Showing posts with label New in Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New in Travel. Show all posts

Friday, 6 February 2015

What to do in Jaipur, If not sightseeing?

Jaipur - The Pink City can be called as the most vibrant city of India. There is always something happening here, irrespective of the season and time of the year. Above all, it is not as huge and crowded as Delhi or Mumbai where going to a distant place can sound burdensome and the plans may go for a toss.

Yes, Jaipur has many things one should try and do. This time we bring out some experiences one can have in this majestic city.
AND YES!! We promise, they will all be unadulterated, authentic and non-fabricated experiences.

Up-Close with the artisans of the city: Jaipur has a long history and one of the chapters of this history is about - Gunijankhana. Gunijan-khana (Department of the talented people) housed 32 different types of art and crafts of the city ranging from jewelers, dyers, tailors, embroiders, leather workers and what not. There is a huge scope of meeting such artisans in their workshops and homes through Vedic Walks.

Walk around the old city: Walking tours are a must do activity if in the town. The opportunity of get an in-depth insight of the city, without making it look like a sight-seeing tour. In Vedic Walks, these tours are aimed at making you feel like a local and explore like a pro. A 2.5 to 3 hour encounter with the city will surely leave you with a great respect for it.
One always has the opportunity to hop in the inner lanes and from the authentic artisans who would never treat you like a tourist.

Eat with the local and learn their recipes: Food is one thing that brings people from all over the world to India. Getting an opportunity to eat and cook with them is one of the most enthralling experiences. Food can lead to conversations over any topic one can think of. This experience allows you to get to know the locals, their culture, their family life and many other things that they seem comfortable sharing with you.

Pamper yourself at well-being sessions: There are loads of well-being opportunities in the city for various needs. Take a walk in the Central Park or Smriti Van which are very centrally located and have great connectivity from all over the city. Or take a meditation and yoga session with a professional in a serene location or at the comfort of your hotel. There is also possibility of getting a nice Ayurvedic massage under the guidance of an experienced Ayurvedic Doctor.


Watch a Movie at Rajmandir: Hell Yeahh!! Is Rajmandir an overplayed stuff? Well let it be. It is an experience in itself. Above all Bollywood movies are really cool stuff.

The private museums: Jaipur has a a good number of very interesting private collection museums run and operated by passionate people who love and cherish their possessions. The Sanjay Sharma Museum is one of the most prominent one with fine collection of manuscripts as old as a thousand years. Alice Garg sea shells museum is a great private museum of sea shells collected from all over the world. Rajputana customs is a great place to check out vintage and custom bikes and also ordering choppers.


Well, we hope that is quite a lot of things to absorb for now.

We promise to come up with more such stories...


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Monday, 8 December 2014

Gandhi's Salt Walk - Now Open for Travelers

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi took the British regime to task in 1930 with a path breaking and non-violent protest against the unjust Salt Tax.
Photo: Dandi Memorial - Gandhi Picking Salt
He walked a little under 400 kilometers over the span of just 25 days through small towns and villages of Gujarat spreading the message of non-violent protest.
Gandhiji had already championed the concept of 'Swadeshi' (Made in home country) and had propagated the  idea through his Charkha (Spinning Wheel) and producing Khadi ( Coarse cotton cloth). Making Salt within India without paying any taxes to the British was another big impact initiative in India's freedom struggle.
Photo: The Dandi March route map at Sabarmati Ashram- Ahmedabad
1930 was the time when the British were trying to get over with the economic losses of the first world war and needed more and more money from all of their colonies. India being the prime supplier of finances became the apt target.
More than 70% of Indian population was then involved in agriculture and could not have afforded to buy a micro yet important ingredient at such high prices. The Salt March on 1930 from Sabarmati Ashram Ahmedabad to Dandi a coastal village near Navsari covering 387 kilometers walked on foot by Gandhiji and his followers changed the status-quo of the Indian freedom struggle.
Photo: Some unfinished initiatives of the bureaucracy

Today, there is just a list of places that were visited during the epic Dandi March. A couple of memorials each at Ahmedabad and Dandi are the only standing testimony of the episode. En-route there is no sign reminding us of the glorious past. However, what still stays is the phrase "Gandhi Bapu ni Dandi yatra ahiyaan thayi ne gayi ti". In the local Gujarati language it means - Gandhi's (Bapu's) Dandi March went through here. After 85 years there is still a feeling of pride for the people that Gandhi walked on the same land for their forefather's rights and their rights too.

Today two of our lovely guests are doing this walk and have already reached half way through the route. Very soon they will reach the town of Bharuch and take a longish halt in Ankleshwar.
Photo: Candid moment of Masha and Torre

Right from 27th November till today the 8th of December these ladies - Masha and Torre have seen, understood and absorbed a lot about India. There is a lot that is happening inside them as humans and there is a lot more that they will take back with them.

Emotional experiences will keep adding as and when they will write and discuss about this journey. They have seen India so closely that they are able to find the meaning of such a complex country. Understanding Gandhi and his philosophy in the contemporary times is an experience in itself.

Vedic Walks was approached by Masha with this challenge of organizing the Dandi March for her and we took it with a smile. An opportunity that comes once in a lifetime for doing something that nobody could have ever thought of.
Photo: The things one comes across
We as a team were having two parallel discussions about different things. One was with the Gujarat Tourism where we were thinking of promoting Gujarat in our programs and the second about female friendly travel programs. We knew it that this is the signature activity that we must undertake to set an example of what a young team with innovative thinking can deliver.

Photo: Kick-Start at Sabarmati Ashram

This initiative will surely set an example of a travel route and travel style not so popular in India. Besides that it will be a great example for Safety for Women Travelers in India, which is a primary mission of Vedic Walks and its team.

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