India 2011: Diwali in a Strange Land

I just couldn't understand myself why I should be in India. One thing that's for sure, I love it so much there no matter what people say about the place; dusty and unfriendly. Definetely it depends on how you spend the time there.I was lucky that I had the opportunity to go back again eventhough it took me nearly a year for me to go India again the second time.
Life's is full of unexpected things. Losing someone before the big pooja celebration really challenge myself and how I could face the situation by myself. That's why this time, it will be the unforgetable event. I was in totally grief and going somewhere away,somewhere that could give me a peace of mind would be the best. And the best place would be Amber,Jaipur. It is a peacefull place to be despite of the honking and the hustle bustle of the auto! I love the scenery of the palace from the house, the row of elephants waiting for their next que call and local kids playing at the road side wearing colorful dresses.
It's winter in Amber when I first came last year. This year, it's still at a normal temperature but it gets a little bit cold at night. A slight drop in temperature.Seems a lot of things  had changed here in Amber. Missing mummy and daddy and not to forget Simren,my lil sister (they treat me like their own family).
I arrived in Delhi on 24th and directly get the transport back to Jaipur the same day. It took me about 5hours journey and I couldn't be happier person to come back again and set my foot at the same place I've been last year. Delhi wasn't the place that I like to stay for a long period.It's too modernized for me and it's just like living in a big city again. On the way back to Jaipur, you could see some of the bridge and highway construction being done in the middle of the road. What's more fascinating, there's always a lot of people walking,crossing the road either having goods on their head and balancing it or just a few carts crossing roads! Finally, reaching Amber via Kunda~ near to the Haryana Highway that connects Delhi and Jaipur.I stopped at my friends place to have some dinner before coming back and give a surprise visit to the family that I stayed with. They were shocked to see me coming, unalarm and it was a totally the best surperise I've ever given to others. They were so happy to see me, in fact they were expecting me to come 2 days later. Yup,life's full of surprises. I wish I could have enjoy much of my time there but I was way too much thinking of Alex. Seems being alone there sometimes and being surrounded by the landscape and places that I love to be would have make my wound heals...
The whole time I spend in India I do learn a great thngs about the tradition or what they called 'Param-param'. I had a chance to buy one lengha and look more like a typical Indian girl. The poojas and also the celebration of fire~and fireworks too really impresive. None can compare the celebration even in Malaysia which I hardly see as fireworks are illegal items here!

Me and Sitta

My elephant

Me at the entrance garden of Amber Palace

I had the chance to buy some souvenirs and also some aladdin pants that I love so much. Try to haggle and get the best price at the shop and get the best quality stuff such as silver jewellery items woud be a bonus. Although it's a bit expensive, but it's worth it. I just couldn't believe it a week flies so fast and I had to go back home soon. I pray a lot there in India, hoping that Alex would be in the best place. A visit to my elephants was the highlight of my tour this time. I missed them since I left for Malaysia. They are so adorable and gracefull creature. Just sometimes, I feel that time really runs so fast. The last day in India was the most adventurous off all. I had to take the local bus from Kunda and being sandwiched between two people and can hardly moved for 5hours!Stucked on my knees were my backpacks and some big panni bottle.I was so starving the whole journey and at the same time worried if I couldn't be in the aiport in time or might missed the stop to go to the airport. After almost 5 sweaty hours in the bus, finally I could breathe. Less people were in the bus towards the city centre and I did missed the first junction to the airport! Well, I was lucky that some local guys asked me to go down and get an auto to the airport. I thought that the auto would send me directly at the airport but he said that he would only stopped at the auto centre. I had to switched and change transportation again. This time was the airport shuttle. It was a big AC bus and I had to wait for at least 10min before all of the people were on board. I don't really expect too much on the airport coach. Once reached airport, I had to waith for 5hours more before heading home and catch my plane. I was so hungry that I ate a lot at the aiport. I was too exhausted that night that I slept through all the way back in the flight that I just couldn't be bothered with others. All I know that I should be at the office once touched down .
All I know, after a week in India, I had to go home and start working again. I wish I could go back again and explore more of India, not only on the Northern part but the Southern part as well. Just cross my finger and hoping the best!

Fate and Destiny...

What should I begin with....It's been awhile since I started to work and not updating my travel blog.First and foremost, as a traveler, travel itself bring you to a totally different new places,new faces and begin new pace.There's a lot of unexpected,surprisingly incidents and events which we called as FATE and DESTINY.I just lost a good and close friend of mine in a tragic accident while he was travelling.The unfortunate event was one of I called as a fate. We can't get away from what God's already written for us.I was at a state of shocked when I heard the sad news from one of his close friends that visited me earlier in the city.He broke down in tears, which I thought on the first place was just a hoax.But turned out it wasn't.Total shocked and disbelief of losing someone whom you loved an missed the most was hard!Tears rolling down my chin rapidly like the waterfalls and I had no sleep at all the whole night.Everything seems to be so vague.I had anger,sad and sorry for what had happened.

I still remember the first time I met him.It was FATE that brought us together too.We met through mutual friend of mine.He was totally shy on the first day.Wearing a cap and not even speak anything,which I find a little bit weird for a guy like him.Later that I found out that he was really a shy guy.We had our first day outing with all of our friends.We drank as if there's no tomorrow.We really enjoyed each other really much.We had a dance in a club, and yes...he wasn't good in dance in deed but he tried to have the move as if it is the coolest dance on earth!It was!!Night doesn't end with the dance.We discovered one great shisha place that opens till late morning.We had a shisha together;lemon mint flavor.The staff there were friendly and we did had a lot of laughs together.The second time we met,we went to the Rainforest Jam with a bunch of crazy party people in a forest near my house.The place was so cool as they have the heated pool in the middle of the jungle and I spend in the pool till wee hours ;that is at 3am!Time flies so fast that night but it was worth every penny!I convinced him to come along and travel with me to Langkawi, few days after the Rainforest jam.Can't believed we bought the ticket and went to Langkawi!I knew he likes water so much that when the day we arrived, we left our bagpack at our host's place.Without further a due, we walked at the beach and he was convinced that he really need to swim with our without his underwear!!Which he did...he wore his underwear to swim...We had the best time ever in Langkawi, even after being stopped by the police as he has no valid driving licences!

Well it was his DESTINY to go to Australia and leave me here.We broke off.He wants me to be happy and find someone that really suites me and he couldn't be the one and that was the last text messages that I had from him.I didn't understand back then but now I knew why he said that....ALEXANDER HENRY GRIMA, may you rest in peace!

From the Land of Turbans to the Himalayan Mountain Range

It’s really hard to say goodbye to Amritsar especially to our friendly and kind host, Mr Kalwanjit Singh or better known as ‘Jolly’. I will surely missed his wife’s cooking, especially the Punjabi delicacies, yummy! And off course Jolly too... We’ve been told by Jolly that there’s always be buses going to Dharamshala – that is our next destination, situated in Himachal Pradesh state. Why do we choose Dharamshala? The main reason is because of Dalai Lama. That is the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the exile Tibetan government that is based in Gangchen Kyishong and the touristic place on the Upper Dharamsala called McLeod Gunj. It’s a unique place to be where you can see Tibetan monks in their maroon robes (you can also see some Westerner who became monks as you walk towards Upper Dharamsala) and also Tibetan people with their ethnic dress (which most of them are refugees). It is also became a centre to study on Buddhism and Tibetan cultures.

It’s not that easy to get on a public bus when you are carrying a heavy backpack on your back. That is the real tasks. We need to climb the bus’s stairs really quickly before the bus moves! (Without you noticing it!).It’s not a normal scene for foreigners like us (yes, travelling girls) to hop on a public transport in Amritsar, but at least we’ve got less ‘attention’ from what we had before in other places. The bus fare is really cheap; and from Jolly’s place, we only had to wait until the bus stopped at the Central Bus Station in the city centre. Hoping off the bus, there’s a lot of auto driver that offers us their services but we need not need them anyway. Our main mission is to get bus tickets to Dharamsala as soon as possible and get on the earliest bus which leave Amritsar at noon, around 1.30pm. Without any delay, we walked to the reception counter asking about the bus to Dharamsala and how can we buy the ticket from. They were helpful and told us at which terminal no would the bus be. And yes, we found the bus and we have to buy the ticket once we’re on the bus.

The gravy

Chola Bhatura

We were so starving when we left Jolly’s place and decided to stop by a restaurant and eat before we left for Dharamsala. We have no idea at all what we would eat as people at the restaurant were looking at us especially to my travel partner, Maja as her hair is blonde and I look like Asian (Oh,and yea..I am Asian! – Forget that I’ve coloured my hair a bit and look less Asian?). At last we decided to eat the food that the local people usually eat - Chola Bhatura (3pcs for Rs25) and some soda drinks. Chola bhatura looks like Puri and the brown colour gravy was so good. It tastes a little bit sour, salty and sweet at the same time. Maja really enjoyed eating the food so much but I’d rather take a lot of photos of the food myself. The owner (I presumed) had asked me to take the photos of the cook with stacks of Chola Bhatura that have been fried. Like usual after having a meal, we went to the bathroom and knowing that there will be less stop before arriving in Dharamsala in the late evening. I’m so excited to know what wait for us ahead in Dharamsala and meeting our host, Mr Ramnik Narula. Bus that goes to Dharamsala at first was empty until we met few travellers like us, heading to the same destination – Dharamsala and McLeod Gunj. Glad to know too that we are not the only one travelling to Dharamsala. It was unique and surprised to see how a small old man (the potter) with his big white turban on his head could handle such heavy loads such as a sack full of flour or atta and balanced it on his head before he climbed on the stairs at the back of the bus and put it on top of the bus within minutes, secured it with ropes and god knows what else to secure it. That’s what he did with all of our backpacks and put it on the rooftop of the bus. I was a bit worried about my bag at first but I’m sure that he knew what he’s doing as that is his daily job – to assist and make sure all the goods were in place, secure and in good condition on top of the bus. This situation really reminds me of the scenes in Bollywood movies where sometimes you can see all the men and the baggages were on the rooftop of the bus at the same time. Some of them where just hanging on to the bus and it looks like the bus is overloaded with men! The bus then starts its journey once they have enough passengers. Just to remind whoever wants to go to Dharamsala or McLeod Gunj by bus, make sure that you are physically (because you have to spend at least 7hours sitting on a really uncomfortable sit) and mentally challenged for the ‘crazy’ and bumpy bus ride!

 The first bus route from Amritsar is the dusty town that’s been a hub to Himachal Pradesh that is Pathankot. At this point, we could see a lot of cantonment, army vehicles going in and out from the army camp and there’s a lot of army personnel everywhere especially near the border. The bus left Pathankot after a brief stop dropping off some passengers going to Pathankot and took some passenger who wants to go to Kangra Valley or further uphill. We continued our ‘crazy bus ride’ journey by crossing the railway tracks, dried up river with a narrow road and some bridge construction on the way and the narrow road going uphill. On the way up to the uphill, I saw the most beautiful scenery of Himalayan mountain range. It was sunset. I saw the white snow covering the hilltop while the sunset shone on them. That’s where I knew that we were so close to Dharamsala. I could see that they also have an airport located on Kangra valley. I’m sure whoever came to the Himalayan Mountains by flight would have seen the panoramic view of the white snow covering the mountains top and a bright blue sky. At last, we’ve reached Dharamsala bus station at night and it was freezing cold. We had to take on our own our backpack that was on top of the bus. Maja was so excited to climb the stairs and take our bag. Thanks to the traveller that help both of us with our backpacks and Ramnik for patiently waiting for us to arrive that night. He was worried that we thought that we didn’t make it to Dharamsala. At last after long waits, he spotted us near the bus station. We were both welcomed by him and we went to his small white car where he brought us to his house. Both of us were so tired and exhausted but we were very pleased and thankful to Ramnik and his wife for their hospitality and off course to the twins! We slept early that night after taking a warm bath and excited to know what awaits us the next morning.

Waking up looking at the view of mountains in the morning!

Our breakfast

We had the first non-vegetarian dish in the morning, scramble egg and toast prepared by Ramnik’s wife and off course chai is a must to start on a lovely morning. His house was a bit isolated from the others. We can see the beautiful scenery of the mountains from his balcony. He had some small animal farm next to his house such as chickens and gooses and also some herbs. Internet connections are pretty bad in this area, Dharamsala and sometimes there will be power cuts as well. In the small town of Dharamsala, the internet connections are way better than in the house.

Our first activity in Dharamsala is jungle walk. We went on foot from the house to the small trail heading towards uphill. As we passed a bridge, we had our photos taken and the Himalayan mountain range as the background. The day was so beautiful with blue skies and the weather is not that cold like the night when we arrived in Dharamsala. I could see a group of women picking up bricks and repairing the road before we reached the bridge and took some photos. They were wearing some bangles, necklaces, ear rings and other accessories while doing the hard labour! I was amazed by their spirit to live life. I hardly see man doing such work since the day I arrived in India. It will always be the woman. We then continue our ‘morning walk’ passing by some paddy field (in Malaysia we called it padi huma). The paddies were planted on a slope of a hill in terrace. 

The trail

Maja and Ramnik

The trails were narrow and covered by the some old banyan trees and breathtaking views of the mountains and herds of cows and goats plucking the grasses. Everywhere we went; there is always green scenery everywhere. The air is so pure that you can smell the scent of trees and greens. It is so different than the air in city like Jaipur, polluted and dusty. On our way to uphill, we bumped into a lady carrying some clothes to do her laundry by the river below. She was so happy to see us, especially Maja because it’s not a common sight to see a foreigner on that particular trail. Some photos sessions and an invitation for tea from that kind lady. She still smiles after we left her. We then spotted a small old mandir under a tree and some place for us to rest for awhile. The journey continues after that and it was really a long walk. We reached home late evening, with some beautiful photos of the surrounding and sights of Dharamshala from my perspective. We had our bath and a very ‘romantic’ dinner on the balcony by the fire. Half of the house is still under construction especially the balcony. The chill air at night and some hot Bhutanese momo or dumplings, really make my day awesome and special.

The next day, we went and bought our bus ticket to Delhi at the city centre. We had the chance to go to McLeod Gunj. Ramnik was kind enough to show us around Dharamshala and McLeod Gunj that we decided to treat him lunch at McLeod Gunj. I didn’t know that the day we went to McLeod Gunj is the day that Dalai Lama had a speech on environment. We’ve missed in by an hour. We saw lots of people, especially the Tibetan monk with maroon robes, Tibetan people in traditional dress and some foreigner walking by the road side seems like they have been to some party or convention. Everyone that I met on the roadside was so friendly and always smiles on their faces. We had the best restaurant view and food too suggested by Ramnik. Always feel good if the food is superb! We walked towards the Dalai Lama’s residence. On the roadside, we were mesmerized by the handy work on the jewellery items and some Tibetan traditional crafts which is so unique and intricate. The price is reasonable but sometimes you have to learn to bargain to get the best price. It was a dream comes true to see Dalai Lama’s home even though he’s not there. There were poster about Tibet (Free Tibet!) posted on the wall and pillars. Off course the security is tight everywhere you go in India and Dharamshala also is included. They will screen you under the metal detector machine before you can enter into the temple. Seeing the monk doing some religious chanting and have the opportunity to see and understand about Buddhism was way beyond what I expected from this Dharamshala trip. Getting the chance to go and spin the pillars of wishing was a fun way to enjoy and understand more about other religion. After spending few hours at McLeod Gunj and have some souvenirs from the local Tibetan shop, we decided to take a spin to the footstep of Himalayan Mountains. We were so unlucky because the cloud covered the snowy top of the mountains and we were so hungry that we decided to grab some food. The best part is we had chai and maggie masala on Himalaya! This is the first noodle meal in our Indian trip. Later, we left for home and get ready to pack our bags and head for the city to our next destination – Delhi.

We had the best time in Dharamshala and McLeod Gunj, thanks to Ramnik and family. I will surely come again to Dharamshala someday. Another ride on a bus and hoping that the journey less bumpy and arrive safely in Delhi on time.

Searching for Gold and Soul??

9781:Jaipur -Amritsar Express..boarding now..

 Amritsar,Punjab-Haryana state...The ride to search for gold and soul??It's not for real,huh???Actually it is my train ride from Jaipur to Amritsar.What so special about Amritsar that I wanted to go there?Amritsar is famous for its Golden Temple the holliest Sikhsm shrine constructed by the Fourth Guru Ram Das in 1577.It is 713km from Jaipur city and 16hours ride by train.Sleeper class,that's the train class that I've booked and was excited and get adventurous on this long journey along with my travel partner,Maja .

The train tickets were booked earlier,just in case if there is no place available on that day and to make sure that we are on schedule as planned.At that time we didn't realized that the ticket was actually a waiting list ticket(WL).We learned that it is a WL ticket when we're at the train station and in the coach and looking for our sit!To make it worst,we booked for two pax but we have only for 1 pax;means we had to share the bunk which is small and packed!!I was wondering where can we put our backpacks!At the same time and place(that is in the coach)..there was a group of college students who are on their journey back to thie college together with their lecturer.i guessed that they are going to Jalandhar.Destination not far from Amritsar.The coach that we're in is full of the students and there were loud and playful too!!It's a bit weird when they starred at us..definitely two different personality and appearance..me ..the Asian,shorty girl..with the tall Swedish blonde girl..!I was fascinated by how they live and have fun.no border between girls and boys..regardless skin color.They are having fun all the way!That really remind me of my university years with all of my friends.It was full of giggling,gossiping,hindi musics and all sorts of sounds you've could even imagined in the coach.I wonder how we can sleep through out the cold night.In the end,me and Maja...we shared the same bunk and take turn to sleep..which I considered not really a 'sleep'!Crammed on a bunk that can only fit for one person.It was awful and new train experience for me.The train leaves Jaipur around 5pm.In winter time,the day get shorten and night falls really fast.As the train leaves Jaipur and crossing to the other cities,almost everyone on the coach went for dinner.Dinner in the train,particularly in India means mostly everyone had their own set of meal,that consist of home cooked paratha or chappati and some sabhji.When it's time for dinner,they eat together and shared some food together like one big happy family.Like they always said "Sharing is Caring!". We watched them eat their dinner and us,we had our vegetarian burger before boarding the train.
As night pass by,I can feel the chill Indian winter wind on my skins through my bones.Shivering in a thin blanket and a pair of socks.Hugging each other is so impossible as we were crammed in a small contained space,not even trying to move!Even though the window were closed,but I can still feel the wind blows through a small holes onto my skin.My eyes become more heavier as the night falls and almost all of the train passengers fallen asleep after they had their hefty Indian dinner.Thinking about the small space made me more frustrated and this really gives me a lesson about purchasing train tickets in India.I literally didn't even sleep at all.The cold wind made me go to the toilet more often.

Sunrise view from the train

My chai in the morning

Time passed by so fast and it's already in the morning.As usual,there's always guys from the IRTC selling the chai in the morning.They are just like my alarm clock in the train when they yelled "Chai,chai.garam,garam" Means:Tea,tea..hot,hot.Nice hot chai in the train is all that I need for a very long,chilled winter and awful night.

Wheat field in Punjab-Haryana

There's so many wheat field along the way to Amritsar.That's why most of the Indian people who lives in the northern part eat more wheat rather then rice.The train does stopped at few train stations on the way to our manzil.At last,all the students went of at Jalandhar Jn. and went off board left me and Maja and a young couple with their small kids alone in the coach.It was a relief for me as I can choose a place for me to have some sleep.

Empty seats 3/4 way to Amritsar

There's some incident that I couldn't forget waking up that morning.A young man in his 20's I presumed committed suicide by jumping in front of the train.That incident had caused the train going towards the south delayed as police were trying to remove him from the rail track.At first I was thinking that the guy had slept on the railway track.I blamed my eyes in the morning for not having a really 'good view'.Then when the train that we took passed by the 'crime scene',I then realized that he was cut into half and that image still stuck in my head.It was scary at the same time thinking of how many people commit suicide in India everyday!How cheap life is when you didn't appreciate it.
At last we reach our destination,Amritsar.With our bags and half left energy,we went off board and straight to get the auto rickshaw.As usual,haggling is the way in India to get the best price especially from the transportation.We decided to go straight to Amritsar's Golden Temple straight away.Without any map or 'Lonely Planet book' with us but only our guts and half of our energy and confidence we finally managed to get a auto rickshaw within minutes of haggling.
I must say that different part of cities in India may look so different or the feel of differences.More people in Amritsar have their own car (In Hindi- Gardi) and the guys were wearing turban with a very bright colorful turbans.

Finally we reached near the Golden Temple,still we have no map at that time and was wondering that they accepted foreigner like us to stay at their place and only noticed that they didn't.Reaching near the Golden Temple street was really a stressful morning for both of us.Some people take advantage of traveler like us by asking us to buy the head scarf that cost us Rs20 each!They were trying to rip us off and Maja at that time were so tense and stressed.She bought the scarf and we made our walk towards the Golden Temple.Mission of staying in the Golden Temple were not a good idea,that both of us went and search for a closed by internet cafe.Relief to see a small shop with good internet connection,both of us decided to write in Couchsurfing website asking for couch.I think that it is our luck that day that I finally managed to get a couch for us within 2 minutes of posting about emergency couch.Jolly(Kalwanjit Singh) was so generous enough to take both of us in his house and we stayed few days at his place on that day.His family was so good to us and his wife cooks really good food as well too!
The next day,we went to the Golden Temple by public bus.It is always a very joyful and adventurous ride to the city where the bus stopped.At last,we were on our way towards the Golden Temple.It was hot and sunny day and there were lot of people coming and going to the Golden Temple and merchants selling their goods on the roadside.There's always lots of food to choose and as for me it is easy as it is easy to get vegetarian food anywhere and everywhere.

Golden Temple,Amritsar

The Entrance of the Golden Temple,Amritsar

From far,I had my headscarf ready on my head and be more spiritual attached.Slippers and flip flops are not allowed in the temple compound.There's a lot of shops outside of the temple.Feeling so amazed that we finally made it to Amritsar,make us feel more wanting to know what awaits us inside the Golden Temple.Before you can go inside the temple,you need to wash your hands and feet as well.Walking up the stairs and having the first glance of the temple make me so astonished of the architecture of the Golden Temple and so does the history of the place itself and how important it is to the Sikh community all around the world.The Golden Temple it self was so beautiful.There's some people take a bath in the holy lake and some of them reciting some spiritual chants from their holy book.The feeling of serenity and peaceful regardless of the temple guard with their swords on their back.It so fascinating!We were being invited by some of the devotees that we can join them to have a free meal on one of the dining place but we were so out of time and we need to rush and get going to see the flag ceremony at Wagah-Attari border soon.

We had the cheapest mode of transport to the border,by a small van and me being squeezed in the middle between the driver and Maja!But it's all worth it when we reached there at the Wagah border safely.On the way to the border,there are few military camps and cantonment.There are so many buses,auto rickshaw,cars,motor bikes heading to the last town near the border,Wagah.We saw lots of people walking towards the border and it was congested with busses,cars and even some trucks from bot side,the Indians and Pakistanis as well.The only thing that I was so shocked is that the toilet near the Wagah border was terrible and in a really bad conditions.I had to leave my bags at the restaurant as they are rules saying that we cant bring in bags.The security to enter the border ceremony was a bit tight.Each of us,women and men including child were being 'body search' by the military personnel. Not only once,but twice!I was so lucky by bringing my ID in my purse to show them that i'm a foreigner.Foreigner has a special place for them to seat and watch the ceremony.As we were being led to our place,the surrounding,especially on the Indian side where you can see a lot if people dancing and having fun just by listening to the Hindi latest hit song.Both border was a bit tense as the hours passed by and both side were playing their national song.They were so patriotic,can't deny on it.It just remind me about the tension that they have between two countries in the past and Pakistan used to be part of India in the old days.On the India side,they were shouting 'Jai Hind!Jai Hind!' and on the Pakistan side'Allahu akbar!Allahu akbar!' and this went on for few minutes until there were two Indian military women personnel marching towards the gate and going back to the post centre.Then it was followed by a group of mens with a very unique turbans and the way they walk was so unique.This goes same with the Pakistani side.The slamming of gates,the flag ceremony..all was tense and showed the different side of both countries.Overall it was an interesting ceremony.We had the best time in Amritsar and went to the places that we wanted to go and still be in schedule and being stressful at certain times and even at the worst scenario.Overall, soul and gold searching is all that we wanted that is to the Golden
Temple.From this trip also we've learned a lesson that is important for  travel journey especially by train.This are some tips for first timer and single traveler:

• Make sure travelling date is correct
• Make sure purchase ticket to the correct destination
• Make sure that it is a CONFIRMED ticket not the WAITING LIST(WL) ticket.When you are buying the ticket,asked repeatedly to the counter that you want the confirmed class.
• Check your train ticket after purchased the ticket at the ticket counter or on the website.
• Make a copy of passport - If you are buying the ticket on the Reservation counter.
• Check the price of ticket and you are paying the correct amount.

Why Jaipur???

Apart from being 1148km and 22 hours of train ride from Mumbai,Jaipur was and will be the only 'pit-stop' for my first Indian trip.I can easily go in and out from Jaipur to the other state or cities on the Northern part of India such as Punjab state and the Himachal Pradesh state.Trains and sleeper busses are so easy to get from here to any destinations at a very reasonable price unless if you bought the tickets near to any festivals or local holidays!

The old Jaipur is known as the 'pink city'.The only pink in the city nowadays is the city gate surrounding the old city.Jaipur is a dusty,hustle bustle and chaotic city with lots of honking and people spitting the betel leaves everywhere.Thats where you will see the red marks on the street!In the old city of Jaipur,you can see lots of busses(public busses and private busses),motorbikes(the main transportation of the people here),autorickshaw,rickshaws,small cars and bicycles.Sometimes there's also some camels with the loads on the back,horses and elephants too!Not to mentioned that there's lots of cows walking by the roadside..and sometimes sitting in the middle of the road and cause the road congestion!There's also lots of pig wandering around the rubbish pile and sometimes in the stinking and smelly drains!Animals in India especially the cow is considered as a Holey animal and you can't hurt them in any kind of ways.There is estimated around 200million cows in India!Just imagine how many cows per square feet..and how big the cow is!

But still...why Jaipur??Not just because of the fact that I've mentioned earlier.In fact Jaipur - the old city offers more then that..and I'm not talking because of the touristic places but the city does have a very unique customs,traditions,historical sites,monuments and beautiful landscapes too.The colorful and friendliness of the people in Jaipur also made me considering to come here again(but not that often huh!).

In November,it's considered as the 'marriage month' where you can get lots of wedding party invitation all week long.In the bazar,you can see lots of the merchants sell decorative wedding talis and so does the bride and groom attire.On the walkway of the bazar,people were waiting on the line to get henna painting on theirr hands which they called it as 'mehndi' .Mostly the henna painter on the walkway is a guy and the design that they make on the hands are so intricate and it is especially for an auspicious event like marriage.Eventhough November is winter time,and the temperature always drop during night time..still the marriage party does go on and they have really a very big wedding celebration.Definitely it is a different culture and customs from the one back home in Malaysia but the celebration is as much the same.I was fortunate enough of being invited to one of the weddings that is being held in Amber.In the wedding party,they served a very hot naans,chapattis,briyanni(the fragrant basmathi rice) that comes with dhals,chow mein,sabhji,salads and everything that you can eat there.The best beverages in this kind of weather is off course the hot coffee!All of the attendees especially Rajasthani women were dressed in bright colors especially their Rajasthani dress,lengga and saris with splash of gold jewelleries..the men,especially the young and single good looking ones were dress in smart and casual wear..I've been told that this is the time where the young guys eyeing for their future brides-to-be in a wedding party..if they found 'the one'.

Arrange marriage is common in Rajasthan and also in India.Speaking off the maarriage ceremony,the groom came to the wedding party on an animal ride.This kind of ride symbolizes their caste.Riding an elephant means you're on the higher caste of Brahmin,horses and camels are for the normal caste and donkey for the lower caste.Together with the groom rides is people holding the lamp on the side of the ride (the wedding took place in night time!) and there is also a group of musicians paling the drums,trumpets and other musical instrument with a very happy melody or tunes.Dais for the bride and grooms were being set out in a very beautiful decorations on the stage that is meant for the ceremony.I can say that Malay wedding and the Indian wedding that I've attended is similar and especially there's an influence of indian tradition also in Malay's wedding.
The other things to do in Jaipur is bazar spree..known as shopping heaven for Rajasthani crafts,textiles,arts and off course gems.Bargaining is a must when you shop in Jaipur and India too.I managed to self indulge by buying some bangles (churi - in Hindi) and salwar khamez for myself,some shawls(chuni - in Hindi) and few pairs of Harem pants(also known as the Aladdin pants - so comfy and cheaper than Malaysia!)Being a woman and had a great Indian mom's love,we went shopping to the famous Lengga market in the old town of Jaipur.My eyes are like going to popped-out just by looking at all of the lengga there.It's the wedding lengga and it was very beautiful,colorful and lots of bling-bling on it...Oh..it's so beautiful and lots of people were almost in every shop there.Noticing that it's a wedding months and people there,especially women were out 'hunting' for the best dress ever even it costs them lots of Rupees..such as more then 10,000 Rupees..!It's really so expensive and good being a woman in India.You'll get more jewellery and beautiful saris and lengga at the same time.Just be beautiful!..I had my chance to try on the pink Rajasthani dress,blue sari and also the red color wedding lengga(Don't get me wrong..I'm not going to get married with Indian guy in a near future..!)
Gosh..I could say I look really different in the three dresses...but glad I tried it on.I really love the intricate designs,colors and the materials of the lengga.The accesories is also a must.Gold and it symbolizes the girl's family background.Indian wedding definitely rich with traditions and customs too!

Isaarlat,Jaipur

Fresh vegetables on the roadside ..

Jaipur City,view from the rooftop

 Bapu Bazar is famous for the lines of shops selling saris and fabrics but you can still go to Johari Bazar which is famous for its gold and silversmith and off course bargaining is a must!Some of the merchants in Johari Bazar is specialisse in cotton.In the other hand,Kishanpol Bazar is famous for its textiles particularly with 'bandhari' (tie-dye) and 'lokaris'(waves tie-dye technique).Nehru Bazar also offer lots of 'Jootis' (traditional pointy-toed shoes),trinkets and perfumes.In Tripolia Bazar,you can find a lot of metal kitchen utensils and trinkets.Being 'crazy' of Indian bangles,going to Maniharon Ka Rasta was the right choice.This is the place where they make the lac(resin) bangles by the bangles maker.All of these bazar were connected to each other and it's easy to go just by walking.
There's always auto-rickshaw or the rickshaw driver by the roadside offering their services and looking for customers.I must say that, walking between these bazar really gives you a lot of new experience about India.Not to worry about it as it is safe there,but don't get yourself  lost there!Besides the bazar,you can also see lots of fresh vegetables at the roadsides which is impossible to see it in Kuala Lumpur especially in the wet market!Bargaining is the word here...anywhere and everywhere!

Hawa Mahal

If you go to Jaipur without any visit to any of the historical and beautiful structure,then you've must be missing a lot of interesting places.A visit to the City Palace near the Tripolia Gate ,which is the main entrance to the City Palace.Though only the Royal descendant are permitted to enter via its portal.The public entrance is to the left via Atishpol(Stable Gate).On the north part of the City Palace is the Jantar Mantar - the observatory begun by Jai Singh in 1728 and its the largest and the best prederved built by Jai Singh.Others are in Delhi,Varanasi,Ujjain and Muttra(The observatory has gone - no longer exist!!).Besides Jantar Mantar,there is another attraction that is The Govind Devji Temple on the north of City Palace.From Jaleb Chowk on the right side is Hawa Mahal(Palace of Wind).It's the most distinctive landmark of Jaipur with honey-comb pink sandstone structure.Hawa Mahal was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh to enable the ladies of royal household to watch the life procession of the city.Definitely this structure was built for women.It's not worthwhile to spend monies just to go inside Hawa Mahal as it is just a single structure.Photos can be taken across the street!

Central Museum of Jaipur

The next place to visit is the museum,but I'm not suggesting you to go into the museum unless there is a great exhibition being displayed there.The Central Museum of Jaipur or also known as the Albert Hall is a spectacular architecture and you also can see that it is being house for thousands of pigeons!!You can just take a very fantastic photos during sunset.Some of the locals there offer a horse ride too!
Food is always important to me.Yes,I need energy when I'm travelling,right??And now being in India and being a vegetarian(Which I've never done my entire life!!),things kind of got easy.You can just get lots of vegetarian food anywhere,everywhere with reasonable price.The food place that I really like and with reasonable price is in old city of Jaipur named Mohan(In Nehru Bazar) - recommended in Lonely planet too!The restaurant looks really grabby on the outside but they really prepare fresh cooked food inside.I really love their 'thalis' and also lassi(sweet and salty ones) at a very reasonable price(which you can't get that cheap even in Malaysia!)Price range between Rs10-Rs60.The other restaurant that I favor most is Thali House near the Station Road.You can really eat until you feel full and you just only pay Rs70 for the thalis and that include the Rajasthani Bharti.They will always make sure that your plate is always full by filling up what ever finish in your plate!The thalis comes with chapatti,rice,papad,sabhji(The greens),dhals and local deserts...I really love the fruit juices,in the city.It was totally different back then in Malaysia.Love when they put raisins and some nuts in the ice blended fruit juice.Ya,I might be crazy for trying so many street food in India.And ya,I also had been sick a week before I came back to Malaysia.But that doesn't mean that you can't eat anything there.Just enjoy the travel and taste the local treats.The best fruit juice I ever taste is the papaya shake juice.Thick and yummy!Just perfect drink during hot summer days...Along the famous MI Road there's also the best lassi place - recommended by the Lonely Planet  too..called Lassiwala .The lassi served in clay cups and comes with different flavours too!!Bollywood films is synonyms with Indian and their lifestyles too.Here,you can watch Bollywood movie in the old iconic Raj Mandir Cinema .It is situated at Bhagwandas Marg.It is the no one cinema in India and I was supposed to go and watch some Bolly movie with my host's mom,but I couldn't make it.Maybe next time when I go there,I'll treat her to watch the movie.Argghh..lots of things I could tell about Jaipur ..and I supposed this is some of the reasons why Jaipur?..

India:A journey - Amber .....Elephants Adventure

I could hear clearly the sounds from the elephants when they were thirsty..angry or hungry.I can see them each of my stay at Rahul's place, on the terrace everyday and it was really a very memorable Elephants moment,I must say.They are so gentle and graceful animal..better then what I thought and heard before this!And to my astonishment...all 96 of the 'working elephants' (the number of elephants on the fort which I was told by Rahul)here and all of it are female elephants.I've seen only one male elephants for breeding purpose name Rashid.He was really huge elephant and horny ones...hahah...Seen 'that thing' too!
And there's also Laxmi(small baby elephant) too at the 'farm'.She was cute.Always swaying her trunk as if she could hear a song in her ears.She's so adorable!!!


During my early stay there,I wished that I can really hug the elephant and being brave.Guessed what??I did!!I did overcome my fear of elephant and managed to ride them.I remember the first time ever I was given the opportunity to ride them(off course with the elephant rider and not just as alone!) from the 'farm' till the Amber fort.People were looking at us..clearly..the only girls on elephant at 7 am!!We're nuts huh?




One thing that I remember about elephants is that they can easily recognized people and remembered them easily!They are so gentle animal and I really like to see them being treated nicely.I couldn't bear to see if one of the elephant rider's trying to poke them with the sharp thing that they used(I have no idea what do they called them..).It looks so cruel and evil..but that's how they trained them to obey the instruction...

Elephant on the road

Masakali in the water

Caca ji feeding the sugar cane