India 2023-Back to India-Camels, Mustard, Safaris and Living like a Maharaja.

[RB]

I was one of those 146! Such an amazing place was Bikaner! And enjoyed the same hotel!

Wondering if you were on a tourist trip at that time? How were the service levels & the number of shops/hotels/restaurants that were open at that time?

 

[RB]

The Bhopal Grande
A very comfortable hotel in a quiet spot at Shymala Hills with good lake views. The room was very comfortable and the staff were extremely helpful. We had some minor water leaking problems in the bathroom (very common in India) but it received immediate attention. The balcony was a great spot for an afternoon drink and we enjoyed the dinner & breakfast offerings. Dinner ordering was done early in the day so the preferences could be made from scratch.





Great balcony for views and a quiet drink

 

[RB]

Around Bhopal
First stop was a look at The Taj-ul-Masajid or Tāj-ul-Masjid, the largest mosque in India and one of the largest mosques in the world. Taj-ul-Masajid - Wikipedia
On our drive out to the Sanchi Buddhist complex we crossed the Tropic of Cancer. The Great Stupa is one of the oldest stone structures in India and the monuments cover a period from the 3rd Century BCE to around the 12th Century CE. The wiki entry is very comprehensive Sanchi - Wikipedia.
This complex was very well patronised and there were several school groups and a group from Sri Lanka there at the same time as us. The stupa also appears on the 200 rupee note. It was certainly getting hot & steamy as we made our way down the hill towards the Udayagiri cave complex.

Mosque










We liked the peephole through the cabin

 

[RB]

View from entrance gate

 

[RB]

Sri Lankan visitors




That Indian mist/pollution










The drive back down to the village-not the flattest pitch in India

 

[RooFlyer]

The tiger was in a lazy state & stayed prone on the ground, huge feet on display.

Amazing camouflage .

The Earth Ranthambore Food continued-best food on the trip

Looks stunning. And looking at what you saw/did in the Ranthambhore area, so close to Jaipur and Agra, reminds me how there is so much and so much variety to see in India. I've been sorta through that area twice, but saw nothing that you have on this trip. Your average tourist wouldn't have a hope of finding the various hotels you (and I, previously) have stayed in, courtesy of Magan.

Fantastic TR.

 

[RB]

Amazing camouflage .



Looks stunning. And looking at what you saw/did in the Ranthambhore area, so close to Jaipur and Agra, reminds me how there is so much and so much variety to see in India. I've been sorta through that area twice, but saw nothing that you have on this trip. Your average tourist wouldn't have a hope of finding the various hotels you (and I, previously) have stayed in, courtesy of Magan.

Fantastic TR.

Thanks. He certainly gave us another fantastic trip. I think his biggest strength is his enthusiasm to keep improving after all this time. If there is a question he can't answer he will pull up and ask the farmer/shopkeeper/worker. After every activity he asks for feedback and after each hotel stay he wants a rating/feedback for future reference.
That tiger lying down was like a person who had just had half a dozen beers and a big lunch and just wanted to have a spell!

 

[RB]

Udayagiri Cave Complex.
Udayagiri Caves-Udayagiri Caves - Wikipedia, a Hindu complex near the Betwa river and it’s beautiful farmlands. Twenty caves in total and we were a bit lost with the numbering system (only one other group on a school excursion). It was certainly hot going to get to the top of the hill & there are plenty of steps to clamber-great district views up here with the Stupa just evident through the pollution of the day.
There are cave paintings and sculptures but many are obscured behind locked gates and with the super bright light it was difficult to get photos at some spots. Certainly worth a visit though.

 

[RB]

More of caves
Stupa just seen in back centre (too far for my phone camera)


Excellent district views

 

[bussyboy]

Wondering if you were on a tourist trip at that time? How were the service levels & the number of shops/hotels/restaurants that were open at that time?

I was over for a friend's wedding in Jaipur, travelling alone and taking a bit of a holiday/Rajasthan tour - I decided I'd wanted to head out to Jaisalmer and happened across a review for a tour on tripadvisor, from which I managed to contact the driver directly who helped me make a custom tour that worked between meeting up with my friend before her family began arriving, and the actual wedding event

My Route was Delhi, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi - I researched accommodation and booked separate, driver organised local guides in most location and I thought I had great flexibility resulting in a good balance of touring and relaxation which was important to me.

I really appreciate I was blessed to go at such a quiet time, coming out of covid and 40C temperatures most days (which I loved), I had photos at most sites along the way with no other tourists in shot. Service was great everywhere and a there was a good amount of respect to me as a tourist, I think only one encounter of overly pushy street vendors.

All but one hotel I stayed at was fantastic: The Fern, and later the Holiday Inn, in Jaipur, Narendra Bharwan (I think I was in an upgraded suite), Suryagarh Jaisalmer, in particular my stay at Taj Hari Mahal in Jodhpur made me change to the Taj property in Agra which was next level luxury. Prices were like 3-4* properties in Australia - so not cheap but a "once in a lifetime" adventure was oh so worth it.

 

[craven morehead]

The Bhopal Grande
A very comfortable hotel in a quiet spot at Shymala Hills with good lake views. The room was very comfortable and the staff were extremely helpful. We had some minor water leaking problems in the bathroom (very common in India) but it received immediate attention. The balcony was a great spot for an afternoon drink and we enjoyed the dinner & breakfast offerings. Dinner ordering was done early in the day so the preferences could be made from scratch.

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Great balcony for views and a quiet drink
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Good to see you're still giving the Kingfisher a run

 

[RB]

Good to see you're still giving the Kingfisher a run

Actually had to change in Delhi on last night. Couple of shops had no Kingfisher! Thought it was an interesting name for a beer

 

[craven morehead]

Actually had to change in Delhi on last night. Couple of shops had no Kingfisher! Thought it was an interesting name for a beer

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What was the ABV % on the Carlsberg Premium Strong ?

I have come across the Kingfisher 8% beer over in NZ previously. Naturally I had to try it

 

[RB]

What was the ABV % on the Carlsberg Premium Strong ?

I have come across the Kingfisher 8% beer over in NZ previously. Naturally I had to try it

Think it was around 7.1%-I believe you can get it at Dans. Found an old photo of a strong beer I tried in Lucerne back in 2009- the ones from this trip all tasted fine, the Maximator didn't really taste like beer

 

[craven morehead]

Think it was around 7.1%-I believe you can get it at Dans. Found an old photo of a strong beer I tried in Lucerne back in 2009- the ones from this trip all tasted fine, the Maximator didn't really taste like beer

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Wow! 11.6% - Would be more of a minimum session on the Maximator

 

[RB]

Bhopal to Khajuraho
This travel day coincided with a Hindu/Shiva festival and the roads in and on the way out of Bhopal were even more crowded-some roads closed with unmarked detours required. Really did fell sorry for the pig who did not look comfortable riding side-saddle on a motorbike. Things certainly appeared to be drier & less irrigation evident when looking from the road.





I was wondering how long we were going to be hemmed in








A couple of videos I shot on this day

 

[RB]

Much drier in sections


This fellow was rolling his way along the road. His supporters were laying down the material for him

 

[bussyboy]

Driving in India is amazing! How there are not more collisions/accidents is a testament to the culture of drivers and the culture in general - truly everyone looking out for each other.

This said, I also witnessed what was likely a fatal motorcycle accident occur at high speed - the rider without a helmet or usual protective gear which we take for granted in Australia - so road safety standards perhaps have some way to go.

 

[RB]

Driving in India is amazing! How there are not more collisions/accidents is a testament to the culture of drivers and the culture in general - truly everyone looking out for each other.

This said, I also witnessed what was likely a fatal motorcycle accident occur at high speed - the rider without a helmet or usual protective gear which we take for granted in Australia - so road safety standards perhaps have some way to go.

They certainly seem to look after each other. The overall road toll is horrible to read though & I hope the vastly improved roads & vehicle safety features help. The sheer numbers on the roads is obviously a limitation to improvements

 

[VeniVidiVici]

Much drier in sections
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This fellow was rolling his way along the road. His supporters were laying down the material for him
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How very Pat Mullins of him!