A Road Trip wid Family

"A FAMILY THAT TRAVELS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER"

This blog post is about our 10D/9N trip including my wife Nikita, me, my parents, my in-laws and my brother's in-laws. We decided to draw our own Golden triangle by visiting Jaipur, Khatu Ji, Salasar Ji, Rani Sati Dadi Ji, Agra, Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana and Govardhan.

I should mention that this was the first trip of this scale for my daughter, Trariti, who was just 10 months old at that time. We were initially skeptical on pulling this off but we decided to rely on the wisdom of Chitwan from Tripling Web Series who would have said - Baba, Crisis ke time par family hi kaam aati hai. No, ours was not as crazy as theirs. It was a well planned family road trip with loads of Gastronomical blast. Stay tuned and read on..

This trip was done in the month of October 2019, just between Durga Puja and Deepawali. Weather in Rajasthan becomes a lot more pleasant during this time. We decided to fly to Jaipur from Bengaluru and chose Jaipur as our assembly point with family members joining us from Gorakhpur, Alwar and Kolkata. Road condition is excellent in most of the desert state, especially between Delhi, Jaipur and Agra (part of tourist circuit Golden Triangle). We hired two vehicles from Jaipur () for our road trip and decided to end our trip in National Capital.

Day 1: Khatu Shyam Ji

The distance between Jaipur to KhatuShyamJi temple is merely 80 kms and takes about 2 hours to reach. We stopped en-route for a quick lunch and reached temple before evening. KhatuShyamJi is very popular among Hindu devotees, where the idol is in the form of a rediscovered head of Barbarika, a character from Mahabharata. We stayed at Shyam Dharamshala which has all the modern amenities and run by a trust. The rooms are clean and comfortable with a veg restaurant serving delicious food just downstairs. After settling in, we roamed around the temple streets and had piping hot thickened milk served in Kullads.

Day 2: Salasar BalaJi

After having an early morning darshan, we left for Lord Bala Ji's temple in Salasar, which is 105 kms away and takes less than 2 hours to reach. Lord Bala Ji is considered Sankat Mochan and provides freedom from evil spirits. After darshan and a hearty lunch, we left for Jhunjhunu which is ~90 kms away and takes less than 2 hrs. Keep in mind that good Veg food is available in abundance around all these temples.

We reached Jhunjhunu by evening and stayed in Ranisati dadi Dharamshala, which is located in the temple premises itself. The temple provided prasad or bhandara as dinner is a treat in itself and an experience to watch volunteers working mechanically.

Day 3: Ranisati Dadi Ji

We started our day with an early darshan followed by the breakfast in the temple canteen. The canteen is modest in terms of menu but food items were delicious. The highlight was hot Jalebi which we all devoured.

We left for Jaipur around lunch time. Jaipur is situated ~180 kms away and takes around 2 hrs 15 mins from Jhunjhunu. We took a quick halt for lunch in the famous Khandelwal Dhaba. Check out the GB hack on how difficult it is to locate genuine eateries in this part of India.

We checked in Umaid Bhawan Heritage Hotel for our upcoming stay in Jaipur. Once a hunting lodge, Umaid Bhawan is tastefully converted into a Hotel. There is a local Rajasthani folk dance event organised for guests every evening on the roof top.

After doing a little bit of research to go out for dinner, we narrowed down on Masala Chowk, which is an open air food court, hosting more than 20 flavours of the Pink City. Needless to say, we sampled a lot of food, out of which Gulab ki Tandoori Chai stood out.

Day 4: Local Jaipur

We started the day by having an early morning visit to Moti Dungri foothills, which has two temples close by - Moti Dungri Temple (Ganesha Temple) and Birla Temple (Lakshmi Narayana Temple).

Not missing out on any opportunity to try out the local delicacies, we headed to the famous Rawat ki Kachoris and had a sumptuous breakfast there. Most of us had already seen Jaipur in parts and so we decided to give all the sightseeing a halt and do some shopping in Bapu Bazar. We spent the evening by visiting Chokhi Dhani. The place is ~1-1.5 hrs drive from city centre and offers a nice getaway to spend a relaxed late evening.

Day 5: Chand Baori and Taj Mahal

Abhaneri is a small village that lies on Jaipur-Agra highway, approximately 100 kms from Jaipur. This village is a hidden gem and often overlooked by travellers, otherwise popular for Chand Baori step well, which is one of the oldest and deepest step well in Rajasthan.

We reached Agra by late afternoon and headed straight to Taj Mahal to get a sunset view of the ivory white marble mausoleum. If you ever wonder what makes this monument a masterpiece, then spend time in looking at the intricate marble jali, Calligraphy of Persian poems and Ayaats and on top of all - Pachhikari, which is a stone inlay technique to create woven marble patterns.

We checked in Taj Hotels to spend the only night we were in Agra. The hotel provides a unique view of the Taj Mahal from its roof top infinity pool.

Next day we checked out the local market in Agra while trying to find the authentic Panchhi Petha shop.

Day 6-9: Vrindavan and around

As we were coming towards the last leg of our road trip, we checked in to Nidhivan Sarovan Portico hotel in Vrindavan. The best way to see Brij Bhoomi is to stay in Vrindavan and take short trips to nearby places - Mathura, Barsana, Gokul and Govardhan.

There is no dearth of temples in this holy place. However, the major attractions are Banke Bihari Temple (Vrindavan), Krishna Janma bhoomi (Mathura) and Govardhan Parikrama. Keep in mind that most of the internal lanes around the temples are accessible only by a local electric tuk-tuk. However, you can use your own vehicle to cover the distance between nearby places.

Krishna Janma Bhoomi presents a unique sight where a temple and mosque share walls (only two other similar sites throughout India - Ayodhya and Kashi). The sight is a true epitome of the intertwined past the country has.

Check out GB hacks for a list of temples in this place.

There are plenty of options for good Veg food in Vrindavan and around. And while you at it, do not forget to try out famous Brijwasi ke Ped e in Mathura!

Day 10: Return

The stretch from Vrindavan to Delhi is one of the finest in the country and part of Yamuna Expressway. We started after breakfast and reached Delhi by late afternoon. The distance is approximately 170 kms which takes approximately 2 hrs. We were scheduled to fly out from Delhi the same night.

GB Hacks:

1. In India, most travel operators follow similar process for cab hiring. It consists of a daily minimum kms, varying between 300-400 kms per day, with driver charges extra. The rate for a 6-seater air conditioned Innova Crysta varies between 13-16 INR/km. The night driving charges are extra. Tipping is optional and usually not encouraged. Inter state permits and Toll charges are charged extra. It is best to ask travel operators for receipts for all such payments made.

2. Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays for viewers. It is open till Sunset on other days. There is a limited booking done for Full Moon Taj viewing which happens every month for ~5 nights around Full Moon day. Official Website - here.

3. There are numerous dhabas offering fresh and hygienic food along the Golden Triangle circuit. It is best to rely on Zomato or TripAdvisor for Reviews and Ratings as travel operators are biased and work on commission basis.

4. Be prepared to find multiple adjacent eateries with slight variations in names. Famous examples are Khandelwal Dhaba near Jaipur highway and numerous Panchhi Petha shops in Agra. Again, it is advised to rely on online apps to locate the right place.

5. Most of the temples in Rajasthan opens early in the morning and closes late in the night with few hours closing post lunch.

6. Vrindavan temples: Banke Bihari Temple, Krishna Balram Temple/Iskcon Temple/Angrez Mandir, Nidhi Van, Gopeshwar Mahadev Temple, Radha Raman Govind Temple, Prem Mandir,

7. Mathura temples: Dwarkadeesh Temple, Yamuna Maharani Ji Aarti/Vishram Ghat