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Showing posts with the label solo female

Jaisalmer: In the realms of a grand mirage

“First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is” - The Donovan This is one post I have begun a dozen times, only to end in the first line. And then I remembered this old whimsical Donovan number and I thought, Ah well! I don’t think I can do better than that. Jaisalmer was an obvious destination of choice on my trip across Rajasthan. I had heard distantly from friends and family of its eccentric populace and landscape. But I must admit amongst all the wonderous tales, Jaisalmer is undoubtedly at the core of Rajasthan’s commercial cesspool. Hundreds of tourists throng within the gates of the living fort. Unlike other forts of Rajasthan, it is said that the erstwhile king of Jaisalmer preferred to live among his subjects making the fortress grounds the abode of royals and commoners alike. The city flourished sitting on the ancient trading super-highway between the east and t

Slumming it alone in India's most romantic city: Udaipur

When I put Udaipur under my roster of sights and sounds through Rajasthan, it wasn’t with the intention to explore a romantic city, per se. To be truthful, I was quite sceptical about delegating my quickly depleting funds for a city that was clearly high on the list of tourist vacations, especially the honeymooners. The idea of being surrounded by coochy-cooing newly-marrieds was enough to put me off. But its strategic location between the historically rich Chittorgarh and Kumbhalgarh made Udaipur the most ideal city to base my day-trips from. Never did it cross my mind that I too would have my very own private love affair with Udaipur. The city finds its significance in history as the strategic capital of the Mewar dynasty. Surrounded by the Aravallies and dotted with man-made water bodies, the capital proved to be a tough battleground for infiltrators. Today, war is a distant thought. Instead its mystical lakes, royal palaces (one for every season) and a salubrious climate come toge

A wild goose chase across Ranthambore National Park

I’m not much of a wildlife enthusiast. That’s not to say I don’t love animals. It’s just that I have very limited knowledge. For example, I cannot differentiate a cheetal from a sambar (haw!). If someone pointed out and said “Oh! Look! There goes a sambar” or “Look at that cheetal by the water hole”, I know they mean a type of deer, but the specifics end there. My literature on wildlife goes as far as The Animal Farm. But none of this kept me from travelling to the Ranthambore National Park (New year, 2014).