It's been 5 years since I last went to India, the motherland with land of energy, mystery, spirituality, colour and love. Despite the ridiculous heatwave (45 degrees) it was wonderful to explore Indian culture and discover your heritage again. Being able to travel around the country of India and learning more about Indian culture is immensely rewarding, who knew India had some hidden hot spots with world-class attractions.
We started our journey at Gurjurat at 4:00am. Feeling half-sleep and jet lagged I was super excited to explore different cities and learn about more Indian culture. For those who haven't travelled to India before the roads are horrible! We knew it was going to be a bumpy ride! It was surprisingly quiet at 4:00am compared to 6:00am where people tend to drive all over the place with no care. So I was prepared in knowing I wasn't going to get any sleep while travelling on the roads! Day 1: First stop- Udaipur, it's 7:30AM, the sun is beginning to rise and it's beautiful to see how powerful the sun is. We stopped at a local cafe for some chai which turns out to be a shot! Off we go back on the road, it's nice being on the road in another country, exploring the views, listening to the Bollywood music, seeing locals go about their day & watching kids play with their neighbours with toys they created by themselves. For a country who is backwards in 100 years with the environment, it was nice to see locals re-using their materials and thinking more eco-friendly. I came across a group of kids playing with their ball and used sticks to mark out a football pitch.
We ended up being on the road for 17.5 hours to get to Agra. It was one long, uncomfortable journey but once your out there in a new city, your mood instantly changes. We got to Agra at 9:30pm, checked in and had dinner at the restaurant, ready for a new day of exploring.
Day 2: Agra, good morning! What a beautiful city, locals are really nice and welcoming. It was Taj Mahal day, so we woke up at 6:30AM got ready, breakfast and headed out. On our way to the tourist attraction we ended up having some issues who some tour guides who didn't want to tour us because I was a UK citizen and he was scared he will lose his licence so we ended up having no tour guide. It was totally fine with us as we just ended up walking around the buildings, absorbing the views. When entering the attraction you go through security who are strict on what you bring with you, they didn't allow us to bring hand gel, wipes, books etc..
Once you enter into the attraction... there's a beautiful garden and a little pond. Then, there it was, the magnificent, Taj Mahal! nothing prepares you for the actual beauty of the place. Glistening white in the morning sunshine, rising from the mistry river banks behind situated from River Yamuna. Seeing one of the world's seven wonders right in front of you is breathtaking from all angles. Each build has it's own uniqueness with carved marble, took 20 years to construct and now known as the monument of love.
We managed to get tickets to go inside the building which was beautifully designed with white marble, handcrafted tilings with Arabic writing. The cenotaphs honouring Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are enclosed in an eight-sided chamber ornamented with pieta dura and marble lattice screen. Note* you're not allowed to take pics inside the building.
After seeing the beautiful Taj Mahal, we ended up exploring the city of Agra.. our first stop was Jahangir Mahal. The palace nestled inside the Agra Fort one of UNESCO world heritage monuments.
After, visiting most attraction places in Agra we started our journey back on the road again to visit another city - Jaipur. We set off mid afternoon, on our way into Jaipur we saw the Birla Mandir which was beautifully build with white marble. Rajasthan is known for it's marble so many of the historic building in the city are used with white marble. The mandir is located on top of a hill, twin hillock of Naubat Pahad. It's free entry.
Day 3: Jaipur day! It's a day to explore Jaipur, it's known as the pink city divided into two areas. One side is the modern developed city and the second side is the rural local area. We first visited Amber Fort, high on the hilltop towering majestically over the village of Amber. As Amber fort is located up a hill it's best to take a car as there's loads of walking but once you're at the top it's beautiful to see the mountain view. It's a moment of mindfulness where you instantly get absorbed with the silence, scenery and environment.
You can spend most of the day at Amber Fort as it's a very big landscape with loads of views but as the temperature was increasing throughout the day we decided to leave mid-afternoon. We decided to make our way to local shops/markets exploring the different traditional products they sell in Jaipur. We went to a famous shoe factory who design real-handmade leather shoes. We then took the car and explored the developed city of Jaipur and saw Jal Mahal, known as the water palace. It's situated smack in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, on the road that runs between Jaipur and Amber Fort. It's a beautiful red sandstone palace place in the middle of the lake. When the sunrises you can see the reflection from the sun bouncing onto the building (see picture below) ... absolutely beautiful!
We then made our way to see the Palace of wind, known as Hawa Mahal. It's a stunning red and pink sandstone structure in the heart of the pink city (Jaipur). The building is designed to resemble the crown of the lord.
After seeing most of Jaipur, we were deciding to head back to Gujarat when our tour guide asked me 'what else do you want to see?' I wasn't too sure what else we can explore in Jaipur, then I randomly said 'I would love to see elephants' an he wasn't too sure where we can go to see the elephants so I got a little upset and then he said we actually have a Elephant Sanctuary in Jaipur. So, we headed there and this was the most magical and unforgettable moment of my life! I absolutely love elephants and it's been on my bucket list since I was a baby! So being able to see a real-life elephant was the highlight!
I got to feed them and ride the elephant around the whole sanctuary. All the elephants (120) living there are peaceful and happy as the locals raised money to protect them from being exported to another country. I got to meet Maria who told me she is living happy at the sanctuary. Love you Maria <3 You bring me happiness every time I see us together!
After spending time with the beautiful elephants, we decided to head back to Gujarat. We left the city at 4:30pm and ended up arriving at home the next morning at 4:30am. It was a long drive back but it was nice to see a change of scenery in each town when passing by. There's nothing like hearing horning from cars, people screaming, rickshaw's blowing their horn when your back on the road again.
The next day I was exhausted! We took it easy and decided to relax for the weekend before making more plans to explore other parts of the country.
We ended up booking a day trip to see the worlds largest statue in Gujarat, 182 metres. It's known as the Statue of Unity. It's a tribute to the 'Iron man' known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. On his 143rd birth anniversary, Prime minister Modi credited this bronze statue which covers an area of 20,000 square metres and surrounded by 12 square kilometre artificial lake.
Around 7:30pm everyday they do a night show which showcases Indian history and highlights the key events which happened in India. The show last approx. 35-40 mins and you get to see the sunset while waiting for the show which was an unforgettable experience.
We had a couple of days left to just spend time with family, relax and do some holiday shopping before heading back to London. It was one amazing trip being able to explore India, understand the culture, history and experience a variety of new adventures with new memories.
Thank you, India for a wonderful trip! Love Chandz x
Likes and comments are welcome. Thank you for reading!
sounds amazing, india is a beautiful country but indians who live in the UK/US/Canada don’t have the best words to say about it. In truth it’s a magnificent country with the deepest of histories and most vibrant of cultures.