Ravishing Rajasthan !!

        "Errrr..Inconvenience is regretted..!" This is just a two-liner to inform to you all that I have decided to put the Mumbai-series on hold for a while. Why, you might ask? Because I had recent been to a place I was told NOT TO VISIT AT ANY COST in the month of July. And quite honestly, I'm extremely eager to share my experience with you all.
However, this post is going to be a tad bit different than my previous posts. You'll know as you read on.

Before the marathon begins, there are a few things I want to share.
1. In Rajasthan, DO NOT trust the guides you hire at the tourist spots, when it comes to negotiating guide charges. They will most definitely  rip you off. (Unless you hire a proper guide with receipt.).
 [This guy said he'd charge us Rs.100 and we agreed. After the tour, he said we'd agreed on Rs.200. It was just horrible.]
2. When in Jaipur, make sure you walk on the footpath at all times. Otherwise, chances are you'll get hit by a bus/car/bike or even a cycle.

Because it is your responsibility to try to stay alive, not theirs.



3. And if you manage to survive the traffic, just put on those ear plugs, cause everyone-I mean EVERYONE- with some form of vehicle, loves to honk. I mean, quiet is just so old fashioned..!! Right?!! *sigh*
4. Make sure that you do a little homework and decide the places you want to visit before you go and hire a vehicle. Otherwise, you'll end up visiting only those places that your vehicle owner wants you to visit.

And now,some food and shopping tips:
1. When in Rajasthan, make sure you try all types of Bengali sweets,esp. Malai roll. Also, do try Ras Malai, Ghewar, Meethi Kachori and Balushahi.
2. Dal Kachori, Dal Bati Churma and Lassi are their specialty and should definitely be on your list.
3. Almost everywhere, you'll find shokeepers selling the "100 gm Rajai"- which is a quilt that weighs just 100 gms. Its a good bargain for any price under Rs.550.
4. If you are into jewellery, you are in for a treat. There is a great variety in bangles, necklaces, earings, etc. The Meenakari work is their specialty.
5. ALWAYS shop from the local markets rather than emporiums and boutiques. You will get the same thing at almost 3/4th of the price. [Your car/auto driver will take you to some shop which is supposedly "government approved". Do not fall prey to their tactics and ask him to drive you to the local market.]

Jodhpur local market: Sardar and Girdikot market.
Jaipur local market: Johri bazaar, Bapu bazaar,Nehru Bazaar.

Yeah! That was quite it !

 Well, there is a great saying that goes:
 "If a picture is worth a thousand words, then here is my story"-Isha Pradhan... :P :D.
And abiding to the phenomenal statement, I present to you, my journey to Rajasthan !!! I hope you all enjoy it.

UDAIPUR:

..And the journey begins!

A view of the balcony- Hotel Sita

And the lobby at night.

On the way to Nagda

Nadga- The old capital of Mewar

Another glimpse

A beautiful mural at Nagda

Exquisite carving

On our way out...

The Jaisamand lake

Rocks at Jaisamand- A view from the boat

Boating at lake Pichola

Leela palace,Lake Pichola (owned by Leelas group)

Time to go to Karni Mata temple(behind Lake Pichola)

Karni Mata temple

A view from the top- Udaipur

City palace- Udaiput

Cite palace- From the top

Thank you sky for the dramatic effect

Maharana Pratap museum and art gallery

Saheliyon ki Badi

JODHPUR:

Udaipur to Jodhpur

A stop at Ranakpur

...And off we go again..

Umaid Bhavan palace, Jodhpur

The magnanimous Mehrangarh fort

Inside the fort

"Mommy! Can I have this room please? "

And of course a perfect fleet of stairs!

Bye-bye fort. Hello 'Osian camel camp'..!!

"Umm..Lemme just take a pose" (Osian)

Atop a camel- Yayy!! :D (Osian)

JAIPUR:

Albert Hall, Jaipur

The famous markets of Jaipur

Jantar Mantar

Another view of Jantar Mantar

Jal Mahal

Kanak Vrindavan

Nahargarh fort

Perfection..!! <3

Amber fort (Beware of tour guides here. Total waste of money!)

The famous Sheesh mahal

A view from top of the Amber fort

And a trip to Jaipur is incomplete without a visit to the Hawa Mahal

Who'd have thought Hawa Mahal could look like this from the inside??!!

THE END

   I hope you all enjoyed the post. And Rajasthan, I feel, is even more beautiful during monsoon!! So, if you plan to visit Rajasthan anytime after July 10, I'd say go for it..!! I haven't included the details like my hotel stay or the cost of travelling, etc. If you want me to include that, do comment below..

Thanks for checking out my blog! See you soon. Till then, adios!

FOODZONED!

      Yes! I have been officially foodzoned by my friends. I am that girl who craves butter, who eats a spoonful of cheese without hurting her conscience and then there is the unusual amount of fast food to add to it. And being a pure non-vegetarian doesn’t really help my pocket either! :D . I’ve been to a lot of joints and restaurants but I’ve handpicked a few of my favorite eat outs.

I’m not really following an order  here (from least to most favorite or vice a versa), like I did in my last post.  So here it is!

 1.   POP TATE'S

       

 I’ve probably been to this restaurant (or probably the’ un-restaurant’ as they like to call it), more than I’ve been anywhere else. I love everything about this place, right from the ambience to the food. 

        They have these old movie posters hung around the restaurant- teem that up with dim lights and voila! You have the perfect ambience for a casual dinner with your friends.

Whether I try new things on their menu or not, as a rule, I most definitely order 2 things:

• Chicken Barbeque Pizza
• Chicken Lasagna

     And I’d recommend that to anybody who ever happens to give that place a visit. If you are a vegetarian, then try Paneer Barbeque pizza instead. But honestly, this place is not really recommended for you!

Pop Tate's on Zomato: Click Here! (They have branches)

  2.  PICCADILLY

        This one really isn’t a restaurant. It’s more like a small Iranian, Lebanese café on a corner at Colaba Causeway. I actually accidentally happened to discover this amazing place while shopping at Causeway. 

        They serve Shwarma, a whole different bunch of other rolls, sandwiches, burgers, deserts, etc. When here, any type of Shawarma (or Roll) is recommended.  All of them are amazing! They have almost 5 to 6 different options you can choose from.

         For vegetarians, there are veg rolls as well but I haven’t tried one myself, so no comments on that.

         And then there is that amazing, mouth watering caramel custard! It’s a tad bit costly for its quantity but the taste is heavenly!

           In all, it is value for money. Do visit Piccadilly the next time you happen to be in Colaba. Its a nice spot to rest after all the tiring shopping! :P

Piccadilly on Zomato: Click Here! ( They have no branches)

   3. URBAN TADKA

      This is a proper Indian restaurant. They have managed to create a traditional Indian ambience here. The water they serve has Tulsi suspended in it (Tulsi is considered to be a purifier). The plates are made of brass and you can see the waiters in a Punjabi attire. 

      Talking about the food, Ambarsariya chicken with a Roti or Naan is a must!! Amongst other things, try Chicken Tandoori and Biriyani - totally out of the world !

And vegetarians, be sure to try Sarson da Saag and Makai di Roti. Yumm!! I honestly did not expect I'd savour THAT of all the things.

       For deserts, hot Jelebis coupled with Rabdi is a definite YES! This one time I happened to score a complementary plate and it has been on my list ever since!

Urban Tadka on Zomato: Click Here! (They have branches.)

   4.  BUNGALOW 9

      Now, enter here only if you are ready shell out more than a 1000 bucks. And if you are, congratulations! You’ve just bought yourself a lunch/dinner at one of the most amazing places in Mumbai. Bungalow 9 is located in a quiet neighborhood at Bandra. It is some 15-20 minute walk from the Bandra station, in all quiet easily reachable. 

      The whole ambiance is just breathtaking. This place is meant for celebrating those special moments in your life! You'll know what I'm talking about when you actually go there.

       The pizzas here are really good.  And also be sure to try the crab cakes. Rest I’d say is upon your taste. Preferably visit after evening. The lights add charm to the existing beauty.

        

    

Bungalow 9 on Zomato: Click Here! (They have no branches.)

    5.  CCD

      Yes! Café Coffee Day is one of favorite joints :P. I have a sweet tooth and coffee tooth (Yeah!?!  Like that’s a real thing!!). And what better place than our very own CCD to gratify both these desires, right? I’m sure I don’t need to list the whole menu here for anyone because maybe you have been to CCD far more than I have. 

      But just to put it out there, if CCD were a car, then ‘Choco-Hola’ would be the steering, if CCD were a football match, then Choco-Hola would be the goal. You get the idea, right?! :P :P. 

     Apart from that I love almost everything ‘coffee’. And if you get bored of coffee and are lucky enough to get it, ‘Snowy Vanilla Frappe’ is the way to go! (For some strange reason, only one CCD outlet so far happened to have the ‘Snowy’ part of it!)

      

CCD on Zomato: Really??!!!

  6. AHMED BHAI'S

     Now whoever has gone to college in and around Nerul is sure to know about this place. It’s one awesome place. Every bite is delicious! I won’t really list out the ‘best’ dishes here. Almost everything is worth a try. 

     Plus, they recently renovated their hotel and it looks even better. They have a separation between tables (as in the above picture) , which gives you your privacy while creating a perfect atmosphere for a nice evening out with your small group of friends.

      

      

 Ahmed Bhai's on Zomato:  Click Here! (They have no branches.)

So, that was my list of all the places I absolutely love to visit. If you have some places you want to share with me, do drop in the names in the comments! I will definitely try my best to give it a visit.

That's all folks! Adios! Keep reading.

Check out my post on a few amazing Mumbai Weekend Getaway destinations!