What Sam says about_____?: Stage-9- Tour De Rajasthan

Jaipur today has become one of my favourite destinations in Northern India. Having been there twice now, this city never fails to surprise me. However during this road trip this was my first trip to Jaipur. We left Kumbhalgarh for Jaipur and it took almost 7 hours to reach. I had booked Hotel Ibis at Civil Lines for our stay and let me tell you, it's definitely the best place to stay in Jaipur. Location, service, stay everything spot on and perfect.

We checked into the hotel, showered and rushed to Johri Bazaar to shop. Well Johri Bazaar is one place every woman will go crazy shopping. One can shop for Jaipuri comforters, bed sheets, bed covers, linen, clothes, junk jewellery - Well almost everything and yes of course silver jewellery. I strongly recommend you check out Buddha Gems and Jewellers at Hawa Mahal for silver Jewellery. He has some amazing stuff you can buy.

Hawa Mahal is the main attraction while visiting the pink city. Located just at the end of Johri Bazaar this monument is one piece of architectural marvel that leaves you spell bound. I could just stand for hours and stare at this beautiful building. A visit to Hawa Mahal is nothing short of Mandatory while in Jaipur.

Post the Hawa Mahal trip we were starving and we headed to LMB or Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar which is a famous landmark in Johri Bazar. You can munch on the famous Rajasthani sweets like Ghevar and savory items like Kachaudi, Mirchi Vada and even Daal Baati or Rajasthani Thali. We hogged to our hearts fill and headed back to the hotel.

The next day we had a lavish breakfast spread at the Ibis hotel which was scrumptious and filling and we decided to head out to Jal mahal before a shopping trip to Baapu bazaar. If you drive down further ahead you would reach Jal Mahal. Even though the property is quite deserted the stink of the lake is quite a turn off. Its quite sad that the area around the lake has not been maintained by the municipal authorities. There is dirt and trash all over. But still the property is unique and beautiful in its own way.

Post Jal Mahal I went for my round 2 of Shopping at Bapu Bazaar. I am quite fascinated and moved by what this market offers to Shopaholics like me. One has to bargain one's way through to the product one desires, but its truly worth it. My visit to the City Palace and Amer Fort was worth it too. Even though there aint much to see at the City Palace in Jaipur, the Amer Fort is fascinating. Well, what can I say I am a sucker for forts and I adored Amer Fort too. The murals and the paintings on the walls and the whole feel of the fort takes you back in time to the Royal Era. You can definitely not miss Amer Fort when in Jaipur. My only regret being that I could not visit Nahargarh fort, since I hear that the view at night of the entire city of Jaipur from the top of the fort is quite spectacular. I am surely going to visit Nahargarh on my next trip to Jaipur.

And how can one miss a trip to Chowki Dhani. Its an experience in itself, I recommend you keep atleast 3-4 hours for Chowki Dhani, since it is located outside the city limits and you must enjoy every thing about the place. Chowki Dhani is built in a Rajasthani Village style and is both a resort and a picnic spot cum restaurant so you can savour authentic Rajasthani cuisine and stay there as well if it fits your budget.

If you are in and around civil lines you can absolutely not miss having dinner at Spice Court, the place is located in a heritage hotel property called Hari Bhawan and has absolutely lip smacking food and a great pastry shop called Dzurt. We enjoyed Rajasthani Junglee Maas and Ker Sangri and a nice butter Cup cake for Dinner and adored everything I ate.

It was a long last day of my road trip, and the trip was worth every moment I spent relishing great food and driving on fantastic roads in Rajasthan. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for my road trip to Pushkar Ajmer and Salasar via Jaipur and I will bring you restaurant reviews of restaurants I loved in Ajmer and Jaipur.