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Solo Trip to India and Nepal
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  • Happy Days Travel

Solo Trip to India and Nepal

This is my first solo overseas trip since Mark died earlier this year. I'm excited to return to India and to explore Nepal for the first time, but it will be strange not to have Mark with me to share the experience with. Read more
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  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Local grocery market and snacks

    February 1 in India ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We then walked through the local grocery market. There was a lot of jaggery on sale. This is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in colour. It contains up to 50% sucrose, up to 20% invert sugars, and up to 20% moisture, with the remainder made up of other insoluble matter, such as wood ash, proteins, and bagasse fibres. Jaggery is very similar in taste to muscovado sugar. Manish explained to us that jaggery is only sold in the winter months when it is an important source of heat-producing calories.

    Our route then took us along a whole street of metal pot sellers - the kind we saw being made earlier in the tour. This led to a street of wedding shops selling everything needed for the reception party. Being a Sunday, many of these shops were closed, but we still saw groups of tribes women who had come into town from outlying rural areas to shop for wedding paraphernalia. 

    We stopped at a sweet shop to try some traditional Rajasthani confectionery. I passed on these - they are basically 100% sugar. I did try a kachori at the next stop, though. These are dough balls stuffed with a spicy lentil mix and deep fried. They are served in a tamarind syrup. They sell for just 20 rupees each and are a filling snack.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Fruit, veg, and spice markets

    February 1 in India ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Our next stop was at a local fruit and veg market, where I saw gram seeds in their raw state - I think for the first time. These small bright green 'fruits' are dried to become dal or dried and ground as garam flour.

    Nothing that we saw at the market is grown in Rajasthan. The state is too dry. So, farmers or their agents from other states come into the city early every morning and sell their produce to the ladies at the market, who then sell on to the public.

    At the nearby spice market, we watched mustard being pressed to make mustard oil. The farmers bring their crop to the guy who owns the press who extracts the oil for them at no charge. He then makes his money by keeping the waste product and selling that as animal feed. 

    The crisp maker was amazing! He was creating a range of flavours, frying them in a huge wok. He was mainly using potatoes, but was also producing banana and mango varieties. We got a mixed bag to try. They were delicious! I particularly enjoyed the mint flavour.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Potteries and a parade

    February 1 in India ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Potteries were the next thing we saw. Single families do the whole process from beginning to end.

    We then walked headlong into a noisy, colourful parade with people of all ages dancing, playing instruments, and wearing orange. The occasion was joyous. I was dragged into the action. When the procession had finally gone by, I asked Manish what it was for. He said it was to promote relugious faith and remind everyone to attend the temple, especially children.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Local artisans in Udaipur

    February 1 in India ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Our first stop was at a metalworker's workshop. He was beating copper by hand to make water carriers that are used in the winter months. (Clay ones are preferred in the summer as they keep the water cooler.)

    As we walked on through the residential streets, Manish pointed out the paintings of elephants and horses in procession around the doors and on the outside walls of some of the houses. These indicate that someone in the family who the house belongs to has got married. The fresher the paint, the more recent the wedding.

    We then stopped to watch elderly ladies making disposable plates and bowls from leaves. Traditionally, these were used at weddings. Sadly, couples now tend to prefer plastic alternatives.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Jagdish Temple, Udaipur

    February 1 in India ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    I had booked a 'non-touristy' walking tour this morning with Manish. We were meeting at 9.50 on the steps of Jagdish Temple just down the road, so I went to the nearby Legacy Café for breakfast. I've had my eye on it for a few days. I ordered poha like we made last night and black coffee. It was delicious and only cost me 60 rupees (about 50p!).

    Manish was on time and we were soon joined by the only other participant - a guy from Mumbai. We began by visiting the temple itself. Manish proved to be an excellent guide and provided information on the local area, as well as India as a whole. 

    Jagdish Temple is one of the most architecturally and artistically significant temples in north India. It was built by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1652. Construction took 25 years. All of the thousands of intricate carvings on this marble structure were done by hand.

    This temple was the only 'tourist spot' on this tour. From now on, Manish led us through the back streets of Udaipur where ordinary people live and work away from the prying eyes of tourists (except me! 😂).    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Rajasthani cooking class

    January 31 in India ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    From the palace, I walked down the street to buy some fruit, and then went back to my hotel to work for a few hours before my Rajasthani cooking class with my host here at Black Pepper.

    The class started at 5. It was me and an Australian couple, Barry and Ann. It was good fun, and I enjoyed chatting with them. Durga, my host, was feeling a bit under the weather, but she still helped us to create a feast of traditional Rajasthani vegetarian food. We had masala chai and poha to start with. The latter is traditionally eaten for breakfast. It is steamed, flattened rice stir fried with spices and lemon and topped with sev and red onion. It's very tasty. For main course, we made Dal Baati Churma. This is hard wheat rolls (bati) broken and dipped in ghee, served with lentil curry (dal) and topped with crushed poppadoms. It was another tasty dish, but very carb heavy! I tasted the sweet doughballs we made for dessert, but didn't have a whole one 😀.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    City Palace, Udaipur

    January 31 in India ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    My plan this morning was to visit City Palace, just a short walk from where I'm staying. All the advice was to go early, so I was up in good time and went for breakfast at the Namaste Café just across the alleyway. It looked like a bit of a dive, but the Puri Bhaji was delicious and thie coffee wasn't half bad, either!

    After breakfast, I walked up to the palace. It is an imposing building that you catch glimpses of wherever you are in Udaipur. The main gate and location of the ticket office is Badi Pol. The inscription written in Persian dates it to 1616. The chatris (towers topped with domes), located on either side of the Badi Pol, were added at the end of the 1600s.

    Once you are through the main gate, you arrive at the Tripoliya, an exquisitely carved triple arched gate built in 1711. It provides a spectacular entry into the Manek Chowk, the main public courtyard of the palace complex.

    Unfortunately for me, much of both the outer and inner courtyards were hidden from view by construction work. This isn't part of any necessary renovation programme. Instead, it is preparation for a huge wedding which is costing millions of rupees to stage. The family of the bride have hired the entire city palace. Work on the set up and staging is taking a month and involves hundreds of contractors. I've never seen anything like it! I'm just glad I was able to visit at all. I'm told that if the wedding party pay enough, the whole place can be shut to tourists completely for several weeks!

    The reason why the palace is here at all is an amusing if apochryphal story. On March 16, 1559, Rana Udai Singh was blessed with a grandson, Amar Singh. The Rana took his grandson to pay a customary visit to the Shrine of Shri Eklingji in order to receive blessings from the family deity. On his return, the Rana went to hunt. He killed a hare at the spot marked just inside Badi Pol. He placed a stone to mark it, considering it an auspicious location. The Rana saw smoke coming from a nearby hill. He climbed the hill and met an ascetic who told him to build his palace and capital city on the spot where he had killed the hare. So, the foundation stone was laid!

    Elephants are an integral part of the historic army of Mewar. They struck fear into the hearts of the enemy and represented the strength and strategic might of the Mewar legacy. They were well looked after and were regularly assessed to make sure they were battle ready and in the best condition. A striking sculpture has been erected in their honour. 

    Tigers were also housed in a cage in the courtyard to represent the Mewar Kingdom's dominence.

    The Mewar family is the longest serving dynasty in the world. They are direct descendants of Shree Ram, considered the Supreme Being in Rama-centric Hindu traditions.

    The City Palace today is actually a series of palaces linked by elaborate courtyards and corridors. There are hundreds of rooms to explore. It can feel quite overwhelming to visit. I limited myself to things I was particularly interested in (like the horse armour with added imitation trunks to create the illusion that the horses were baby elephants to deceive the enemies elephants into not attacking them!) and spent a very pleasant three hours wandering around.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Nehru Park

    January 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After lunch, Sajid was there as promised. He took me to a newly built jetty (there was a strong smell of fresh paint!) to catch a ferry across Fateh Sagar Lake to Nehru Park island. This completely artificial garden is a magnet for Indian Instagrammers. It really wasn't my sort of place! After a long wait for a return ferry, I'd had enough, so I asked Sajid to take me back to my hotel. I refused his offer of a look around a textile shop on the way!

    I got Sajid to drop me off a little way from Black Pepper and went for a coffee. I then spent what was left of the evening editing photos and updating Penguins.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Garden of the Maidens

    January 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Next, he took me to a much more pleasant place. Saheliyan Ki Bari (Garden of the Maidens) was created by Maharana Sangram Singh in 1730 for the entertainment of royal ladies and their maids. It is a beautiful space, full of green lawns, well-kept flower beds, and fountains. Inevitably, there were hundreds of Indian tourists taking selfies at every turn, but I found a quiet bench and read my book for a while. It was nice to have a breather in the middle of such a hectic day.

    Salim then drove me to Jhumar restaurant with lake views for lunch. He dropped me off and told me that when I came out, his son Sajid would be waiting for me to guide me for the rest of the day as he had to go to the mosque to pray. The restaurant was more expensive than anywhere I would choose for myself, but I went with it and had a mutton dish with jeera rice and flaky paratha.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Ahar Cenotaphs

    January 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Our next stop was at the Ahar Cenotaphs, 250 marble cenotaphs belonging to the royal family and noblemen. The area is closed to the general public, but Salim stopped outside the gates to explain the horrific custom of suttee, a historical Hindu practice in India where a widow immolated herself on her husband's funeral pyre, embodying extreme wifely devotion, though often involving coercion or societal pressure. It was outlawed by the British in 1829 but continued to happen until around 100 years ago. The cenotaphs are marked to show how many women (wives and their maids) sacrificed themselves when their husband died. The most is 17!

    Although, the royal enclosure is off limits, another part of the graveyard is open to the public, so Salim dropped me off there to have a look around.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Karni Mata Temple

    January 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    From the lake, Salim drove me to the cable car that would take me to Karni Mata Temple at the top of Machla Magra Hill. From the summit, I got sweeping 360° views of Udaipur and its lakes. It was a little hazy, but spectacular nevertheless. While I was up there, I enjoyed a large freshly cut fruit salad for just 100 rupees - bargain!Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Day trip in a tuk-tuk

    January 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    I didn't sleep well for some unknown reason, so I was up in plenty of time for my trip today. I went for breakfast, and had the worst omelette in India so far! I think I was spoiled by Maya and Mandrem Beach Shack!

    By 9am, I was back outside Black Pepper waiting for Salim, my guide who was taking me on a tuk-tuk tour of the city. While I was standing there, I was being bothered by a very frisky street dog! Fortunately, plenty of local passers-by took pity on me and shooed him away (he wasn't taking any notice of my efforts!).

    When Salim arrived, he headed straight out of the city to our first stop at Fateh Sagar Lake. Once there, I had the opportunity to walk around and take some photos. This artificial lake constructed in the 1680s is named after Maharana Fateh Singh of Udaipur and Mewar. It's a favourite spot for families and courting couples, but at such an early hour, I had the place pretty much to myself.    Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Coffee with a view

    January 29 in India ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Later, I returned to the hotel, ostensibly to do some work, but I was too cold to concentrate 😂. That's a first in India!

    So, I had my leftovers from yesterday and ventured out again. I put socks and shoes on to see if I could, ahead of tomorrow's trip. The short answer is 'no'! I was soon in agony, so I went for a coffee and treated myself to a slice of walnut pie which was far too sweet for me. The view was nice, though!Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Udaipur old city

    January 29 in India ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    After the museum, I ventured further around the old city. I didn't want to visit any more attractions because I've booked a tuk-tuk tour tomorrow which will include some of them.

    There are numerous textile and craft shops to browse around, and the city is just so full of colour and character. I love it! I probably took far too many photos!! 😀Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Creepy puppets 😀

    January 29 in India ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Some of the original 138 rooms, balconies, terraces, courtyards, and numerous corridors now house displays of puppets, weapons, paintings, and much more. Listen to the commentary on my video of the puppet museum - I think it was more creepy because I was the only one there! Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit 😊.Read more

  • Happy Days TravelSolo Trip to India and NepalTraveler

    Bagore Ki Haveli Museum

    January 29 in India ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After eating, I went to Bagore Ki Haveli Museum. The building it is in was originally constructed by Shri Amar Chand Badwa, Prime Minister of Mewar from 1751 to 1778. After his death, the haveli was bought by Maharaj Nath Singh who extended it and created a grand palace. It remained in his family until 1930 when it was taken over by the Mewar State. It was allowed to fall into ruin, but in 1986, 5 years of extensive renovation work began, resulting in the museum we see today.Read more

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