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Preparations For The Holi Festival

By on 24. March 2013 in India
Holi Festival, when Indus celebrate the beginning of Spring, by throwing coloured water and gulal (powder) at anyone within range, Bundi, Rajasthan, India

Holi Festival, when Indus celebrate the beginning of Spring, by throwing coloured water and gulal (powder) at anyone within range, Bundi, Rajasthan, India

After having been inside temples, castles, forts and the tourist industry around it for days, we emerged into something genuine Indian – the Holi Festival of Colors. Something we had not dreamed to experience, simply because we neither had a clue that it was celebrated during full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna nor what that translated into. Continue Reading →

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Leaving the Tourist Ghetto

By on 24. March 2013 in India
In the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

In the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

After two days of temples, castles and tourist ghetto, it was finally time for a somewhat more genuine Indian experience… So we decided to hit the road and simply walk far enough to discover the “real” Udaipur. It did not take long until we reached what seem to be a huge bazaar, first with a construction material section, then a mix of everything that one needs or doesn’t need, starting with all kinds of food, clothes and what not. Continue Reading →

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Kumbhalgarh – The Indian Great Wall

By on 23. March 2013 in India
Kumbhalgarh Fort and the "Indian Great Wall", Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan, India

Kumbhalgarh Fort and the “Indian Great Wall”, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan, India

The huge fortress of Kumbhalgarh rests on a hilltop, 1.100 meters above sea level. Most remarkable indeed, but its 36 kilometer long wall makes it unique, the stand out among so many other stunning forts in Rajasthan. The walls of Kumbhalgarh don’t just encircle the fort, no they extends far into the hills. Very much like the Great Wall of China. There is one big difference though – we had the whole thing to ourselves! An Indian family and a couple of foreign tourists crossed our path, but otherwise our only companions in this maze of a castle were some groups of monkeys. We had first heard of this fort reading one of our favorite travel blogs by Darren Crawford, more than 18 months ago. And it stuck! Continue Reading →

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The Maze Of Lal Ghat

By on 23. March 2013 in India
In the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

In the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Lal Ghat, on the eastern shore of Lake Pichola, is a maze of alleys and lanes sprawling through a sea of crème-colored cubic houses. Inside traffic can be mad: scooters, motor-rickshaws, cows, pedestrians and even cars try to make their way through the labyrinth. Pedestrians are at the low end of the pecking order and constantly frightened by scooters cutting by within an inch and blowing their deafening horns. Continue Reading →

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Udaipur – City Palace By The Lake

By on 22. March 2013 in India
View of the City Palace, during a Boat Ride at Sunset, Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

View of the City Palace, during a Boat Ride at Sunset, Lake Pichola, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

For all those who have wondered all their lives why the name of so many cities in Rajasthan ends in “-pur”, like Jaipur, Jodhpur or Udaipur… here is the key. This final syllable indicates that a Hindi prince founded a city. The ending “-bad”, like in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad or Islamabad, tells of a Muslim founder. Last but not least, ending in “-er” like Ajmer, Bikaner or Jaisalmer, indicates a city of the desert. Our guide, Mr. Singh, who took us around the gigantic City Palace, enlightened us. And this is why we will always remember that Udaipur was founded by Udai Singh… Continue Reading →

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Rajasthan – Budget

By on 10. April 2012 in India, Travel Budget
Witnessing one of the many processions (this time for peace in the world...) in Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan, India

Witnessing one of the many processions (this time for peace in the world…) in Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan, India

With only 12 days at hand, temperatures around 40 degrees and India being a rather cheap country, we opted against travelling low budget. Instead we frequented “mid-range” hotels and restaurants. This trip could definitely be done a lot cheaper than spending 44 Euros per person per day. This amount does not include the international flight or the visa fees. Continue Reading →

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Khem Villas

By on 8. April 2012 in India
Khem Villas, Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Khem Villas, Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Of the many luxury hotels around Ranthambhore National Park, we picked Khem Villas to relax a few days after our strenuous sightseeing in the heat. The reviews were raving, the peaceful and quiet atmosphere, set in a big well kept ground, the great rooms and what not… Continue Reading →

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Tiger Watch Against Poaching & Incompetent Government

By on 7. April 2012 in India
Khem Villas, Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Khem Villas, Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

The project Tiger Watch was started in the late 1970s by the father of the current owner of the Khem Villas, Mr. Rathore. He devoted his life to establishing the National Park, protecting the tigers and helping and educating the villagers. Without their cooperation, the project would be doomed: cutting down trees for firewood and poaching are the real threats for both the park and the already dangerously low population of tigers. Alternatives like using biomass for cooking and job opportunities in the booming tourism industry should offer a different perspective to the mostly illiterate farmers (literacy of women is a mind-boggling 7%) in one of the poorest areas of India. Continue Reading →

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Touch Me Tiger

By on 7. April 2012 in India
Tiger (?) in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Tiger (?) in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Who would resist the opportunity of seeing a tiger in the wilderness? Along with a considerable number of other visitors, Indian and international tourists alike, we took this pilgrimage to see one of the very last 32 tigers that roam Ranthambhore National Park. Continue Reading →

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Monkey Palace

By on 6. April 2012 in India
Galtaji, better known as Galwar Bagh, the Monkey Temple, situated among Green Hravalies Hills, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Galtaji, better known as Galwar Bagh, the Monkey Temple, situated among Green Hravalies Hills, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

We had not heard of this place, but a quick online research revealed it as “one of the top 10 things” to do in and around Jaipur. So why not give it a try? Continue Reading →

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