India Travel Forum | IndiaMike.com - Rajasthan

Dunes near Bikaner?

CanadianCurry — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:44:53 GMT

Hello,

I am in Jaipur right now and making my way to Jaisalmer and Bikaner and Im very pumped for a camel trek. Having never seen a desert before I would love to see some dunes although Ive read they are not like the big saharan ones.

Id prefer to do the camel trek in Bikaner where its a little less touristy than Jaisalmer but can dunes be seen on a 2-3 day trek?

Thanks in advance,

going to the rat temple at deshnoke soon

che23 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:14:57 GMT

hi there,
my girlfriend and me are planning to leave pushkar as soon as we can (finally, because we dont like it here, but that's certainly another story).
her biggest wish is to see the rat temple before we leave rajastan for the south
, so how can i resist :D !
I would like to know if there is some cheap guesthouse or hostal (100-250 max) available.
or any other recommendation would be most welcome which is nearby.
the reason im asking is cos we will arrive by bus coming from ajmer. so i just wanna avoid going to bikaner first while driving through deshnoke. thanks for all your answers in advance
cu around
Steffi
Til
:)

J P Village Resort Pushkar/ New Park Pushkar/ Rajasthan trip

suzienichols — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:01:18 GMT

http://www.jpvillageresorts.com/index.htm

Has any been to or know of this hotel in Pushkar and can tell me anything about it? I like the look of the hotel from their website, but I can only find one (not very good) review of the place on the internet! Maybe it has changed names recently? There seem to be lots of other JP Resorts when I search- it appears to be a chain.

I'm looking for a decent mid-range priced hotel in Pushkar, preferrably with a pool and quite liked the idea of being a little bit out from the hustle and bustle of the centre of town. Another on my shortlist is New Park which ticks all the boxes but seemed a little soulless. Anyone stayed there?

I'm planning my third trip to India for March 2011 (yes I know- AGES off- but I enjoy the research and the dreaming :) )We intend to train it between Mumbai and Delhi, mostly covering Rajasthan over a period of 3 weeks. We're taking things at a fairly leisurely pace as it will be warm and we want some relaxation time too. The current itinerary is:

Mumbai 3 nights
Sleeper to Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad 1 night
Sleeper to Udaipur
Udaipur 3 nights
Pushkar 3 nights
Jaipur 3 nights (Elephant Festival and Holi :D )
Jodhpur 3 nights
Sleeper to Delhi
Delhi 2 nights

Any advice/ comments gratefully recieved :rolleyes:

Udaipur-Kumbalgarh-Ranakpur

globetrotter02 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:48:24 GMT

We are just back from an awesome trip to Udaipur and its neighbourhood! Here's the tour diary -

Day 1 - Left Ahmedabad at 7.00 AM in a Tavera.Driving at an average of 80..and with numerous breaks in between, reached Udaipur (250 km from Ahmedabad) at 11.30 AM.
Went straight to the show piece of Udaipur - The City Palace right on the banks of Lake Pichola.It took all of 3 hours to fully explore the palace environs and it was truly wonderful.Right bang in the middle of the full lake Pichola was the pristine white Lake Palace (now a major international hotel).
The other places we visited on the day include - Jagdish temple, Maharana Pratap Memorial,Saheli-ki-wadi garden and boating at Fateh sagar lake.
For night stay we reached Nathdwara - abode of shrinathji - 43 km away. Took part in the famous mangal arati at 5 AM..shringar arati at 7 AM and then left for Haldi ghatti - 23 km away where the war between Maharana Pratap and Man singh (representing Akbar) took place. Then we procceded towards Kumbalgarh Fort (around 60 Km away). Kumbalgarh fort supposedly contains the second longest wall after the china wall. It was really worthwhile..after which we went to Ranakpur jain temple complex - 40 km away. This intricately carved beauty contains 1444 pillars - no two of which are alike.
By 6.30 PM we were back at Udaipur. Couldnt resist a quick ' dekko' of the night view of the fully lit lake Palace in the middle of the dark lake!
Early morning we were back again at Gangour ghat by Lake Pichola (where else!) after which we went for Boating at the lake , circling the palace..at 12 noon we left Udaipur back to Ahmedabad.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/rndvar...eat=directlink

Rajasthan tour with irctc?

Lili77 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:03:01 GMT

Hi there,
we are traveling to Delhi in February 2010. We'll be around Delhi/Rajasthan for 11 days... we wanted to see Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur ... has anybody tried the Rajasthan tour package with irctc or can anybody recommend how to travel best without too much bargaining...is it better to travel by train or hire a car ... ?

budget trip to jodhpur and jaisalmer

gee — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:52:48 GMT

hi
i am planning a trip to jodhpur and jaisalmer starting from 18th Nov-23rd Nov.we are two girls on a shoe string budget.how do we go?were to stay?is it safe?we are starting from delhi...help<<<

Hanging with the Camelman in Bikaner

rosscameron — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:48:14 GMT

This is an excellent trip. You can check out the photos on my blog.

www.newadventuresinnbackpackin g.com

The guest house owner Mr. Vijay Singh welcomed me into his beautiful guest house like I was a long lost pale Scottish relative. Vijay, or Camel Man as he is also known, has a personality as large as his frame and was an instantly likeable, chatty, friendly host.

He turned his family home into a guest house back in the 70�s and sees hundreds of tourists pass through his home each year. With the assistance of his delightful wife and a few helpers they have turned their beautiful home into a place that really did feel like a home from home. As well as budget, but luxurious bedrooms, they have a lovely dining hall for the guests to eat the wonderful food provided by Mrs. Singh, which is cooked for you within eye shot of the table.

After eating yourself into a coma there is the option to relax in the living room, with walls decked out in family pictures and portraits as well as various trophies to really add to that homely feel. If you prefer an outdoor environment, you could chill in their nice green garden complete with a large garden swing. As far as budget backpacking goes, this place really was the bomb.

We discussed the benefits of a local independent business like Mr. Singh gets from being in the Lonely Planet guide to India. He informed me that making it into that book ensured he would be drinking whiskey and soda for the next few years. I liked his style.

I stayed at their guest house because Vijay is the local camel tour operator or Camel Man and I booked on one of his overnight camel safaris. We set off from a local village and trekked over the desert for 3 hours. The camels did all the hard work and all I had to do was sit there and look pretty, something I excel in. I had never been on a camel before but I found it a lot more comfortable than I presumed it would be and preferred it to riding on a horse. The camels walk at a nice pace so you can enjoy the desert scenery, which is nothing too exciting apart from the occasional antelope. To compensate for the barren scenery, I found myself having a competition with the group to see who could come up with the most innovative songs with camel links. I won with a rendition of Fergie�s �My Humps.�

When I arrived at my destination, a base camp at the top of a sand dune, we were allowed to wander around the dunes at our own free will, allowing us to watch dung beetles mating and discuss the techniques involved in burning your used toilet paper whilst watching the sun go down.

In the evening we had a candlelit dinner under the stars. After the chaos of Delhi it was a quite remarkable turnaround in settings in a mere 24 hours. I had quite a nice group of people with me including two elderly American women, a couple from London and three girls from Singapore who all lived in different parts of the world. It was nice to chat with some other travellers after the isolation of Delhi. Added to this group was an Indian family from Calcutta who were not on the safari but turned up for the dinner. Flashpacking I believe it is called.

The beautiful three-course meal was accompanied by a local musician who played a variety of local instruments to great effect, which then led to some dodgy, elderly tourist dancing. I headed to my tent before I was requested to cut any shapes to the beat of a nose flute.

I was blissfully happy to be sleeping in a tent in the middle of an Indian desert. Sleeping in the middle of the nowhere is one of my favourite things. I truly believe it cleanses your soul and mind. (Self edit � Four days in India and I�m going all hippy. Oh No.)

If anyone would like to check out the guest house I stayed in and get some more info on the treks you can check out www.camelman.com

After a few bedding-in days in Delhi, my Indian adventure started here.

8 days in Rajasthan. out of these cities, please help me choose!

stevebmail — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:34:40 GMT

Hi wonderful people.
I have been going crazy trying to research this stuff, coming in pretty new to India. This is quite a special trip for me, and I want to know what you experienced India veterans think.
I have between Christmas Day and Jan 2 to see the best of Rajasthan. I have been recommended these cities by a close friend.
Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bundi, Pushkar.
Now I do only have around 8 days, so I don't mind just doing 3. I was thinking flying into Udaipur Christmas day.
25, 26, 27 Udaipur
28, 29 Jodhpur
30, 31, 1st Jaisalmer
overnight train 1st-2nd to Delhi
Fly out to HK.

I don't really want to be overwhelmed by a huge city and have to waste so much time getting oriented.
Ideally, I'm looking for a unique Indian experience with cool architecture, great food, wandering around and taking it all in.

Any thoughts? I really do appreciate the time you guys put in.

Steve

Udaipur or Jaisalmer?

jayfox — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:30:28 GMT

Hi all, I want to take a travel to India next month. But i just have 12 days, and i'm setting plan now.

Udaipur or Jaisalmer, maybe i must select one. I want to take a camel safari at Jaisalmer, but is it cold at night? Will we frozen at the desert?

Many people said Udaipur is a romance place in India, but I'm alone, shall I go there and remove Jaisalmer?

PS: my route is Delhi--Jaisalmer or Udaipur-->Jodhpur-->Jaipur-->Agra-->Varanasi-->Delhi, total 12 days.

Please give me some advice, thanks:)

jodhpur or jaisalmer

sam78a — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:51:48 GMT

I will have two days to spend in either Jodhpur and Jaisalmer. Can anyone offer any suggestions? If I see Jodhpur,I will go to Osiyan, someplace I want to see...but if I see Jaisalmer, I will be able to see something totally unique, thus the delemia.

Any suggestions?

Schools in Mount Abu

bips — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:31:24 GMT

Please be helpful. Someone in my family is looking for admission at a school in Mount Abu. At present he is in England. He is 16year 11 and wants to study English,Maths,Science,Business Studies,design technology,religious education,physical education. Please kindly let me know if admission will be available and which schools are recommended and start date of the school.Thanks

Travel to Bikaner and Jaisalmer

deepak.saxena — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:01:52 GMT

Hi
I am planning to travel to Bikaner and Jaisalmer from Gurgaon. Would anyone be able to help with the following

road condition between gurgaon and Bikaner
approx driving time gurgaon to bikaner
things to do in bikaner

thanks in advance
regards

weather in Rajahsthan in mid feb

sunnysideup — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:13:29 GMT

Hi,

We'll be in Rajahsthan in Feb 8 for 2 weeks. How's the weather usually? We plan on going to the Jaiselmer as well. Want to know to decide what to pack for Feb. Rest of our stay coincides with hot/summer, so all we plan on bringing is very light clothes..only wondering about the feb time in Rajahsthan.

need long-sleeve shirts and pants? what's the temp during day and night time.
thanks a whole bunch.:)

Is Pushkar quiet after the Camel Fair?

madhattons — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:06:49 GMT

My wife and I life in Jaipur and are looking for a close and quiet place to take a few days away in the middle of November. We were considering Pushkar after the Camel Fair was finished hoping that it would be more laid back and quiet.

What is Pushkar like after the festival is finished? Would it be good for relaxing? Are there better rates on hotels during this time?

Thanks,
Madhattons

Awful Choice! Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer

Daffodil spring — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:29 GMT

Realistically, I think I can only travel to two of the above. Which is preferable?