Travel Khata

There's a whole world out there, pack your backpacks and your friends and go!!!!

Literally we did that, and yes it's possible to go to Ranthambhore, squeeze in two safaris and be back to Gurgaon just for one night and two days!!

Destination: Ranthambhore National Park

A group of seventeen of us had an unforgettable adventure filled weekend, scrumptious food, non stop fun and photo sessions and above all a date with the star of Zone 3 Ridhi and two cubs of Shakti and a mumma sloth bear with her kiddos in zone 4.

The drive on the Mumbai Expressway is to magical, and you can reach Ranthambhore in about 4 hrs from Gurgaon.

Please make sure to book the safaris before hand, it can be easily done on the Government's website but well in advance.

Numerous accomodations with lovely food options are available too.

So when my Delhi NCR friends keep on wondering where to go for a night, you can loose yourself in the wilderness here.

Sambhar Lake Or Shakumbari lake

The perfect place for a 1N/2D trip to the secluded, nature's surprise, budget friendly place so close to Delhi NCR.

I visited this place while hunting for an offbeat destination to escape for a night from the citylife and city lights.

I had yearned to be here since the day I had crossed it while traveling from Jaipur to Jodhpur in a train in 1998.

Quickly tje comfortable and friendly Sambhar lake palace was booked, which stands just opposite to the lake. As usual the goodies were quickly baked, the water bottles were filled and the packing was done.
Then began the wait for dawn to arrive.

We started early morning and covered the distance of 330 km from Gurgaon in just four hours time.
I kept on praying that the lake should be dry, yes what a thought tobweave, but the beauty of this place lies when the lake is dry.
Numerous movies like PK, Ram Leela and many music videos have been filmed here.
We keptbon exploring and experiencing the rugged and rustic beauty of the place throughout the day.

The sunset seemed surreal here, and the roasted marshmallows, mungphallis, coffee buns and the coffee vwere the perfect accompaniments for the star gazing night that followed.
We knew that during the winter months thousands of migratory birds flock here and it's a sight to behold.
The flight of the flamingos keeps on coming to my mind, whenever I speak of the Sambhar lake. We walked a few kilometers the next morning, soaking in the beauty of this less frequented place and came back to a table of scrumptious aloo paratha, dahi and achar waiting for us.

Tine to travel back home, but not before visiting that railway station which I had crossed in the 90's.

Indeed a hidden gem of Rajasthan, Sans forts, palaces and shopping.

Travelled on
4th Feb 2022

Waiting to visit it again this year.
Do the flamingos remember me???

Traversing The Thar

Day 6

Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.
That"s the thought we all were resonating with while on our return journey, after traveling to the corners of the Thar desert. It was a long drive back home. But the roads are impeccable and we made the journey back stopping at Dhabas, having lunch sitting on the charpai, struggling through the narrow lanes of Fatehpur and driving in the night through the fog, before stopping to pick up dinner and have some coffee.

This was an amazing journey into the land of adventures and happiness and we were back with Sandy Toes and Sunkissed Nose.

Driving time 12 hours
Khuri to Gurgaon
26/12/22

Traversing The Thar

Day 5

The drive to Munabao, the last Indian Railway station which is a railway transit point on the Indo-Pak border.

In most of my road trips I have a partner in Crime who is equally eager and enthusiastic to explore the offbeat, hidden and thrilling places, especially where the hordes of tourists are missing.

So we decided to Drive to Munabao from Khuri, a drive which even our camp manager wasn't very enthusiastic about. But we were adamant. I woke up with the birds chirping and just the first light of the sun hitting the tent. Stealthily unzipped the tent and walked out to sit and watch the sun rise. There was no one in sight. I pushed the gate open and walked towards a sand dune and waited, watching the interplay of colors on the canvas of the sky while the mighty sun slowly made it's way. The sky was so clear and transparent at some places, devouring every bit of the spiritual moment. i made my way back to the tent to find a camel standing near the camp, and the entire composition looked picture perfect. I was amused to see that a blue bucket was placed outside every tent by the time I returned. On enquiring I was told that we can fill the buckets with hot water from a single source as the tents didn't have geysers. Maza aa gaya, it was ages we went to collect water. everything is so easily available in our lives. Breakfast was being laid out. Puri subzi poha and tea. Filled our tummies and got ready for a thrilling day ahead.

Munabao was 126 km from Khuri and about just two and a half hours of driving time, passing through the innermost parts of the Thar desert, through the roads laden with shifting sands. We knew the sands leading to major roadblocks could pose a challenge for us,but that's what we were looking for. Driving towards Khuri we took the left turn, while the right led to Jaisalmer. In five minutes we were driving on beautiful roads with an equally complimenting landscape. We didn't know such virgin sand dunes stood so close to where we were camping. It's good neither we nor the remaining travellers knew of this. The beautiful villages made time stand still and took us back around hundreds of years. The road became more beautiful, but stark and the wilderness was our sole companion for miles and miles. After driving for kilometers we would see a few shepherds with her goats or camels, or a few womenfolk and maybe a kid or two. At one place we came across a few laborers clearing up the road of the sands and also they were building some cement boundaries to block the sand from piling on the road which would lead to stoppage of traffic, Although we never came across any traffic apart from an occasional bus or tempo.

As far as my eyes could take me, all I saw was shining golden sand, a few khejri trees and waves of sand. Finally we reached a small town called Myajlar which had some shops and curious village folks kept us busy with their curious looks. This village was pretty close to the border, rather we saw many roads which had signages indicating border posts and were not meant for common citizens to enter there. On driving a few kilometers ahead we saw a young man signaling us to stop. We asked him what the matter was. He explained that the road ahead was blocked with piles of sand and we would not be able to travel furthermore. But we didn't listen to him and went ahead just to find what he had said was true. Can't explain how beautiful yet annoying it was. There were mounds and mounds of sands, the boards of the Bharat Mala road was just at arm's length yet it was so difficult to reach. Another driver came by who was also travelling towards Munabao and we both were told to take the long road to reach the village of Sandra which was just 500 metres away. We had to travel 35 kilometers through the Desert National Park to reach Sandra now.

We started our drive on the extremely rugged roads, totally in isolation through the untouched interiors of the Thar. Here and there a Chinkara, desert fox, Sand cat, birds and Camels gave us company by making their sudden and special appearances. It was a Safari in our vehicle through the National Park. Finally the road joined the Bharat Mala road, the jewel which India has built and we were driving more and more closer to the border which was running along. A BSF check post was in sight. It is very difficult to obtain a permit to Munabao from the JAisalmer side. You can easily get it if you travel from Barnmer. After telling them our wish to see the border and driving all the way from Gurgaon, they obtained permission from their seniors and were permitted to travel ahead, It was Christmas that day. We celebrated the festival by sharing my home baked cakes with our Jawans who were posted there and drove ahead.

We are asked not to make unnecessary stoppages, wander around and create any sort of disturbances on this road. But after driving for a few kilometers we noticed that we had a flat tyre. Our hearts sank as there was no civilisation in sight and this was a highly restricted zone. We kept on praying and far away a small settlement was in sight. Thank God a village folk was in sight. It was almost 12 pm. We took our car to the left side of the road and asked him if there was a repair shop nearby. Before he could answer, we saw a BSF personnel driving his motorbike towards us. He questioned us why we were there anad after going through our identity cards and listening to our travel details, he motioned us to drive for 5 km more and then take a right turn just where the road began for the border touching the beautiful Rohidi village. The only repair shop on this entire stretch was there. We got back into our car and finally reached the shop only to find it closed. Luckily the mechanic had written down his contact number on the door. We called him up and waited for about one and an hour till he arrived. While the mechanic came from Rohidi, the village which looked fabulous in the wilderness of the Thar, we climbed on to the huge sand dunes which looked endless wherever I saw. Felt like a bedouin and a wanderer.

Once the tyre was fixed and we were ready to move ahead, we were dazzled by the butter smooth tarmac road running through the desert, all along the border which was so near, and dotted with innumerable bunkers all along. That;s the way we are protected every minute by our brave soldiers. Finally the board of Munabao was in sight. We stopped filming upon arriving there and travelled around two kilometers taking a right turn leading us to our destination. The thrill of reaching there is something which I can still feel. After spending a few minutes we started on our journey back to JAisalmer. It was 4pm by then. A sense of sadness prevailed to leave behind this mystical place where we can feel how small we are. We had to be at the campsite before sunset as he camels would be waiting for us. But what we were witnessing in front of us seems like a video clip featured in the National Geographic. Around 20 vultures were feasting on a carcass right on the road, which was almost covered by the shifting sands. The phone fell from my hand in sheer excitement and I can still remember the stare the Black vulture gave me whose head was yellow in Color. It took us a few minutes to understand what we had seen.

Finally driving through the desert national park and Myajlar we reached our camp, where Ratia and Kalia were waiting to take us to the dunes for the magical sunset. Non stop photography, traditional food and stargazing were a part of the rest of the night, before packing our things to leave the desert behind and travel towards our concrete Jungle.

An Unforgettable experience on
25/12/22

Traversing The Thar

Day 4

Woke up quite early and checked out from the hotel. Then drove towards Gadisar Lake to catch the first rays of the sun as they touched it's waters. We then took the road towards Tanot Mata Mandir via Ramgarh. Tanot is around 120 km from the Golden City. The day was bright and after driving for few hours we were greeted with hundreds of windmills dotting miles and miles of area. Chose a perfect place to park our vehicle and run close to the windmill farms. listened to their sound and witnessed their synchronised movements.Driving a few kilometers onwards brought us to the last big town before Tanot, which was Ramgarh. Suddenly the weather took a turn and it turned extremely foggy.The Road from Ramgarh to Tanot was a sheer delight, but our views were obscured by the fog all around. Felt like sulking as we had plans to enjoy the dunes at Ranau which was a few kilometres away. The BRO has made such straight and makkhan ki tarah roads cutting through the Thar, that you just keep on driving seamlessly with vast lands of yellow sand, and minimum vegetation all along with few scattered villages coming out of nowhere once in a blue moon.We kept on driving and reached Tanot Mata Mandir around 8:30 am, the time which we had wished to be there as the permits for border visit are issued around that time.

Tanot is a small village and the last point upto where an Indian citizen can travel without a permit. The International Border Pillar BP609 is around 15 kilometers from here at Bavliya, and the window for issuing the permit by the BSF is here near the entrance of the temple complex. During the Indo Pak war of 1965, the army personnels observed the miracles of Tanot Mata and since then the temple is administered by the BSF and the jawans take care of all the rituals.After offering prayers, I came and stood in line for the permit, which they hadn't started issuing yet as the weather had turned foggy and windy, Be prepared to face a bit of dhakka mukki with the local taxi walas who break the line to collect the permits of the tourists who travel with them. But mujhse ladna bekar hai. Taught them a good lesson, collected the form and filled it and got the permit. In the meantime members of my family had their breakfast of alu paratha, dahi and garam garam chai. Quickly I had a bite too and raced back to the car.

The border is around 15 km from here, after a kilometer we came to a checkpost, where a jawan checked our permits, and allowed us in. I looked up at his name and found that he belonged to West Bengal. He was equally delighted to meet someone who spoke his mother tongue. Thanked him for his service to our nation and drove ahead. The drive and the experience is something not to be missed. Climbing uphill on the straight roads and then suddenly dropping down felt like a roller coaster without any jerks and twists and turns. Nowadays Border tourism is being promoted and hence visiting such areas have become easier. A huge gate welcoming us, stood in sight and in it's background the border fence was visible. We got to know the security is maintained there and climbed up on the viewpoint to look as far as our eyes could take us and clicked some pictures with BP609 . A Gallery is being built to hold the flag hoisting and cultural events. It was an experience of a lifetime. I have visited Wagah, Atari and Nadabet earlier, but every time a visit to the border is thrilling.

Drove back towards Tanot and then took the road towards Longewala which was around 40 km from there.The road passes through the pristine desert, sand dunes which have not been disturbed and quaint, sleepy hamlets peeping once in a while in the vastness. We couldn't resist ourselves and stopped the car near some huge sand dunes and climbed up on one of them to get a 360 degree view of what we were experiencing. The BharatMala Road indeed looked like a garland bisecting the Thar. Sat down there, boiled water on our camping stove, poured in instant coffee powder and had home baked cake along with an elderly Shepherd who willingly joined us and spoke about the tough and nomadic life they lead.It was here that I saw ripples in sand. It was difficult to leave such a mesmerizing locale and travel ahead. But journeys are meant to be carried on.

Within an hour we were at Longewala, which was a famous battleground during the 1971 Indo Pak war. The captured enemy tanks and other vehicles are on display here, a memorial and museum too. It was so nice to see a huge turnout of people here. Now it was our time to drive towards Sam Sand Dunes. Miles and Miles of boundlessness of the mystical desert seemed to surround us. But this was what we were searching for. The shifting sands and the endless horizon resonated with me. Suddenly we saw a narrow tarmac road on the right side partially covered with sand leading to a village. we decided to travel the road less travelled and it was exhilarating. Went right up to where the road ended, took a U turn and came back on the Highway again. Sam was about two hours, But we needed a detour to visit the Gem of the Thar Desert- The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School. I had read about it and later had seen a video describing and showcasing the thought and beauty which went into building it. I desperately wanted to see it. To feel what it felt on seeing it in reality. The roads till now were desolate, but about a kilometer ahead stood the strikingly beautiful architectural marvel. The school is instantly recognizable by its oval structure and jalidaar design running all around, spreading a sense of spirituality in this vastness. One can request to visit the school from inside, by donating a minimum amount of rupees 200 per person. The caretaker is someone who was a pleasure to interact with. The passion and zeal with which he shared the first hand knowledge of how this was built using local material and by local craftsmen, often the girls' fathers and then the process of making the village folk realize the importance of sending their girls to the school, gave goosebumps. Diana Kellog, the world famous female architect is the one who conceptualised and gave form to this poetry amidst the sands and the famous Indian Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee designed the school uniforms for these angels. It was a soul satisfying experience for us, happily we drove past the Sam Dunes which have become tremendously crowded with tourists and commercialised activities towards the village of Khuri as we had booked our tents a little ahead of Khuri to lose ourselves in the wilderness.

The road to Khuri from Sam took us via Khaba fort, we kept on remembering how we had spent hours yesterday witnessing the sun go down in the Thar. Paid an entry fee of rupees tenn and drove ahead for about 5 km before we could catch the glimpse of our desert camp literally standing out where there's no one around. After completing the formalities, and settling down with garma garam chai and biscuits, I started recollecting how grateful I have been to experience all this. Suddenly the jeep driver called us out for dune bashing. Hurriedly we jumped into the jeep, not forgetting to carry the selfie stick which I had purchased especially for this, but later found out that holding on to the rails was more necessary than this, to survive the roller coaster ride. With all the organs of the body moving up and down and sideways with every drop and climb of the jeep and yelling in the thrill of the moment, the one hour first sand dune bashing experience was a huge hit with us. Finally we sat down on the dunes to witness the magical sunset and then made us way back to the campsite, which was illuminated by then and was shining like a star in the universe. They have a set line of events for the guests. Welcome with tilak, followed by a cultural program performed by the local artists and then dinner. After going through all those we walked out into the darkness outside the camp and looked up. The perfect spot for some star gazing before retiring to our beds in the tents to wake up the next morning and walk to a nearby dune to see the sun rise and light up the world.

An unforgettable day
24/12/22

PS Had to play Santa for my kids who no longer qualify in that category, But for a mother they will always be kids.

Traversing The Thar

Day 3
The morning started with us walking down the streets of Jaisalmer, dotted with houses made of yellow sandstone and taking us to the marvels carved out in sandstone, which were the Nathmal ji ki haveli, patwon ki haveli and Salem singh ki haveli.The streets were bursting with tourists and it was next to impossible to find an empty space from where I could see the grandeur of these structures and click some pictures. The sounds of Padharo marey Desh was in the air, as were the vibrant colors of Rajasthan all around. These Havlis have also become commercialised with time and shops have been set up in some of them and also an entry ticket is needed to step inside. The architecture was poetry in the yellow sandstone. Managed to click a few pictures in the corners and curves of the serpentine lanes.Came across something which brought a smile on my face and also made me raise how people can be happy with very little things in life. I was sitting on the bench near Patwon ki haveli, when the street vendor sitting closeby rushed towards a corner of the havli, finding it to be without any tourists and called out his wife loudly to click a picture of him. I smiled and got up towards a shop selling artifacts and finally bought some fossils, which are sold here in most of the shops. The eco-friendly packaging was the highlight of this shopping.

Now it was time for some pet puja. Fateh ki Kachori near the Fort, Dal Pakwan and salted chach made their way to our tummies. Then began the search for the famous Gothua laddus of Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia. It was worth every penny. Stuffing ourselves with the taste of khoya, kesar and sugar we made our way towards the Fort through the streets selling beautiful silver jewelleries and artifacts.

Sonar Kella time

The landmark of Swarn nagari was full of tourists and we too joined in making our way to the Jain Mandir, Rani ka Mahal, Raja ka Mahal, Mukul Bari and the view point from where the entire city can be seen shining bright in sunlight. It's an experience to be visiting the oldest living fort of the world. We were lucky to be invited by a local to visit their home inside the fort and it was a walk through a home full of beautiful antique artifacts and colors. So blessed to come across such souls. By now it was lunch time and we settled on the terrace of Little Tibet to have a bowl of Thukpa. After a refreshing meal we drove towards the haunted or the abandoned city of Kuldhara. A huge gate greeted us along with a stream of tourists. People have really started travelling a lot. Roaming through the ruins took me back to the Rudali movie with dimple Kapadia humming Dil Hoom Hoom Kare here. We went to the other end of the ruins where hardly any one was present and it was stunning there, with an oasis and few chatris glistening in the sun. Suddenly we made up our mind to visit the lesser known Khaba Fort which was around 10 km from there, further more into the thar desert. Such unplanned journeys turn out to be the best. Khaba Fort is a very small fort atop a hillock near the Khaba village which was abandoned overnight like Kuldhara. We were the only tourists there,bought the entry tickets and a young school going local lad offered to show us around. The enthusiasm in his voice made this place exceptional. Khaba Fort is now being renovated as people have started visiting it. The peacocks which roam in the front yard and come to feed on the grains offered by the caretaker, the sight of the ruins, the camels roaming around and the houses camouflaged in the colors of the surroundings, make this place surreal. We stayed there to witness one of the most spectacular sunsets, before driving towards Lodurva, a small village on the outskirts of Jaisalmer to see the Jain Mandir.

The drive from Khaba to Lodurva looked spectacular when seen in the rear view mirror, as the sky seemed to be on fire after sunset. The temple complex was open and we went in. This is one place which had left a mark on me in 1998 and hence I made sure to come back again. Lovely architecture in the midst of a village will definitely surprise you. While we were leaving, a man enquired if we would like to have some authentic traditional food. Seemed he could read our minds. Instantly we nodded in the affirmative. He took us to his home which was nearby. He ran a small homestay along with a grocery shop. We'll be forever grateful to God for giving us the opportunity of coming across him and experiencing their hospitality, food and culture. words will fall short of explaining our feelings and love we gathered that night.

Before calling it a day we drove towards the Hanuman Chauraha to have garam doodh, which is a must when in Jaisalmer in winters.

Our Experience on 23/12/22

Traversing The Thar

Day 2
Route plan:Bikaner-Bhadariya-Jaisalmer.
Distance: 330 km
Driving time: Five and half hours.

Woke up to a chilly morning. Wherever I travel, I am obsessed with catching the sunrise and sunset hours. But this time there was fog all around.We drove through the chill to reach the iconic Rampuria Haveli before it got crowded. A few minutes drive took us to Kote gate area, which is the main market area and some parts of it are turned one way once the clock strikes 9 in the morning.One of the most unique experience was waiting at the Kote Gate Railway crossing while a train passed by through the crowded market area. The moment the gates were opened we navigated towards Rampuria Haveli. And what a sight it was,a n entire lane of visual delight, showcasing exquisite aesthetics.The Havelis of the Rampurias are the grandest and opulent. All carved in Red stone with striking colors of blue, green and deep red makes the architecture stand out.The Triangular structure in the middle of the road and the two lanes bifurcating from it's sides boasting of lines of Havelis belonging to the rich traders of the bygone era, paints a picture of it's days centuries ago. We found a pre wedding shoot in progress, still we managed to click some pictures without disturbing them. A local on a cycle volunteered to take us around the lanes and explained about the trades of the traders, and the present owners of the Havelis, apart from showing us the intricate, chajjas, jalis and Jharokhas along with the influence of the Europeans, Victorians, Rajput and Mughal architecture. Loved the way the caretaker of one of the Havelis obliged to be photograped along with me, but before that he dashed inside to ge his Pagdi.

Slowly walked away from this enchanting lane towards Chai Patti Bada Bazar to have the famous Juniya Maharaj ki Kachori, which uses Moth dal as its flavorful stuffing and sipped chai while listening to the news and views of the locals who gather there year after year, generations after generations. Carrying back the crispy kachoris, stuffed paranthas and the freshly ground chutney we hurried back to our stay and had our breakfast.Then it was time to pack and leave towards Jaisalmer, but before that we made a quick stop at Devi Kund which was a stone's throw from our stay. This houses the Royal Cenotaphs or the Chatris of the Rulers of Bikaner made in Red Sand stone and Marble.

Finally we took the road to Jaisalmer. I can go on and on going gaga over the beautiful roads and the equally beautiful landscape of Rajasthan. The drive became exciting as we neared Pokhran, and it's importance is etched on every Indian's mind. But citizens aren't permitted near the site of Nuclear testing, nevertheless, going past this important place made us proud. A look at the watch told us that it was time for lunch. We stopped at a Highway Dhaba near Pokhran and had amzing, Sev tamatar, Ker Sangri, lehsun tamatar ki chutney and the famous Khoba Roti-a thick Flatbread made of whole wheat flour,having hollow cavities from which it picks it's name, khoba meaning cavity, cooked in tandoor and smeared with ghee. AAhh it tasted heavenly and was 10/10 in looks too.

Then came the surprise of the day. A detour to visit one of Asia's Largest Underground Library tucked away neatly 16 feet underground the Thar Desert in the village of Bhadariya in Pokhran tehsil. It has more than 90,000 thousand books and can seat 4000 people at a time. A straightroad of almost 9 km through beautiful canopies of trees brought us to a vast temple complex,and a signage showed us the stairs leading to the heaven for bibliophiles. Corridors and Corridors of wooden frames and glass covered almirahs hold the jewels of Indian scriptures, as well as all genres of books from around the world. The Pastel walls, the calmness and the Abundance is a goldmine for all book lovers. A must viist to such offbeat places always forms a part of our itinerary.

Coming out above the ground and driving towards Jaisalmer, the road become more beautiful with the changing colors in the sky. We drove straight to Bada Bagh which is about 6 km from jaisalmer to catch the golden Chatris glimmer in the golden hours.The place looked stunning but it was buzzing with tourists, so we hopped into our car and drove towards a vast open land, dotted with numerous windmills with the sun setting in the background. Scenes like these are simply unbelievable. And then slowly we moved towards our acomodation in Jaisalmer which would be our base for the next two nights. The parking lot had vehicles from all over India, thus confirming the fact that Indians have started taking Road trips quite seriously. After taking rest along with some black coffee and some home baked cookies, we drove towards the Golden For twhich was pretty closeby. Had a hearty meal of Lal Mass, Tanoori chicken, roti and then walked into the gates of the Sonar Kella and looked at the Jaisalmer city, shinning below.

Our experience on 22/12/202

TRAVERSING THE THAR

We wanted to sign off 2022 with a family Road trip. The brief was, less of tourists, into the wilderness, enjoy the roads, and satisfy the hunger for adventure and travel. The search begun and we zeroed in on exploring the Thar desert. As soon as the word desert pops up in a bengali household it's got to be Sonar Kella in Jaisalmer. I had been there 26 years ago and by watching numerous travel vlogs, felt sad looking at the way it had become so overcrowded and the sand dunes so commercialized, this time I didn't wish to go there and wipe out the picture of the place which was ingrained in my memories. Came up with a plan to satisfy our heart and souls. We decided to do the following:

Gurgaon-bikaner-Jaisalmer-Tanot-Longowal-Sam-Khuri-Munabao-Gurgaon

par isme Mazaa nahin aa raha tha. So I researched and researched and finally found what I had sought.

THE DAY BEFORE

The car was serviced, tanks filled up,shopping done, our 20 litre ka Bisleri bottle filled and all packing completed. The alarm was set to 3 am, as we wished to leave early by 4am.

DAY 1

Gurgaon To Bikaner
Driving time 8hr
Distance travelled 420km

Woke up with a jolt and looked up to find that it was 5:30am and none of us heard the alarm ring. We scrambled and were finally able to start our journey at 6:15 am.
A foggy morning greeted us. We skirted through the fog and reached Fatehpur which boasts of beautiful havelis, but since we had already roamed through the corners of the land of havelis in Rajasthan In August, we just took a look inside one of the haveli which was closed at that time. Paid an entry fee of 50 rupees pp and enjoyed the courtyards,frescos and murals again, and drove ahead towards Chirawa where the streets are lined with shops selling their famous pedas and gajar paak. Subah Subah muh meetha ho gaya. The drive contnued beside the mustard fields and then it was time for our breakfast break. A small Chai ki Tapri beside the mustard field was the perfect picturesque spot to unwind.

Had our home cooked breakfast and the piping hot tea which Tau made in his shop and enriched us with tales of his village.The journey from there took us towards Bikaner, and we reached our homestay which was on the outskirsts of the City. After a quick lunch we were all set to explore Bikaner. the plan was chalked out and we reached the National Center of Camel Research. It's a huge area where you can see camels of various breeds, museums, buy leather products and get to know about the research and development being carried on in this field. The main attraction is the camel milk parlour which sells diary products made of camel milk. We tried the lassi, which was worth a try and the kulfi, which we regretted, as it had too much of sugar and flavourings, which suppressed the taste of the camel milk. Along with it there are facilities for camel rides as well.
A drive towards the famous Junagarh Fort took us into the heart of Bikaner City. There it stood in all it's glory. We paid a guide fee of rupees 50 and walked along with the rest of the group travelling through the beautiful courtyards, picture perfect spots, a sense of everything royal exuding in every corner,witnessing one of India's largest collection of arms, all set in the backgroud of red stone.The sun was setting and the scene outside the fort was magical. We parked our vehicle near the Fort and started walking into the narrow lanes to begin with our much awaited food walk of Bikaner.

First up was Chotu Motu Joshi. We were lucky to lay our hands on the last two pieces of their famous Kachoris, and Wow! it was a burst of flavors with the perfect crisppiness. We sat down to have two plates of Dana Methi and Puris. The Puris are fried in shudh desi ghee and never before I had tasted a curry entirely made of soaked fenugreek seeds. When in Bikaner do not miss out on these. A few steps more took us to Lalji iwhich is famous for it's Shahi Samosa, and then it was the turn of famous Bikanei Bhujia, Namkeen and Rasgullas. Ended the day with Garma garam Ghewar and the hustle bustle of the streets before driving back to our accomodation.

It was getting pretty cold and we began making plans for the next day

Travelled on
21/12/22