Petha, Bhatoore and Gulabi Chai

Petha, Bhatoore and Gulabi Chai

This article is not for you if you are a slow traveller. It's for those who can carve out five to six days out of their jam-packed schedules and make it to the three cities, New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, commonly referred to as the golden triangle by many tourists. I personally don't like this triangular trip and prefer a tourist to visit attractions like Mandawa, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Chandelo Gash, Udaipur, Jojawar also. But as I said this article is for those who work their way into spontaneity and also those who have just begun to dig into a country like India. Come with me, and read how I encountered Delhi's Choole Bhatoore, Agra's Petha and Jaipur's Gulabi Chai all within five days. This tour will take you through the ravishing routes of New Delhi, glittering gullies of Jaipur and the world wonder Taj Mahal of Agra. Jaipur's archaic glimpses, New Delhi's magnanimous hospitality are just to name a few but before I lead you further I would like you to keep notes of a few things. October to March is the peak time for travellers but visiting in other months is a possibility only if you are ready for the scorching sun and heat it brings itself. Crowd is  something you should be synonymous with. Stay away from tricksters, choose to be conscious about your belongings, money and cards. Notify banks about your trip so that they don't freeze your card on account of any suspicion. ATMs are open Twenty four hours,  fully covered clothes are perfect to keep sun tan at bay and also aids when the temperature dips. Let the local consulate handle your e visa issues and aligning with a resounding tour agency will be of your good interest. Here's my itinerary for my five days trip to New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. Day 0Heart beating, suitcase packing turning into a mess, heads boggling over Indian nuggets, few Google searches here and there, nervousness where weird scenarios of my travels can be imagined. Inside my plane….about to land. Planning for a Twitter hashtag  before I land.Day 1Arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. It's huge, my eyes run at Hamley stores like a kid but I restrict myself to Starbucks. A warm coffee makes me ready to plan ahead. I contacted my agency and a luxury SUV was parked for my attendance. I entered the Hotel Imperial View. I locked my luggage, picked up a Bohemian tote bag and felt myself ready for my endeavours.  Journey started with first visiting  Shah Jahan's Jama Masjid, a mosque. No entry fee. Calm and serene to begin with, red sandstone, intricate carvings, and natural sense of tranquility fills in the air. I visited the old market, Chandni chowk and filled my bag with tea bags, jewellery, suits and jhumkas. Next stop was Red Fort and Iron pillar. This visit was well lectured to me by my well informed tour guide. Next stop was lotus temple and then I visited Humayun's Tomb. All these places have a special history scripted with its existence. Later I ventured into the much awaited Chole bhature for my lunch.For evening, I visited Agrasen ki Baoli which is an archaic stepwell and later went to visit Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Sikh Temple where I had my langar. A quiet walk at Lodhi Garden ended up with ice cream eating near India Gate. I saw the beautiful Amar Jawan jyoti. A mashal burning amidst the dark chills of New Delhi's night. I returned back to the hotel for a sleep.Day 2, Day 3 JaipurAfter a four hours drive from New Delhi, I saw the beautiful pink city of  Raja Jai Singh, a city planner and astronomer king who curated the city of Jaipur. I checked in at ITC Rajputana and addressed the royal welcome it had to honour me with. My first trip was to Amer Fort. I personally recommend keeping lemon based drinks and electrolytes because one has to walk a lot here. Next stop was Sheesh Mahal or the Hall of Mirrors. I then went back to my hotel for a good lunch. In the evening, I clicked photos at Patrika Gate, and Hawa Mahal ended my day with Gulabi Chai. Another day's highlights were Panna Meena ka kund, Nahargarh Fort, Jal Mahal and the magnificent City Palace and Jantar mantar. I shopped for Bandhanis and Shibori fabrics. I tried payals and a lotus shaped nose ring. Day 4 I left Jaipur for Agra and checked in the Trident Agra. The hotel was very warm. I managed to see the last highlight of my trip, the Taj Mahal not just once but twice. I saw it during the sunrise and later under the moonlit night. It is difficult to choose which one I like more. It's like the morning rays were striking the Mahal's building and enhancing its beauty and during the night, it was the moon which adorned a pleasant landscape to its entirety.Day 5 I reached back to Delhi. This time for some luxury shopping at defence colony, south delhi. Delhi is home to great fashion designers like Anita Dongre, Tarun Tahiliani, Rajdeep Ranawat and Sabyasachi. I reached back to the Airport and said ba bye to my favourite country India!!.