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Showing posts from April, 2009

Bundi - A Teardrop of Joy held in the palms of the Mountains

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Route: Gurgaon - Jaipur - Tonk - Devali - Hindoli - Bundi - Back Now this is what you should do: find yourself an extended weekend, where the skies are cloudy and north wind blowing across the plains. Then get your vehicle out on the Gurgaon - Jaipur highway and head towards Bundi - that tiny exotic teardrop (lit; Bundi means drop) of Joy, held in the palms of the mountains. Not camels, not folk songs, not the traditional and oh-so-boring Rajasthan; but a completely new and fresh look at the magnificent state of India - the Hadoti region that is Bundi - and a haven for the bag-packing and adventurous tourist. DAY 1: You will go through the usual Jaipur highway, crossing Behror and Kotputli, straight towards Jaipur. Some 20km before Jaipur, you will see the bypass that leads to Ajmer. Do not take it. Just keep going towards the city of palaces. You will reach a junction (about 3 hours from your starting point in Gurgaon), where to your right is the old road to Ajmer, and to your left i

Spice Route to Gastronomical Delight

Spice Court Restaurant, Jaipur (This is a review of the Spice Court restaurant in Jaipur - which has appeared on TripAdvisor.com ) I remember the last time this happened to me was in year 2002, when I first tasted the mutton seekh kebabs at Karims in the old Delhi near Jama Masjid. Today, as I lick the last bits of Kulfi at Spice Court in Jaipur, I think I am in love again. Hua yun ki we were returning from a short trip to Bundi - near Kota. We had a lovely trip - about which I will write shortly - but food-wise the experience remained very ordinary. So we decided to hit Jaipur before 3pm, and try out one of their famous restaurants - maybe Copper Chimney or Niro's or Spice Court - about which we had only read - never been. So we drove and reached Jaipur in time. After some search and wrong turns and then right turns, we finally found Hari Bhawan Palace in Civil Lines - where you have the Spice Court. Spice court has the old British architecture, with large windows and walls painte