Nomad Diaries: Workation from Jaipur
On 26th January 2023, I landed in Jaipur, the Pink City of the country. This is my first destination in a 4-week long trip, and I was excited to witness and explore the beauty of the city.
I reached in the evening, and I had booked two hostels in Jaipur for a week, dividing 3–4 days at each hostel. For the first 3–4 days, I booked Zostel Jaipur, which is in the old city, at walking distance from Hawa Mahal.
On my way from Airport, I saw the Albert Hall Museum Building light show lit up with Tri colours celebrating Republic Day. The taxi entered the old city with all the handicrafts and leather shops with huge crowds on the roads, making it difficult for the vehicles to navigate. I saw a glimpse of the Hawa Mahal while travelling inside the taxi on my way to the Zostel, and people were clicking pictures in front of it.
I reached the Zostel and refreshed. On my way to dinner, I walked towards Hawa Mahal to see the front side of it and witnessed the crowd there. “Wow” was my expression. After that, I returned to the hostel, asking my friends on Instagram to recommend places to visit and food to eat in Jaipur.
I got good recos from my friends and added them to the “To Do” list for the days ahead.
Here are things that can help you about Jaipur:
How to reach: By Flight or Train
Food: Restaurants serving Vegetarian Food are widely available. Couldn’t see many South Indian eateries.
Stay: Multiple hostels. I stayed in Zostel and The Hosteller.
Mode of Transport: Share autos available in the old city. All cab aggregators are available. Not totally sure about bike rentals.
Okay, let’s get to my experience in Jaipur now :)
The next day was Friday, and I worked until evening and started visiting the places in Jaipur, starting with Amer Fort. Since it was Friday evening (or is it usual), the crowd there was huge. People came with families, friends, and partners, and I was all alone, exploring the fort with dogs and monkeys running and jumping all around.
On the way, I saw the Jal Mahal, too, although we are not allowed to enter the Jal Mahal. Returned to the hostel and planned for the weekend!
Saturday, 28th January 2023
I had booked for Pathaan. The show was at 12 pm.
I went to a temple first, and it was an auspicious day apparently (why my memory is so bad!). Went to Hawa Mahal — inside the Hawa Mahal, and the views are wonderful. Can’t appreciate the architecture enough. It was incredible and was worth visiting for sure.
One of my friends shared a reel to Galta Ji Mata Mandir. A good trek that leads you to a beautiful view. The ticket is Rs.100 for nothing! Foreigners enjoyed it there, but it wasn’t for me. I walked for almost 3 km to see that! Not everything you visit will give you a high! Not every place you see in an Instagram reel is a good place in reality.
From there, booked a Rapido bike to the famous Raj Mandir Cinema, a legacy theatre in Jaipur. Though the movie wasn’t good, I enjoyed a couple of scenes, particularly the meta-dialogues by SRK, and the theatre was awesome. An equivalent of Devi in Hyderabad but more aesthetically appealing to the eyes! The interiors are beautiful.
After watching the movie, I returned to Zostel and slept until late evening. I think I’ve had enough for the day already — visit Hawa Mahal, walk for almost 4 km to Galta Ji Temple, and watch a movie. A good and tiring weekend.
Sunday, 29th January 2023
Since it was Sunday, I didn’t have plans to go on distant visits. I decided to visit the City Palace, and the Jantar Mantar, both of which are near the Zostel. The weather had a different plan. It was all raining throughout the day.
When it rains (yes, it pours), it’s too cool for me to handle. The temperature was less than 11 degrees and was the lowest for me in my whole life. Since I was in the old city, the roads were worse, and my task for the day wasn’t fruitful.
It was slightly better outside at around 4:30 pm or 5 pm, although it was still drizzling. I walked towards the City Palace and visited it. With the ticket I took, the places of the visit were limited. I was done with it in an hour or so, and by the time I came back outside, the Jantar Mantar was about to close. The Jaipur City Palace, with a ticket price of Rs. 300, isn’t worth it. One could visit the whole palace for a whopping Rs. 3000 tickets, and I couldn’t pay that amount.
I couldn’t visit Jantar Mantar, and my visit to City Palace wasn’t that great either. I realised one couldn’t have a good experience with everything going as per the plan!
I’ve not been to any tourist places for the next two days. I went to National Handloom Corporation Ltd, a cooperative market where we could shop for everything, from groceries to home decor things. It is inside a building, and I roamed all floors and purchased a couple of things there. If you love shopping, you can have a great time there and on the street shops from Hawa Mahal.
On 31st January (or 1st February), I checked out from Zostel Jaipur and went to The Hosteller Jaipur. I booked two stays in Jaipur to experience both old and new cities.
The Hosteller is relatively urban, with less traffic and less crowd. I was there for the next three days until 3rd February. It was a good experience staying there as I made friends with a couple of folks — Sudipta from Kolkata and Soumil from Mumbai, among others. I also met a 20-YO Law Student from England who was on a solo trip to India. Got to know his perspective on travel and India.
I don’t remember the exact dates, but during my stay at The Hosteller, I visited these places:
- Albert Hall Museum — this is a must-visit place in Jaipur, in my opinion. I was pleasantly surprised at the armoury collection this museum has. It was a good experience, and it took more than two hours for me to complete the visit.
- Masala Chowk — this place is honestly tempting and interesting. A place where you have to pay an entry ticket of Rs. 10 to see the food stalls of different cuisines from across India. There’s Pav Bhaji from Mumbai, Desserts from Kolkata, Tiffins from South India, and the authentic Rajasthani Thali from Rajasthan. If you love tasting different items in one place filled with foodies, this is a must, in my opinion.
- Gulab Ji Chai Wale — A local and famous place for people to meet and have chai. It was a walking distance from The Hosteller, and I went there in the morning when it was cool outside with garam chai in my hand.
I posted a picture from Gulab Ji Chai Wale on Instagram, and coincidentally, my colleague and friend, Puru, stays nearby. We met and had lunch! (Oh, again, I forgot the name of the restaurant). Good to see and talk to the people you know during your solo trips 🙂
Marking the first place of the long Rajasthan Solo-trip as done, I boarded a bus to Pushkar, my second destination in Rajasthan. More on Pushkar in my main Rajasthan blog.
And here we are, friends, at the climax of this blog post.
Jaipur was good and accommodating. Coming from a place with contrasting food habits, and weather conditions, I was able to manage my time there for a week. It’s a place that has — congested houses, crowded places, street food, heritage, and Royal palaces, high-end restaurants. Given a chance, would I visit Jaipur again? Damn yes!
Both hostels, Zostel and The Hosteller, were conducive to the working folks, and there were cafes inside the hostels. There were no internet disruptions and no disturbance, and both of them have dedicated workspaces so that we can work with focus. Thanks to Vikul at Zostel Jaipur for helping me out with everything and suggesting places to visit in Jaipur.
By the way, if you book Zostel and are searching for pure vegetarian food, you can contact Salan Kitchen Jaipur near Zostel. They provide meals twice a day, and the price is affordable. The taste is good too. Here’s the contact number: 9929369753.
I’d like to take a moment to thank Sai Kiran, Neeraj Tak, Aditi Saini, Nihas, and Gayathri for recommending the places in Jaipur. This trip wouldn’t have been successful without your recommendations. Thanks, Aditi, for area-wise recos. That truly helped 😀
Please read my whole Rajasthan solo travel experience here (coming soon). After Jaipur, I covered Pushkar, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Udaipur.
Until next time…
