On an adventure through Rajasthan with her niece, photographer and avid traveller Sherry Ott discovered hidden treasures that most people overlook before going.
‘Did you go to Taj Mahal?’ This is one of the inevitable questions I hear when I tell someone I went to India. Yes, I did, but there are even more memorable experiences you can have in the country’s northwestern state of Rajasthan.
The gleaming white mausoleum is a ‘must see’, of course. I visited the Taj Mahal on my Classic Rajasthan trip, admired it with awe – but it lags far back in my memory when I think of the most memorable moments I experienced in my two-week adventure. If you simply focus on the Taj Mahal, then you’re missing out on the best of India.
Deep, cultural experiences will always win out over big-name sights for me, and I don’t think I’m alone in that thinking. My best memories of Rajasthan are of local interactions and unique experiences. So, here are five of the most memorable ones.
1. Travelling by train
On my Classic Rajasthan trip with Intrepid, we’d taken a few trains in the First Class Air-Conditioned carriages to ease us into India’s trains, but one early morning we were due to get on the Sleeper Car Class where – brace for impact – there are no seats, no air conditioning and no reservations. I was excited (and a bit intimidated) as the monkeys scattered and the train lumbered into the station. By choosing the Sleeper Car Class, we were taking a deep dive into the culture of train travel in India.
As we hurried onboard, I was surprised it wasn’t as crowded as I expected. We were travelling in the early morning hours, which likely helped. The carriages are divided into open-plan compartments with six beds in each that are used as benches to sit on during the day.
My niece and I found a bench to sit on as we stored our bags in some spare space above us. She fit right in, as she dozed off like the rest of the locals, while I enjoyed just sitting with my hair blowing in the breeze of the open window. I soaked it all in; smiling at the woman across from me, watching the vendors come by, seeing locals rush to get on at a little stop in the middle of nowhere.
Being a part of this slice of Indian life and culture was a highlight for me and the three hours flew by. Before I knew it, the train was pulling away from our group on the platform and we were on to our next location.
Read more: Chai Lord on the culture of India’s national drink
2. Eating street food in Jaipur
I looked at the piping hot samosas, the line of locals waiting for them, and knew this was going to be delicious. ‘For the first few days, I chose restaurants to get your stomachs used to India,’ our local leader, Mohsin, explained as we stood in front of the food stall in Jaipur. ‘But today, if you’d like to taste the street food on this walk you can’.
I love to explore a country through it’s food, so this was my chance to do it in a somewhat safe way. The thought of eating Indian street food felt exciting to me. I followed Mohsin’s advice on his carefully chosen street vendors and, as I bit into the steaming samosa, I felt as if the training wheels had come off my bike and I was experiencing the real India now.
We ate fried treats, tried the local candy, enjoyed a lassi from the oldest vendor in town and watched a chai wallah (tea maker) make the best masala chai I’ve ever had.
Read more: Authentic cultural experiences across India
3. A rural village walk in Madhogarh
Human connection is the heart of travel for me. When I went out walking in the village of Madhogarh, I was excited to get closer to the people and rural culture of India. A village elder accompanied us on our walk as we meandered around the small community, which sits at the base of a dramatic fort-topped hill. He pointed things out and made sure everyone was respectful on both sides. We were able to see how the villagers lived, worked and farmed.
An Indian woman in a colourful dress walked by and smiled at me as she carefully balanced a brass pot of water on her head. There is no plumbing in these villages so the women gather water daily at the central well. We watched as people worshipped at a temple, surrounded a truck to get produce for their night’s meal and got their hair cut at the local streetside barber.
We were able to get up close to day-to-day life. But it wasn’t us just observing them, the locals were just as excited to see and interact with us. We had waves, pictures, singing, dancing and kids speaking their English homework to us. It was a beautiful, memorable exchange that made for a memorable travel moment.
4. Seeing stepwells in Bundi
You’ll visit plenty of well-known palaces and forts in the big cities in Rajasthan – transporting you back to a life of royal decadence. However, my favourite architectural landmarks in Rajasthan were the surprising stepwells found around Bundi. Found across India, these structures – with their symmetrical corridors and cascading stairs – were historically used to surface and store water in dry, arid areas. Often built for royal families, they were created by digging deep into the ground to find useable groundwater. The walls were lined with stones and steps, leading down to the water source where locals could easily fill their pots for their daily needs.
Today, some are in disrepair, however many have been refurbished. Bundi especially and its surrounding area has more than 50 differently designed stepwells, with some still used today.
Read more: The five Rajasthan cities you should visit in India
5. A heritage hotel stay in Bijaipur
After all the big cities, we arrived at Bijaipur Castle Heritage Hotel – 350-year-old heritage retreat, where the ruling family still lives. So, it was less like a hotel stay and more like I was welcomed into someone’s home – or a castle, in this case.
Not only did I experience all of the luxuries of royal living – such as massages, swims in the pool, a stroll along the castle walls and decadent food – but we even had a henna session at the castle. I loved not just seeing, but experiencing the royal side of India’s history and culture.
As I look back on my Rajasthan adventure now, it’s not the Taj Mahal but experiences like these that will live on in our minds as our most memorable moments in India.
See the authentic side of Rajasthan on a locally led small-group adventure with Intrepid.
