India in Eight Days

They say the number eight means great wealth, good luck and all that positive vibes as also taught in Feng Shui. Though I'm not really that superstitious but I love this number anyways. :p

The initial plan was to travel with Alid, a good friend of mine from Indonesia and we were suppose to have this competition on whose itinerary was the best. I actually worked hard on mine so that the places I wanted to visit were on it. Guess it paid off (or Alid got lazy in planning his own version, haha) that my itinerary won without much protests. Hahaha.

And I later believed that this star itinerary of mine also attracted another traveler from Indonesia to join us! *gushes with pride* This was maybe my best planned itinerary yet! I was also highly influenced by another travel blogger of Philippines who just came back from India. Her famous blogpost on her own experience getting harassed in India during Holi heightened my survival instincts for this India trip. But actually, I was getting worried if Alid was the protector type. Thankfully, god planned that we had THREE other protectors as well during this trip. :)

My India trip was made more awesome with Addy, Yayan, and Mukhlis as our extra protectors. :) 

Day 1 - Touchdown at Kolkata International Airport

It was Alid's and I first time in meeting up with Suntea and also with Addy (Jakarta), Yayan and Mukhlis (Batam lads). We weren't going to travel together but every little moments we had together always meant something fun and a blessing. So only Suntea, Alid and I were together until the end and here were our itinerary. India at that time was peaking at 50 degrees during daytime.

• Board overnight sleeper class train from Kolkata to New Jalpaiguri (10 -12 hours)

Day 2 - Darjeeling

A quaint town up near the Himalayas. 

• The train arrived late to NJP by two hours! hahahaha! 
• After the train ride, we rode a shared jeep (have to wait till it is full before they take off) up to Darjeeling, costing us 200 rupees per person and takes around two to three hours to reach. It was a damn bumpy ride!
• Stayed for a night at some guest house that has free wi-fi. =P
• Nothing to do during that day as all the stores and restaurants were closed due to some political chaos earlier on that day. T__T

Day 3- Darjeeling Sight Seeing! 

• Read this here -->> Alid's post 
• We left Darjeeling to NJP to catch our train to Varansi at 17:15 pm. This time it was an overnight sleeper class ride that took around 14 hours to reach Varanasi. Muahaha!

Day 4 - Varanasi with Padhaaro Greeter and Couchsurfing Host

• Reached Varanasi at around 9 am and taken a sort-of mini van to our CS host named Arihant.
• Read more of our Varanasi experience here --->> Alid's post  (I'll bliog about mine later. haha)
• We also had the pleasure to meet up with Mr Gaurav who gallantly showed us around Varanasi via auto-rickshaw. You guys can arrange for a local greeter at this website http://www.padhaaro.com/ and it's for FREE!
• Watched a spiritual event called Gangga Arte near the ghat Dasasmawedh. Said to be held every evening at 7pm.
• That night was spent at an Indian wedding which Arihant brought us to. I "accidentally" videotaped Alid showing his Indian moves here. Hehehe. 

The young and vibrant Gaurav at Ram Nagar Fort.

Day 5 - Ganges River at Varanasi 

Morning activities at Ganges River.

• We took a boat ride at Ganges River and watched the sun go up. (alid's version)
• After that we traveled to Sarnath, a holy place for Buddha as this was the place where Gautama Buddha held his first teachings.
• Left varanasi for our next train ride to Agra at 17:20 pm. This time it will take us around 13 hours to reach Agra. :)

Day 6 - Agra with Addy

Picture credit to Suntea featuring the four of us on our Agra trip together.

• We got hold on to Addy by dropping by his hotel and ringing his room from the receptionist desk. Haha. We didn't have any working phone at that moment. Luckily Addy was still there!
• Hired a non-air-conditional car to take us to Fatehpur sikri which we successfully came in using local fares!! Then to Taj Mahal but only two of us succeeded. And lastly to Agra fort where all of us failed.
• This Agra trip marked the most adventurist and daring trip ever for trying to scam the entrance officers that we were locals. haha! Though sadly we weren't 100% successful. :)
• It was only a day trip and that night we had to catch a train to Jaipur via the 20:10 pm train. 

Day 7 - Jaipur with Hussey

• The train was horribly LATE!! And we didn't have no way to inform our couchsurfing host in Jaipur that we;ll be arriving late by almost 2 hours! I felt horrible!
• Reached Jaipur at almost 3 am.... but thankfully Hussey was still there waiting for us. Almost cried with joy when he showed up. :)
• Hussey brought us sight seeing around Jaipur as he now has a legal license as a tour guide and it was for free. We only paid for transport. 

Alid and Hussey enjoying the view of Jaipur from above at Tiger Fort during sunset.

• We enjoyed a sunset at Tiger Fort and later enjoyed a dinner of Nasi beriyani with another of my friend, Tanveer.

Day 8 - Back to Kolkata and then Malaysia

• We had to catch an 8:20 am local flight via Indigo from Jaipur to Kolkata. The flight took only 2 hours ++. 
• Stayed at the airport until our afternoon flight back to Kuala Lumpur. haha.
• Suntea was going to continue her India trip without Alid and I.
• Reunited with the Batam lads and Addy. :)

Reunited at Kolkata's international airport. Hehe.

Thus I end my short entry on my most recent India trip in May 2013 that covered five cities in 8 days. If I'm extra hardworking, I might blog about my personal experience in each city. But that will be much, muchhhhh later.

Till then, happy traveling!

Places to visit in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India - Part 2

I'm continuing part 2 on places I've visited in Jaipur. Part 1 can be read here. =)

I didn't actually visit all sites in one day. I did it in a span of three days. Hussey, my host was very kind to bring me to these places via motorbike but he didn't actually accompany me to enter. Hehe. It was more of a pick and drop off kind which I happily obliged since it avoids the hassle of finding other means of transport.

Moving to the next place on the list would be Amber Palace which is the closest site to Hussey's house. Seen every time we come back from town.

5. Amber Palace/Fort


Do note that you don't need to pay another Rp 200 to enter here when you already bought the Composite Entry Ticket mentioned here.

The view of Amber Fort from the road heading to Hussey's house.

Amber is located at a distance of 11 kilometers from Jaipur and was the old fort of the Kachhwaha clan of Amer, which used to be the capital. The capital was then moved to Jaipur. It is built on the hilltop and is a famous tourist attraction in Jaipur. Tourists often ride on the elephant back to the Singh pole and Jaleb Chowk. I found out that most of the elephants lives in Hussey's neighborhood. During the mornings you could see elephants walking in a single line through the narrow dirt paths with paint on their faces and their owners riding on top. To them, it was just another working day. To me, it was an awe-strikingly sight to behold. =)

Various pictures taken within Amber Fort.

The construction of the Amber Fort began in the year 1592 A.D. and was started by Raja Man Singh I. It was later completed by Sawai Jai Singh in the 18th century. The exterior of the fort is not in the least similar to its interiors. I've noticed that the outside was very imposing and rugged looking whereas the inside felt comforting and warm. The interior design was influenced by both the Hindu and Muslim style of ornamentation.

The huge entrance archway overlooking the main steps.

I liked it how on the walls there were paintings depicting various hunting scenes. There was also a lot of work on walls, displaying intricate carving, mosaic and minute mirror work that makes the halls look very majestic and imperial. I could easily get lost in its wonder. The fort is built with white marble and red sandstone and looks even more attractive because of the Maota lake in the foreground.

6. Albert Hall or also known as Jaipur Museum


Somebody asked me if this place had any relations to the famous Albert Hall in London. It was named after King Edward VII (Albert Edward), during his visit to the city as the Prince of Wales. Its foundation stone was laid on 6 February 1876. (source)

Albert Hall in its splendor.

In 1868 A.D. Sawai Ram Singh II built Ram Niwas Bagh, a lush spacious garden, Albert Hall stands on a plinth in the middle of that garden. The area surrounding this building is actually a wide area of greenery with neatly cropped grass.

Just love the interior design of this building!

The Albert Hall Museum is a fine example of Indo Sarcenic style of architecture designed by Sir Swinton Jacob. It was opened later with an exquisite collection of sculptures, paintings, decorative wares, natural history specimen and the Persian carpet.

7. Nagargarh Fort

It was the remaining place stated on my composite entry ticket that I have yet to visit. I didn't realize how far up this fort was until Hussey brought me there. The road heading to this fort was a winding one. We had to honk at each overtook corner to warn vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

Failure to do so could be fatal. =P

When we finally reached there, I was flabbergasted. The view was AMAZING!

We could see the whole town of Jaipur from here!

Nahargarh was initially built by Sawai Jai Singh and further strengthened by Sawai Ram Singh. It has nine apartments of the queens which are similar in design. It is a favorable picnic spot and is flocked by tourists and locals during rainy season. The panoramic view of the sprawling city below from here is worthy of praise!

During our way down, I kinda begged Hussey to stop for awhile so that I can sink in the view of Maota lake from above. Oh boy! The lake is certainly HUGE!

I can see Jal Mahal from here!

These site visits were only made possible by none other than Hussey, my couchsurfing host and his dependable black motorbike. Thanks a million!

Hussey and his award winning grin. Haha! 

8. Raj Mandir Cinema

The next stop in my unplanned itinerary was watching a Hindi Movie at the grand Raj Mandir theater. Haha! Hussey made arrangements so that his sister, niece and cousin would be accompanying me to watch a movie there.

We chose to watch Khiladi 786 starred by Akshay Kumar. The problem; there were no subtitles. But I managed to enjoy it thoroughly due to the straightforward and hilarious story-line. ^_^

Raj Mandir, 

Situated on the Bhagwan Das Road, near M.I. Road, the meringue-shaped auditorium opened in 1976, and over the years has seen many movie premieres of Hindi films It has become a popular symbol of Jaipur and was often referred as the Pride of Asia. (source) Despite its huge size, this theater is always packed with movie-goers and from my experience, most of them were men. I'm glad I've been able to experience a Bollywood film  here. Hehe. *barulah feel ye dak?

So that ends places I've visited during my stay at Jaipur. I know that there are many, MANY more places to go but I chose to spend the time at Hussey's house and absorbing their way of living. Aisehh.. hehe.

Maybe next time I'll cover other places. Insya'Allah. =)
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Places to visit in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India - Part 1

Last December 2012, I was in beautiful Jaipur of Rajasthan, staying for free at my host's house, Hussey at the outskirts of Jaipur called Amer. (read : couchsurfing) And having the fun of my life!

Most of my hard-earned money was pretty much spared since food and accommodation were wholly provided for. Not to mention free transport to the places I wanted to visit in and about Jaipur. Well, I did pay for the bike's gasoline. But that costs only 100 rupees only. No hal lah! .

So what is it about Jaipur that made me stay longer than intended? I couldn't get enough of the fairy-tale likeness of the palaces found here. I felt as if I was Jasmine from the movie Aladdin. Hehe.  I've listed all the places I've been to below.

1. The City Palace

It is located at the heart of Jaipur's bustling pink city and only a walk away from Hawa Mahal. The entrance ticket costs Rs 300.00.  It is a unique and arresting complex of several palaces, pavilions, gardens and temples. The most prominent and most visited structures in the complex are the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Mukut Mahal, Maharani's Palace, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum. (source)

Oh.. the word "mahal" means palace. =)

An archway heading towards the City Palace.

Clockwise from upper left : Diwan-I-Khas which was a private audience hall of the Maharajas (a marble floored chamber), a canon within the complex, entering the City Palace, and arch entrance of the palace.

The building in white is the Chandra Mahal or Chandra Niwas, the most commanding building in the City Palace complex

Former rulers still live in this palace and only the ground floor is open to the public. There's a museum called Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum there which houses some ancient carpets, manuscripts and other items that belonged to the royal family. I spent around an hour here. =)

2. Hawa Mahal 

Before entering Hawa Mahal, you could first get yourself the ticket as seen below. You have to ask for it at the counter or else they'll charge you Rs 200 per entry. The difference with the ticket below is that it is Rs 300 for FIVE entries to FIVE different places. It's a bargain!

Composite Entry Ticket that costs 300 rupees. With it you can enter FIVE main attractions in Jaipur. 

So what is it with Hawa Mahal? Nothing coz I didn't go in! Hahaha! I did this (read link) instead. 

Hawa Mahal taken via Instagram. 

The Hawa Mahal which adjoins the famous City Palace wall, was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh and has now become one of the landmarks of Jaipur. The palace is shaped like a pyramid and is a five-storied building, with number of small windows and screens, with arched roofs. There is intricate carving in the front and much attention has been paid to the even minute details. Its purpose was simply to allow the royal women a view of ceremonial processions while seated behind the small windows, allowing them to look out with being seen. Sneaky, huh?

3. Jantar Mahal

To the east of the City Palace is the Jantar Mahal. It is an open air observatory which was designed by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1728. Before commencing the observatory, he sent scholars abroad to study other foreign observatories so that he would have one that would satisfy his passion for astronomy.

The instruments of astronomy.  Not my thing. 

In order to achieve accuracy, the instruments were made from stone and marble. Each of these curious sculptures has a specific purpose such as measuring the posistions of stars, altitudes, and azimuths and calculating the times of eclipses.

I personally didn't dig this place. T__T

4. Jal Mahal

I passed this place every time I came back from Jaipur to Hussey's house in Amer. It was intriguing to see a palace in the middle of a lake. At first, I thought it was flooded. Hahaha. Sadly, no-one is allowed to enter this palace. We could only view from afar.

A wonderful place to go on a date with this view, right? hehe.

Jal Mahal was built by Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 A.D. in the midst of the Man Sagar lake as a pleasure spot. It is noted for its intricate architecture. The first four floors of this building is under water (WOW!) and only the top floor remains outside. One can have a wonderful view of the lake and the palace from Nahargarh Fort. This palace is now abandoned but reasonably well preserved.

Thus I end part 1 of places to visit in Jaipur. Will commence on part 2 soonest.

Happy traveling guys! ^^
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The handsome brothers of Hawa Mahal at Jaipur, Rajasthan India

When I think of Hawa Mahal.. I'd remember.. oh my god, I never entered it! All I remembered fondly was the jewelry shop right across it, owned by a clan of 7 brothers (and I met four of them. hehe)

Hussey (my couchsurfing host) was on his way to work in Jaipur and offered to drop me off at Hawa Mahal. There were various sight seeing attractions from that point on-wards but I was fixated on something. I was looking to top-up credit for my Indian number. Haha!

So after Hussey dropped me off, I went searching. Several shop keepers tried to lure me into their shops but I paid no heed. Suddenly a guy appeared and asked what I was searching for. I told him I wanted to top up my handphone. He gallantly showed me the way by saying, "Come, follow. I'll show you." He didn't just show me the shop, but he talked to the shopkeeper on my behalf and made sure the deal went through. I didn't remember my number and so he had me calling his number so that we know my number. LOL.

In a way... I have his number without asking for it. =P

It takes some time before the money is credited into my hand-phone so he invited me into his shop to wait together. (aw! aw!)

Sipping hot "chai" across Hawa Mahal. 

I was hesitant at first when I entered his shop. It was a small jewelry shop with only one door. Windows were covered and if anything happened, nobody would know of it. I got scared and so the first question that popped out of my mouth as he served me tea was...

"Did you put drug in this tea?" 

The guy was shocked with my question and rolled his eyes. He replied coolly, "I'm not that kind of guy" hahahahaha! *aku terasa bengong!

And so we sipped some tea and talked pleasantly. The stupid question was soon forgotten. hehe. =P

Javed Khan (left) with his younger brother Tanveer Khan.

I ended up going to that shop twice that day. The first one as narrated above and the second time was after I ventured to Jantar Mantar and the City Palace alone to wait for Hussey to pick me up.

On my second time around, they gave me Beriyani Rice with chicken. Hehe. It was nice to have a place to wait in before heading back to my host's house. 

I was shocked to see that the rice was directly wrapped with a newspaper page!

Sadly, I didn't finish my meal. Heee. *malu

Javed and Tanveer were friendly, talkative guys and have never promoted any of their stones to me. We shared a lot on our differences in culture and aspirations. It was an evening well spent in their cozy shop. Thank you guys for your kindness. I'll forever remember it. =)

Minutes before Hussey showed up, we took this picture. haha! 

So peeps, if you are in Jaipur and around the Hawa Mahal, do drop by their shop and say HELLO!!!

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Couchsurfing in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

My official training in Delhi has ended. I didn't stay long at the hostel to see my training mates go back to their own countries one by one. It was depressing to know that I'll be left alone.

All alone. In INDIA! *gasps

This only means that my survival instincts were heightened and I had to be more careful. All I knew was that the road ahead was uncertain and most probably dangerous. I was a woman traveling alone in a country where rape cases were a norm. That pretty much spooked me up a bit.

So I started my journey with Bismillah and took off by train to Jaipur.

My CouchSurfing Host : Hussey

FYI, couchsurfing is a volunteer-based worldwide network connecting travelers with members of local communities, who offer free accommodation and/or advice. My first couchsurfing experience was in Yogyakarta. =)

Prior to my flight to India, I've sent requests to two potential hosts in the CouchSurfing website. One in Agra and another one in Jodhpur as I was planning to head there right after my training. I had to cancel Agra because I went there with my training organizers and the host in Jodhpur never replied. Sobbbb..

Then suddenly out of the blue, a host from Jaipur requested to host me. (Well, there were a dozen other requests that Indian hosts sent me but this one particularly caught my interest the most). As I read his couchsurfing profile and his rave positive reviews from his previous guests, I decided to give it a try. And off I went to Jaipur to stay with him and his family.

My host's name is Hussey. =)

We promised to meet up at Jaipur's railway station and then hop on a bus to his home. I was met with this view from the rooftop of his humble home at Amer. Amer is located at the outskirts of Jaipur and very near to the majestic Amber Fort. I was given a room by myself and was lent a blanket and a towel. That was more than I can ask for. And for that I was grateful and delighted!

The building on the left is the community's mosque. Only motorbikes, elephants and people passed through these dirt passageways. =)

I felt very welcomed at Hussey's home and also at his neighbor's home. Sometimes his neighbors would come-by to kidnap me and we'd attend a religious session with their head of the family. It is held every night after Isha'. I remembered being asked to read out load some verses from the holy Quran to a room of strangers. Haha. My readings were then corrected and rehearsed once again until it sounded right. Adehhh.. it was a bit embarrassing though. But experiencing it, I know now how it feels to be in a Muslim family outside my country. I felt enlightened.

The friendly  neighbors (above picture) and Hussey's family (below picture)

And voilla... another picture from the rooftop of Hussey's home. I just like taking picture from there. Hehehe. This time it faces the opposite side where we could see a big wall of China-like structure which in fact is Amber fort! Monkeys too!

Great Wall of China.. in Jaipur. Hehehe

I liked that sometimes for dinner, Hussey's mom and sisters would cook roti (looks like capati) using the traditional way as shown below. But most times they'd just use the gas stove in the kitchen.

Burn some wood and let's start cooking!

I actually overstayed my visit. From the planned two nights... I stayed three nights thus cancelling my plans to Jodhpur. Haha! Maybe because I was scared to go on alone. Or maybe because I just wanted to spend more time with these lovely people where I felt safe and welcomed. ^__^

The many faces I met during my stay in Amer. 

And another thing, having a ride to almost all the places of interest around Jaipur also tempted me to stay a wee bit longer than expected. hehe.

I hereby introduce you my new brother of Jaipur, Hussey and his motorbike!

Taken during our way up to Tiger Fort. 

The list of places I visited throughout my stay in Jaipur is saved for another blogpost. Till then.... good bye!

Scams in India that you should know about.

I spent two amazing weeks in India early this month and I can't seem to get over it. I feel that two weeks is NEVER ENOUGH! Now I'm sitting in my office, back in Kuala Lumpur, reminiscing the wondrous time I've spent there and thinking, "wow, I have actually been to India?" I am still dumbfounded until this day. =)

So India.. what do Malaysians expect when they travel there?

A view from Naharghah Fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan India.

1, Overcharged taxis. 

Be charged more than the usual price when you use the local road transportation vehicles there such as the Autos, Tuk-tuks, and taxis. Usually it costs only 5 rupees on an Auto to get from one part to another but for a foreigner they can charge you up to 30 rupees. Haha. The best bet is using a tourist bus provided by the local tourism center or via Metro (if you're in Delhi of course). Else be happy to spend more money!

2. Car Rental Scams 

Bought a train ticket? Was told that your train has left, delayed or canceled? These are all SCAMS! You'll be approached by men in the train stations and you'll think that they are working there. They'll help check your ticket, reads the train number and says your train has been canceled due to some track problems. If you go along with this scam, they'll ask you to go to a ticketing center to refund your ticket or find another way into the city you're heading to. And when you ask for other train tickets, they'll say the tickets are sold out and the only way is renting a CAR. 

Yes... they are actually car rental operators. Trying to scam you into renting a car into the places you want to go. Sadly though, these SCAMS are legit. The only thing you'll lose is your money and an AMAZING train ride experience. (Thank god, I didn't fall for this. hehe)

The Indian Gate at Delhi, India

3. Tour guides at major tourist attractions. 

They'll tell you that you can't buy a ticket using the local fare (which is way cheaper than foreign tourist fare).  For example, a local ticket into Qutub Minar in Delhi costs 10 rupees and for foreigners it will cost 200 rupees. Actually you can by having a local buying it for you. The officers at the gate hardly checks your tickets!!! The tour guides will ask for some payment to just bring you into the tourist attraction, explain some things, bring you to some local shops (which in the end will get some commission for bringing you there if you buy) and then out. Huhhh... really a waste of time and money. It is always better to explore yourself (for me at least). And you could always depend on the hearing aids the counters provide for a small fee. =)

4. Photographers. 

I dislike these people the most!!! They help take pictures of you in the places you visit with their cameras. Prints it out and asks you to pay for the pictures when you actually have no intention in buying! Worst still is when you requested a smaller, cheaper photo prints and they come to you with larger prints and expecting you to pay for them! Pffftt!!

Taj Mahal, Agra India. 

5. Overpriced Souvenirs. 

Postcards in particularly actually costs 15 rupees per set that has 12 postcards. They can cheat you in selling 150 rupees each though. And that applies to all the other touristy stuff they sell such as the fridge magnets (cheapest - 50 rupees each), colorful pens and key-chains (can get 5 rupees each!) . Be prepared to bargain. And bargain HARD!

6. Sold out train tickets.

Train tickets are always sold out if you buy at the counters of the train stations??? SO NOT TRUE! This is maybe the biggest WRONG information they feed to unknowing travelers like us. There are ALWAYS train tickets at the counters. You just have to fill up a form after knowing which train and class you want and queue at the counter. Buying tickets online and at other operator's counters are OK but there'll be EXTRA charges and the seat availability are always inaccurate. =)

OK.. that's all I can think of for now. Hope this info helps future travelers when they visit India. Hehehe...

Best regards,

Jard the cheapskate. =)