Rajasthan revealed: From Fatehpur Sikri to Jaipur and Bikaner - India (part 1)

An elephant ride to the Amber Fort entrance, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Photo by Molly McCahan.

An early morning in India is worth getting up for. There’s an eerie silence that pervades the air, a quietude that’s rare in this hectic country. Street hawkers are still asleep. Tourists have yet to emerge for the day. Temple bells are silenced. Even the auto rickshaws sit dormant for a time.

On the road by 7:00am, we’re ahead of the entourage of cows, goats, sheep, and mad dogs who have yet to awaken for the day‘s foraging. We’ve hired a car and driver for our two-week tour, which is relatively affordable, and more important, allows us to get off the beaten path a little more easily. We have grand plans and a lot of ground to cover, so it’s good that we’re getting an early start.

We make our way west from Agra in Uttar Pradesh to the state of Rajasthan, India’s largest in area, sharing the highway with huge camel carts piled high with everything under the sun. Camels are a common mode of transportation here, and as is no surprise, they don’t move as quickly as the modern car. Hence the reason it takes twice as long to get anywhere. And don’t get any grand ideas about the word “highway.” Most of Rajasthan is connected by dusty two-lane roads that stretch as far as the eye can see. A modern-day multi-lane freeway this is not, although luckily for us and the camel drivers, it is paved.

In addition to being the largest Indian state, Rajasthan is also one of the most visited by Westerners, and for good reason. Tourists flock here in droves to explore the impressive palaces, forts, and colorful architecture that blanket the area; to embark on exciting camel and tiger safaris; to seek solace amid vast desert landscapes; and to lay their heads at night in one of the many havelis (old mansions) that have been converted into luxurious heritage hotels quite affordable by Western standards. It’s safe to say that Rajasthan has a lot to offer anyone headed to India.

Our first stop, still in Uttar Pradesh but closely bordering Rajasthan, is Fatehpur Sikri, and we arrive a little worse for wear. After a mere 20 minutes on the road, we’ve had to plead with our driver, Vinder, to operate our tiny Tata compact car with a little more grace, if that’s even possible here. We’re in no hurry, we tell him. Please don’t pass the trucks and buses so closely, we whine. Slow down, we implore. Most of it goes in one ear and out the other, but after a few more attempts, we think we’ve gotten our message across, despite what appears to be a pretty heavy language barrier.

The capital of the Mughal empire from 1571-1585, Fatehpur Sikri is an ancient city complex that’s impressive enough to earn distinction as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was abandoned at the end of the 16th century, and a spooky feeling blankets the air here. We enter the marble tomb of Salim Chishti in silent reverence, then wander around for a while amid imposing palaces, serene mosques, and huge, red, crumbling sandstone structures.

After an hour or so we’re back in the car, careening toward the main attraction: Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Known as the “pink city,“ Jaipur’s main draw is the Amber Fort about seven miles outside the city, most popularly reached by a short elephant ride up the hill to the main entrance. After we alight from our giant beast and tip our mahout by placing our rupees in the elephant‘s shriveled trunk, we spend several delightful hours discovering what makes this place tick. Beautiful murals, frescoes, and paintings abound. Hidden courtyards pop into view around every turn. Langur monkeys frolic on the grounds below. The entire complex is magical.

Back in town, there’s plenty to see: an interesting museum in the old city palace, a wacky outdoor science observatory park, and the unique Hawa Mahal, or Palace of Winds, whose 950+ windows make for a stunning photo op. We spend two nights here in a family-run compound called Santha Bagh, complete with parakeets, peacocks, a resident owl, and even a swimming pool. Despite what many might think about the Indian desert, Rajasthan is pleasantly cool in December, so a dip in the unheated waters is out of the question on this visit.

On our last night, we enjoy a delicious traditional dinner at Handi, a restaurant recommended to us by Preeti, a Sikh tour guide of sorts, who graciously offers to pick us up from our guesthouse on demand. He’s been driving around Jaipur for 16 years in the same auto rickshaw, and as karma would have it, we found him while walking the streets. We feast on traditional chicken tikka kabobs, vegetable biryani, raita, naan, and my favorite - gulab jamun - for dessert. We return home fat and happy, and sleep like babies in our quiet retreat.

The trip to Bikaner proves uneventful, if not a tad boring. The highlight of the day is a wonderfully tasty lunch at a small nondescript roadside tourist restaurant. Despite wanting to eat like - and with - the locals, it seems that Vinder insists on taking us to Western-catering establishments, where he gets to eat for a small fee with the rest of the drivers, and we get lumped in with the busloads of elderly Germans. Despite the dreary atmosphere, we manage to find a quiet table on the lawn, and indulge in delicious chana masala, dum aloo, roti, and generous helpings of basmati rice. The bill comes to about $5.00 for both of us, a pricey meal in India.

We reach Bikaner around 3:15pm, and while the town itself proves less than interesting, the Junagarh Fort there is worth a few hours. Despite our request to our travel agency to book us in modest two-star hotels, we find ourselves holed up in yet another haveli, this one called Bhairon Vilas, which, conveniently enough, is located right near the fort. We settle in to our room later that night, and gawk at the huge marble bathroom that’s built for a king. We’re mainly here to break up next day’s long drive to Jaisalmer, not far from the Pakistani border. Judging from our accommodations, it’ll be another peaceful night before we join the madness yet again.