Why this Indian desert city is the antidote to stressful Rajasthan - Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: 18 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST

Listening to the steady slap of sandals behind me, I feel a twinge of nerves. We're on the trail of a fast-approaching sunset, best viewed, I'd been assured, at a rooftop cafe somewhere up ahead, and I'm leading the charge through Jaisalmer's deserted, dusty alleys. The hopes of the group weighs heavy on my shoulders.

As we round one last bend, the chiselled walls of the city's houses fall away to reveal a flat terrace bathed in the rich light of the dying sun, all of Jaisalmer rolling out from it in a carpet of turrets and temples. Behind me - the silence of success.

We - myself, my partner (Alex) and two friends (Jess and Jordan) - are at Cafe the Kaku, having come to India's 'Golden City' as part of a two week trip through Rajasthan's cities: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur. While most stick to some combination of the above line-up, we'd carved out time for the trip into the desert.

The city is a paradox, both well-connected and sufficiently out of the way to keep the true hordes of Rajasthan travellers at bay. Though it was once a five day trek to Jodhpur, the closest city, the opening of a rail link in 1960 created a direct train that runs from Delhi, through Jaipur and Jodhpur, into the sand-dusted station.

Jaisalmer isn't on the standard Rajasthan itinerary Credit: istock

The ardor of the journey is in its length. Jaisalmer rises up out of the middle of the Thar desert to sit at the most westerly edge of Rajasthan, a scant 125 miles from the border with Pakistan.

Translated into time, it's an 18 hour, 45 minute train journey from Delhi. We choose to depart from the Pink City, a less demanding 12 hour trip that leaves at a quarter to midnight and pulls in just before 12pm the next day.

Our one sop to luxury is going by first class sleeper, which comes with air conditioning, locking doors and a lottery of two-bed cabins interspersed within the four bunks.

Alex and I luck out, getting assigned the former, while our travelling companions are led by a stoic conductor to one of the latter, the other occupant of which snores for the first half of the night, before rising at 4am for prayers. "It was a beautiful thing to see," Jess blearily tells us later, "but it was also 4am."

In the hour before we arrive, I loll in my sheet-covered berth, watching the shifting sienna scenery warp into a blur of golden shapes as the train picks up speed. The platform, when it slowly slides into view, is proof of how far we've come.

A much calmer station experience Credit: istock

The nerve-jangling crowds of Jaipur station are supplanted by a loose handful of men wrapped in white robes and scarlet turbans, the sun-etched lines of their faces creasing as they chat to one another.

We step off the train into the heat of the desert, and the closest thing to quiet we've heard all trip. Even the touts are a calmer bunch, taking our 'no thanks' with easy grace and letting us move on without following (too closely).

We'd been warned copiously by those who'd been before to the largest state in India that we'd be likely to get city fatigue.

The echoes of those warnings hit in Delhi, where the cacophony of car horns did not let up, even throughout the night, and continued through the clouds of Agra's smog, and the markets of Jaipur, where, hemmed in on all sides by jostling crowds, we dodged motorbikes and shopkeepers trying to march us over to view their wares.

Traversing the land of the maharajas is no easy feat. Amid the opulence of the palaces is the everyday life of some of the most frenetic cities on earth. Every step runs a gauntlet of smell that ranges from the plumes of rose-tinged incense to the stench of animal waste.

The cities of Rajasthan are as overwhelming as they are beautiful Credit: istock

A constant drone of city noise is punctuated with calls to prayer and processions preceding a steady stream of grooms on the way to meet their brides. To an outsider, it's a combination of heaven and hell as draining as it is compelling.

Set against it, 12th century Jaisalmer is an oasis of calm. In the Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata, the story of the city's birth can be found. A mystic tells King Rawal Jaisal of a desert hill that's location has been praised by Lord Krishna.

Build a fort there, he said, and it will be near invisible to your enemies. The sage was right. The structure Rawal Jaisal went on to create remains untouched by invading forces and by the frenzy of Rajasthan's other cities, its soothing lines appearing out of the desert floor as you approach.

The oldest inhabited citadel in the world - some 4,000 people live inside its walls - its warren-like interiors are the first streets we feel comfortable getting lost in, looping past the same old ladies lounging in doorways again and again as we get our bearings.

Even in parts lined with signs promising 'un-touristy tours' and stalls selling the country's ubiquitous 'I found myself in India' harem pants, the sense of a close-knit village community remains as shopkeepers laugh and joke with each other and children weave in and out.

The Jain temples Credit: istock

We meet up with a local guide to go through Patwon-Ki-Haveli, one of the largest haveli (traditional townhouses) in Rajasthan. A series of five smaller buildings that took 55 years to build, to gaze out across the gold-dipped streets from its many jharokhas (balconies) is to step back in time.

From there it's an easy walk to the seven interconnecting Jain temples within the fort complex.

One of India's ancient religions, Jainism follows the 'three jewels' - right belief, right knowledge and right conduct - explains our guide as we sidestep the cows and goats wandering the streets.

Mirroring the maze like streets outside, every inch of these 15th and 16th century religious buildings is covered with intricate carvings of apsaras (celestial nymphs) and gods. Inside, Jain priests grind and burn sandalwood, sending the scent spilling out into the air.

The view from one of Patwon-Ki-Haveli's many balconies Credit: getty

Afterwards, our bellies lead us to a cluster of street food stalls, watching quick-fingered men roll out dough for chole bhature and toss the circles into hot oil to puff up, as our guide darts back and forth collecting steaming dishes to present to us.

Dal pakora, satisfyingly crunchy vegetarian bites that Jordan lovingly refers to as 'fried chicken' for the rest of the trip, follow as do cups of sticky sweet chai and ghotua from Dhanraj Ranmal Bhatia, a soft, marzipan-like dessert.

"It's specific to Jaisalmer, you can only get these here," our guide says, his eyes lighting up.

The meal's entertainment comes when one of the stall's chefs suddenly leaps towards us, shouting and waving. We turn to find a cow looming over our shoulders, an unexpected guest to our party.

Dal pakora are a crunchy highlight of Jaisalmer street food Credit: getty

Outside the city, a drive through remote desert takes us to SUJÁN The Serai, a sprawling camp set on 100-acres of private scrubland. Camping in the desert is an essential part of the Jaisalmer experience, but roughing it has never been my style. The Serai, however, very much is.

As we walk the smooth stone steps up to the main tent, where a member of staff waits with cold towels and lemonade infused with basil grown on the estate farm, the last bit of tension from Rajasthan's cities melts away.

An unashamed tribute to luxury, the main tents feature a library and bar, and a raised platform comes with an infinity pool that turns from blue to shades of violet and rose as the sun sets. At dinner, the only sound is the crackle of the open fires surrounding our table and the songs of the khartal-wielding tribal band.

Even a camel ride the next day, a stalwart of any Jaisalmer trip, is given its own twist, taking place away from the famous Sam Sand Dunes on quieter, more private peaks.

At the end of a loping ride across the sands, we disembark to find chairs set up on a rug, pointing towards the sinking sun, and chilled glasses of champagne to toast it with.

SUJÁN The Serai is a unique way to experience the Thar desert Credit: SUJÁN The Serai

The train to Jodhpur, our next stop, leaves at 1am. We meet our guide once again at the station.

Amid an onslaught of thanks, he shrugs, and waves us off with a simple, "come back to Jaisalmer sometime." It's a difficult offer to refuse.

Essentials

Getting there

Virgin (virginatlantic.com) flies direct to Delhi, with fares starting from £480. A direct first class train (irctc.co.in) from Delhi to Jaisalmer costs 2930 rs (£31.45) and takes 18 hours and 45 minutes. Alternatively, trains from Jaipur take around 12 hours, and trains from Jodhpur take five.

Where to stay

SUJÁN The Serai (thesujanlife.com), a Relais Chateaux property, starts from £588 for a double tent, including breakfast.

For those looking to stay in Jaisalmer city, the Gulaal (thegulaal.com) is a charming boutique hotel in an ancient haveli close to the fort. Double rooms starting from £67 a night, including breakfast.

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India: where to go and stay - The Telegraph

Posted: 16 Jun 2017 08:34 AM PDT

Expert guide to India

To some extent this depends on your interests and experience of travelling in Asia. The plains of northern India are dry and dusty, punctuated with extraordinary cities built by Mughal emperors and Rajput princes; they are crowded, vibrant places that can overwhelm. Life among the lush green hills and valleys of southern India – peppered with the ruined cities of long-vanished medieval empires – is altogether slower and less crowded.

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If you are a timid traveller I would opt for an escorted tour that does not try to cover too much ground. Joining a large group will mean travelling on main roads in a coach, staying in modern business hotels or large forts with Western-style facilities, and visiting only the main sights in a city and the odd crafts emporium.

Joining a smaller group of 12 to 16 gives a more intimate experience. You will stay in more characterful hotels and travel in minibuses that can negotiate narrower roads through villages. Itineraries often include guided walks, meals in local restaurants, visits to craftspeople and train and rickshaw rides.

Private journeys with a car and driver let you set the pace. Try to weave in visits to smaller towns, many of which have equally fine temples and palaces but without the babel of tour groups.

Joining a large group will mean travelling on main roads in a coach and visiting only the main sights in a city Credit: © Paul Springett 06 / Alamy/Paul Springett 06 / Alamy

Northern India

The Golden Triangle

The cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur are known as the Golden Triangle because of their cultural splendour. They form the basis of the classic tour of northern India, despite the fact that constant exposure to noisy crowded cities and crazy driving on traffic-choked roads can turn people off the country for ever.

That said, Delhi can be a pleasant place to start a visit if your hotel is in New Delhi, the planned British city designed by Edwin Lutyens, with tree-lined avenues and low-rise buildings. The Thirties Imperial (theimperialindia.com) is a favourite for its convenient location opposite the Cottage Industries Emporium, a treasure trove of crafts from all over India. However, my pick of Delhi's five-star hotels is the sumptuous Leela Palace (theleela.com). The best of the four-star hotels is The Claridges (claridges.com) across from the lovely Lodi Gardens. An affordable choice is the Nath Bungalow (lutyensbungalow.co.in), a family-run b&b in a lovely garden with large pool near the Lodi Gardens.

If you are travelling independently, sign up for a private tour with Surekha Narain (delhimetrowalks.com), one of the best guides I have come across in India. A keen historian, she can shepherd you through the crush of Old Delhi so that it seems like a walk in the park, and arrange private access to all sorts of places.

Delhi's reputation for attacks on lone women is growing. To keep safe use a pre-paid taxi counter at the airport (use a private company rather than the government-licenced black-and-yellow cabs) and ask your hotel to send a taxi to the railway station to meet you off a train.

Agra – best reached on the comfortable Shatabdi Express train – is worth an overnight stay. As well as the Taj Mahal, it has an earlier "Baby Taj", and a magnificent sandstone fort also partly built by Emperor Shah Jahan. The best place to stay is Amarvilas (oberoihotels.com); it has a clear view across parkland to Shah Jahan's tribute to his beloved wife, Mumtaz, who died in childbirth. Double rooms cost from £500, but it's worth paying an extra £50 for a premier room with a private balcony overlooking the Taj. The best alternative is the low-rise Agra Trident (tridenthotels.com); double rooms from £115 a night through booking.com.A lovely homestay within walking distance of the Taj is The Coral Tree (thecoraltreehomestay.com).

New Delhi is the planned British city designed by Edwin Lutyens Credit: Xinhua / Barcroft Media/Xinhua / Barcroft Images

Most tours and private journey itineraries move on via Fatehpur Sikri – an extraordinarily well-preserved 16th-century sandstone city, once the capital of Mughal India, now deserted – to Jaipur.

It is hard to love Jaipur. Sights such as the Palace of the Winds and Amber Fort take a good photograph, but this is another exhausting city where touts are hard to shake off and negotiating the human and motorised traffic is exhausting. To get into the city's more interesting nooks and crannies sign up for a guided walk with Virasat (virasatexperiences.com).

There are several luxurious palace hotels in spacious grounds, but for character choose Samode Haveli (samode.com) or the cheaper Dera Mandawa (deramandawa.com). For style and top-class service choose Rajmahal Palace (sujanluxury.com). For a simple welcoming guesthouse choose Khatu Haveli in the old city (khatuhaveli.com), the venue for BBC's recent reality show, The Real Marigold Hotel.

From here it is an easy transfer to Jodhpur, worth visiting for the Mehrangarh fort alone. Official guides have an office at the fort entrance and offer good private tours of the old town on foot. Tour operators rate highly the boutique hotel Raas (raasjodhpur.com), near the fort. A cheaper option is the delightful family-run Ratan Vilas (ratanvilas.com)

There are two alternative circuits that avoid Jaipur and the main tourist circuit. They offer the chance to explore smaller towns and villages before you tackle another big city.

Jodhpur, is worth visiting for the Mehrangarh fort alone

Head south-east from Agra to Orchha (picturesque riverside setting, medieval fort palace, evening rituals in a village temple) and on to Khajuraho (a small town famed for its erotic temple art) before tackling Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges where all life and death is laid bare.

Varanasi is India for the experienced. Its crowded narrow alleys can induce claustrophobia even in seasoned travellers: mourners carry their dead on biers to the burning terraces above the river; holy men and pilgrims from all over India come to bathe in the frankly filthy waters upstream and consult astrologers and palm readers; and cows, goats and ragged children scavenge for scraps on the ghats – the flights of steps down to the water.

Most tourists keep Varanasi at arm's length by taking dawn and dusk boat rides past the bathing ghats where yogis practise and priests perform rituals using flaming lamps. But those who enter the fray will see India at its most profound and spiritual. I can't recommend Varanasi Walks highly enough. It has a small team of superb guides who lead daily walks through different areas of the city (varanasiwalks.com).

Tour groups usually stay at the Taj Gateway (thegatewayhotels.com), which serves alcohol. The best riverside choice is the mid-range Suryauday Haveli (suryaudayhaveli.com) which has a roof terrace. Ask for a top floor room.

The alternative itinerary is to head west from Agra into southern Rajasthan. Start with a visit to Ranthambore National Park, where there is a moderate chance of spotting a tiger or spend a few nights at Ramathra Fort (ramathrafort.com), which offers guided walks and Jeep safaris.

The small city of Bundi is one of my favourite places in Rajasthan. Off the main tourist circuits, it sees few tour groups and the streets of its busy, blue-painted old town are free of hustlers. Popular with Western artists, it has a vast crumbling fort-palace (filled with world-class murals) mirrored in a lake. There are no sprawling suburbs, so it's easy to hire a bicycle and explore the countryside beyond. There are no luxury hotels yet, so stay in the family-run Bundi Vilas guesthouse (bundivilas.com) or the Haveli Braj Bhushanjee (kiplingsbundi.com).

From here it's a long day's drive to Udaipur, set around a lake in the Aravalli hills. It is a tourist honeypot but easier to negotiate than Jaipur or Jodhpur. The Jag Niwas Lake Palace, now a Taj hotel, is the big draw, though I feel it's better to view it than stay in it. There are several royal guesthouses on the opposite shore but my favourite is a small heritage property, Amet Haveli (amethaveliudaipur.com) – low-rise, intimate and just feet from the water's edge – where you can dine on a lawn with a grandstand view of the Jag Niwas.

Kerala

Kerala is a green land of rice paddies, coconut groves and hills thickly cloaked in indigenous forest as well as tea and coffee plantations. It is a softer introduction to India, with smaller, more ordered cities, a slower pace of life and a cleaner environment. It also has one of the most literate populations in the world. Many families have relations working in the Gulf, and there are direct daily flights from London via Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar to three coastal airports, with return fares starting at less than £500.

The ancient trading port of Kochi (Cochin) is a good place to start a tour. Stay at Malabar House (malabarhouse.com), Brunton Boatyard (cghearth.com) or the cheaper Old Courtyard (oldcourtyard.com), all in the quiet fort area.

Behind the coast, a network of inland waterways and canals weaves through coconut plantations and riverside villages clustered around white Catholic churches.

Most tour operators offer backwater cruises on converted rice barges. This is a pleasant way to travel, but the scenery doesn't vary much. It is more interesting – and more ecologically sound – to stay somewhere such as Philipkutty's Farm (philipkuttysfarm.com), a collection of villas on a spice island in the backwaters, and take a sunset cruise.

Behind the coast, a network of inland waterways and canals weaves through coconut plantations and riverside villages clustered around white Catholic churches

Kerala's great draw is the Western Ghats, a line of thickly forested hills rising to more than 6,000ft, stretching the length of the state and offering a welcome cool respite from the humidity of the coast. There are convivial homestays in bungalows on spice and tea plantations around Munnar and Thekkady, gateway to the Periyar National Park, where there is a good chance of seeing wild elephant.

No visit to India is complete without a Hindu temple experience, but you don't have to go far. One of India's holiest towns, Madurai, in Tamil Nadu, is a four-hour drive from Munnar. Its Meenakshi Temple is one of the most impressive in the country, with processions, performances of music and an endless stream of pilgrims weaving through pillared halls carved with exquisite figures. Stay at the Taj Gateway (tajhotels.com), above the city.

In Kerala, beaches, as elsewhere in India, are very much the preserve of fishermen. While hotels clean their frontages, a walk along the beach will uncover sands strewn with rubbish, fish scales and human waste. The sea is rough, the water murky, and sunbathing on the beach will attract unwanted attention in these predominantly Muslim communities. If you want a week on a clean white-sand beach by a clear safe sea, combine a tour of India with a week in the Maldives, an hour's flight from Trivandrum.

That said, there are several delightful small resort hotels on remoter Keralan beaches, ideal for a few days' post-tour relaxation: notably Neeleshwar Hermitage in the north of the state (neeleshwarhermitage.com), part-owned by an Englishman; the Marari Beach (cghearth.com) in Mararikulam, south of Kochi, and the Surya Samudra (suryasamudra.com) near Kovalam. All offer a range of spa treatments, visits to villages and nature walks.

Goa and Hampi

Charter flights started serving Goa in the late Eighties, selling the state and its golden beaches as India-lite. A Portuguese colony until 1961, it really was a gentle introduction to India in those days. Families called da Souza and Pereira rented out rooms in pretty cottages set in flower-filled gardens to backpackers; richer tourists stayed at the Taj Holiday Village on Candolim beach, north of the capital, Panjim. Roads were the preserve of bicycles and carts, and cows roamed the largely deserted and relatively clean beaches.

Today, in north Goa many of the bungalows have been replaced by concrete guesthouses, the beaches are crowded with salesmen from out of state, and there's a rave every night fuelled by drink and drugs.

Regular visitors to India now see Goa as a place to relax for a few days at the end of a tour rather than a destination in itself. There is a strong Russian presence in winter at five-star hotels. Money heads for the Leela Beach Resort on Kovalam; smart money for a country guesthouse such as Nilaya Hermitage (nilaya.com) or Ahilya (ahilyabythesea.com). Elsewhere (aseascape.com) or Fort Tiracol (forttiracol.com), in the north of the state, where the beaches are empty and rave-free.

Tour operators offering beach holidays – Thomson, Thomas Cook, Monarch – feature both north and south Goa, selling a fortnight in a three-star hotel for about £1,200 b&b in February. I would head for south Goa, to the quieter sands around Velsao, Majorda and Varca, where there are some new resort hotels set in palm-shaded lawns containing large pools. The Alila Diwa Goa (aliladiwagoa.com) and the Taj Exotica (tajhotels.com) get high marks.

Charter flights started serving Goa in the late Eighties, selling the state and its golden beaches as India-lite Credit: lena_serditova - Fotolia

Tour operators and local agents sell overnight excursions to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. For a real adventure, take the train to Hampi for a few days. This small riverside village in neighbouring Karnataka sits among the ruined temples, bazaars and palaces of the 16th-century capital of the Vijayanagar kings who ruled all of south India. It is set in a sea of rice paddies shaded by coconut palms and punctuated by boulder hills, like giant tors, that glow orange in the afternoon sun.

There are plenty of thatched-hut guesthouses along the river, notably Shanthi (shanthihampi.com) and Mowgli (mowglihampi.com), but the classiest place is the new Orange County Hampi (orangecounty.in) A little further out, Hampi's Boulders (hampisboulders.com) comprises simple cottages in a peaceful riverside setting four miles away.

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