Report on UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh trip

Hello,
As I found this forum useful when planning my trip to India, I thought I'd write this report of my trip, which might be helpful to others in the future.
I went to India for one month with my sister starting late December. It was the first time for both of us. We went straight from Delhi to Varanasi, then Agra, Vrindavan, Fatehpur Sikri, Orchha, Chanderi, Udaipur, Bundi, Jhalawar, Jaipur, Pushkar, Ajmer, then back to Delhi for several days. We did night trains Delhi-Varanasi, Varanasi-Agra, Gwalior-Udaipur, all in 3AC, day trains Agra-Jhansi, Udaipur-Bundi, Kota-Jaipur in sleeper class, and Ajmer-Delhi was Shatabdi express. Tickets were a mixture of buying at the station a day or 2 before, or getting through agencies, or on internet (cleartrip, and we used tatkal a couple of times. Did not always get the exact trains we needed, but always got a train).
We stayed at guesthouses and hotels, had a big range, started as cheap as 210 rupees a night in Varanasi. My food budget was very cheap because I ate from street stalls and whatever little basic eateries around, while my sister did'nt like the Indian food and ate from hotels and restaurants. I ate everything and anything, but all Indian food, and I had absolutely no problems with stomach or anything. My sister got sick though, but I reckon food aimed at foreigners is not as good or fresh.
Varanasi was the place i most wanted to see and it was the highlight of my trip. It truly is a timeless place in its age-old rituals and city bustle, vivid alleyways, changing light, endless stream of life and death flowing by.
Agra was my sister's choice on our itinerary. I did not go to the Taj Mahal - it was covered in fog. Agra was bitter cold when we were there. It seemed to me a neglected and dull city. Vrindavan was a marvellous small place full of everyday life unfolding amidst all the history. I liked it very much. Fatehpur Sikri was also worth it, and I enjoyed wandering through the little village and eating things there. I preferred to wander the outside of the actuall monument complex than the inside part, there was no one around really and it was very evocative of abandoned grandeur.
Orchha was deep in fog and cold when we got there. Guys at Jhansi bus station said it was 10 rupees per person in a tempo, but tempo drivers refused to take foreigners for that price. When it is so cold, it is better to have all the people piled around you, but one should not have to pay more than the other people for this privilege.
Orchha itself was a very beautiful place, especially curious to walk around in the dark with those huge old silhouettes looming up and owls calling out in the night. Very tasty local sweet in Orchha too. People are rather keen to charge foreigners more for street food, etc, however. I understand some Hindi, numbers for sure, and I am not stupid and see when I am being asked for double the price. However, as in all countries, there are all kinds of people, and there are as many honest ones as dishonest, and this too is important to remember.
Chanderi is an untouristy town. We seemed to be the only foreigners there. It was a market day and I enjoyed wandering along in the stream of people, looking at all the wares and foods on display. People there are friendly and the atmosphere is good. It is a historic place where you can see life not glossed up for tourism, but just a real trading life for local people.
Udaipur has many tourists, but the lakes are very full now and the town is very attractive. I recommend the Udai Niwas hotel here, which gave us a great sunny room (if you visit in winter this is good)- the penthouse in fact. Good views too. I loved just wandering the little back streets with their amazing old buildings. I love to peer into courtyards and lanes and catch glimpses of ordinary life. The city palace is worth visiting.
Bundi was a great place. The palace and fort are spectacular. The palace has magnificent old painting. Men at the gates there seemed eager to talk of history and things, but turned out to have financial interest rather than sincere love of their culture at heart - they asked for tips for 'giving information'. The fort has old paintings crumbling away amidst the monkeys racing around.
Wonderful old alleys in Bundi too. We got there just before the kite-flying festival. I met a local family and they invited us to spend the festival with them, and so we were on the rooftops too, flying kites. The part of the town up below the palace is more like a tourist ghetto, but the rest of the town is just living its usual life and is a good place. Also good to walk the road round the lake outside town, past Sukh Mahal, where Kipling wrote 'Kim'.
Jhalawar had no tourists either, nor close by, little place, Jhalrapathan, where you can see the Surya Mandir - sun temple. Good biscuits there too, people in the back alleys making them, gave me some fresh ones to try. I prefer these sorts of places for the feeling of seeing India for Indians and not India packaged up for sale to tourists.
I liked Jaipur. I am not interested in shopping, but Jaipur still has its sense of an old trading city, and I find the process of trade in itself fascinating. In Jaipur it is lively and bustling. The city is polluted and congested, but you can still feel its distinct atmosphere. I would say it is not a city of monuments, but a city of vivid trade life that offers a mosaic just as interesting. The Amber Fort is worth visiting - it is in a beautiful setting and is very impressive.
Ajmer is known mostly for the Dargah, I guess, and I went there too. Interesting district around there, and nice local sweets (my sister said I was too obsessed by what was in every wok and stall in sight). Pushkar nearby seems to have been turned into a haven for all kinds of hippie types. That is not my scene, but if you go on the ghats in the evening you can leave all that behind. There is a sense of vast contemplation, delicately woven flow of bells and flames, a chant or drum beat, fast-fading light, private rituals here and there, small group or lone person with flame raised, pink rose petal stains linger on the water, fat round moon hanging in the sky above, peaks of hills draped in last pink glow. This is not the tourist Pushkar but the ancient place, and for this it is worth it. There are good little eating places at the end of the road past the Brahma temple once you get beyond all the souvenir and tourist-oriented shops.
Delhi I had not time in to really get a sense of it. It is a scattered city. I stayed far from the centre at Chhatarpur, but the metro system is good. We stayed at a family-run place called Maya's Nest, small, but in a family home, which was good. I liked Chandi Chowk alleyways before the shops open up and you get a feeling of the oldness of the place and can walk unhindered. Of course, plenty more good food all around there, especially down behind the big mosque.
Overall, I really loved this visit to India and would certainly go back to see other parts of the country. I think it is nice to know a little Hindi and at least read the alphabet. Certainly, English is in wide use, but to really talk to all kinds of people a little Hindi can help.
I loved the trains. People were friendly and it is a good way to travel and mingle with local people. I ate plenty of the food they sell on the trains and found it good on the whole.
We did not book our accommodation in advance but never had a problem. Trains I would recommend trying to book as soon as you know when you would want to move on from a place, and if you do it yourself at railway station, it is a bit bureaucratic, you need to fill out forms, but once you know how it works it is ok.
As regards safety and hygiene etc, it seems to me people worry too much about that stuff. Eat where local people eat, especially if you see whole family groups eating there. The food is all hotter, fresher, and tastes better.
We did find mosquitos. We took doxy, no side effects of any kind, my sister got bitten a lot, me twice, but we never used mostquito repellent, so that's our fault really.
In winter it can get really cold. I bought a blanket in the end and wandered round wrapped in it like the locals. Very useful on the trains too to have that blanket.
But above all, I think, be open, don't let small things get to you. All the people trying to urge you into their shops etc are just trying to make a living, and they're urging their own people too. Sure they have stereotypes of what foreigners are. I wanted to laugh in Pushkar when every little stall owner seemed to think I urgently needed water, cigarettes and chocolate. Sure I need water like all humans, but not cigarettes or chocolate. But everyone has stereotypes really. The thing is, if you start to close off to the locals just because you think they all just want to sell you something or get something from you, you'd miss chances to meet some very genuine and wonderful people, and yes, among the rickshaw drivers, sellers etc too. Show respect as a guest, keep the spirit of each place, abide by the local custom and rules, and remember that every country has its good and bad, and its fools and wise people. That is my advice.
I found India to be a very vibrant country, complex and with many problems yes, but a country with its freedom and sense of dignity and worth despite all the problems. It is valuable that India is a democracy, albeit with much work still to do, but it has a sense of energy and hope about it. I had a wonderful and memorable time there.
And my thanks too to all who replied to my questions and gave me advice for this trip.
Ijen

Thank you, Ijen, for this excellent write-up!