Well in today’s time who doesn’t have a bucket list, it must have become a very popular word offlate to describe our aspirations but what really is a bucket list and what stems it, I often think. A movie , A book maybe , A friends recommendation , A lonelyplanet article , A blog or may be some Instagram pictures.
Well in this case the bucket list Road trip was implanted in my head when I was 13, it stemmed from a very famous dialogue in a popular Bollywood film ‘BORDER’. The movie was dedicated by Mr JP Dutta in the memory of his late brother who was a part of the Indo Pak war of 1971 fought at Longewala a town on the western border of Rajasthan.
What was the dialogue that stuck by – “Subah ka Nashta Jaisalmer mein, Dupahar ka Khana Jodhpur mein aur Raat ka Dilli mein Karenge “
This basically meant a Pakistani General being very confident of his advance movements and capturing the capital city of India the same night after entering from the border town of Jaisalmer. What it left me thinking as a teenager was the distance between these two cities and how would it be to cover this someday by road myself.
Geography and maps always sang to me. I may have not remembered most songs from this war drama but this dialogue stuck by somehow.
This wasn’t the first time I was going to see Jaisalmer or Delhi or any of the cities that we stopped by , being an army daughter and a Rajput born & brought up in Rajasthan, I had been to most of these cities with Dad , lived in some and in fact spent a very memorable holiday camping at Longewala some two decades ago. But these trips were made via either Jodhpur or Jaipur and never from Delhi before.
Now if you allow me a little more digression let me tell you what made us do this right in the middle of a crippling Pandemic when things were still half open , a lot of doubts persisted and inter state travel wasn’t even permitted. We had been living in Delhi for a Decade travelling the world and happily ignoring this long pending wishlist.
In the February of 2020 my husband had an internal job transfer and we were supposedly moving to Hyderabad by April that got postponed to October because of the lockdown. For some major deep calling inside I wanted to leave Delhi on a happy note with a memorable trip. While interstate travel wasn’t allowed I realised my car was a RJ number and registered on Dad’s name(ex defence) hinting me to take advantage once in life. I accept it was risky but the heart wants what it wants and we took proper precautions wherever possible.
The most difficult part was to convince Family but after a while the ‘Ja Jile Apni Zindagi Simran’ moment happened and both of us tucked our luggage into my tiny i10 and set off for the trip.
The husband was very worried about the heat and the odd monsoon timing of this trip. But I told him if he hasn’t seen the Desert Monsoons then he hasn’t really seen the desert. What was different in this trip was we didn’t have a single accommodation booked in advance , we weren’t sure about who is taking in guests , some didn’t pick calls , some websites didn’t show bookings yet and we hadn’t really planned places to see like we usually do on a trip either.
The idea was to just go with flow and see what comes out of it. Below is the route that we followed and the entire journey was absolutely amazing and breathtaking. We covered 1600 km over 10 days with 5 stops as both of us were also working remotely. I can’t recommend enough you do this road trip at the tail end of the monsoon for some gorgeous sites, zero crowds and gobsmacking cotton candy clouds that accompany you throughout.
In fact it easily is one of the best road trips our country has to offer. I would only rank Delhi to Leh possibly above this and trust have done quite a few self drive road trips already. I wish I had all my Camera Photos to convince you enough but a little fiasco happened so this blog mostly has pictures from the mighty Phone for a change.
Breakdown of the Roadtrip
Pit Stop 1 – Mandawa (Gurgaon to Mandawa 230 Km)
Our first pit stop was this sleepy town in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan well known for its magnificent Havelis with intricate frescoes and carvings. At a distance of 230 km winding through tiny villages in Haryana and Rajasthan it takes you a little more than 5 hours to make it here from Gurgaon.
If you are an art lover mark this area for your next trip because its a living breathing open art museum. One could easily spend even a week here like the Italians Tourists usually do and visit the entire stretch of Shekhawati that includes towns of Mandawa, Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, Nawalgarh , Sikar , Churu to name a few.
Once the bastion of Rao Shekha , the land of Shekhawati is laced with innumerable beautiful Haveli’s and some of the best frescoes you will ever set your eyes on. The region fell on the ancient caravan route and attracted a large community of traders who settled here later. Most Haveli’s are abandoned now and quite a few even in dilapidated state but the ones that have been preserved or converted into boutique stays are well worth a visit and a wholesome experience. We stayed at this boutique property Vivaana Culture Hotel an erstwhile Haveli converted into a Hotel and enjoyed every minute of our stay.
Where We Stayed – Vivaana Culture Hotel
PIT STOP 2 – BIKANER (Mandawa to Bikaner 193 Km)
Our next stop was Bikaner and from here the beauty of this Road trip really begins, this stretch of a two lane highway is primarily straight and one of the best roads we have driven in India. Dotted with just sleepy desert villages and farmlands as far as the eye can see , its absolutely gorgeous.
The clouds rolled in , and an occasional motor bike passed through , shepherds with their colourful turbans and obedient sheep graced along , an occasional camel cart passing by reminded me of my fond childhood on these Chakdra’s (Camel Cart) as a commute around our Village. We stayed at the magnificent Narendra Bhawan and were treated like Royalty, I haven’t come across better hospitality.
The food was out of this world, and some of the staff happened to be from nearby my Village in Nagaur and the chef from Jodhpur ( My maternal home) This meant the already top notch hospitality was taken up another level , Kapil was treated like the special Jawai (son-in -law), extra special food and menus were dished out for both of us and I had happy tears rolling down to the warmth of my own people. It remains as one of my most special stays of all travels & reinstates my believe that its never the place but the people.
Where We Stayed – Narendra Bhawan , Bikaner
Pit Stop 3 – Jaisalmer (Bikaner to Jaisalmer 329 Km)
Prepare for a long day on road but a road unlike any other. This road is an important one from geopolitical security angle and hence its an absolute butter smooth ride that you will enjoy. The route passes through other critical sites such as Pokhran if you wish to visit. And if you are lucky like us keep a watch for Black bucks grazing on the fresh monsoon grass in vicinity.
My heart was so full seeing these magnificent creatures. We had to actually halt the car at a point to avoid signal breakage when my husband had a critical work call to attend. So I stepped out of the car and was lucky to spot Blackbucks grazing right there, while he wrapped up his work I happily watched them go about their grazing business with utter alertness for a good 20 minutes. A few kilometers later small sandunes had started to make an appearance.
We stayed 3 nights in Jaisalmer at the stunning Suryagarh , good enough for us to work during the day and explore the places in the late afternoon-evening while getting enough rest. Suryagarh is a gorgeous luxury property and we enjoyed every bit of our stay , they hadn’t really opened up when we reached but were prepping. We were lucky to be the only guests for the first two days and just like Narendra Bhawan the staff at Suryagarh goes an extra mile to make your stay special.If you wish to visit Longewala Border from here or the town of Barmer to witness some embroidery crafts, set a day aside.
Where we Stayed – Suryagarh, Jaisalmer
Pit Stop 4 – Jodhpur (Jaisalmer to Jodhpur 281 Km)
We left Jaisalmer late afternoon due to a heavy pour which got even worse as we drove, and the desert roads were washed off in so many places, nonetheless it made for a pretty scene but slowed down our travel time. The major part of our road trip had ended as we reached Jodhpur, both Jodhpur and Jaipur are Home for me since I spent a large part of my growing up in these cities.
But going in the middle of a Pandemic and to meet family was a different joy. We stayed just a night here in my maternal home. Spent some quality time with my relatives discussing the nuances of the Corona Virus theories and bingeing on some delicious home cooked food and Netflix. My Mamosa wanted us to spend a couple more days with them but we had to head to Jaipur as my parents were eagerly waiting and so was I, we hadn’t seen them for the longest time ever , thanks to the lockdown. If you haven’t been to Jodhpur before keep a couple of days for exploring the city and visiting the Mehrangarh Fort , (Easily one of the best forts of the country) and try some of the best Marwari cuisine in all of Rajasthan.
Pit Stop 5 – Jaipur (Jodhpur to Jaipur 333 Km)
I drove through this entire patch as he worked on his excels and worked through his work call , the road is straightforward but gets prettier as you approach Bar a small town on the way where the of Aravalli range starts to make an appearance. I was finally Home after the longest time and the joy of seeing my folks hale and hearty is something I wouldn’t trade for a million bucks. It was time to spend some quality time with Mom & Dad and eat the best mommy food one can. Catch up on sleep , laze around and walk in Dad’s garden and enjoy some downtown at home. Just like Jodhpur we didn’t head out at all and Home was our Sanctuary.
But if you are here for the first time or visiting as a tourist , spend some time visiting the old city discovering the historic sights – The Amber Fort , The City Palace and Jaigarh & Nahargarh. Chill at India’s most beautiful Restaurant Bar Palladio or visit the award winning The Johari for lunch. Gorge on local delicies like Pyaaz kachori or Lal Maas, and shop your heart out for Block Prints and Blue Pottery for your home. As a J town girl I have lost count of how many times people ask me about Things to do in Jaipur. I realise I have to dish out a guide on my own city from a point of view of someone who grew in the city and calls it Home.
Back To Gurgaon (Jaipur To Gurgaon 234 Km)
Finally it was time to head back Home all refreshed , carrying memories of this absolutely memorable road trip , checking off a long pending bucket list while making new ones in my head. The road from Jaipur to Gurgaon is a straightforward national highway and a highly busy one with heavy traffic so nothing much to write about it except a pit stop at Old Rao dabba to get some ‘Lunni ghee Parathas’ is a must.
Bonus Tips
- Its advisable to take turns to drive so everyone gets to enjoy equally
- If time permits & you haven’t been to Udaipur you could also add that (Jodhpur – Udaipur – Jaipur)
- We stayed at some premium properties with utmost Hygiene checks in place owing to the Pandemic. But Rajasthan has its fair share of good boutique and budget properties also.
- Provided you have more time on hand consider adding some small towns like Pushkar, Osian, Jawai , Kumbhalgarh off the tourist trail for more authentic offbeat experiences.
- Don’t be afraid to ask people and try the not so popular local cuisine, trust me Rajasthani cuisine is more than just Gatta Curry and Dal Bati Churma.
If you love road trips as much as we do check out my other blogs on some epic road trips across the world.
