Behind the wheel & Contributor

Vinod Kumar...know more about me

---

Travelogue

Route

Distance to Jaipur : 250 kms. (4 hrs drive) - Sambhar Lake is 75 kms

Route : Delhi - Jaipur expressway - Krishna palace at Bani Park

A long weekend, and we plan a short trip to the pink city of Jaipur. Delhi being foggy, we delay our otherwise early morning drives to 8pm. By 2 pm we were in Jaipur. Our stay was in Krishna palace, a bit different from the usual hotel stay. Airbnb gave us a good deal and so we were here in Bani park by saturday noon. The place is given the feel of a heritage haveli. The rooms are also given a traditional haveli touch. You can park your car one behind the other, in the premises. The family who runs the stay is cordial and friendly. The food order is followed by a long wait, so we just had a breakfast and tea. The bathrooms are not that clean, in a budget vacation of 5.5k for 3 days we had no complaints whatsoover.

The room view


The afternnon after checkin we had lunch in Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar (LMB). Had to wait for 15mins for a seat. The place was crowded, and the waiters were too busy catering to the surging stream of people. The best as recommended by vistors were dal bhati churma, raj kachori and thali. And of course they have a huge collection of sweets, so visit the place guilt free of calories. The dal bhati choorma was amazing, made in ghee. The gatta and kadi were also good. Cards are accepted so not much payement issues.



After food had a walk through bapu baazar. Mostly shops even bangles and artifacts shops are accepting Paytm. The gol gappa wagon also had displayed "Paytm accepted". After a stroll through bapu and Sanjay baazar and some nick-nack shopping we return back to our hotel room. No dinner just hit the bed.

The next morning after breakfast, leave for Sambhar lake around 75kms from here. The route is Jaipur - Khelwara - Jobner - Phulera - Sambhar. The roads are overall good. The salt bed and the salt train was amazing. Drive through the lake bed for a few kms on the tractor tracks, the white sands and the ever ending desert surely is the best place for selfies and photographs.

Railway station




The salt train












By 1 we retreat back, looking for a suitable restaurant for dal bhati choorma, we reach Heritage buffet in Jaipur city itself, probably a new one. The thali was awesome here. the guys were very cordial helpful and we had one of the best Rajasthan thalis ever here.

Our next destination was the Jaigarh fort. Located on top of a hill, the fort overlooks the Amber fort and the Jal mahal. Good views of the city & around can he had from here. The palace, assembly hall, puppet show, kitchens, and the canon are some of the exhibits here. The huge red walls of the fort extend to the sorrounding mountains...Jaivana the worlds largest canon on wheels which was test fired only once.

The entry








The meeting hall for soldiers


Hall of Private audience




King's residence










The fort is open from 9-5pm. Ticket prices are Rs 50 plus vehicle entry charges if you want to take your car inside. Camera charges are seperate. There are rest rooms, cafeteria inside the fort. Best visited in winter, as summers will be terribly hot. More pics









To Jaivana - the largest canon


















The next day we drive back home.