Royal Rajasthan

December 2010

Let me begin this post by saying that if there is one place in India where you would get a chance to appreciate the rich history of this very old land, then that place wouldn`t be too far away from Rajasthan. This is the state where every alley, every street, every fort has a story to tell ,dating well over a 500 years. Where the  ruins of Chittorgarh narrate a story of defiance and sacrifice, the majestic Mehrangarh leaves the curious traveller spellbound. Welcome to Rajasthan, the land of the Kings!

Our trip started off from Jaipur (named after Raja Jai Singh), also known as the famous 'Pink City'. The Amer fort (also known as Amber Fort) is a must see. There is also a light and sound show at Amer Fort in the evening and it is one of the best in India. We did a city tour which covered the usual places like the City Palace, Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and Jal Mahal. Of all these places, the beautiful Amer Fort deserves atleast one full day because there is a lot to see and learn about the history of this fort.

After a 2 day stopover in Jaipur, Udaipur was our next stop. I remember that the bus ride from Jaipur to Udaipur wasn`t one of the best; it was either too cold or hot like crazy inside the bus . Udaipur is beautiful and the lake forms an integral part of this historic city. The Lake Palace hotel is the place to be for a luxurious stay. The city palace definitely deserves a day from your schedule and the surrounding markets are well worth exploring.
The city palace also hosts an interesting light and sound show which is worth the penny (we missed it!)

From Udaipur, we ventured out to two very interesting places that were not a part of our original plan. They were Chittorgarh and Mount Abu. Let me talk about Chittorgarh first. The average human being who claims a significant bit of his descendancy from Chittorgarh is generally defiant and unnecessarily brave! Blame it on the bloody past of this place which has witnessed braves like Rana Pratap Singh defying Akbar, Chittorgarh is a story about its glorious past. You will not see anything beuatiful but you will not miss the fort which beholds many legends.

Now about Mount Abu. The Dilwara temples at Mount Abu deserve a mention in the list architectural beauties around the world. From outside, these group of temples give an impression of utter mediocracy and waste of time but transforms a casual observer into a gaping admirer once inside them. It is humanly impossible to carve such intricate stone designs not just in one temple or on one wall but on every inch of stone. Dating back to 1200 AD, Dilwara temples were probably one of the best kept secrets in the world and they continue to do so even to this day. Photography is not allowed and rightly so. You have to be there to experience them.

Next up from Udaipur was Jodhpur. We had a rough bus ride again. The Mehrangarh fort at Jodhpur is one of the biggest and one the most well maintained forts in India. This beautiful architecture in red sand stone is a  must see. Historically, this is an important fort and a good place to imbibe a little bit of history. Interestingly, a trip across Rajasthan reveals different styles of turban and male ear piercings which symolize vastly different cultures.

Our last stop from Jodhpur was the desert city of Jaiselmer, bordering Pakistan. This city, among other things, is generally known for two things. The first being the Thar Desert itself and the second being the Jaiselmer Fort. Let me start with the fort first. This is another beautiful fort no doubt and it is made out of yellow stand stone. Infact whole of Jaiselmer is made out of yellow sand stone which gives the city a very homogenous look. This fort unfortunately is in a very bad state and several NGOs have taken up the responsibility for its restoration. Staying inside the fort should be avoided as it has a very hazardous impact on the already deteriorating drainage system of the fort. All said, this fort is a beauty.

Finally about Thar. Miles of sand stretch out in all imaginable directions and at sunset, a camel ride into the Thar is generally beautiful unless it is too cold.We spent the night at a desert camp and four blankets weren`t enough to keep us warm. But this is India`s only desert and if you are in Rajasthan, Thar should be in your list. This camel in the right was the one which carried us and I remember its name: Lalu Bhai.The desert camp generally has several local artists performing and no defnitely its not going to be belly dancing (atleast not in my lifetime!)

That was it. We took a train (1st class), hoping to reach Jaipur but as luck would have it, we had to get down in Jodhpur again and drive our way to Jaipur the next morning. That night in Jodhpur, the owner of the guest house made his wife cook for us in the middle of the night! At Jaipur, we had enough time to go for the light and sound show at Amer fort, which was just too good. Next morning, we flew back to Bangalore, only to realize (in a few months time) that we were going to be dining by the pacific ocean every night...soon.

Pristine Pucon

November 2011

Having returned back to Chile after a 3 month long business stayover in the US in September 2011, there was an obvious desperation in our hearts for a sheer lack of indulgence that we call 'vacation'. Our last long one at that time was Rajasthan which was around December 2010; almost a year ago. While in the US, we did spend some time in Chicago and Washington DC but upon our return to Chile, we couldn`t resist the idea of a holiday not filled with museums or a long list of things to do. Pucon was almost an immediate choice for its proximity to Santiago and mainly because it serves as a magnificent entry to the world famous lake districts of Chile.

As the Tur Bus slowly makes its way through the narrow streets in downtown Pucon, you will not miss the 2nd most active volcano in Chile, volcan Villarica overlooking the beautiful town of Pucon. On a clear sunny day (which shouldn`t be taken for granted), volcan Villarica is a beautiful sight and enough to inspire an ascent. At an altitude of about 2800 meters, a guided ascent is something we should have done and that is something which will be reason enough to go back to Pucon for the 3rd time.

Lago Villarica is a major attraction in downtown Pucon. This is a big lake and around November it wasn`t as crowded as it is during the summer months. In case one is thrilled by unparallel natural beauty, the best thing to do while in Pucon is to hire a car and drive around. During our drive across Pucon, we came upon numerous picturesque waterfalls and hot springs which were around 20 km to 70 km from Pucon and with great roads all along, driving was never a problem. It was during this trip that we tried river rafting for the first time on river Trancura : another amazing experience.

About 20 km to 30 km from Pucon is Lago Currarahue. This is another beautiful lake surrounded by snow capped peaks and easily one of the best in this continent. About 75 km from Pucon lies the frontier to Argentina and the remains of the dead volcano Lanin. The international highway is a mouth watering opportunity to drive at speeds of more than 120 km/hr. However the last 20 km of this trail has been left as a gravel road and definitely driving is difficult especially if it has rained. We were lucky as November was relatively dry. While we were driving up to Lanin, the gravel road was almost never ending with no sight of any volcano in the vicinity. Thats the best part of this drive because you don`t see this volcano at all along the drive until it suddenly emerges. 

The proximity of this amazing volcano forces you to stop your car and ponder, ' where was it hiding all along the way !' We almost had an inclination to come back the next day and hike this one but we somehow assured ourselves of a return not the next day but some other time in the near future. I must also mention about a wonderful lake that we came across while laboriously driving through the gravel road up to Lanin.

This lake is called Huechulafquen (a tounge twister almost!). There was absolutely no one around and I have to admit that the whole setting was just spectacular. I wish we were there during sunset. We spent sometime on this lake and quietly marvelled at the amazing natural beauty. The only sound that we could hear was that of the water hitting the shores of this beautiful lake. It was time to go back and bid good bye to Pucon. We had promised ourselves that we would be back for the Villarica ascent and so we were there once again in February 2012. 

At that time Pucon was crowded with many tourists (mostly Europeans) and it rained quite a bit. So the ascent was almost out of the question. In this second trip, we went to the Huerquehue national park for a short trek and that was splendid as well. I hope to finally add the details about the pending ascent as soon as we finish ticking it off. Thats planned for December 2012!