The Virupaksha Temple dominates the Hampi skyline (such as it is) – it is one of the first things you spot as you cross the small Ganesha temples and turn the corner down into the steep path that leads to Hampi bazaar at a distance. Walk away from it towards Matanga hill, turn from anywhere on the road, or from the steps that lead towards Achutaraya temple on the other side, and you see the tower on the other end of the road, tall and proud or peeking out from somewhere between pillars. Ditto when you visit the small Ganesha temples.

Pic : Charukesi

Or when you climb up Hemakuta hill, dotted with fifty odd small temples, the perfect place to spend a peaceful evening. Alternatively, stay in any of the small guest-houses in the bazaar area and find yourself staring at the gopura during breakfast from the mandatory roof-top restaurant of the place, or stare at the glorious silhouette of the temple tower in the evening as the sky turns colors before the sun finally sets for the day. Everywhere you turn in Hampi, you catch a glimpse of the Virupaksha temple.

Pics : Charukesi

In a town where all temples and places built by the Vijayanagar dynasty are now in ruins, the Virupaksha temple stands in amazingly good condition. Our guide Lokesh “full name Lokabhirama but too long to confusing” tells us that the Muslim invaders who destroyed most of Hampi, spared this temple on seeing the symbol of a boar (along with a sword and something else that I cannot remember now) etched on the wall near the entrance of the temple. Think of it – the invaders couldn’t have been all that clever if all it needed to keep them at bay was a boar in stone – nor for that matter, were the architects and builders very clever – why aren’t there more stone boars in temples, I say?

Pic : Charukesi

Now guides will be guides and invaders will be invaders and all that, so I have no idea how true this story is, but whatever the reason, the Virupaksha temple has survived through the centuries. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, or Pampapati (the husband of Pampa, or the goddess Bhuvaneshwari), this temple was built sometime in the early 15th century, and further renovated in the sixteenth century by Krishnadevaraya.

Pics : Charukesi

While the temple is aesthetically a marvellous example of the architecture of those times, the highlight is a small dark room at the Western end, way behind the main tower. Here, in the mornings, you get to see an inverted image of the main gopura (tower) on a wall, as light falls through a small window. The pinhole camera concept, explains our guide, as he moves his hand in front of the small window, thus altering the size of the inverted shadow on the wall.

Pics : Charukesi

And just outside, on your way back to the main gate are monkeys drinking milk straight out of plastic milk covers and the temple elephant, who gobbles up the bananas you offer and imparts his blessings only when money changes hands. There is also the pied-piper of Virupaksha, the old man who blows this long horn and poses for your camera, all for a small fee. You exit the temple straight into Hampi bazaar, with its “recommended in Lonely Planet” restaurants and little hand carts and stalls selling everything from cheap plastic-ware to the ubiquitous “ethnic” Rajasthani handbags. Alternatively, you can turn left just outside the temple and reach the banks of the Tungabhadra, it a lovely walk by the riverside.

Pics : Charukesi

And finally, straight from the heart, why I love Hampi so much and dream of returning…

Pics : Charukesi

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In the amount of travel opportunities that I have been blessed with during the last few years, despite them being years of academic and career related pursuits, I have realized the need for a certain balance in the kind of places I visit. 

The ‘tourist’ part of me who wants my picture clicked alongside the Taj Mahal needs to sometimes meet the ‘adventurer’ who wants to know if she has the gumption to sky dive. And both these need to calm down and let the ‘wanderer’ part of me take over sometimes; the part that believes the best way to appreciate a place, any place, is to walk along its streets and smile at its people and sample its local fare. 

Even if said fare happens to be fried bees. 

But that’s another story. 

Today’s story however, doesn’t require nerves of steel. Today’s story requires you to relax and take a walk down beautiful cobbled paths. Pause outside the most beautiful abbey and look at it while sipping hot chocolate on the street corner. Walk past majestic roman baths and marvel at the practicality and beauty of every building and well planned piece of architecture. Walk some more and come as close to Jane Austen as you could possibly hope for. And sit atop an open air double decker bus and have a charming (and wonderfully mad) tour guide make the place come alive with stories that are part fact, part legend, part lore. And, I strongly suspect, part neat bourbon… 

Welcome to Bath, UK. 

I visited Bath one weekend a few years ago, with colleagues. The bank we worked for had a few of us sent to Bournemouth, in the south of England to be trained in our respective functions. It was early January. 

Source FlickR - Ian Muttoo

Our first weekend in Britain, we ran off to London and had a fast paced, fun filled, on the go, unforgettable kind of weekend! The following weekend found us still reeling from the London madness and we decided we needed to go somewhere more relaxed. Especially since this was going to be a one day weekend. 

So, Bath it was. We took the train from Bournemouth. Typical English country-side beauty passed in a blur because of the speed at which the train ate up the miles to Bath. When we got to Bath it was about 1 degree Celsius. Gloves, socks and shoes and a thick jacket did the trick however. And of course, a nice ice cream cone outside the train station. There is nothing quite like killing cold with cold. 

Source FlickR - Carmen Seaby

We got on a tour bus which promised to take us to all the places we needed to see to experience Bath in the limited time we had.

Enter tour guide Claire. With whistle around her neck, speaker horn in her hand and the widest most welcoming smile one can hope for atop an open air bus in the freezing cold. 

Source FlickR - Caro's Lines

Claire was great. She took us to the ‘touristy’ places and pointed out some not so touristy ones. And she told the most delightful stories.

My favourite story was one where King William III, one time ruler of Britain, was running very low on money. So, like all good kings, he levied a bunch of taxes on his people that made no sense whatsoever…One of these was The Window Tax.

He decided that each house could have only so many windows since each home was allowed to avail of only a certain number of hours of sunlight each. People consuming more than their share of light, were tried as criminals. As the bus wound its way through the unique lemony-beige coloured buildings of Bath, one could clearly see the peculiar squares out of sync with the rest of the bricks on the old houses; the squares that were put there to close up the excess windows.

Legend has it, that this is the origin of the term ‘Daylight Robbery’. 

Windowless buildings aside, Bath which has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, presents some of the finest architectural sights in Europe; the heart of which is the Roman baths. Around Britain’s only hot spring the Romans built a temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water. This and the surrounding ruins are beautifully preserved and it feels almost like being transported back in time; the feeling is underlined by the ‘Meet the Romans’ gimmick where costumed characters roam among the tourists making you feel decidedly overdressed despite the biting cold. 

Source FlickR - Carmen_Seaby

Roman Baths neatly crossed off our check-list we headed towards the town centre and were suddenly greeted by the sight of the tower of The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath. 

I don’t reach for my camera in places of worship. It doesn’t occur to me to do anything other than stand and stare and take in the peace and the history of the place. This Anglical church and former monastery was founded in the 7th century, reorganised in the 10th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th century. 

Source FlickR - Josh Kritzer

We stared and strolled around the majestic abbey and stared some more. It is a stunning and incredibly powerful piece of Gothic architecture. Unfortunately this was very late in the evening and the abbey was closed to visitors. But standing there with a cup of hot chocolate and good friends is a memory I’m not likely to forget in a hurry. 

Claire told us that the Jane Austen Centre was just around the corner so we ran off to look at this mini museum dedicated to Bath’s most famous resident and one of my favourite authors. The centre offers a snapshot of life during Regency times and how this beautiful city impacted Jane Austen’s life and work. There is also a gift shop at the centre offering everything from little replicas of ornaments and clothes and furniture of that time to Ms. Austen’s wonderful books. 

Jane Austen Museum - Source FlickR - Milenanelim

We had two more stops on our ‘must see’ list. The Royal Crescent, one of the world’s best known architectural landmarks, built between 1767 and 1775 contains 30 houses, one of which is now the Royal Crescent Hotel and another is open to public viewing. Just thinking about the Royal Crescent, lit up in that quiet darkness of a British winter evening, makes me wish I had all the photos we had clicked that day. The photos are back home in Bombay, one of them framed and sitting on my book shelf; only pride of place will do for something so very special.

Pulteney Bridge - Source FlickR DanieVDM

The bus tour then took us to the Parade Gardens; the best vantage point from which to view the Pulteney bridge. One of the most beautiful bridges, it is among a handful of bridges in the world with shops built into it. This bridge was built for William Pulteney by Robert Adams and was an attempt to connect central Bath to land on the other bank of the River Avon and make Pulteney’s fortune. 

The setting was incredibly romantic; and completely wasted on a group of seven hungry kids. So we ran off and got ourselves some piping hot fish and chips! 

As the saying goes, while near a Roman Bath, eat as the British do. 

We were bone tired at the end of our ‘relaxing’ day in Bath. As we made our way to the station to board our train back to Bournemouth, I realised that I had left my gloves on the tour bus. 

And despite imminent frost bite, I felt a strange satisfaction to know that I had left a part of me in Bath.

In Italy they say “Uno non può pensare bene, amare bene, dormire bene, se non ha mangiato bene”.

It translates to “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one hasn’t eaten well”. Such is the importance of food in Italy. This travelogue is about the incredible food we had in Tuscany and some funny incidents that happened along the way.

Pic : Vamsee

My husband Saru and I spent two days in the Chianti wine region of Tuscany. We rented a car at the Florence airport and walked towards the parking lot hoping for a cool looking car. The minute Saru saw the car, he burst out laughing and said “Hey looks like the dog ate half of our car”, “Honey….I shrunk the car!”

If we take a normal car, slashed the width, and cut it right where the front row seats end, we would end up with a Smart car! Our 2-door convertible Smart car turned out to be a toy car with a sunroof. It took some innovative space allocation to fit our luggage in the trunk, if you even call it a trunk!

Pic : Vamsee

Directions were very good and soon we were driving towards the Chianti hills. It was a great day and the scenery outside was spectacular. Green rolling hills were dotted with medieval castles, churches, grape vines and olive trees. The Chianti area is Italy’s most famous wine district.

Pic : Vamsee

We stopped in a town called Panzano for lunch. We picked a great restaurant overlooking the hills. I ordered pasta in pesto sauce and Saru ordered a vegetable calzone. Calzone is a pizza with the top covered with bread too. Saru’s dish looked absolutely delicious; the bread on the top had puffed up like a puri. The chef made a dip in it and poured warm olive oil. It looked divine. The minute Saru poked a hole in the bread, the most tantalizing aromas gushed out teasing our taste buds. Every single bite smacked of freshly baked bread, fresh farm cheese and fresh vegetables. This was without a doubt, the best calzone we ever ate and one of the best meals we had in Italy.

Pic : Vamsee

We drove through a few small villages until we saw signs for a town called Castellina in Chianti. We had booked our stay in a 7th century farmhouse. Locanda La Capannuccia, where we stayed for the next two nights was a beautiful stone house. The host Mario was very friendly and always had a smile on his face. Our room and the facilities were simple, but adequate.

Pic : Vamsee

It was still early in the evening, so we decided to take a side trip to San Gimignano, a town that lures you back into medieval times. Driving in Tuscany was great. People gave excellent directions. On the way, we stopped for cappuccino and a snack. The guy at the bakery recommended the special of that season, a cake made with recently harvested grapes. He warmed it slightly (I love warm cakes!) and put it in a box to go. The first bite we took, we both murmured an Ummm in approval. Second bite, we thought it was too crunchy for a cake. Saru ate it quietly, but I was very curious to find out what was causing it to be so crunchy. I used a cool trick that my little 2-year old nephew Sriram taught me. I spit the cake into my hand, poked around to see what was in it, then, popped it back into my mouth. You won’t believe this! Those lazy ass harvest folks made my cake with whole seeded grapes! I patiently removed the seeds, while Saru decided to save his patience for his next restroom visit.

Pic : Vamsee

The drive to San Gimigniano took us through several beautiful villages. The interesting thing was that lots of homes seemed to have a tower, like the ones palaces and castles have. We later learnt that these towers were mostly built by merchants as status symbols. In the hay days, the town was said to have had as many as 70 towers. No wonder it was nicknamed as Medieval Manhattan. This was a pedestrian town. There were several parking lots outside the entrance gate, where we had to park and then walk inside. The town was just perfect!! This town was full of rustic old stone buildings. We were getting hungry, so started looking at restaurant menus.

Saru: I am going to be like Obelix!

Me: You mean like fat and dumb?

Saru: No. I am going to eat wild boar like Asterix and Obelix.

Me: You do know that wild boar is like a giant pig, right.

Saru: Oh!! Really?

Wild boar is a delicacy in Tuscany. Most restaurants were serving it. We picked a nice one and as we were about to sit when Saru realized that his wallet was missing!! He remembered leaving it in the car.

My husband is almost like George Costanza of Seinfeld fame when it comes to his wallet. People collect stamps, coins etc. Saru collects IDs. In his wallet, he has his expired college id, graduate school, post graduate and post doctoral IDs, expired driver’s license, new driver’s license, and his company IDs. Then there is the host of business cards and receipts from a year ago. So, basically when he is sitting in the car, his left bum is hanging in midair. The easy solution to balancing his bottom is to leave the wallet in the cup holder. We decided to go back to the car and check.

Pic : Vamsee

As we were walking to the parking lot, it started raining. We were getting wet and I was getting irritated. Poor Saru had to listen to my lectures on wallet cleaning and carelessness. We were getting close to the car and Saru was very restless. He started pressing the un-lock button on the remote. Imagine this – it is pouring rain, I am irritated and complaining about his carelessness, when I see the roof of our convertible opening! Saru had pressed the wrong button on the remote! He tried to undo that, but it wasn’t working. We were in panic mode. Saru was yelling expletives at the car, I was yelling at Saru and the roof kept opening wider. Saru threw the umbrella down in frustration. I hit the convertible roof a few times. Nothing worked and the rain was starting to pick up. It was quite a messy situation! I could not imagine driving back in the open convertible in the rain for 1 hour back to the farm house. After a few minutes of panic, the remote miraculously worked and the roof started closing! Whew!! We found Saru’s wallet and started to turn back, when we noticed that in the melee, Saru had broken the umbrella!! We were furious with each other for a few minutes and then burst out laughing.

We walked back into the town, picked a restaurant and had dinner. I had spinach and ricotta dumplings in tomato sauce and Saru had penne in pesto sauce. To make up for the fight, we ended the dinner with a giant cheese cake that was so rich and smooth and delicious that I thought I died and went to heaven. Food this good should be made illegal!

This trip to Tuscany was a culinary treat. Every single meal we ate was unbelievably good. Even the seemingly simple dishes were out of the world. Before the packaged food industry makes its mark there – Go to Italy and enjoy the food there!

How many times have you come back from a vacation, after having seen some beautiful places and experienced something nice, but wish you had good images to keep memories forever? Good travel images can stretch the experiences of our journeys all the way back to our homes. Here are 10 tips to get the best from your camera while you are on a holiday.

1. Wake up early.

The golden light of early morning is the best time to take pictures. Many things work in favour of the photographer when the sun is just coming out. The warm light makes the landscape look pretty. Fog diffuses the light and adds a magical effect. The low lighting brings out the textures of the subject and adds depth into the photograph. A photograph shot in the harsh afternoon sun can look dull and flat, but the same shot in the morning may look magical. If not in the morning, the next best time of the day is evening. Avoid the times when the sun is high.

Pic : Arun Bhat

2. Keep the sun behind you.

This is the most important and most obvious thing to keep in mind when taking pictures. If the sun is facing the camera, your subject will be in shadow, forming dark areas without details. With the sun behind you, your subject will have proper lighting and turns out better.

3. Put people in pictures.

Picture of a man standing on the top of a tall mountain can say a lot about the scale of the mountain. A lonely couple walking on a wide beach can say how empty and tranquil the beach is. A man worshiping in a temple can bring life and character to the temple. Always look for a chance to place people in your pictures.

Pic : Arun Bhat

4. Lookout for background clutter.

Have you ever noticed in pictures of Taj Mahal, that Taj is the only building seen in every one of those typical images? Imagine a few tall high rise buildings in the background of Taj, a chimney of a factory sticking out, and all possible urban construction behind Taj posing at the viewer. Would the picture look the same? Obviously not. Taj is a specially thought out monument, which was built on a high platform to block views of everything else behind. But most other places and monuments we see are not so. Lookout for an angle where you can eliminate the background clutter.

5. Shoot children.

You know it already – they have so much life, they can bring life to your pictures too. When you see willing kids, just make friends with them and take their pictures. You would make them happy too.

Pic : Arun Bhat

6. Shoot local people.

You will often come across people dressed traditionally, or in a unique manner. Lookout for the elderly people who have not shed the clothes of the olden days for today’s globally uniform dressing. Smiling people, wrinkles on the face of an old man in chai shop, people at work – they all can add beautifully to your travel experiences and memories. Get up close and talk to them, it always helps in getting good images.

Pic : Arun Bhat

7. Emphasize the main subject.

This tip is about getting pictures of you and/or your family in front of the a monument or scenery. We all want one such image don’t we? But who gets prominence in the frame? Should it be the structure of Taj Mahal or your spouse? You know the answer well. Frame your family to be a part of the big picture; don’t make them the big picture!

8. Research before you go.

This tip is for people who want to get serious with their camera. You have limited time and want to get the best out of it. Instead of running through the place and trying to get images in a hurry, sit back at home before you leave and try to find out what matters to you in your destination. Plan to spend more time with the subjects you like, once you are at the location. But then, if you are on a vacation and the camera is just a supplementary gear, you should really not get into the headaches of research. Let a holiday be a holiday, not a time for some intense work.

9. Get out in winter.

It is the time of the year when mornings and evenings are most colourful and magical. I know it could be really cold at places, but the efforts will be rewarded. Even in daytime, the skies tend to be clearer and the light would be a great deal more conducive for photography than rest of the year.

Pic : Arun Bhat

10. Leave wildlife alone.

This is not really a tip, but an advice to exercise discretion. You would have seen many mind blowing images of wildlife on the internet, television or magazines. Shooting wildlife requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and years of experience. Do not go out of your way to get wildlife shots on your holidays. An unguided attempt may often result in disturbing the wildlife, inadvertently putting them in danger or even destruction of their dwellings. Attempt wildlife only if you are keen to go far in the field, and start with some expert help. Of course, no harm trying to capture an animal or bird that comes easy on your path.

Happy clicking and travelling!

Ellora represents one of the largest rock-hewn monastic-temple complexes in the entire world, that too of three different religions – Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism. These caves are hewn out of the volcanic basaltic formation of Maharashtra, known as ‘Deccan Trap’, the term trap being of Scandinavian origin representing the step like formation of the volcanic deposits. The rock formation, on weathering has given rise to the appearance of terraces with flat summits. One can also have a glimpse of the channels (near Cave 32) through which the volcanic lava once flowed. These channels, due to overheating, have a characteristic brownish red colour. The basaltic rock is ideal for rock hewing, as it is soft during the initial excavation and hardens on exposure to environment. This induced the religious followers of various creeds to establish their settlements in them. The Ellora caves are datable from circa 6th – 7th century A.D. to 11th – 12th century A.D.

Pic : Deepak A

There are nearly 100 caves of which 34 caves are popular and visited by many tourists. Caves 1 to 12 are Buddhist; Caves 13 to 29 are Brahmanical and Caves 30 to 34 are Jaina. Thus, we have the greatest religious conglomeration at a single place, signifying the religious tolerance and solidarity of different faiths. The caves are excavated in the scarp of a large plateau, running in a north-south direction for nearly 2 km, the scarp being in the form of a semi-circle, the Buddhist group at the right arc on the south, while the Jaina group at the left arc on the north and the Brahmanical group at the centre.

Pic : Deepak A

The parking lot at Ellora is right in front of the largest single monolithic excavation in the world, the great Kailasa (Cave 16). The Great Kailasa is attributed to Krishna I (c. 757-83 A.D.), the successor and uncle of Dantidurga. A copper plate grant from Baroda of the period of Karka II (c. 812-13 A.D.) speaks about the greatness of this edifice.

A tourist can plan the visit of these caves according to the time available and depending upon the interest in ancient art. If a visitor has at his disposal three to four hours, then Cave nos. 10 (Visvakarma Cave), 16 (Kailasa), 21 (Ramesvara) and 32 & 34 (Jaina group of caves) should not be missed and one can have a glimpse of the representative art of Buddhism, Brahmanism and Jainism.

Pic : Deepak A

If a visitor has an entire day at his disposal, then Cave nos. 2, 5, 10 & 12 of the Buddhist group; Cave nos. 14, 15, 16, 21 & 29 of the Brahmanical group and Caves 32 to 34 of the Jaina group should be visited. All this valuable information about the caves has been gleaned from the Archaeological Survey of India’s website We had barely a couple of hours, hence just reveled in the beauty of Cave 16 and visited Caves 10 & 12.

The sunset from Ellora is also worth a view and we spent some time gazing at the beautiful sight. Some important information about Ellora Caves Open from sunrise to sunset Closed on Tuesday Entrance Fee: Citizens of India and visitors of SAARC (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Maldives and Afghanistan) and BIMSTEC Countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar) – Rs. 10 per head. Others: US $ 5 or Indian Rs. 250/- per head (children up to 15 years free)

Pic : Deepak A

Ajantha caves, famous for its murals, are the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting. They were excavated (circa. 2nd century B.C. to 6th century A.D.) in the shape of a horseshoe, overlooking a narrow stream known as Waghora and each cave was connected to the stream by a flight of steps, which are now almost obliterated. The caves attained the name from a nearby village named Ajanta. Apparently, these caves were discovered by an Army Officer in the Madras Regiment of the British Army in 1819 during one of his hunting expeditions.

Pic : Deepak A

Totally, 30 excavations were hewn out of rock including an unfinished one. The earliest excavations belong to the Hinayana phase of Buddhism. These caves are datable to the pre-Christian era, the earliest among them being Cave 10 dating from the second century B.C.The object of worship is a stupa and these caves exhibit the imitation of wooden construction to the extent that the rafters and beams are also sculpted even though they are non-functional.

Jaipur is so close to Delhi that we completely take it for granted. I mean we always treat it as a place that can be visited anytime. I have been to Jaipur many times but somehow never explored it properly. In November 2008 I went to Jaipur again with my 18 year old, over six feet tall nephew. We had planned it as a weekend trip. We took the Ajmer Shatabdi up to Jaipur on a Saturday morning and took it back on Sunday evening from Jaipur.

Pic : Mridula D

Our plan was to hire an autorickshaw (because of this recommendation by Arun) with Gopi as our guide. I called Arun and asked for Gopi’s number and got in touch with him. Gopi assured us that he would be at the Jaipur station to pick us up. I got a call from Gopi as the Shatabdi was nearing Jaipur and that was quite reassuring. However, it took us quite some effort to figure out who was who once we got down at Jaipur. Once we met each-other, the first task was to find a hotel.

For our budget hotel we went with Raju (00 91 9829900473) and his friend Gopi’s (00 91 9352540301) recommendation and stayed in Hotel Banipark Palace which is a clean place. We promised Raju and Gopi that we would come out in 15 minutes and go for sightseeing and that is what we did.

Pic : Mridula D

Gopi told me then that he had an accident with his autorickshaw so his friend would show us around this time. When I asked him for a quote for the autorickshaw for the day, I was told I can pay whatever I wanted, as I was there guest. Try as I may, they would not give us a quote.

It was past eleven and Sunil and I wanted to have a brunch first. I wanted to eat Dal Bati Churma and Sunil normal Indian stuff. So Gopi took us to place (near railway station) where we got both. I feasted on Dal Bati Churma and would recommend it highly to all of you.

Pic : Mridula D

Then it was time to head out for sightseeing and Gopi took us to Jaigarh Fort first. The first thing that hit us was the vastness of the fort, I mean we are so used to cramped city life that open spaces tend to take the breath away. Within the premises is the biggest canon on the wheels and there are lot of things to explore. Puppet shows are held within the premises and there are a lot of monkeys to keep you company.

The next stop for us was the Amber Fort and I have been there many times before. There was a lot of restoration work going on at the Fort. Still, the gardens, the palaces within the fort and Sheesh Mahal particularly were the highlights of the day. On our way back Gopi stopped the auto for a while near Hawa Mahal but both of us were so tired by now that we clicked a photo from inside the auto and refused to get out! We did spend quite some time near Jal Mahal though.

Pic : Mridula D

After that we had dinner at Chit Chat (not too great for Indian food but they had very interesting room rates and quite popular with foreign tourists) and then I simply crashed. The kid kept watching for an hour or so but I was so tired that I was asleep within 10 minutes.

On day two, we explored bits of Jaipur that I had not seen before (and all popular places too, imagine how badly planned my previous trips were). Our first stop was Gaitore ki Chattriyan, which was very peaceful when we went there. Our next stop was City Palace which I thought was the highlight of our trip. The palace is really beautiful and worth spending a lot of time with. Audio guides are also available at Jaipur now.

Pic : Mridula D

Unfortunately we tried it only at one place in Jaipur, at Albert Hall Museum and that too Sunil’s insistence! After a little shopping (I love Lac jewelry) and a visit to Birla Mandir, very soon it was 4.00 in the evening and time to head back to the Railway Station to take the Shatabdi Express train back to Delhi. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and we paid Gopi Rs. 500 per day for his services.

Pic : Mridula D