Day 3 - Gajner

The one thing that strikes you the most about this part of the country is the “extremes”…One needs the AC in the car in the afternoon and a heater in the room at the night…

The extremities is not just restricted to the weather…There is a hidden oasis in every part of the desert. We drove down to Gajner for a short day trip…The 30 km drive through the arid plain ended in this beautiful palace by the lake that overlooks a wildlife sanctuary. Gajner is home to a wide variety of migratory birds and makes the entire setting fitting for a postcard or two…


We decided to experiment with the extremes in the eating options as well. Having tried out the roadside treats earlier we decided to go for the tonier options today. The traditional Rajasthani lunch at the Gajner Lakeside Palace was heavenly. For dinner we decided to visit the Laxmi Vilas Palace. The bar was full of hunting trophies…from alligators to cheetahs. Forgive me PETA but I did enjoy a few pegs of scotch sitting there!

Finally it was a case of a complete circle…The day had to end at “Choto Motu Joshi”…A few extra Gulab Jamuns and some piping hot Gajar Ka Halwa will never harm anyone (except adding to the inches around the waist)!

Journey so far – 576

Day 2 - Bikaner

The best way to begin a winter morning is to visit a local tea stall and have a strong cup of ‘cutting chai’ with Parle G biscuits and the morning newspaper…When a couple of peacocks join in to enjoy the winter sun one truly feels blessed!

The drive from Alsisar to Bikaner was typical of this region…Great roads, negligible traffic and the ‘barren beauty’ of the deserts. Unlike the highways in Punjab which are dotted by dhabas that double up as a shelter house for the truck drivers, the highways in Rajasthan are similar to the topography of the region…they are completely barren. Infact the very thought of the car stalling and finding no one for help surpasses my worst nightmare.

The haveli we are staying in is a quaint little place that overlooks the Junagarh fort. The owner is a well travelled sassy gentleman who has done up the property with subtle class. Indeed a refreshing option in the otherwise busy and dusty down.

The evening was particularly memorable due to roadside “madras masala dosa cart” that served the most amazing dosas I have had north of Andhra…The stuffing was very different from the regular “potato fare” and was infact similar to the bhaji they serve with Pav Bhaji in Bombay. The next stop was the famous “Chotu Motu Joshi” sweet shop. Will sacrifice umpteen meals in any fancy restaurant for an extra helping of the special “sponge rasgullas” at this semi roadside place...

Journey so far – 492 KM

Day 1 – Alsisar

The drive from Delhi from Alsisar is supposed to be the worst stretch of the entire trip…The adage “well begun is half done” is definitely not applicable here. The road is so bad in patches that it almost felt like a camel ride. In hindsight it was an apt welcome to Rajasthan.


As one drives from Delhi to Rajasthan via Haryana it is interesting to note the visible difference in the soil and vegetation…Something we learnt in the geography text books in school! Experiencing first hand was so much fun…Maybe the schools can take a lesson from here…

Alsisar is a tiny village in the Jhunjhunu district, part of the Shekhawati region…while the Shekhawati region is famous for havelis and palaces – Jhunjhunu scores high on primary and secondary education. It is heartening to see a school pop out of every corner…Reminds me of the ad – “Padhega India to Badhega India”.

Alsisar Palace is a beautiful heritage haveli that has been converted into a hotel. The dining room is to die for…Yet the wannabe Rajasthani folk music during dinner is something I can kill them for. I guess this is one of the many perils of catering to the foreign groups who come to get a taste of rustic India.


It was interesting to note that amidst the haveli’s and the ruins – there were enough telecom towers that ensured that not only was my cell phone network on full strength, but even the GPRS was working. Telecom revolution zindabad!

Journey so far – 261 KM

Day 0 - Road Trippin'

This year end break is going to be very different from the last few…For starters it’s not a beach vacation! More importantly it’s a road trip…I’m reminded of the line from the Aerosmith song ‘Amazing’ – “Life’s a journey, not a destination”

This year the theme is “fort spotting”…we are visiting about 6 to 7 villages and towns in Rajasthan and staying in forts and havelis…While the experience of staying in heritage property is interesting the thought of rubbing shoulders with the European tourists who descend by the hordes in this part of the country is not!

A road trip also means a lot more responsibility…Cant drink and party all night and wake up with a hangover…Similarly the car needs to be well oiled and the body needs to be well rested.

Besides, packing for the winters is a nightmare. For someone who travels very light, it’s a bit frustrating to see a couple of jackets and a pair of shoes occupying half the space in my strolley. Anyway Bani is joyous at the thought of not having to pack to the limit of the check in baggage!

Armed with all the trip advisor hotel ratings and the Google map mobile application - Its time to step on the gas!

If Rajni Can't...No one Can!

The year is 2050. ‘Torpedo’, the forever curious geek robot had just chanced upon an article at the Google Museum that chronicled the most successful motion picture ever made…Torpedo bypassed the firewall, altered the restricted access settings and hacked into the secure server (much like the protagonist of the movie) to access the You Tube library and witnessed the phenomena first hand…

It was a movie in which Endhi-ran, jumped, flew and kicked…serious butt! The movie was the epic Robot that starred the ‘Superstar’ Rajnikant. The film was so inspiring that Torpedo instantly uploaded it as a video application on Trakbook (the social media site for robots) and within nano seconds it had turned into a rage with the robot community.

The Motion Picture Producer’s Association of Rollywood (Bollywood for Robots!) had commissioned a script for a movie on ‘Rajnikant’. They thought it would be a fitting tribute to the legend who introduced the concept of ‘robotics’ to the world.

The best minds in the business tried hard to digitally create Rajnikant…The only issue was that the servers the animation application was built on. They were just not as fast as the real man and it was becoming tough for the digitally created Rajni to dodge bullets the way he did in flesh and blood.

Finally the movie was ready for release…giant size jpeg images of the posters were downloaded on every tablet PC and hand held device. The poster read – Rajnikant! The Emperor Strikes Back…

The plot was simple - Aliens were planning a large scale attack on all the Bio Mass Converters (the primary energy source) in order to wipe out the Robot Civilization and Rajnikant was given the mission to save the planet!

The climax had the alien chief in a state of the art battleship equipped with the latest electro magnetic armoury in a face off with Rajni who was armed with nothing more than a toothpick that did a fine job in removing the last remains of the spicy masala dosa!

No points for guessing – Rajni won hands down. The toothpick remained unharmed…

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 9

This was a pretty simple day…Afternoon flight back to Munich, a ride back to the hotel to collect the luggage and an evening flight to Delhi. There was ample time in between and how complicated could it possibly get?

Hold on...We reached Schiphol (one of the busiest airports in the world...I might add) just 45 minutes before our flight. I stood in the serpentine queue while Rahul was busy begging, pleading and even threatening to sue KLM before they made us jump the queue and check in. Still not sure what turned out to be the catalyst...my guess would be the veiled threat to sue them!

Finally we reached Munich and had 5 hours to goto the hotel and come back. We even joked that with our penchant for cycling – We could even take the cycle and still be back on time...

I wonder why we forget that the funniest jokes often turn into the worst nightmares. We boarded a train that stopped in the middle of nowhere. We got down and kept waiting for the next one...After half an hour we were told that this track had shut down as someone had committed suicide by jumping on the tracks...and you thought this happens only in India. Stranded in the middle of nowhere with no sign of civilization...We took another 45 minutes to get a taxi that dropped us till the nearest station. Instead of building up the suspense will cut to the “chase”...We finally reached the hotel picked up the luggage and headed back to the station...The train to the airport left in front of our eyes...typical DDLJ style...I also realized we cant run half as well as the lead pair in the movie and had no option but to watch the train disappear into the horizon.

We finally had to hire a cab to the airport...Once again made it just in time for the flight back home

I guess Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have already put me on the banned list for my last minute arrivals. I get the sneaky feeling that Lufthansa and KLM will also follow suit...

Journal of a Wanderer – Day 8

Since we strongly detest conducted tours, we decided to venture out on our own. Took a bus to Volendam and decided to cycle from there to Marken. The 20 km track is by the famous Holland dyke and has to rank as one of the most breathtaking journeys I have ever taken. The pit stop at Monnickendam happened by chance when we couldn’t resist the temptation of fresh strawberries. This quaint old town reminds you of a French town from the “Tale of 2 Cities” ala Dicken style. Just the horse drawn carriages were missing.


Marken is a tiny fishing village and has some wonderful cafes at the harbour. The hallmark of Europe is that you can throw a pebble randomly and wherever it lands – it is good enough to be a picnic spot. All the enthusiasm that served as fuel during the 20 km cycle ride had now given way to tired legs and some good sense. We took the ferry back to Volendam