After a full on two weeks criss-crossing India for Justin, and three intense days in Delhi for Bronwen, it was time to start the week of holiday! India is so big and we only had 7 days, how to choose where to go. There’s truth in the adage less is more so we decided to stick with the well-trodden Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra with Ranthambore National Park squeezed in the middle.
When considering how to move around between cities, trains and buses are really cheap and seem easy to book, however, speaking to friends it seemed like hiring a private driver is a popular choice and affordable. We investigated and contacted a few places and soon had a private driver in place. We are super glad we went this route and did not hassle with trains and buses, the opportunity for harassment and being ripped off is so much higher and honestly using taxis to get around inbetween the overall cost would not have been much less. The convenience of having a driver is so worth it. Highly recommend this option when traveling in India!
Chai tea break with our driver Pintu
Our driver then picked us up bright and early on Saturday morning for the drive to Jaipur, the longest leg of the triangle. His name is Pintu and once out of the city struck up an easy conversation getting to know each other. Our first experience of roads out of the city. In general the roads are wide and in quite good condition and overall I would say better than where we currently live in Vietnam (Sorry Vietnam =( ). There were several roadworks upgrading the road surface on the way to Jaipur which made things a bit bumpy and extended the journey, but it’s good to see them working on the roads. SO many trucks on the road though, and also cows! There seems to have been some effort in the city to find homes for the wandering cows and we didn’t see many in Delhi, but as soon as you head out they are everywhere and free to roam. Such a strange concept for us and slightly dangerous on the highway lol.
The drive was about 5 hours with a stop for a chai tea about halfway and then lunch just before Jaipur. Pintu kindly suggested some vegetarian options for us to try. We loved the Malai Kofta, fried balls of potato and paneer cheese and mixed veggies served in a rich gravy. Best served with naan bread, a must try! Each restaurant makes it slightly different, this first one was definitely the best.
After lunch, there was time for one attraction in Jaipur before checking in and calling it a day. Galtaji or Monkey Temple is about 10 km outside of the city so it made sense to stop there first on the way into the city. Galtaji is a series of Hindu temples built in a narrow crevice in the hills surrounding Jaipur. There is a natural spring flowing downwards filling several sacred water tanks; it is considered auspicious to bathe in the waters here and many pilgrims come to bathe each year. There are many monkeys roaming freely around the temple grounds giving the temple its nickname.
The Galtaji or Monkey Temple just outside of Jaipur
From the temple, we went to check into our hotel which was a bit of an odd experience. The guy at reception was acting a bit strange and said the hotel can give us a big discount if we cancel our booking.com reservation and book with them directly instead, however at that stage it was too late to cancel the booking and we would be charged anyway. He was like, ok, don’t worry we can still give you the discount. We were left with a funny feeling wondering what had just happened. After checking the booking we had made, we discovered we had booked a larger room but they were fully booked and the larger room wasn’t available so we were given a slightly smaller room which was still comfortable and more than adequate, thus resulting in the ‘discount’. Not sure why the guy at reception wasn’t just honest and upfront about it. In the end we became friendly with him and several of the staff during our stay, was just a very weird start. Another India-is-just-like-that moment.
Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the state of Rajasthan and is a UNESCO World Heritage City. Known as the Pink City since the Old City was made pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876, Jaipur is home to 3.1 million people and feels as if not more crowded than Delhi. The city was founded in 1727 and is one of the first planned cities in modern India. We did not know that there are still royal families in India. Apparently there are several and many in the state of Rajasthan. Jaipur has a royal family and the current young king, a celebrated polo player, lives mostly abroad but was in town for a polo tournament. The royal family still live at the City Palace residence. There is a lot to do and see in Jaipur. Most tours and guides only allow for one day in Jaipur but that’s really not enough, we were glad to have two full days in Jaipur.
First up was Panna Meena ka Kund, a 16th century 200 m deep stepwell. The stepwell is square shaped with adjoining stairs on all four sides. It is full of water all year round and was a reliable water supply for local people in the past. We loved the stepwells all over and stopped to see as many as we could.
Boibs at the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell
One of the main tourist attractions in Jaipur is the Amer or Amber Fort. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Amber Fort was commissioned by Maharaja Man Singh I in 1592 and was further expanded and additions made by subsequent rulers until the capital moved from Amer to Jaipur in 1727. An impressive fortress and palace, the fort is constructed of red sandstone and marble. The palace is laid out on four levels, each with its own courtyard, and includes the Hall of Public Audience, the Hall of Private Audience, and The Mirror Palace. There is a hidden network of tunnels connecting the fort to the Jaigarh Fort. We arrived early and our driver was able to easily take us all the way to the top and get a good parking. Another popular way to reach the palace is to take an elephant ride up the steep hill. Please don’t support this cruel practice of riding elephants, at tourist attractions or anywhere.
With our driver Pintu with Amber Fort in the background
The next stop was the Nahargarh Fort on the hill opposite to the Amber Fort. Smaller but worth a stop, Nahargarh Fort forms a ring of defense around Jaipur together with the Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort. We bought a composite ticket for Jaipur attractions and this fort was included so we decided to stop there. From Nahargarh Fort, we stopped for a view of Jal Mahal, or the Water Palace. Originally built in 1699 as a hunting lodge, today the palace is flooded by the surrounding Man Sagar Lake and it is not possible to enter. We enjoyed a stroll along the lake front.
Nahargarh Fort
The half submerged Jal Mahal or Water Temple on Man Sagar Lake
Statues on the lake front
The last sight for the day was the Albert Hall Museum. Designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob, the foundation stone was laid by the then Prince of Wales Albert Edward (the son of Queen Victoria who later became King Edward VII) on 6 February 1876. The museum was named in his honour and opened in 1887. The museum is home to a collection of Rajasthani miniature paintings, a collection of ancient weapons and armory, textiles including a rare Persian Garden Carpet, sculptures, and an Egyptian Mummy.
The Albert Hall Museum
Views inside the museum
Just so that it's clear...
Being a Sunday, the museum was crowded. We decided that we had been stared at enough for one day lol and gave Pintu the rest of the afternoon off after he had dropped us off for a late lunch. We enjoyed some chill time at Curious Life Coffee Roasters (the RED one). Even though it was a Sunday, the traffic was pretty heavy and it took a while to get back to the hotel in the late afternoon.
The next day, the first stop was Patrika Gate. A recent addition to the city, Patrika Gate was built in 2016 on Jawahar Traffic Circle which also doubles up as a garden and park. There are beautiful rose gardens and concentric circles of paths where people run and exercise, it’s actually a really lovely part of the city. The gate is huge with elaborate arches and is made of pink limestone. On the inside, each arch and pillar is beautifully and intricately decorated with vibrant colours, murals, designs and frescoes each showcasing the rich cultural diversity of Rajasthan. It’s really beautiful and we spent some time here enjoying the art work. It’s a really popular photo op spot and one of the most instagrammable sights in the city, there were already at least three wedding shoots happening when we arrived at 9 am on a Monday morning lol, we had to wait our turn and try squeeze in a people free shot inbetween. Selfies with the colourful arches were a no go lol.
Boibs at Patrika Gate
The beautiful Patrika Gate
Other art and structures at Jawahar Circle
From Patrika Gate, we made our way to Jantar Mantar. a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jantar Mantar is an outdoor astronomical observatory allowing for naked-eye observation of celestial positions and timekeeping. Completed in 1734, there are 19 astronomical instruments including the world’s largest stone sundial. It’s a really impressive collection and is still accurate today.
Interesting astrological structures at Jantar Mantar
The City Palace is right next to Jantar Mantar and was our next stop. The City Palace is still an active royal residence and as such it is required to have a guide for the duration of the palace tour. Tickets for the palace are not included in the composite ticket price and are actually quite pricey, but it is worth visiting. The palace is a complex of several courtyards, buildings, pavilions, gardens, and temples. We visited several of the halls and courtyards and meeting rooms. We loved the ornately decorated gates in the courtyard and the opulent Sabha Niwas or Hall of Audience. Our guide was not that enthusiastic lol but we also didn’t feel rushed and he took several photos for us.
Outer courtyard at the City Palace
Marry a man who makes you laugh 🧡
Peacock gate in the inner courtyard
The opulent Sabha Niwas or Hall of Audience
Connected to the City Palace is Hawa Mahal, or the Palace of Winds. Built of red sandstone as an extension of the women’s chambers, the purpose was to allow royal women to observe everyday life, festivals and street activities without being seen. The exterior seen from the street is actually the rear of the building and looks like a honeycomb with its small 953 windows and intricate latticework. A lot of people only take photos from the outside but we went inside and were so glad we did. A must see in the city.
The honeycomb facade of the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds
Inside at the Hawa Mahal
Ornate gate near the Hawa Mahal
Boibs at the Hawa Mahal
While in Jaipur, we asked our driver Pintu to please take us to look at textiles and a spice shop. We found some lovely pashminas, table cloths and unexpectedly some handmade carpets. We were not looking for or planning to buy carpets lol but they are beautiful, good value, and will last a lifetime. Spice shopping was unsuccessful but we did find what we were looking for later in the trip.
The traffic was already quite crazy even though it was only just after lunch time. We had seen what we had wanted to see so we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and a quiet afternoon and gave Pintu the rest of the day off.
And that was the end of our time in Jaipur and Rajasthan. We would have loved to visit some other cities in Rajasthan but they are all so spread out and it would be a lot of driving hours and not much time actually exploring. We decided to squeeze in Ranthambore National Park instead and were not disappointed.
It was a long drive from Jaipur to Ranthambore and we arrived in time for the afternoon safari. It was seriously complicated arranging and booking these safaris and honestly don’t know how to have made it smoother. But anyway, we eventually made it. We weren’t sure if Ranthambore was a real park or just a touristy place, but it turned out to be a real park and we had a really great time and many wonderful sightings. The park covers an area of 1334 square kilometres and is divided into zones to control and manage visitors.
This first afternoon safari was really special. It was a beautiful warm afternoon and the animals were all out. Our guide was lovely and answered all our questions and pointed things out. We were very blessed with two wild tiger sightings. The first was a 20 month old female cub. She was really relaxed and not bothered by the vehicles at all, lucky for all of us. She spent at least 30 minutes walking, lying down, resting, and playing. Was really special. Later on we saw a mother and also fully grown female cub, we’re not sure if it was the same female cub, but a special sighting nonetheless. The mother was very relaxed laying in the grass while the cub was active and frolicked nearby. Two very special sightings. We also saw many buck, beautiful birds, monkeys, crocodiles, and just really enjoyed the afternoon out.
Tigers in Ranthambore
This is how close we were!
Active and playful kitties
Views and other wildlife at Ranthambore NP
The next morning we had an early safari but it was not nearly as enjoyable. Certain zones are closed on different days and we were in a different part of the park. Our guide that day was terrible and not pointing out anything, he had a really bad attitude, was really unfortunate and disappointing. We didn’t see much that morning. As we arrived in the park, a large male tiger walked past in the thick grass and we saw part of him walking past but he soon disappeared and we didn’t see any other cats. Anyway. We had a wonderful afternoon the day before.
This was the longest travel day of the trip. From Ranthambore we made our way to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, but stopped at several places along the way. The first stop was the Abhaneri Stepwell. Also known as Chang Baori, it is one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India extending 30m into the ground. It was built over 1000 years ago and is constructed in an upside down pyramid style and has 3500 steps cascading 13 stories into a large tank. It’s a really beautiful stepwell and well worth the stop! 
The impressive stepwell in Abhaneri
The impressive stepwell in Abhaneri
The next and last stop for the day was the Fatehpur Sikri Fort. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fort was commissioned by Emperor Akbar in 1571. It is made of red sandstone in a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles and was completed in 1573. This fort is expansive with a lot of detail and things to see. It is my favourite of all the forts we saw. Definitely worth the hour drive from Agra. It was also sadly the place we were harassed the most and tarnished an otherwise wonderful visit.
The beautiful red sandstone fort in Fatehpur Sikri
We finally made it to Agra and enjoyed a quiet evening after a long day and got ready for visiting the Taj Mahal in the morning!
See you next time for the last leg of our time in India!
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