We were back in Dharamkot after the failed attempt to trek to Kareri lake. Our trip was coming to an end, unfortunately, I always hate this part. We had to board a bus to Delhi and from there take a train back to Mumbai. We checked out early from Internet guest house for some last minute shopping in the little Tibetan market in McLeod Ganj.

We walked down the main market road of McLeod Ganj, where lots of Tibetan artifacts were sold, like the singing bowls, wool work, hand bags, incense sticks and lots more. We bought some herbal incense, some carry bags and a book cover for the family. Although we wouldn’t recommend to buy incense as it doesn’t seem to stay lit for long.

A travel companion recommended we tried out Tibetan specialty butter tea at Olga cafe, situated in the heart of the market. It was nice, very different in taste, cost just Rs 15 a cup.

On getting back to Bombay we realized its possible to make that butter tea with the local Amul butter, and it tasted the same.
After that we rushed to board the bus that was leaving from the depot just a couple of minutes away. Our journey was quick, no hang ups this time, we arrived in Delhi around 6.30 am to be surrounded by taxi and rickshaw guys trying to fleece us. After bargaining we managed to hook up a taxi ride to a friend’s house in Gurgaon.

The funniest moment of our trip, we realized that another friend had not managed to get tickets for us to get back to Mumbai. We had to bear the scorching heat of Delhi, it was hot, really hot. We were amazed to find people walking about in the 42 degree Celsius temperature.

We had nothing to do in Gurgaon and it would be impossible to get a train ticket at this short notice. So the only option was to cover approximately 1200 km by road in a bus. Sounds a lot, but it turned out to be super fun. We rested the day we arrived and the next day was an unbelievable journey to buy our bus tickets, an adventure in itself.

We set off in the early evening from the house, we had to catch a Tum tum (an oversized rickshaw) that had eleven people already in it to get to Rajeev chowk. Once we were there we caught a normal rickshaw that took us up to the border of Gurgaon and Delhi.

We waited for twenty minutes here before hopping onto a Delhi public transport bus, surprise surprise the conductor of the bus is smoking and making fun of the passengers. It was strange to see something like this, in Mumbai no one is allowed to smoke in buses, this behavior by a bus conductor was odd.

Another comparison, in Delhi the conductor sits on a seat and you have to go to him for a ticket, if the ticket collector steps in and you do not have a ticket, you are charged. We were in Delhi, but the journey was not over a short walk and then a rickshaw to take us to the metro.

From the metro we got off and took a peddling rickshaw and at last we reached the spot where we could get our bus tickets. We got tickets for a bus to Udaipur and then from Udaipur to Mumbai. It was going to be a long long bus ride back, but we thought it would be a good way to end our adventure around Himachal.

The journey was pleasant, we had a nice double sleeper to ourselves that was quite comfortable. The bus left a little later than expected from Delhi, we were in no hurry but just relieved to be in a double sleeper. It stopped on the way for dinner, and then somewhere in Rajasthan early morning for tea.

On the way we spotted a government authorized bhang shop, a drink made out of Marijuana.
The journey through Rajasthan was scenic, the landscape so different, India is really a huge country with so much of variation in nature and cultures in every state and sometimes within the state as well.

We passed by rivers and trees, houses made of mud and some of concrete. By noon we were in Udaipur, it was getting really hot, the dry heat of the desert can really get to you. When we got off the bus we confirmed the timing for the connecting bus to Mumbai, which would depart after four and half hours. This time, not really tired, instead of resting we decided to hire a rickshaw to take us to a hotel, then a site-seeing tour around Udaipur and then head back to the hotel and finally the bus stop. For the entire trip he charged us Rs 400.

We chugged down a couple of beers, freshened up, had a quick meal and were on our way in the rickshaw. To be honest some of the sites in Udaipur are hilarious like the one below, Swaroop Sagar which is a man made lake!

The next stop was a little garden called the Aravali Vatika garden, this too was a funny destination for a tourist, its just a tiny little garden with nothing really fascinating, we were wondering what kind of a site seeing tour this is!

Next was the stretch of Fateh Sagar lake, this place I recollected, I had seen it ages ago with my parents, we had driven around a huge part of India. The stretch of road and the particular spot where the shops were present had not changed.

Far away in the distance we could see a statue of a man on a horse. We were told that it was Maharana Pratap and his trusted horse Chetak. The horse Chetak also has a circle named after it in Udaipur.

On the same stretch our rickshaw driver stopped and asked us if we wanted to ride a horse or camel, I was not keen but Bhavika really wanted to. So she sat on the camel and was as you can clearly see terrified to an extent. Though she still claims she enjoyed it.


We were on the same stretch of Fateh Sagar Lake and came across a sign asking people to keep the place clean, while two dogs napped under it thankful for the shade provided from the scorching sun.
We asked the rickshaw driver to halt in order to capture the paintings on the facade of a toilet. Little ahead we saw another colorful stretch filled with traditional paintings, symbolising the culture of Rajasthan. Its a such treat to have pictures on a space which would other wise be dull and blank. It certainly would be pleasant to spend an evening at the promenade staring into the lake. Pictures speak a thousand words, and the wall enclosing another tourist attraction, Saheliyon ki Bari, was painted with different scenes depicting the lifestyle of people from this vibrant state.
Saheliyon ki Bari meaning Garden of the Maids, is a popular tourist attraction in Udaipur. It has an interesting story as well. The garden was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh as a retreat for his queen and 48 maids who accompanied her to Udaipur as part of her dowry. It gives a glimpse of their bygone lifestyle. The long walk ways, lush green lawns, blooming flowers, surrounded by fountains, chiseled kiosks and marble elephants take you on a different journey through time. There were three huge gates before you enter a courtyard with a central tank that had a white marble umbrella-shaped fountain in the center and black marble umbrella-shaped sheds at the corners. I could imagine the royal ladies relaxing by the water body, and enjoying the surroundings. Our rickshaw driver-cum-guide told us that many Hindi films have been shot here, although I am not sure which ones. The majestic garden is worth a visit. Next we moved on to City Palace, which is on the banks of Lake Pichola. The entry was some Rs 50 per person, but to take the camera in they were charging Rs 500, which was way too expensive for a short time, and there was no place we could leave the camera. So we skipped City Palace, and instead had some sweet soda at one of the stalls to cool down from the terrible heat in Udaipur.

Outside such a popular tourist location there had to be souvenir and handicraft shops cluttered on either sides of the road. Jagat Shiromaniji temple outside the entrance to City palace. We had to catch the connecting bus to Mumbai in less than two hours, so there was not time left. We made quick visit to Lake Pichola, an artificial fresh water lake, and the adjacent Bagore ki Haveli. Lake Pichola had dried up due to lack of rain, and it also faces threats due to dumping of solid, liquid waste, disposal of sewage etc.

That’s the Lake Palace heritage hotel built in the middle of the dried lake. A shepherd with his herd of sheep that had finished grazing on the grass around the palace. On the banks of Pichola is the 18th century built, Bagore ki Haveli, which has been converted into a museum. While walking out to enter the haveli, the old man starts playing tunes on his Sarinda, he displayed some skills to coax us into buying one of them, we ended up tipping him for his melodious tunes instead. The Palace was built in the 18th century and restored in the 1980s and then a museum was set up in its complex. The entry is very small of Rs 5 to Rs 10, and no extra cost for the camera. While we walked around the huge haveli, an old man played a traditional Rajasthani instrument to add to the experience. In the corridor was this huge chariot, known as Indra viman, constructed 125 years ago by Rajasthan of Jhalawar. Its made of iron, wood, bamboo and leather, and was pulled by two elephants. The local deity was carried in this chariot in a procession during religious festivals. The haveli has 138 rooms, balconies, courtyards, terraces and numerous corridors. That’s why it took 5 years to carry out the restoration work in this haveli.
The walk through the corridor was amazing, I couldn’t imagine walking through 138 rooms, how did they manage in the olden times? Of course they had servants, maids etc., but how many rooms were actually used? Would they remember the location of each room? Countless questions like these crossed my mind as I tried to make most of the short time we had here.

Right on the first level was the royal dressing room. The colorful glass in the interiors was fascinating, there was a small opening at the bottom of it and a mattress at the side of it. Probably a place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea. Also on display were jewelery boxes and trunks. From there we entered the entertainment room where the Mewar family played some popular indoor games like chess, snakes and ladders, chaupad, to name a few. In this room, women of the royal household played during leisure hours with their friends. One of the rooms showed photos of the restoration work in progress at the haveli, and they looked so different and the haveli was in a dilapidated condition.
A stroll around the haveli you will see the private quarters of the royal ladies, bath rooms, dressing rooms, bed rooms, living rooms, worship rooms and recreation rooms.

Just at the steps leading to the lower level, displayed on the wall was this beautiful peacock work created with small pieces of colored glass, it really captivates your imagination. In another room a giant-sized turban is on display, made in such a way that each side gives you a different style of wearing it in different states. This is the turban of Rajasthan, a different style in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The basement had various wall paintings, frescoes, murals depicting the lifestyle, customs of the royal family. I am not sure as to what this depicts, a bird flying out of a man’s mouth, seems very interesting! The haveli is lit up in the evening and it stages traditional dance and cultural performance. So many tourists come to enjoy the cultural event in a perfect ambiance.

We rushed back to the rickshaw which took us to the hotel where our bags were kept, we cleared the bill, the room was for Rs 300 for just 4 hours, and the food too was quite reasonable.

We reached on time for the bus, our tickets to Mumbai were of non-AC sleeper, but for some reason we were lucky to get shifted into AC at no extra cost. Of course the bus company tried to coax us to shift to the AC for a very cheap deal, but we refused and in the end they just shifted us as they had sold our seats to some other passengers.

We thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride, it was so much better than the train journey. We got our own space in the bus, we could chill and enjoy the end of our month-long trip to Himachal. It was a memorable trip that took us to some beautiful places, some untouched, some commercial. we met lovely and heart-warming locals, who were so hospitable that words are difficult to describe. That’s the excitement of traveling, we hope we can embark on a new journey real soon!

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