All Roads (High & Rough) Lead to Ladakh-Another Indian Adventure

[RB]

 

[RB]

Our room was on the 2nd level.

 

[RB]

For us the highlight of the stay at Alsisar Mahal was the dining room. Lighting made photos a bit difficult but it was an amazing room

 

[RB]

Around Alsisar
I thought that this was better than what I could write
"In the multi-hued land of Rajasthan a spectacular world of fascinating hand-painted Havelis (mansions), the entire town painted with legendary stories, Shekhawati embraces the semi-arid village of Alsisar within itself. Situated 23 Km’s from Shekhawati’s district headquarter - ‘Jhunjhunu’, Alsisar is an exceptional hamlet of rustic life with an array of colors it garners deep inside the heart of its desert.
A pastoral calmness hangs in the air of Alsisar as soon you enter the boundaries of this village of ancient and medieval havelis. The nomadic hue of the lifestyle, frequent peacock calls, and some half forgotten mansions set against the backdrop of azure sky and mundane desert, speak for Alsisar, which has soaked its beauty in the rustic spell of its lifestyle. A slice of shekhawati’s painted town would float in front of your eyes when you’ll gaze through the charming havelis, step-wells, and low rise cenotaphs- some decorated while some in their ruins strewn around the mighty Alsisar Mahal. A visit to the town will leave you in awe for the remarkable architecture and paintings of Alsisar."

A local well





The stepwell -water levels very high. The photo is a good representation of the colour of the water


Very nicely presented

 

[RB]

Again we were impressed by the knowledge that Magan & Chandra had-detailed explanations of the paintings











Another excellent cup of tea-a very hot & humid day so we sat in the air conditioned car & drank it

 

[RB]

Alsisar to Khandela
Only about 100km journey today. Khandela is another city with a rich history, being over 2,000 yrs old. Raja Raisal from the Shekhawat clan of Rajputs established his rule of the region Shekhawati with Khandela as its capital from 1538 – 1615 AD. The city is surrounded by the hills of the Aravali range.
Our arrival at Khandela coincided with a rally for Rama.- a very colourful, boisterous occasion.

Another cup of tea


Gas delivery








Milk deliveries


Most spots have an ATM that take international cards & they are in a room in off the street for safety

 

[RB]

The noisy parade at Khandela


The music machine!

 

[RB]

Castle Khandela
Just a 1 night stay & a very leisurely day. Again, after a welcome with a beautiful necklace of marigolds, we were offered a choice of rooms - a downstairs heritage room or up to a “deluxe” room - deluxe won out. We were the only guests & treated well by all staff - English wasn’t widely spoken here by some of the support staff. Although not in the pristine, fully renovated state of our previous hotel, it offered a sense of wonderful authenticity. There were lovely shaded grounds to wander around & again a rooftop that looked over the village and the activity that happens on the rooftops (including a goat getting nicely fattened up). The wooden gateway is impressive & there is intricate glass work. Part of the Castle is also used as a local medical facility.
“Khandela is an ancient town (more than 2000 years old) and was ruled by various dynasties of the Rajput clans. Raja Raisal from the Shekhawat clan of Rajputs established his rule of the region Shekhawati with Khandela as its capital from 1538 – 1615 AD. He married Princess Kisnavati, the only daughter of Raja Peetha of Khandela and thus, was also the 1st Shekhawat Raja of Khandela. Son of Rao Suja of Amarsar, granted the jagir of Lamiya, he was granted the title of “Raja” also a title of “Darbari” and a Mansab of 1250 sawars later raised to 3000 by Emperor Akbar.
He died in 1614. He was great-grandson of Rao Shekha of Amarsar and he belonged to the Kachwaha Clan of Amber/Jaipur. The Shekhawats ruled over the Shekhawati region for over 500 years and are honoured with the hereditary title of “Tazimi Sirdars”, whom HH the Maharaja of Jaipur receives by rising from his seat.and the descendents ruled the state till Indian independence. The present owners are the 17th and 18th Generation of Raja Raisal.
The descendants of Raja Raisal during their rule also developed the region of Shekhawati to make it a internationally known tourist destination specially for its architecture of Havelis (residence of the Elite), castles & forts.”

Mrs RB dons the marigold








Rooftop views

 

[RB]

More of Castle Khandela

Massive maintenance required on these buildings














The medical facility

 

[RB]

Around Khandela
Not a lot to be seen around town and we drove to the Chhatris & the Dargah Hazrat Shahbad Ali mosque and a temple on the outskirts. We saw some weaver birds nests and some sheep that were struggling in the heat. There were very narrow streets even by Indian village standards & we made a few stops to move parked motorbikes to clear our path.

 

[RB]

Khandela to Patan
Only around 60km through farmland and a constant flow of villages.

Patan Mahal
Nestled in a valley formed by 3 hills, Patan Mahal rises in the distance at the end of the city. The palace is well-located with an unhindered birds-eye view of the 13th century ancestral fort and another palace called Badal Mahal which stands loftily at an imposing 2000 ft above sea level. The Patan Mahal is a heritage hotel with 18 rooms with all modern amenities, maintaining it’s original character. Again we seem to be the only tenants and receive plenty of attention. Food is again is good and we maintain our consumption of omelettes at breakfast. The gardens are extensive & well maintained, there is a very nice pool area (full sun though) and again the rooftop affords great views.





Our own outside but under roof sitting area






Another grand dining table

 

[RB]

More Patan Mahal












The gatekeeper charmed Mrs RB with these flowers when we left

 

[RB]

Around Patan
Patan is a town of around 7000 people in the Indian state of Rajasthan. In the 12th century, it became the centre of a minor state called Tanwarawati or Torawati (after Tanwar/Tomar the clan name) ruled by the Tomara clan. The chief of the clan is the Rao of Patan, and he is considered to be the direct in descent from the last Hindu Emperor Anang Pal Tomar II the ruler of Delhi before Prithviraj Chauhan.
The family came and built the impregnable fort at Patan and also the Badalgarh Mahal, halfway up the mountain, in the 13th century. Patan is the site of one of the last great battles in Indian history. Called the Battle of Patan, it saw the Maratha Confederacy pitted against the Rajputs of Jaipur and their Mughal allies in 1790.
The town is much more bustling than Khandela and Alsisar, and we enjoyed a walk from the hotel to the centre and back via quaint alleys & the roads of the village. Plenty of activity in the late afternoon with cricket games, a wide variety of shops, plenty of tradesmen (a lot of metal fabrication of tools in blazing hot conditions), fruit stalls and a very busy bus depot. We seem to be a bit of a novelty and we attract a small band of the children who follow us for a while.

The pitch was fast & taking no spin

 

[RB]

More of Around Patan


A part of the old town wall

 

[RB]

Patan to Delhi

Last day on the road and a few unexpected highlights. We were travelling in a different season so the vast expanses of millet was new to us. Again, the road surface varied from great to ordinary, space was at a premium, and we shared the roads from modern conveyance to old. We made a stop at Neemrana (Magan’s birth town) and marvelled at the Bawdi Deep Water Step Well.

Neemrana Baoli (step well) in Rajasthan - a great monument of ''National'' imprortance

We then ventured nearby to view the Fort (didn’t go in). It was built in 1464 and covers around 10ha. It was converted to a heritage hotel in 1986 & today it gets a lot of attention due to film shootings & destination weddings.
Back on the road, it was clear we were nearing Delhi as the smog increased markedly & we jostled with ever increasing traffic jams. Our final stop was the Radison Blu Plaza Delhi Airport and we said our goodbyes to Chandra. (Magan had stayed at Neemrana). We marvelled at Chandra’s stamina as he headed back & planned to then catch a bus for a few hours & then be a pillion on a motorbike to get home late that night.

Plenty of millet at this time


Mishaps are more rare than expected. We did see another incident where multiple new tractors had fallen off the truck that was transporting them


The highway flyovers create space & shade for a lot of activities




Way more newish cars & less tuk tuks & motorbikes this trip but you are still sharing the highways

 

[RB]

Chand Baori stepwell

Very difficult to capture the enormity




Constant noise

 

[RB]

Neemrana Fort Palace

 

[RB]

More of Neemrana Fort Palace






Some people are doing well out of the attraction




And then there are the real workers

 

[RB]

Radison Blu Plaza Delhi Airport

I guess the hotel served its purpose. We only had a 5 min drive to the terminal the next morning, the room was fairly quiet, we ate in the restaurant and the staff were generally efficient.
You are greeted by security checks under the car as you arrive & bags are put through a scanner. Staff were pleasant but there seemed to be a lot of double handling before formalities were complete & the room allocated. There seemed to be a strange disinfectant style smell throughout the corridors & the wi-fi was slow & unreliable - I see that both are mentioned in quite a few reviews. The Savannah bar was a notable letdown. Service was slow & not particularly knowledgeable. Only 3 of the listed beers were available (no tap beer), 2 of those were wheat beers (a no for me) and they were the runnaway winners of the dearest beer of our holiday (approx $14 Aust in bar & $18.40 in restaurant). We ate in the NYC restaurant - great service here & enjoyed the food. The wake-up call worked & check-out was quick & efficient. Our transfer to the airport, that Magan had organised, worked without a hitch.

 

[RB]

Delhi Airport

A bit over a 5 minute drive and we were at the airport. A much more civilised experience than last year. Still, vast numbers getting around even while it was still dark. We didn’t see any touts hanging around the parking & entry doors offering to help. I had no phone so we thought that might be a challenge to get entry to the airport (Mrs RB had digital paperwork, I had old style paper copies). We were quickly directed to a nearby door where they were set up to accept paper copies. A bit of a long walk to the Singapore check-in area but there was no one at the business line so we were straight through. There were very clearly marked lines for priority handling and it was super efficient in keeping moving. I did have a challenge when a security worker couldn’t find my exit stamp in the passport which had been done 20 seconds before hand. Soon sorted out & we we off to the lounge.
Shortly after I had another moment - an airport worker identified herself & said there was a security problem with my checked bag. I left the lounge with her & walked to an unmarked room back towards security. Here my bag appeared at a shute & I was instructed to unlock it. I had stuffed up & packed a power bank. Suprisingly, I was allowed to simply remove the powerbank, relock the bag & then wander back to the lounge with the powerbank to be put into my cabin bag. I consider myself fortunate for the lack of fuss.

We had access to what is apparently the newest and largest lounge in Delhi airport, Encalm Prive is located where the Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines lounges used to be (both closed during Covid). From what I understand it caters solely to business and first class passengers of partner airlines. We found there was a good selection of hot and cold foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, lots of seating and dining tables. Apparently there are pod rooms for sleeping, a yoga room and showers.
The lounge was a 5 minute walk to our gate. There were buggy rides available if you didn't want to do the walk.















Indian sparkling on offer-not the main attraction of the lounge