Rajasthan | GRRRL TRAVELER

India Tour Agency scams and How to Get Out of One

Filed under Delhi, I Survived! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 30, 2008 at 11:42 am {no comments}

: How do you get out of Indian tour agencies scams?

Namaste, you’ve been ripped off!

“If you gave saddhu (Indian holy man) just 1/10 of what you’re paying on this trip, the saddhu and his entire family would pray for you for the rest of his life!

Indians have a humorous way of putting things.

Under the desert moon and with the Jaisalmer city walls as our backdrop, we got to know the Mali brothers (of Shahi Palace) better. The drinks were free and the laughter was flowing. But when the brothers had heard the predicament I was in with the tour, things turned towards a down (more…)

White Sheets Review: Shahi Palace Hotel (Jaisalmer, India)

Filed under Accommodations, India tips & stays by Christine Ka'aloa on September 27, 2008 at 11:51 am {no comments}

Shahi Palace Hotel Review on Tripadvisor

There’s a heart that exists in India- its here!

My stay at Shahi Palace, Jaisalmer was one of my best memories of India and its heart. It’s not only about experiencing the desert calm (and Shahi’s wonderful camel safari to the Thar Desert w/ the “Camel Man”) but it’s truly about the people and the friendships that you make along the way. (more…)

Video: Taking a Camel Safari in Jaisalmer

Filed under EPISODES, India by Christine Ka'aloa on September 27, 2008 at 7:23 am {6 comments}

: Camel Safaris in the Deserts of India

My first camel riding adventure did not take place in Morocco, Egypt or Mongolia… it took place last year in India! But in the Rajasthan region of northern India, where the environment is arid and hot, you see Quasimodo animals as native to the region as cows pulling wagons.

In the far outskirts of the forted city of Jaisalmer, I took a sunset camel safari into the Thar Desert with the acclaimed “Camel Man”. A group of us (more…)

Rajasthan: Jaisalmer, deserts and camel safaris

Filed under Rajasthan by Christine Ka'aloa on September 27, 2008 at 4:01 am {no comments}

When we arrived, Kul took us to our hotel to drop our bags. The place was clean, but bland and soul-less. A standard non-descript budget hotel.

There were three twin -sized beds spaced out in the room. Lame.

I gave up my bed to Kul and decided to stay with Regina, instead. She wasn’t officially on the tour and only paying for the driver, so she had our original reservation booking at Shahi Palace. Sure, I’d spend a night paying for an extra hotel, while Margaret and Dan stayed at the hotel the tour had booked; but I really liked what I’d seen in Shahi’s website pictures. I had a good feeling about them from my correspondences too (more…)

Would you walk in a temple of rats? Rat worship in India (Video)

Filed under India, Off-beat, Weird... Reality! by Christine Ka'aloa on September 26, 2008 at 12:41 pm {8 comments}

Karni Mata ”Rat Temple”, Deshnok, India (watch 2 min video above)

Who else can say they got a chance to walk barefoot over sacred rat pee and poop?

It’s customary to remove your shoes, when entering a temple in India and at the Karni Marta Rat Temple in Deshnok, as uneasy as it was, I had no option but do so. Karni Mata (‘mata’ aka mother) is a reincarnation of the Hindu goddess Durga, and she’s also known as the ‘Rat Goddess’. She is the overseeing deity of this temple, where you’ll witness millions of rats nest and occupy free reign. Some rats nestle (more…)

Top 5 Things to do in Jaipur and the Dangers of Driving on an Indian Highway

Filed under EPISODES, India by Christine Ka'aloa on September 26, 2008 at 10:54 am {no comments}

Rajasthan: Jaipur, Deshnok, Jaisalmer

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Drive by Rajasthan: Delhi to Jaipur

Filed under EPISODES, Rajasthan by Christine Ka'aloa on September 24, 2008 at 10:29 am {no comments}

Seeing the Rajasthan region through a plate of glass while flying itinerary-speed across the highway is a blur. It’s as romantic as the music in our driver, Kul’s car. North Indian highways have all types of traffic Rajasthan, being Northern India, is shrouded mostly in desert. Sand, dry heat, arid landscape, farming … and [...]