajasthan and selected 5 cities for our 8-day tour. Based on the distances between those cities and the means of transport, I decided to start with an overnight journey to Jodhpur to avoid spending a day on traveling. Also, for security reasons, I wanted to avoid reaching a new city at night.

·        Make the tour enjoyable for all. I wanted all of us to enjoy the tour rather than sit with a map and think about where to go and how to go. So, I decided to take services from local travel agents of Rajasthan who could guide us better in their state. Although a bit risky, this was probably the best decision we took because luckily we got a comfortable vehicle and an expert driver who led us to our destinations through the shortest paths. For example, we had no idea that we could reach Mt. Abu from Jodhpur in just 5 hrs, without having to cross Udaipur on the way. It was the driver who suggested this route and saved us a lot of time and money.

To make the tour hassle-free, a tour package could also have been a solution, but it seemed to be too costly and none of the packages were fitting in properly in our scheme of things.

·        Make the tour economical without compromising on the comfort level of all the group members. Achieving this objective was quite a challenge because we had to consider a number of aspects including the taxi charges, driver services, luggage, hotel availability etc. With some research, I had identified that taxi charges in Rajasthan were cheaper than that of Delhi-NCR. Also, I wanted to get a taxi with a roof-top carrier so that we can get rid of the burden of luggage.  Accordingly, I decided to book a taxi (with carrier) in Jodhpur rather than Gurgaon. 

Also, I did not book any hotels beforehand because I was sure that hotels will be available in plenty since we were not touring in peak season. Again, this decision proved to be sensible because we got the rooms at our own convenience and we were able to bargain easily. At the end of the tour, I calculated that our hotel expenditure was at least Rs.15000 less than what I had estimated.

Tour Summary

·        Dates: 8.12.2010 to 16.12.2010

·        No. of members: 7  (including 4 gents and 3 ladies)

·        Duration:  8 days 7 nights

·        Cities explored: 6  (including Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Mt. Abu, Udaipur, Pushkar, and Jaipur)

·        Places Visited

o       At Jodhpur: Mehrangarh Fort, Mandore Garden, Umaid Bhavan Palace, Kaylana Lake.

o       At Jaisalmer: Desert on camel safari, desert camp, Golden Fort (Sonar Kella), Patwon Ki Haveli, Gadisar Lake.

o       At Mt. Abu: Sunset Point, Nakki Lake, Guru Shikhar, Delwara Temple.

o       At Udaipur: Pichola Lake, Karni Mata Mandir, City Palace.

o       At Pushkar: Pushkar Sarovar, Brahma Temple. 

o       At Jaipur: Jantar Mantar, City Palace, Albert Museum, Govind Temple, Jal Mahal, Amer Fort.

·        Route followed:  Gurgaon -> Jodhpur -> Jaisalmer -> Jodhpur -> Mt.Abu -> Udaipur -> Pushkar -> Jaipur -> Gurgaon.

·        Distance and Time

o       Gurgaon to Jodhpur: 589 km/11 hr

o       Jodhpur to Jaisalmer: 300 km/5 hr

o       Jaisalmer to Jodhpur: 300 km/5 hr

o       Jodhpur to Mt. Abu: 300 km/5 hr

o       Mt. Abu to Udaipur: 185 km/4 hr

o       Udaipur to Pushkar: 350 km/5.5 hr

o       Pushkar to Jaipur: 150 km/3 hr

o       Jaipur to Gurgaon: 231 km/5 hr (road was too busy)

·        Mode of Transport

o       Gurgaon to Jodhpur:  Train (Mandor Express)

o       Jodhpur to Jaisalmer: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Jaisalmer to Jodhpur: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Jodhpur to Mt. Abu: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Mt. Abu to Udaipur: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Udaipur to Pushkar: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Pushkar to Jaipur: Tavera @ Rs. 8 per km

o       Jaipur to Gurgaon: Tavera @ Rs. 7.5 per km

·        Total expenditure: Our total expenditure was round about Rs. 40000 and this included:

o       Hotel bills for 7 members for 7 nights.

o       Travelling cost including toll, parking.

o       Night charges & pocket money for driver.

o       Entry fee at various sites for 7 people.

Note: Food and shopping costs are not included here because these are subjective.

Tour Details

·        Wednesday (8.12.2010)

We boarded the Jodhpur bound train, Mandor express at 10 PM from Gurgaon. The train was placed at the first platform so we did not have to bother much with our luggage. The train was neat and many seats were vacant. However, we were travelling in sleeper class and the cold was chilling. Generally, the cold is not much during the first week of December, but this year winter started early and hence my decision of travelling in sleeper class created problems for all.

·        Thursday (9.12.2010)

We reached Jodhpur at 9 AM. Since we had too many belongings, only three of us went on an auto to look for a hotel. Our first preference was an RTDC hotel called Ghoomar, but we did not find any suitable accommodation there. So, the autowallah led us to a decent, private hotel called Raman palace where we booked two rooms.

Thereafter, the autowallah led us to a travel agent through whom we booked a Tavera for 7-8 days @ Rs.8 per km. We boarded the Tavera and checked into hotel Raman Palace. After refreshing ourselves, we took breakfast at the roof-top restaurant of the hotel and went for Jodhpur city tour at around 12:30 PM.

At Jodhpur, we visited Mehrangarh fort, Mandor garden, Umaid Bhavan Palace, and Kaylana Lake. The Tavera that we used for Jodhpur tour was not in perfect condition, so we requested the travel agent to change the vehicle.

We had dinner at the roof-top restaurant of Raman Palace hotel.

·        Friday (10.12.2010)

The travel agent had provided us a new Tavera along with a new driver. After having tea, we set-off for Jaisalmer at 9:15 AM, and had breakfast on the way. On our way to Jaisalmer, the driver led us to Pokhran fort where we spent half an hour.

We reached Jaisalmer city at around 2:30 PM and had lunch at Kanishka restaurant. Later, we checked into hotel Akashdeep at 3:30 PM. Through the hotel, we booked a camel safari package that included camel ride, Rajasthani folk song & dance programme, snacks, and dinner at a desert camp. The package cost was Rs. 500 per head.

At 4:30 PM we set-off for our desert safari n our Tavera. We were escorted by a local guide, as part of the package. We needed to go to Sham, which was 45 km away from the main city. At about 2 km from the desert, we were taken for a camel ride to the desert. Riding camel for the first time was too exciting and we all were enjoying it. We reached the desert at 5:45 PM and witnessed the sunset.

Thereafter, we were escorted to one of the desert camps, where we were welcomed with snacks and tea. We also watched the Rajasthani folk song & dance programme and had dinner. We observed that there was provision for staying overnight as well but the ambience was not suitable for family.

We came back to hotel Akashdeep at 10 PM.

·        Saturday (11.12.2010)

After having breakfast at the roof-top restaurant of Akashdeep hotel, we checked out and set-off for Jaisalmer city tour on our Tavera at 10:30 AM.

At Jaisalmer city, we visited the famous Golden Fort, better known to Bengalis as “Sonar Kella”. We also visited Patwon Ki Haveli, which was nearby. Thereafter, we came back to our hotel and had Bengali lunch.

We set-off for Jodhpur at 3 PM and on the way we stopped at Gadisar Lake that has been shown in many Hindi films. Near Gadisar Lake, we had ride on an attractive camel cart.

On our way to Jodhpur, we faced a tyre puncture issue that was rectified quickly. We reached Jodhpur at 8:30 PM and checked into hotel Raman Palace, which we had already booked while checking out on Friday (10.12.2010).

·        Sunday (12.12.2010)

After having breakfast at the roof-top restaurant of Raman Palace hotel, we set-off for Mt. Abu on our Tavera at 10:30 AM. Instead of stopping for lunch on the way, we had some snacks in the Tavera itself.

We reached Mt. Abu at 3:30 PM and checked into hotel Shanti. Just before dusk, we visited Sunset Point and witnessed the exotic view of sun setting between mountains. We could the horizon beyond the sun and the sight was absolutely mesmerizing.

When we got down from Sunset Point and reached the main centre, it seemed the town had been wakened up; there was so much light it seemed as if it was Diwali. Going past the enlightened town, we visited Nakki Lake and had snacks at a lake-side restaurant. It seemed as if we were in a ship.

After having dinner at a restaurant in the main centre, we came back to our hotel at 10 PM.

·        Monday (13.12.2010)

We checked out of the hotel at 9:30 AM and after having breakfast at a roadside restaurant, we set-off for Mt. Abu city tour. Here, we got the benefit of having an experienced local driver with us. Our plan was to just visit the Delwara temple and then set-off for Udaipur, but our driver suggested that we should go to Guru Shikhar first and then visit Delwara temple while coming back. Guru Shikhar was around 10 kilometers above Mt. Abu and when we reached there, we could only marvel at the natural beauty. Truly, Guru Shikhar will remain in our memories for a long long time.

On our way back from Guru Shikhar, we visited the Delwara temple, which is a terrific example of craft and creativity. The temple was designed so that it cannot be seen from outside. This prevented it from being destroyed by the Mughals. On our way back, we revisited Nakki Lake for a while and it seemed better than what we had seen in the evening.

After having lunch at a Mt. Abu restaurant, we set-off for Udaipur on our Tavera at 3 PM. The road to Udaipur was a four lane highway that often interspersed low hills and passed through tunnels. It was also accompanied by greenery on both sides. Among all the sights seen in the tour, my personal favorite was the road from Mt. Abu to Udaipur; I felt like singing, “aa ha ha…manzil se behatar lagne lage hain ye raaste”. However, we faced a tyre puncture issue due to which we had to take a 15 minutes break on the highway.

We reached Udaipur at 7 PM. The city was too crowded. We checked into hotel Utsav and later had dinner at Sankalp restaurant.

·        Tuesday (14.12.2010)

After having morning tea, we set-off for Udaipur city tour. An unknown person stopped us on the way and offered himself as guide. He guided us to Pichola Lake first and then he suggested us to take ropeway and visit Karni Mata Mandir on a hilltop. From Karni Mata Mandir, we could see that Udaipur was not as beautiful as I was informed. It was too congested and had a few lakes, which remain dry for most part of the year. We were lucky that Udaipur had received heavy rains in the previous month and Pichola Lake was not dry.

After we came back from Karni Mata Mandir, our guide played his game and lured us to a garment shop where we did some shopping.  

Our next destination was Udaipur City Palace. The guide was of no help for us because he did not accompany us inside the City Palace.

After visiting City Palace, we came back to our hotel for lunch. We checked out of the hotel at 3 PM and set-off for Jaipur.

However, on our way to Jaipur, our driver suggested us to stay overnight at Pushkar.  Touring Pushkar was not in our tour plan, but we agreed because we had enough time to explore Jaipur. Pushkar was situated at a valley and the road to Pushkar was filled with twists and turns. We reached Pushkar at 8:30 PM and checked into hotel Goyal Inn. Later, we had dinner at the roof-top restaurant.

·        Wednesday (15.12.2010)

After having morning tea, we checked out of the hotel at 9:30 AM and visited Pushkar Sarovar and Brahma temple. Personally, I did not like the ambience because the “pandas” were always on the prowl.

We set-off for Jaipur at 11 AM and reached at 2 PM. At Jaipur, we first visited Jantar Mantar, which we all liked. Then we visited Jaipur City Palace. Thereafter, we checked into hotel Shrinath and released the Tavera that went back to Jodhpur.  Later, we booked another Tavera for Jaipur city tour and Gurgaon.

After having some food in the hotel, we did some shopping in the evening and later had dinner in the hotel itself.

·        Thursday (16.12.2010)

After having breakfast in the hotel, we checked out at 10 AM and set-off for Jaipur city tour. At Jaipur, we visited Albert Museum, Govind Temple, Jal Mahal, and Amer Fort. We spent a couple of hours at Amer Fort and then set-off for Gurgaon at 2 PM. We reached Gurgaon at 7 PM.

Accommodation

Hotels

·        At Jodhpur: Hotel Raman Palace. This was an average hotel with poor room service. Also, it was a bit away from the main city. However, it provided roof-top restaurant. We stayed here for 2 days.

·        At Jaisalmer: Hotel Akashdeep. This was a very nice, economical hotel with good room service. I would easily recommend this hotel for people visiting Jaisalmer.

·        At Mt. Abu: Hotel Shanti. This hotel was cheap, but the rooms were not up to the mark. However, the location of this hotel was fantastic.

·        At Udaipur: Hotel Utsav. This hotel was expensive and yet not of good quality. Also, it made us pay service charges on total bill without prior information. I would recommend others to avoid this hotel.

·        At Pushkar: Hotel Goyal Inn. This was a posh hotel and we were lucky to get rooms at a cheap rate since most of the rooms were vacant. However, hotels in Pushkar including this one did not possess geysers and depended on solar energy. Hence, we did not get hot water in the morning. 

·        At Jaipur: Hotel Shrinath. This was an economical hotel near the railway station and provided good room service. I would recommend this hotel for people visiting Jaipur.

Charges

We took 2 rooms (4-bed and 2-bed) in each hotel and our total charges varied between Rs.1100 (at Mt.Abu) and Rs.2000 (at Udaipur).  Wherever necessary, we bargained to get the hotel charges within our budget.

I guess we got the rooms at cheap rates because we were not touring in the peak season otherwise the average charges would have been more than Rs.1000 for a single room with 2 beds.