After our quick stop in Agra to experience the Taj Mahal and the city’s other sights, we boarded an evening train that would bring us to the northwestern state of Rajasthan.

Day 41: Agra (Overnight) to Udaipur

To get from Agra to Udaipur, we took our second night train in India from one of Agra’s train stations to the city of Udaipur, located in the southern part of Rajasthan.

After a couple hours of delay, which we spent sitting in a (somewhat) air-conditioned waiting room, we boarded the train in the early evening. We passed the time before bed watching Netflix and trying to figure out how to get some dinner on the train. There’s a system in place on most trains in India where you can order food online through the train company’s website, and it gets delivered to you at the next station stop. Unfortunately, we ran into a language barrier when trying to connect with our first delivery person. Luckily, we succeeded at a later station and were able to enjoy a delicious portable meal before attempting to go to bed.Once everyone was settled, we all slept soundly and woke up only when the train rolled into Udaipur (the final stop) around 6:30 am.

From the station, we grabbed a tuk-tuk to our hostel, called DreamYard, where we had booked a private room. The staff there were amazing – they let us shower and freshen up and store our bags while we waited for our room to be ready. We spent the morning grabbing a nice breakfast and walking by the lake, one of Udaipur’s most scenic features.

Once we were checked in, we took some time to sort out our transport to Jodhpur for the next day. We only had about a week total to see the three main cities of Rajasthan, but we didn’t want to skip Udaipur. We compromised by spending just one full day there before moving on. After weighing our options, we booked a coach bus to Jodhpur for the following morning. We also booked our train tickets from Jodhpur to Jaipur, and Jaipur to Delhi, since we knew our travel dates and wanted to secure spots in the air-conditioned trained compartments before they sold out.

Once our travel admin work was done, we headed out to explore. Our first stop: local shops filled with beautiful artwork, textiles, and artisanal goods. I even found a second-hand store where I picked up a cool shirt to pair with pants I’d bought in Australia.

After a delicious thali lunch at a nearby restaurant, we spent the afternoon exploring the City Palace: a 450-year-old palace-turned-museum that was once home to generations of Rajasthani royalty. It’s one of the largest buildings we’ve ever been in, and we took a couple of hours to wander its many rooms, nooks, stairwells, and viewpoints. The intricate architecture was absolutely stunning.

In the evening, we returned to our hostel to rest in the air conditioning before heading back out. The rooftop restaurant of our hostel had amazing views of the city, so we stayed for dinner there before venturing out for some night shopping. We ended up negotiating for a fun decorative pillowcase at a textiles shop.

With an early morning bus ahead and some lingering tiredness from the overnight train, we had a quiet night in. Udaipur truly impressed us, and its beauty, lake views, and (relatively) cooler temperatures to the rest of this region that we visited made it a highlight. Even though our time there was short, we’d love to return one day.

Day 42: Udaipur to Jodhpur

We had an early wake-up to catch our bus, leaving the hostel just after 5 am. On our tuk-tuk ride to the station, we passed about 20 cows hanging out in the alleyways…just a typical Indian morning!

After waiting around 30 minutes at the bus company office, we boarded the coach bus, which unfortunately wasn’t as air-conditioned as we’d hoped (but we managed). The bus ride was pretty chaotic, and the roads were surprisingly rough. It made us thankful we had mostly chosen trains or flights for the other legs of our trip. The highlight was watching a curious cow investigate the parked bus during a bathroom stop, pictured below:

We arrived in Jodhpur in the early afternoon and took a tuk-tuk to our hotel. By this point in the trip, we were ready for something a little nicer than hostel private rooms, so we booked a room at a heritage haveli: an old mansion with gorgeous courtyards and character.

One downside of visiting Rajasthan in July was the extreme heat. Our sightseeing outside was limited to short spurts between air-conditioned breaks. Even finding a restaurant that was both open (in the off-season) and air-conditioned proved difficult, leading to some very hot, hungry, and grumpy moments.

We explored the old town square and local shops, debating whether to do a walking or food tour. Ultimately, we decided to explore Jodhpur at our own pace with lots of cool-down stops. One highlight was visiting a Stepwell; an architectural marvel with intricate staircases leading to a water source. We also loved watching some locals jump in to cool off.

That evening, we had dinner at our haveli (the food was incredible) and later heard a festival happening in the streets. It was fun to see the town come alive at night with food, music, and community celebration.

Sleep, however, was rough. With no generator at our haveli, we experienced power cuts, common in hot parts of India when the electricity grid is overloaded. The AC would cut out during the night, and we’d wake up drenched in sweat. Though the power never stayed off long, the experience was humbling and left me with a new appreciation for consistent electricity, something I still think about months later after leaving India.

Day 43: Jodhpur

We started the day with a delicious breakfast at the haveli, then braved the heat for a sweaty hike up to one of the city’s viewpoints. Jodhpur is known as the “Blue City” for its many blue-painted buildings, which were said to denote high social status and help keep interiors cooler.

The view from the top was absolutely worth the climb. The sea of blue buildings, punctuated with murals and ornate windows, looked amazing from above. We took a different route back down, hoping to find another stepwell, but came up short. Still, it was great to wander the streets and soak in the atmosphere.

That evening, we enjoyed another dinner at our haveli and went for a stroll through the neighbourhood after sunset. We also packed up for our early train ride to Jaipur the next morning.

Jodhpur was beautiful and unique, though the heat did take a toll on how much we could enjoy it. I’d love to return someday in cooler weather to explore it in more depth.

Day 44: Jodhpur to Jaipur

The next morning, we took a tuk-tuk to the train station and boarded another (thankfully) air-conditioned train. It was a really comfortable 4-hour ride, and we shared a compartment with a kind older couple who were lovely to chat with.

On arrival in Jaipur, we were thrilled to find that our hotel was within walking distance of the train station. This was the nicest hotel we booked for the entire trip, which was a well-deserved treat after nearly seven weeks on the road. The building was stunning, and our room felt like a destination in itself.

After settling in, we grabbed a taxi into the city centre and walked around the main streets. We checked out the City Palace and started thinking about our next day’s itinerary.

We also popped into a few shops, including one where I hoped to fix the hinge on my sunglasses. A man offered to help, claiming his family’s jewellery shop had the right tool, but this turned into a whole sales pitch. After politely dodging many offers for us to buy their gemstones, we left (with my glasses still broken).

Dinner that night was on a rooftop terrace at our hotel, and it was great. Though we were tired of some aspects of long-term travel, the food never got old.

Day 45: Jaipur

We started our next day in Jaipur with a plan to visit the Amber Palace and play the rest of the day by ear. We organized our ride through a taxi app, and once we got in the car and started chatting with our driver, he offered us a deal: he’d take us to the fort as well as a few other attractions for slightly more than we were going to pay for the single ride. One added bonus was that having an ongoing “driver” meant we could be dropped off at the Amber Palace entrance, instead of at the bottom of the hill which was a kilometre or so away. While George and I love a good walk, you have to remember the intense heat we had dealing with for the better part of a month!

On our way to the palace, we made a quick stop at a stepwell. I thought it would be cool to snap a photo while standing partway down the steps, of the well, but I was quickly told off by a security guard for trying.

Our next stop was the Amber Palace. This place was grand and stunning, with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and Jaipur below. Compared to the City Palace in Udaipur, the Amber Palace felt much more open-concept and scenic from its higher points.

After the palace, our driver brought us to Jal Mahal, a landmark situated in the middle of a lake, best viewed from the shore.

Our final stop on this mini-tour was the Hawa Mahal: a striking structure also known as the “Palace of Winds”. It’s technically part of Jaipur’s City Palace complex, but its ornate façade really stands out amid the surrounding buildings on the busy city street.

That evening, we had our final dinner in Jaipur at a Rajasthani thali restaurant near our hotel. Dinner was delicious, made up of many small dishes to pair with our rice and naan. George and I both love variety in a meal, so this was perfect for us.

Day 46: Jaipur to Delhi

Our second-last day in India started at the train station with another early express train, this time taking us back to Delhi.

While we had considered staying at the same hostel for a third time, we decided to treat ourselves for the final stretch and try a nicer hotel. We ended up in Delhi’s Defence Colony neighbourhood, staying at a spot that was apparently famous for its banana bread (one of my favourite foods).

We didn’t get up to much this day because we had already explored a lot of Delhi on our earlier visit and were feeling pretty worn down from all the travel and unrelenting heat. We wandered around the neighbourhood and even grabbed some McDonald’s, which felt like a whole experience on its own. The menu was familiar, but also completely different. Most Indian people don’t eat beef, so the offerings reflected that with more chicken and vegetarian versions of international favourites.

Dinner was at a laid-back pub down the road. We took it easy that night, needing the rest.

Day 47: Final Day in Delhi

We woke up to a bit of chaos on our final day, learning that our first flight (of two) back to Australia was delayed due to the global tech outage that had happened a few days earlier. Even though both our flights were connected, we were flying with Air Asia, a budget airline, so we worried they might not honour our connection.

We were also concerned that due to the lasting consequences of the tech outage, we could be stuck with a delay of a few days, which would mess up our timeline to get back to Canada. Needless to say, the stress levels were high.

We spent most of the morning looking up alternate flights that could at least get us out of India and to somewhere in Asia in time to reconnect to a flight back to Perth. Ultimately, we decided to head to the airport super early for our flight that evening to speak directly with Air Asia staff ourselves instead of trying to book something that would not pan out.

Since our flight wasn’t until late that night, we’d booked a second night at our hotel so we’d have somewhere to hang out during the day. After our morning panic, we took a break from the stress and headed to a local mall just to cool off in the air conditioning. Tired, grumpy, and worried, we spent most of the day just waiting for time to pass, but at least we weren’t trapped in our hotel room.

Thankfully, when we arrived at the airport that evening, we were reassured. If we missed our connection, we were told that we’d be placed on the next available flight to Perth. Sure enough, after further delays, we landed in Kuala Lumpur and were handed new boarding passes for a flight to Perth leaving just five hours later.

Reflections on India

Our time in India was incredible, chaotic, and unforgettable, right to the very end. I truly believe everyone should experience this country at least once in their life, especially those of us born in Western countries. India had been on my list for as long as I’ve wanted to travel, and I feel so lucky to have made it there and experience its magic – it really is one of those place you have to experience for yourself to fully understand.

George and I definitely both needed some time to physically and mentally recover and process the experience (and to be ready to travel again), but I think that’s part of what made this journey so memorable. And now, nine months later, I think I can honestly say I’d go back.

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Epilogue

After nearly 48 days of travel, we arrived back in Perth to gather our things and prepare for our return to Canada. We had one full day there, mostly spent taking care of logistics, but we also had the chance to catch up with our landlady, Deb. She was someone we really enjoyed getting to know during our time in Perth and it was fun to connect with her again before leaving Australia.

We had one final set of flights to get us home: seven hours to Manila, followed by another twelve hours to Vancouver. Thankfully, both flights went smoothly.

Thank you to everyone who’s followed along and been patient while I caught up on this travel blog. Writing these posts has been an adventure of its own, especially while re-integrating back home and starting a few new non-travel adventures in my own life: getting engaged to George at Christmas, training for my third marathon this winter and spring, and starting the process of buying our first home.

I’ll be taking a short break from blogging, but I do want to keep sharing about future outdoor and international adventures. Thank you, as always, for reading. I’m looking forward to continuing to share the big and small moments that make life an adventure in the near future.