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...


www.vedicwalks.com

Walks in India

Walking tours have a special place in the travel activities anyone indulges into.

In most cities of the world they are easily available and are very pocket friendly. But affordability is not the only reason for travellers to pick Walking Tours as their choice.

As a kid one explores surroundings on foot and thus knows the area so perfectly that he remembers every single mark, pothole, turn and color of the area. As one grows up and the curiosity to explore goes further and thus the avenues to explore unfold.

Walking tours became popular a couple of decades ago in Europe and thus became a popular culture in travel. In India walking tours came in in the last decade but haven't made a strong mark. There are a bundle of travel companies who operate walking tours in popular tourist destinations.

What they miss out in their delivery is - A walking tour is very different from sight seeing.

People who were previously engaged in sight seeing activities went with the fashion and started walking tours, but could not come out of the groove of pin-pointing famous buildings.

TeamActive has taken the initiative to break this stereotype.

We have our own definition of a walk. We call it - Walk the Talk.

Let's first take you through the elements we stress upon during our walking tours:

1. Story telling- We are talkative and love telling stories. Truth or fable, these stories keep the walkers engaged. The stories have been collected from the people we meet in the street. The stories are theirs. Their version of the past and of the culture.

2. Get into anyone's house- Having a rapport with the locals, we know them just like a family. During our walks we are allowed to peep into their houses, provided we don't trouble them.

3. Ask us questions- We will probably have all answers for you, so ask us as many questions as you like. If we don't have the answer the people around will come up with their theories.

4. Chai & Naashta - In English this means 'Tea and Refreshment'. All our walks have a special element of tea and refreshments with a local family, in their living rooms, with them and all made in their kitchens.

5. Photos- While walking in the streets there will be so many opportunities of clicking pictures which you might have not, if just walked past the famous buildings.

6. No Shopping - We don't push our walkers and nag them to shop. They are free and are allowed to shop from wherever they please. No specific shops, no specific vendors.

7. Suits all - Are you a school kid, a photographer, a journalist, a writer, a professional, an artist, a lawyer, an army-man or anything in this big world our walks adjust to every taste and mood. Just let us know what we need to fine-tune and we will be with you.

So what are your plans this time when you visit INDIA??

reach us at: www.vedicwalks.com

Travel Diaries: Pushkar Cattle Fair

The following blog entry is dedicated to all those people who flock from all over the world to witness something extremely different on this planet.

Vedic Walks conducted its quarterly offsite in the Holy City of Pushkar. The timing was right. It was perfectly coinciding with the concluding days of the annual Pushkar fair.

The fair takes place in the last week of the Hindu month of Kartik which usually falls during Oct and Nov. It ends on the full moon night, which is the last and the most important day of the Kartik month.

It was amazing to see the number of people who had come from all corners of the country and the world to witness something extra-ordinary. The extra ordinary is the cattle and camel fair. Hordes of cattle shows, activities, races, cattle milking competitions, breed competitions, displays and decorations make this fair extremely colourful.

To understand the whole fair, it will take a person 3 days of continuous and alert walking criss-crossing the Pushkar town. The activities are concentrated in four major areas of the town - The Brahma Temple, The Ghats, The Fair Ground and The Markets. Out of all these The Fair Ground or popularly known as the Mela Ground, steals the show. It is the reason why the annual Pushkar Fair is so important.

The activities one can witness and participate into over here are just out of the world. For some, the obsolete circus and stunt show culture is still alive here. Numerous joy rides, animal displays, make-shift markets, tattoo artists, street performers are all visible here.

The items for sale in the Mela Ground are so rare for an urban dweller to even know. The beauty of this whole arrangement is the heterogeneous mixture of the audience. The way Indian rural and urban and foreign travellers enjoy this whole event together is really tough to find. There are even some games that seek participation from all kinds of audience.

The whole set-up of the fair, with, lake on one side, markets in the middle and sandy grounds for the events and above all hills all around is just mesmerising. Pushkar fair is definitely a place to be........

Waiting for the next year's fair to understand it further

www.vedicwalks.com