10 days exoring the dessert state of India, Rajasthan

Jaipur is known as the Golden City, each city in Rajasthan is named after a colour that dominates the cities buildings and walls. 

It has 2 beautiful forts which I visited in a rush in 1 day, I recommend taking 2 days for this as they are spread out and take time to explore once inside. There are fees to  enter so it's nice to get your moneys worth and explore leisurely. 

On the first day I visited the monkey temple which is unique and different to many temples I have seen in India - it consists of beautiful ancient ruins and of course many monkeys which were used to the human activity.

To get around I approached Rickshaws (tuk tuks) and showed them the places I wanted to visit and asked for a price, this is a great way to explore Jaipur and the rest of India for that matter, as it is cheaper than a tour yet you get a driver who will wait for you at each stop, if you are lucky you will get a driver with good English who will share some knowledge of the scenic route. 

It is a loud busy city with a lot of history but isn't somewhere to easily relax due to the hustle and bustle. 

Pushkar is one of the holiest cities in India. 

It is however quite commercialised now with lots of tourist shops. But this does make for a great shopping spot, it has wonderful clothes, jewellery, art and anything else you could want! 

It's feature is a big lake in the centre of the town and is one of the top 5 pilgrimage sites for Hindus and Sikhs of India. 

It's a small restful town (unless you go during Holi Festival at the end of March). It has a spiritual vibe with lots of yoga classes and jewellery courses. 

I attended Divya Silversmith School which I highly recommend to learn the art of jewellery making. 

There is always a celebration in Pushkar so it's a great place to explore and eat at the various café and restaurants before watching the sunset and daily Arti (Hindu fire rituals) at the lake. 

You can get motorbikes for hire here and also have lesson on manual bikes. It's a great  base for road trips around the surrounding dessert lands and villages. 

There are gypsy women around the town who can do henna for you just bargain down the prices. 

Jaipur is known as the Golden City, each city in Rajasthan is named after a colour that dominates the cities buildings and walls. 

It has 2 beautiful forts which I visited in a rush in 1 day, I recommend taking 2 days for this as they are spread out and take time to explore once inside. There are fees to  enter so it's nice to get your moneys worth and explore leisurely. 

On the first day I visited the monkey temple which is unique and different to many temples I have seen in India - it consists of beautiful ancient ruins and of course many monkeys which were used to the human activity.

To get around I approached Rickshaws (tuk tuks) and showed them the places I wanted to visit and asked for a price, this is a great way to explore Jaipur and the rest of India for that matter, as it is cheaper than a tour yet you get a driver who will wait for you at each stop, if you are lucky you will get a driver with good English who will share some knowledge of the scenic route. 

It is a loud busy city with a lot of history but isn't somewhere to easily relax due to the hustle and bustle.