Golden Chance to see the Golden City

I love October; it’s the best month of the year. Reason? There’s not just one. Not only the season of holidays, feast, shopping and festivity, it’s loved for the pleasant weather too. And four holidays in a row, that too in October, is totally a golden chance to pack your bags and run away-far off. And why I am writing this is, because this golden chance turned into visiting the long desired Golden City.

Yes, I am talking about Jaisalmer in Western Rajasthan, another boundary of India (after Kerala for me). The vast expanse of barren land with merely a few thorny bushes at intervals was something I had never seen before. So in the train only, we received our bit of induction. Reaching the city was a pleasure to see some life around, but that too-‘all golden’.

While scanning through the hotel and its roof-top restaurant, we could not resist getting city’s top view. Cool breeze flowing, even in the peak of afternoon was suggestive enough to point out the difference. Long after lunch, we set our cab ride off to the Thar Desert. The straight and clear road through the blank land, with few patches of grass and bushes was quite striking that made us stop chatting and gaze ahead. After a few kilometers, even those resorts and hotels too vanished.

Now we joined the caravan with many other people ready to get enthralled by the bumpy camel ride and local travel agents with their camel owners ready to amuse the tourists. The names they had given to their camels were funny-Michael Jackson and Aamir Khan were with us .

As the camel strode through the sand dunes, I could feel the jolts despite the cushioned seat, covered on its back. Although it was engrossing; but its effect lasted longer. The beautifully textured dunes, which keep changing their shapes everyday, formed a perfect backdrop to the setting sun, which further rendered the whole sky-all red. I wondered how many residents of Jaisalmer actually enjoy this beautiful sunset which was explicitly visible from every house, almost every day. And before we could reach back to the parking, it was all dark and cold too.

Bidding adieu to the camel, we headed on to the camp fire which was like entering a family feast. You surround a stage in a nawab style, with musicians sitting on one side, setting their instruments to bemuse the audience. Folk songs begun with ‘Padharo mhaare des’ and soon their voice filled the air around. The flexible and energetic moves and use of props like number of matkas so skillfully was totally astonishing. The tempting and delicious Rajasthani dinner (its fragrance had already aggravated our appetite)-Daal baati churma, gatte ki sabzi, bajre ki khichdi, makke ki roti marked the end to the show.

After getting thoroughly ‘Rajasthanized’, next day we went out to explore local architecture of the place, for which it is widely recognized. Wherever you turn, you can see a single color-yellow-whether there are houses, havelis, temples, or even earth-it’s all yellow. The only break in that monotony comes from green patches at intervals, the wind mills standing far off or the colorful artifacts and handicrafts by artisans flocking the narrow streets. All this was prominent enough to characterize it as another world altogether.

Courtyards, narrow streets, jharokhas were a peculiar style of architecture to beat the scorching heat and create cool interiors. One can easily figure out the water scarcity in olden times as all the construction is done in locally available yellow stone with least dependence on mortar and water. One of the haveli caretakers even explained us, how water was recycled six times before disposing it off after use. I could well imagine the scenario that might take place few years later if we keep misusing water now.

Throughout the visit, I was making inferences how Rajasthani culture and cuisines might have developed, somehow due to their scarce resources. But something worth learning is-still they are making the best out of what they have and are having an identity of their own throughout the country. While trudging through the city you can’t miss those stalls of pani puri, bhel puri, chaach, neembu pani, jaljeera, tikki and much more.

After this mesmerizing experience, boating in the nearby lake was itself a respite from the hot sun. And hence with all the lessons and experiences, fun and pleasure we bid goodbye to the beautiful city.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sunset

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.

~Mohandas Gandhi

It’s an everyday affair, the sun sets in the west without fail-every day. Still viewing a sunset is such a romantic and pleasing spot to glimpse. Hills or plains, oceans or deserts – it’s all different, all new. Is it the grace of a setting sun or the colors it adds to the sky-all varying with every backdrop? Is it actually attractive or just that we miss admiring its beauty in normal course of life?

Well ! I leave the answer to this question up to you and do my bit by sharing these pictures taken while sunset at assorted locations.

Time to head home!!!

As the sun is setting, these ducks have started rushing back to their homes @ Okhla bird sanctuary in New Delhi

Golden Glow @ Arabian Sea. Bidding adieu to the Sun for a night...

Who says sunsets look marvelous with natural settings only...see how this man-made marvel creates an aura with the setting sun

Even sea waves find sunsets so amusing!!!

P.S.: I am flaunting these pictures from my husband’s collection. More of them can be found at his Facebook page.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Path

The Path of life can be long or short
And for each of us is different.
For some it is straight and level
While for others it is windy and steep
But for most, it is neither
And yet, somehow, it is both.

~Keith Roger Sherer

‘Path’…this theme brings to my mind several distinct settings in which paths do exist. It can be a straight street through the town, or a sinuous path with hairpin bends; a path along a slope downhill or a narrow one through the wooded jungle. Just like paths get formed in a numerous ways, each one of us too forge diverse paths to trudge through our lives. Some tread on a well-trod path while others devise their own; some design paths and then walk, while others keep trudging and paths do follow.

I have posted a few pictures here, that we clicked during our few past outings. All are various examples of paths we see (though, not all).

I know the landscapes are mostly beautiful, but trudging through them, on a road all wet after rain is simply divine...

Where there is will, there is a way...so what if it is through a jungle

Yamuna follows a path behind the Taj

How these palm trees are accentuating this path through the backwaters-path for the boats...

Photo Credit: All the pictures comprise of my hubby’s collection which he has showcased on his Facebook page.

A Day @ Neemrana

To confess, travel is no more merely going out and visiting places, for me now. This storytelling part is much more fun and for that, I actually devote time and energy taking pics with my husband. And hence comes another entry to my travel diary.

If you also live in Delhi NCR and are looking for a day trip with friends and family or your loved ones, a long drive and some break from the daily grind, Neemrana is just the right place. Okay, I knew this earlier too, but when you actually get to do something, you can say that more sanguinely.

Aravallis begin to appear

First of all, the drive on NH8 through Pink City Expressway, which is still under construction, although. But if you’re also one of the kinds like me, who prefer to justify the drive with some convincable destination-then it’s worth it. Second of all, as you’re about to reach Neemrana, the surrounding Aravali hills begin to impound their spell on you. And finally, when you reach there, it’s altogether a different world (at least from the city), highly captivating, that seems far-off from the capital and its commotion.

Horse shoe hill embracing the Fort

the semi open deck

semi open corridor

columns raised over the rock

Neemrana fort palace, the heritage hotel resort, which originally belonged to the lineage of the royal Prithvi Raj Chauhan is a tremendous icon of restoration. The stone cut from the rocks, creates such a sturdy and bold semblance. Plastered surfaces are beyond any comparison to the beautifully laid stones in the masonry. The contrast it gives to the horse shoe hill over which, this complex sits so gracefully, is impeccable.

Fort in stone

beauty lies in details

stone masonry and the arches

the piece of art

viewing from the deck

at leisure

And yes, contours are so skillfully utilized into 10 playful levels, that you never get bored. Either discover the bits of the Fort, which again gives you a remarkable blend of open, semi-open and closed spaces or else, be seated at leisure in any jharokha or  any deck, gazing at the expansive plains below. Even from the lowest point in the fort, you can look up to admire this piece of art, as there are abundant places to sit. Landscaping too, is splendid, so as to not leave any flaw and spare you from making the best out of it.

looking upwards

dealing with levels

landscapes

open air theatre

kulhad-the traditional way of terrace insulation

gazing at the plains

This day picnic was such a retreat, I could imagine the bliss it can be in sunny winters. One of my friends even recommended staying there overnight to get the real vibe. It never occurred to me there, that we are just in vicinity to a mad city. But don’t worry…the huge jam, just after crossing the toll plaza near Manesar, made us feel so-back-home

Cruising through the HouseBoat

I guess, I was 8 years old, when for the first time my Mom taught me about the Dal lake at Srinagar and the houseboats there, from my text-book. It was since then, that living on a houseboat became a fantasy for me. We kids even played games imagining our house on a boat, in the middle of a river.

But it was only during our trip to Kerala, that I actually saw a houseboat for the first time and believe me, the experience was far beyond my expectations. It made our stay at Alleppey backwaters, the best spell of our vacation and I assume, this will remain one of the most cherished memories through my entire life.

After a six hours long journey from Kanyakumari, we were already quite starved and exhausted. It was hot too. So within no time, we hopped on to the houseboat as soon as we reached there. The manager introduced us to the boat and the cruise but I was in no mood to listen; my eyes were busy examining all the details of the boat very desperately.

 

As our cruise started amidst the brightly shining sun, I could barely open my eyes. I put on my sunglasses but the cool breeze that started flowing, was such a respite. We were so spellbound by the amazing views: the coconut trees, the floating plants, the villagers along the river and the vast expanse of water; we could hardly pay attention to the deliciously cooked lunch by the chef. He and the captain were the only two people along with us, on the boat, they were very friendly and thank God they knew Hindi and English too. The captain even gave me a chance to sit in his seat and ride the boat for a while. I can’t even explain how much fun it was.

The whole place seemed so divine that we felt like being rewarded for something and compelled me to put a pause to every little thought that could ever pop up in my mind. The assorted type of boats and people enjoying their cruise in difference ways was all so lovely.

 

Now it was evening, the time to halt (when we were not at all prepared to halt). The two men asked us to walk into the nearby village and explore the place. It was so green that it seemed monsoons were on (but actually monsoons had to start 2 months later). The banana trees and coconut trees were framing a different composition at every place and in no way seemed monotonous. After a short stroll, we came back and sat down along the river bank, had nothing to talk about and were just enjoying the beauty of the place, all speechless.

Soon it was dark and the chef called us for dinner. After watching TV for a while, we chose to sleep early so that we could have our share of early morning views and some extended time spent in that heaven. As the morning came up, people started coming in their built to suit boats, heading towards their work. The chef served us a nicely chopped pineapple just after breakfast as a farewell delight and then we moved on.