It was my 18th birthday when he finally uttered those magical words to me. “Jaa Simran jaa, jee le apni zindagi.” Yes, guyssss….!! I was officially permitted to go on trips without my parents. But thanks to the pandemic, it wasn’t until my next birthday that my parents gifted me a trip to the state of desserts. Like any other set of concerned parents, they came to drop me off at the train station. The actual thrill started only after the train left. I had no idea how it was going to be. I was travelling with a group of strangers. Not 5, not 10…but…40 of them…And I wished I had Bunny with me to say… “Tum bohot cool ho, Naina!”
Nevertheless, I decided to be my own Bunny for the entire trip. As I started mixing up with people, I met some really cool people—a few my age, while a few elder than me. Some travelling alone, while some came with families. Our trip organizer was almost my age, yet was bold and beautiful, with a massive experience of travel planning and organizing trips.
Sharing stories, snacks and music, we finally reached Udaipur after 20 hours of the train journey. The strangers weren’t that strange after all. Hoping not to make any mistakes on my first solo trip, I made the first one even before the train journey ended. A vlogger’s worst nightmare—I had no memory left in my vlogging camera. So I switched to recording on my phone. When my co-travelers started introducing themselves for my vlog, that’s when I connected better with them.
Our initial plan was to arrive in Udaipur and check in to our hotel rooms and freshen up a little bit. But the train arrived 4 hours late, so we skipped the check-in part and straightaway went on to sightseeing.
The first place we visited was Saheliyo ki Badi. Here is a fun fact about it. There was a small fountain which cascaded when people clapped around it. When you go close to the fountain and clap, the water force increases, and when you stop clapping, the water flow stops. It was only later that we saw a man with a lever in his right hand and discovered that the motions were being controlled by him all the while.
As the sun descended, we headed towards Lake Pichola, for a breathtaking view of the blue water with soft and cool breezes caressing my tired face. Unlike other lake sites that are filled with local sellers, this one seemed to be a more serene experience, best for a peace-seeking soul. The City Palace near the lake adds to its beauty.
After a heartfelt dinner, we danced and talked, played games, and went to bed almost an hour before sunrise. This is the best thing about group trips. The next day we visited Kumbhalgarh in Udaipur. This fort is known for its temples, palaces and gardens. Peeking from one of the windows of this fort, one can effortlessly re-live the glorious royal history of India. Returning to the present time, we departed by bus for the Pink City of Jaipur. While on the bus, we arranged a little gala for a couple celebrating their anniversary.
We reached Jaipur before dawn, checked in at a hotel, had a 2-hour sleep, and then visited all the tourist spots in Jaipur the next whole day. The city tour started off with Hawa Mahal, a palace with infinite windows. The architectural brilliance of Jantar Mantar and the royalty of the City Palace had us awestruck. Going through the lanes of this historical city, I wondered to myself, why is this city called “Pink City” when everything around actually looked mud brown? The bus driver answered this curiosity that it was actually named after the ‘pink terracotta’ used to paint the walls of palaces and even the street shops.
Later that night was New year’s Eve. We partied hard and danced through the night. We even celebrated our tour head- Prapti’s birthday. Early in the morning, we left for the Amer fort, a.k.a. Amber palace. As we reached the foothills, standing tall in front of me, was a flashback of my favourite movie – Jodha Akbar, with the zig-zag lanes leading up to the magnificent fort. Though the entire city of Jaipur was a mesmerising experience, the best highlight of the day was baby Shivanya. She was the daughter of the former anniversary couple, Suraj Dada and Ankita Vahini. Though she was scared of strangers, we vibed so well that for the rest of the trip, she would go around searching for me all the time.