Rajasthan Trip in January 2010 - Itinerary and questions

debmalya

Hi,

I'm traveling to Rajasthan in January, 2010. I am describing my preliminary itinerary below for your comments and suggestions (for example, if something is not doable/not worth it/too strenuous, etc). Also, I've asked some questions inline in bold- I would be grateful if you shared any info you might have about them.

Day 0: Boarding 2307 HWH-JU Express at 23:30

Day 1: In train

Day 2:

• Reach Jodhpur at 07:20
• Check in at Veggi Guest House (anyone has stayed here? is it good?)
• Jodhpur sight-seeing (what are the places to see other than Meherangarh Fort?)

Day 3:

• Jodhpur sightseeing contd
• Boarding 4810 JU-JSM Express at 23:00

Day 4:

• Reaching Jaisalmer at 05:00
• Suggestions for a budget hotel in Jaisalmer? (Double room within Rs 800-900/-)
• Jaisalmer sight-seeing (what else to see other than Golden Fort?)

Day 5: Half-day camel safari in Khuri in the evening

Day 6:

• Boarding 4703 JSM-LGH Express at 11:20
• Reach Lalgarh at 17:00
• Suggestions for a budget hotel in Bikaner within Rs 800-900/- a night for a double room? How far is Lalgarh station from Bikaner hotels?

Day 7:

• Bikaner sight-seeing (what else to see other than Junagarh Fort?)
• Boarding 233 HMH-JP Special at 22:50

Day 8:

• Reach Jaipur at 07:00
• Check in at Hotel Pearl Palace (anyone has stayed here? is it good?)
• Jaipur sight-seeing (what places to see other than Hawa mahal, Amber Fort, Nahargarh Fort, Jantar Mantar?)

Day 9: Leave Jaipur in afternoon/evening for Kolkata (return journey not finalized yet)

One final question: Are all forts/other attractions open on all 7 days for the public?

Thanks a lot in advance!

delhiwala

1. Only One day is sufficient in Jodhpur. It has only Mehrangarh fort, Jaswant Thada and new Palace.....

2. Pearl Palace is good. City Palace and Birla Mandir are two other places. Chokhi Dhani is a theme restaurant and I liked it (though some may disagree).

__________________
Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

debmalya

Thanks, Delhiwala! I kept 2 days in Jodhpur since I've a feeling the train from Howrah might get delayed significantly due to fog in north India in January. If that happens, I might be left with only 2-3 hours on the first day in Jodhpur...

Waiting for inputs from others about the other queries

Indizen

We are following exactly the same plan in January, the same trains, etc!

debmalya

Great to know, Indizen! Maybe, we'll come across each other at some point during the trip---and plz do send me all the info you can gather about the trip

Indizen

In Jodhpur, you can see the white marble monument called Jaswant Thada, the Umaid Bhawan Palace and museum, the Clock Tower and markets, the Fort and its impressive museum, the Balsamand Lake Palace, Mandore Gardens and the monuments of the Rathore capital, one more lake near the city, Osian village and temples, the village safari to the Bishnoi villages.

Indizen

Desert Moon Guest House is recommended for Jaisalmer. Google for their website.

debmalya

Thanks for your suggestions, Indizen!

OceanTragic

We tried to have a look at the lake but maybe we took the wrong road as we only managed to find the entrance to the hotel and they wouldn't let me in tohave a look around.
This was after walking around Mandore Gardens which is nice for a visit. So instead we headed west to go boating on Kayalana Lake travelling through the very busy sandstone quarry/mining area, before heading to back to Jodhpur. It was an interesting day out, especially seeing the sandstone quarry, but not one worth reserving a day for, we just wanted a more restful day.

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Indizen

In Jaisalmer you can see the Golden Fort and the Maharawal Palace Museum inside.
The Jain temples in the fort.
The mansions of the merchants: the main ones are
Patwon ki Haveli
Salim Singh ki Haveli
Nathmalji ki Haveli
Mandir Palace

The sunset point and cenotaphs at Bara Bagh


Gadisagar lake and monuments

Matthew Morris

I thought about Hotel pearl palace myself, after reading positive reviews.

I decided on http://www.aryaniwas.com/hotelarya.html for Jaipur instead as I have read a few reviews saying pearl palace has lousy food, and aryaniwas has great rooms and great food.

Enjoy your trip.

__________________
I have the wisdom of Buddha combined with the body of Peter Andre - oh...no..it's the other way round..

Indizen

Even I chose Hotel Arya Niwas in Jaipur after Hotel Pearl Palace sent back a very rude response to my e-mail.

soultraveller

I just know about some places so will be able to address only the above

Day 2 -
The fort opens by 0900 hrs. See the fort and museum inside. DO NOT HIRE GUIDES. There is a more than sufficient Audio Tour Guide provided (150/-) inside which is better than the guides pushing us from one pitstop to the next. It will take u bout 3-4 hrs max. Then see the Jaswant Thada which is very near to the fort. If u r in luck u may see some amazing birds in the pond next to it.
I disagree with some here but there is absolutely nothing u get to see in the Umed Bhawan Palace as about 90% of the palace is inaccessible and the rest which is, u can skip it. U might as well spend that time near the Clock Tower and dive into
Mawe ki Kachori, Pyaaz ki Kachori and Mirchibada at Janata Sweets (ask anyone near the clock tower...its a short walk from there)

Day 3 -
I would suggest you leave by the Delhi Jaisalmer Express (Train No 4059) leavin at 0515 and reachin Jaisalmer by 1100 as there is nothin else u culd do in Jodhpur. Once u reach, check in one of the guest houses near the Jaisalmer Fort (lot of options...check this site itself). Go off to see the fort, followed by the Salim Singh ki Haveli (the remaining 2 havelis have nothing to offer). Walk around and eat around. Jaisalmer is an amazin place to jus walk around and breathe in the place and its sights...esp the bylanes around the fort. U culd shop at the Khadi Gramudyog shop (cause its cent percent trustworthy stuff) or the shops in the bylanes of the fort has some interesting stuff on show.

Day 4 -
Go to Bada Bagh and Lodurva. Come back and check out the Tazia Tower to kill time. Leave post lunch for Sam Dhani. Check in at RTDC Sam Dhani (Check out their website on RTDC). Go for camel safari and watch the folk programmes. dinner here.

{Alternatively u culd go to Khuri..and if u do..make sure to stay at Badal Singhs place...check this site for futher details..its there on the Khuri thread}

Day 5 -
Post breakfast...leave Sam Dhani / Khuri and proceed for your Bikaner route.

Indizen

Patwon ki Haveli is the most beautiful and ornate of all the havelis in Jaisalmer. Not to be missed.

OceanTragic

That looks like a nice place Indizen, I wish I'd stayed there