Baking/Cooking

Baked Nipattu – A Healthier version of the Famous Bangalorean Snack !!

Healthier version of Bangalore snack Nipattu

When we moved to Bangalore, we enjoyed different snacks of the region and one of my favourite among all was Nipattu but it was fried not baked !!

Nipattu is a popular snack from Karnataka . These are essentially deep fried flour discs that are soft to bite and crunchy at the same time.

I want to try a healthier version of the same and really enjoyed this baked version of nipattu, let’s jump to the recipe a.nd enjoy the snacks

Ingredients

  • whole-wheat flour/ Maida ( all purpose flour ) 110 gms You can do half-half or 60:40 ratio as well
  • salt as per taste
  • mustard oil 45ml
  • poppy seeds 1 tsp ( Lightly roasted )
  • red chilli powder 1 tsp
  • Green chilli finely chopped as per taste 2-3
  • Curry leaves finely chopped 1-2 tbsp
  • Fresh coriander 2 tbsp
  • Baking powder 1/2 tsp
  • sugar 1tsp
  • roasted chopped peanuts 50 gms
  • water 1/4 th cup
Procedure
  • Shift the flour in a bowl
  • Add salt, sugar, baking powder, chilli powder, poppy seeds, peanuts and mix well.
  • heat the oil in a pan and remove from the stove, now add curry leaves, green chilli & coriander leaves to the oil.
  • Add water to this oil mix.
  • Add this mix to the dry ingredients and form a dough with it.
  • Roll this dough thin and cut out round shape with help of round glass or bowl or cookie cutter.
  • preheat your oven at 180 and bake the Nipattu for 12-15 minutes. Keep a watch and set temperature accordingly as all ovens behaves differently.
  • Optional- you can add 2 fined chopped garlic cloves in warm oil also with one spoon onion powder.
  • let it cool down completely before storing in airtight container. It might be soft once out of oven but as it cools it will be crunchy, just keep an eye it its turning brown you know it is done or you need to lower the temperature setting.

For more healthy recipes click here or check the cooking section from Menu.

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

How to Plan a Trip to Dubai UAE

Travel trip to UAE

In this trip to UAE we visited 3 emirates out of 7 emirates:

Abu Dhabi, Dubai & Ras Al Khaimah

Planning for the visit to 7 Emirates

We started the planning at least 2-3 months before. Planning includes various things like – length of visit, what to see, which time to visit, how to arrange etc.

We checked various travel partners/websites to get the quotation for a 6N/7D itinerary for 2 Adults and 1 kid to UaE. We were getting around 2.6L to 3.2L quotations. Cost of these packages depends on type of hotel and what all things you are including in it plus your bargain skills.

Finally, we checked if we could plan ourselves and if our friends are okay with that or not. Our friends were good with planning the whole trip by ourselves and had same thought that this provided us the freedom to plan as per our requirements.

Basically, with any tour package you get less tension, but you are stuck with them, they decide what to do when to leave where to go etc. With self-planning you have the freedom to decide what to do how much time to spend what to visit etc.

So, first we finalized what all places we want to visit in UAE and what all activities we want to do. Once we have that list, we checked the ticket prices on various websites. Then we checked the cab charges, hotel prices, flight prices and after all this we compared it with packages cost, and it was coming less only as this does not include their commission.

We booked better hotel, we decided what we want to visit, we decided the time when we want to visit, we decided in our leisure time what we want to do etc.

Cost for Trip to UAE

Our trip cost was around 3.2L for 2 Adults and 1 Kid (6 years age). This includes

  • Flights, we booked Emirates were little costly than other Indian carriers
  • Hotel, we stayed in 4* Marriott property that was not too far from Downtown
  • All the attractions
  • Taxi fares
  • Food we eat
  • Shopping including Duty Free
  • Visa
  • Travel Insurance
  • International Sim
  • Cab fare from home to Airport and back in India
  • Shopping for the trip

One can save some money on hotel and attractions. Like you can book something cheaper say a 3*, we choose to go to 148 Floor of Burj Khalifa which was costly then normal ticket, we booked a private 2-hour boat ride in Marina instead you can do a smaller tour or skip it, smaller tours of Abu Dhabi which were cheaper etc.

Attractions We Visited in UAE

After a lot of research and discussions with our friends we shortlisted:

  • Burj Khalifa
  • Burj Al Arab
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Dubai Frame
  • Dolphin Show
  • Dubai Mall
  • Ponte
  • The View At the Palm
  • Old Dubai Walking Tour
  • Boat ride in Dubai Marina
  • Miracle Garden
  • Ras Al Khaimah

We didn’t do the Desert Safari had done something similar in Jaisalmer so were not too keen on doing it. Our friends did it later in there stay with some of there relatives and said it was good one-time experience, if you have never experience something like that before.

Also, we missed visiting Museum of the Future as tickets were sold out, Dubai Eye as it was under maintenance.

There are a lot of other attractions/places to see in Dubai & around but you need time, so kept them for next visit.

Visa For UAE

We applied for Visa via MMT (Make My Trip). The process was quite simple and straight forwards. You don’t have to visit any place and can apply from the comfort of your home. We took 30 days Single entry Visa.

Document required:

  • Passport Scan – Front & Back
  • Coloured Visa photo

You can use MMT App for the same. Upload all the documents on there and pay. We paid INR 19,800 around for 2 Adults and 1 Kid. MMT say it will take around 10-12 days, but it takes around 3-4 working days to get the visa.

 

Flights

Do plan your trip well in advance to save some money. We were little late in finalizing the dates and doing the booking and due to this we paid around INR 20,000 extra. Initially same flight was costing us INR 57,000 and when we booked it 3-4 days later it was INR 77,000 around.

We choose Emirates because of the experience & service, even though we travelled economy but it’s different then Indigo and SpiceJet for sure. One can save some money here as well by choosing Indian Carriers.

If you have some Credit Card/Priority Pass that offer free lounge access, then you can plan your arrival at airport accordingly. We won’t recommend anyone to do this @Mumbai Airport as the Loyalty lounge here is pathetic. It’s so claustrophobic and smells of food all the time & you will feel like coming out of it immediately.

Food was also not good; we had few things there and were out of it in around 30 min. It was much better outside then sitting there. There are other lounges but as this Airport was taken over by Adani, I think they have converted them into but for Business/First class. There are much better lounges on Domestic then on International.

Do note that you’ll need separate cards for all the passengers even for kids above 5-6 years age.

Travel Insurance

We took this from Reliance General as this was the cheapest option. It costed us INR 1000 for 3 passengers with cover of USD100,000 and some add-on features which were common across all other providers.

Stay

For this trip we booked Aloft Al Mina which is a Marriott property. It’s a 4* property and it’s good. This property is situated right on Sheikh Rashid Road and has a hospital right adjacent to it. Marriott has their Elements property as well in the same compound so, 2 hotels in same compound.

The property is nice and clean with different options to eat and party. We have booked the room with B/F and they have good vegetarian options with good Indian options as well. Food was good, staff was good and helpful. We didn’t face any issue throughout the stay. Only drawback I would say is they don’t have any free pick and drop to the airport.

They do have free pick and drop to Dubai Mall and La Mer beach but that to is quite less, I think only 3 times a day.

Rooms were quite specious and had a great view of Dubai Downtown. We could see Burk Khalifa from one window and sunset in the evening from the other.

This property is near to Airport around 16-17 Km and nearest attraction is Dubai Frame and Dolphinarium. Farthest attraction was Miracle Garden, which was around 30 Km, but the beauty of Dubai is it will only take you 25-30 min max to reach there.

Attractions

We booked the above listed attractions mostly via there official websites and few via GetYourGuide. It’s best to book the tickets from the official websites as it’s cheapest there and there is guarantee that you won’t get cheated.

Only drawback of this is that you must pay in AED which will add some additional cost to your Credit Card, but you will earn points so kind of win-win.

We choose GetYourGuide as it has good reviews and packages, like Abu Dhabi tour, boat ride, walking tour. While booking this we paid in INR only and got a coupon code which gave us 10% discount but only on there App. Using this we saved at-least INR 8,000.

Taxi

We book all our travel within Dubai via Careem, this is the cheapest and most used app for booking taxi. In non-peak hours it starts from AED 5 around and in peak time which starts from 8 AM to 11 AM & evening 5 PM to 8 PM I think it starts from AED 12.5. For the farthest i.e. Miracle Garden which was 30 KM from our hotel we paid AED 64 which is quite reasonable and something similar we paid in Mumbai for Uber Prime ride to airport.

Uber is too costly there and is not for us mostly used by Europeans and Americans etc. for example same ride in Uber would cost anything above AED 150 easily.

One point to highlight is don’t get into any Black Cabs all Black Cabs are luxury cabs and will cost you way more then Careem. We took one from Miracle Garden to Dubai Mall and it costed us AED 94 this was at-least 9 KM less than what we travelled while coming to Miracle Garden.

International Sim

We purchased Matrix International sim from Mumbai airport for INR 33oo/- after 10% discount. We opted for E sim as our phones does not have duel physical sim options and our friends choose physical sim.

E sim calls were working fine but internet connectivity was a big issue. On the other hand physical sim was working fine. Also the number provided was UK number and not of UAE so our friends & other people in UAE were not able to call us on that number.

Adding to this, whatsapp calling is not allowed in DUBAI, it worked fine in Abu Dhabi.

Don’t take Matrix sim, at the immigration they handed us 2 Du sim for free with 24. hour validity and 1 Gb data. Then we can recharge it for AED 200 I think which will give validity, talktime and data. This is much better then Matrix but not sure how long this will be provided.
Even if they stop then better to buy a sim there only.

Stay tune for more details about the daily planning and attractions details.

For more travel blogs click here

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

Which is the best Robot for kids?

Miko 3 Ridiculously smart and seriously fun robot for kids

Are you looking for fun and learning way to engage your kid then here is the solution Miko 3 Smart !

Miko is your new intelligent friend who can help your kids from math tutoring , language lessons to dance moves and jokes. It is AI based robot, who keep learning and understanding being with your kid.

Meet Miko 3 , Adya’s new buddy who is smart and fun friend to be with.

Unboxing video of Miko3

What comes inside the box?

  • Instruction manual
  • charging cable- You need to use 5V, 3A DC input (Type C USB connector). The charging time will depend upon the adapter, if a 5V, 3A (15 W) adapter is used then approximately 4 hours will be required to charge from 0 to 100%.

Features of Miko 3

  • Miko’s powerful AI technology adapts to the kids learning needs and behaviors, providing access to interactive education while consistently reinforcing other human connections within their life.
  • A super-rich app library loaded with games, challenges, and a wide range of interactive learning experiences. Miko brings the top premium kids’ content like Paramount, Lingokids, Kidoodle, Kidloland, Cosmic Kids and more.
  • With Max subscription, you get access to more than 50,000+ hours of new content experiences and 1,000+ experience types — games, puzzles, TV shows, coding lessons, yoga, and a range of STEM topics.
  • Designed with a more expansive touchscreen, it creates a healthy alternative to playtime on phones and tablets.
  • Equipped with a wide-angle HD camera and hi-tech sensors to map distance and edges, Miko moves all around the house.
  • The Miko connect feature allows Miko to keep kids and parents connected through video calls.
  • It can interact, tell stories and play games in 8 languages from around the world
  • Simply secure – It is a closed system with enhanced encryption that make sure that every byte of your personal data is protected.

How does Miko 3 works

1. Connect Miko 3 to Wifi.

2. Once connected, you get access to wonderful games & educational content.

3. Talk by saying ‘Hello Miko’. You can ask any question & Miko 3 is always ready with an answer!

4. You can also have knowledge based conversations with the robot.

5. Moreover, Miko 3 gets updated with new games and content every month for your child to have a wholesome fun & learning experience!

Parental control

  • It is connected with parental application that tracks your child learning through the time spent on Miko.
  • You can do video call to your kids through the application.
  • Your child data is safe -The data is end to end encrypted. They do not store/sell personally identified data on server or cloud. The parent is in full control of their child’s data.

My thoughts

  • Good for limited screen time without worrying what your kid is watching, as all the content is educational and as per child age.
  • Help those curios minds engage as they can ask as many questions as they want.
  • Created emotional connection with kid with its weird face expression.
  • I liked the Tidbits addition- An advanced AI feature for kids to have real educational and age appropriate conversations with topics such as health, environment, nature, history Geography and much more.

You can buy your Miko from Amazon

‘GET 10% OFF ON WEBSITE, USE CODE MOMSMIKO10″

For more reviews click here

‘This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by CindyD’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

“It’s my choice”- Impact and importance on life!

“It’s my choice”- Impact and importance on life!

We all have made many choices in our life, that have made us proud and sad at times. Today I would like to talk about my one choice that changed a lot in a better way with a roller-coaster ride. First let me share why I am writing this post today?

“This post is written for IT’S MY CHOICE Blog Train by Gleefulblogger & Wigglingpenin association with Vedix & Kerala Ayurveda

Before I share my choice let’s understand little more about it.

What is CHOICE ?

Choice is a chance when you have two or many options and you have to decide among all what’s the best for you. Let’s take very simple example from your life, when you were have to choose between different flavours of ice-cream and after waiting for a while you choose one. That’s your very first CHOICE as a kid.

But as you grow older these choices becomes more hard and options becomes less and you have to decide what would be the best for you as that can impact on your life.

CHOICES -Impact & Importance

Your every choice has a big impact on your life either in a good way or bad way. When you have to decide your subjects it sets a bigger goal for you in your life as whatever stream you choose your will join that profession.

So it is really important to make all your decisions with proper understanding of all the pros & cons as the results can be fruitful or bitter.

My Choice and why I am proud of it?

I choose to put myself before all the traditions and emotions that were holding me back trying to make happy all people around me.

Now let’s talk about the decision I am happy and proud . It was when after my delivery , when I decided to stay with my husband to take care of my newborn without any elderly support as they were not able to stay with us ( personal issues).

This was a big decision as being first time parents we know the journey would not be easy for us, but this journey prove to be the best learning experience. I was learning everyday to take care of my baby and everything, this DO IT ON YOUR OWN situation boosted my confidence to handle everything .

What I gained !!

Home Baker & Blogger

I started baking to beat the postpartum depression and it worked as a therapy for me, Meanwhile started writing down the parenting experiences and this started my BLOGGING JOURNEY.

You can check my healthy bakes Check all healthy bakes and recipes here .

Cloth Diapering & Baby wearing ambassador

I researched about cloth diapering and baby wearing that was one of the best choices too. As they made my life easier and they were eco-friendly, as it was not so popular at that time my learning helped me understanding and by this I was able to help many other new parents who have the same doubts.

Today when I think about that decision,I feel that if I have chosen to go to my parents place. I wouldn’t get the chance to know my capabilities to handle such situation. As we get support we will never try to find new ways to get out of the situation.

Finally, all my experience made me realise it’s always good to take a decision for you and work on it. It might be hard at that time but you would be proud that you did what you felt right for you.

How To Choose The Right Shampoo for Curly Hair – Curlvana Fortifying Curl Cleanser Review?

The right shampoo for curly hair can transform your beautiful curls and make them healthy too

Curly hair is receiving a lot of attention these days. People have started to love their natural curls. Fortunately with the right curly hair gel, cream and love, your curls can become irresistible. The requirement for curly hair is completely different from other types of hair. In today’s blog, I will be sharing my Curlvana fortify cleanser review. But before that let’s discuss, how to choose the right product for curly hair?

Need for Good Shampoo for Curly Hair:


Every hair is different and so is curly hair. You need to use different shampoos for curly hair. The structure of curly hair is to be blamed for its frizziness. There are a lot of variations in curly hair, from afro-textured curls, and coiled curls to wavy hair. The follicles of curly hair are different from other hair types. It is slightly slanted and it does not grow vertically upright like straight hair. The natural oil that is secreted from glands cannot reach the strands of curly hair. That is why curly hair needs extra moisture. This can combat the frizz and dryness of curly hair.
Curly hair’s ability to absorb moisture also varies from straight hair. A simple conditioner is enough to make straight hair smooth and easy to manage. But curly hair needs more than just conditioner. It needs extra oiling, serum, mask, and lots of conditioning. Hence, you need to look for the best shampoo for curly hair.

How to choose the right shampoo?


Curly hair needs special care. You need to choose shampoos that are sulfate and paraben-free as sulfates and parabens are more likely to cause frizz and dryness. Curly hair needs a lot of moisture which can be received from hair creams, oils, or gels. One of the prime ingredients in most shampoos these days is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Though it produces a lot of lather, it can make the hair dry by stripping all the natural oils. Shampoos that have alcohol should also to be avoided.
Shampoos that have natural moisturizers like plant protein, shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, almond oil, etc. can help in retaining the moisture in the curly hair. It also does not disrupt the pH level of the hair. So, always pick a sulfate-free shampoo for curly hair as that can prevent damage.


Why did I choose Curlvana Fortifying Curl Cleanser?


There are so many curly hair products available in the market these days. There are many curl-friendly ingredients used in all of the products to bring the best out of your curly hair. One such product would be Curlvana Fortifying Curl Cleanser. This shampoo also works for wavy curly hair. It is a gentle cleanser that gets rid of the build-up but not the natural oil of our hair. This cleanser has ingredients like Jamaican black castor oil, Shea butter, Aloe vera, Pentavitin, fermented rice water extract, plant protein, etc. All of which control frizz and also help to define the curl. It does not dry the curls, hence reducing hair breakage. All these key elements make this the best cleanser for all the curly hair girls out there.


The Curlvana shampoo is curated to gently clean the Indian curly hair and is the best chemical-free option. I hope the detailed Curlvana shampoo review will help you to pick the right product for your curls.

How to make Kombucha from Scratch?

How to make Kombucha without scoby

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha is a fermented drink, made with tea and sugar with help of culture of bacteria also known as scoby. It is also known and consumed for its health benefits.

It is full of probiotics, enzymes, and healthy organic acids, it improves your gut health and immunity and can replace your sugary drinks with it. Because it’s fermented, it contains no or very little sugar!

We can create different flavours from the base kombucha, with the help of fruits and herbs. For detailed study visit here

Recipe to make Kombucha without scoby

Ingredients

  • Raw unpasteurised Kombucha ( I am using raw Kombucha from Peepal farm link to buy )
  • Clean glass jar 2lt-3lt (washed properly with soap, vinegar and dried in sunlight)
  • Clean muslin cloth ( link to buy)
  • Sugar 120 grams
  • Tea 15 grams
  • 2lt water

Procedure

How to make a scoby?
  1. Wash glass jar with soap thoroughly first and then wash with vinegar.
  2. Keep it for drying in sunlight to kill unwanted bacteria.
  3. Add 500ml raw unpasteurized Kombucha in the cleaned glass jar.
  4. Cover this jar with clean muslin cloth and tie its mouth with a elastic band or thick thread.
  5. Keep this jar for 3 weeks in dark warm & dry place (temperature 23C-24C)
  6. After three weeks, you will notice a disc floating on the top of liquid.
  7. This disc is your scoby for next step to prepare Kombucha.
How to make scoby
Steps to make Kombucha
  1. Boil 2 litre drinking water in a clean container.
  2. Add tea and sugar when the water starts boiling and put off the flame.
  3. let it cool down to room temperature .
  4. Add this water to the scoby jar and close it again with muslin cloth.
  5. Now keep it again in dark warm place for 2 Weeks.
  6. After two weeks you can take out the jar and your kombucha is ready for next step.
  7. Pour this in clean bottles and close the lid (air tight ).
  8. Keep these bottles again for 7 days in the same place.
  9. After 7 days keep it in fridge and enjoy your healthy cold drink!

Click here for more such healthy recipes!

Olives Cheese Paratha

Recently I have attended one session where learnt about olives and it’s benefits.

It was such an amazing informative session at Olives at your table INDIA baking with Ajay Chopra and learning about how we can include olives in our daily lifestyle!

We learned about different olives and it’s nutritional benefits!

They have Good fats only! About 75% of an olive’s fat content is oleic acid, which helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.

They are an excellent blend of vitamins, minerals, and good fats.

So, wanted to try this recipe with olives, let’s jump to the recipe.

Ingredients

  • Olives 1 cup ( blended without water ) you can take green or black as per your availability.
  • Whole wheat flour 2-3 Cups
  • Grated cheese 3/4th Cup
  • Grated paneer 3/4th Cup
  • One chopped onion
  • Salt as per taste
  • Red chilli flakes as per taste
  • Oregano 1 Tbsp
  • Olive oil

Procedure

  • Blend olives after removing the water in bottle.
  • Add flour and olive paste to a big bowl with little salt and made a dough with it. ( add little water if required)
  • Filling – add grated cheese, paneer, chilli flakes, chopped onion,salt and oregano to a bowl and mix well.
  • Now prepare small ball from dough and roll it with rolling pin. ( see video for all steps )
  • Add filling and seal again.
  • Roll it round and put on heated tawa.
  • Cook properly from both sides and apply some olive oil.
  • Serve it hot with coriander chatni.
Tips

You can add different fillings as per your taste and make sure to adjust salt as per taste as olives water is salty, plus cheese also has salt.

So taste the filling and add salt according to it.

For more healthy recipes you can click here and don’t forget to try the recipes and share your valuable feedback.

Deham wellness retreat

As a mother and women, I totally understand Our daily Marathon starting everyday running from kitchen to rooms and outdoor trying to manage everything in daily life and forgetting about personal health and wellness.

In this hustle we at times ignore our mental and physical Health, that we suffer daily but tend to ignore it. Back pain, anxiety, stress, join pain, depression and digestive issues the list goes on if we count. Your personal wellness is equally important.

But this year I made sure to give health priority and take a break from this busy schedule. We went to Deham, a luxury and wellness retreat is placed in the lap of breathtaking Sahyadri mountains located at just 1 hr drive from Pune.

Yoga, Naturopathy, 𝗔𝗬𝗨𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗗𝗔 and Satvik diet are the four ways they work in Deham for your wellness . Let’s discuss more about how it works for us.

Naturopathy or Nature cure (Wellness approach)

In this treatment they try to heal our body by itself with the help of nature forces. In naturopathy they work under the factors responsible for any particular disease or illness like the daily lifestyle, unnatural habits, sleeping schedule, food habits & work.

Understanding health

After understanding all the details a proper diet and treatment is suggested as it is believed our body is capable of self healing if proper care is taken. That’s how your wellness journey starts.

Treatment and wellness Therapy

At Deham before starting any therapy or treatment you need to take proper consultation with experienced doctor present at the resort. As per your health condition, history and any current concern doctor will suggest a proper diet with therapies to be taken.

During your wellness stay you need to follow the whole prescription and daily check up before starting the next day treatment.

Therapies that can be taken at Deham

Nature Retreat for Wellness

• Massage • Aqua tonic Therapy
• Mud Therapy • Foot Reflexology
• Acupuncture • Acupressure
• Physiotherapy • Diet and Nutrition

Balance of Mind Body and Soul

  • Yogasana
  • Kundalini
  • Therapeutic Yoga
  • Yog Nidra
  • Power Yoga
  • Aquatic Yoga

Oldest Holistic Healing System

  • Abhyanga
  • Udwarthanam
  • Dhaara
  • Basti
  • Swedan
  • Panchakarma

Farm to plate concept

At Deham Naturecure you will get wide range of health-supporting cuisines. They offers a variety in pure veg and authentic cuisine. They offer dishes that are made from vegetables and grains that are grown organically in their farm and crafted by the guidance of health experts.

Experience

It was a much needed break we needed. We had a nice family time together as we were disconnected from Gadget ( no Television in the rooms ) at the wellness resort . Has a rejuvenating experience following proper clean diet and required treatment under doctors assistance.

Experience with kids

Amazing experience for my daughter as well. She learned so much about farming and enjoyed plucking fresh fruits and vegetables from farm. Participated in meditation and yoga as well, relished the fresh produce direct from the field.

Staff at Deham

All the staff at Deham wellness resort was so friendly, we never felt we are at resort. We felt like family the moment we reached Deham, they welcomed with so much affection.

After becoming parents we rarely get free time even at the resorts, but here we enjoyed me time as well with the help of the staff.

I would surely recommend to all the parents, to have this experience.

Happy faces when we left Deham with so much love!

You can explore more my family travel experiences here.

Golden City of Rajasthan – Jaisalmer

After our 2 nights stay in Shekhawati Region we headed towards biggest district of Rajasthan, The Golden City – Jaisalmer.

Most of us know it is situated in the heart of Thar Desert. It got its name Golden City due to the yellow color sandstone architecture.

It’s around 9 hrs drive, 522 KM from Mandawa via NH 11.

Mandawa to Jaisalmer

We stopped @ Motel Haveli Resort for b/f and total bill was Rs 200 for veg sandwich, poha and tea. It’s a big place with stay options as well, washroom were clean and place was also clean. Food was ‘Ok’ took some time to come.

There are very less places to stop on this route so come prepared with snacks. For lunch we could not find any good place on the map then suddenly we came across a place called Hotel Shiv Villas. We asked them to pack some aloo pyaz parathas for lunch as we don’t want to waste time rather eat it while driving.

After this we directly stopped in Jaisalmer. We reached I think late afternoon.

We had planned 3 nights in Jaisalmer, I feel 3 nights are good if you want to see everything and visit Longewala.

On the first day we didn’t do much as we were little tired driving 522 KM, so we checked in into this small beautiful Boutique hotel – Garh Meera.

It’s new property, still work pending due to Covid they couldn’t complete the work. Their kitchen was also closed at that time.

It has a wonderful view of Jaisalmer Fort from the roof, which was obstructed (little bit) by a construction on the building in the front.

On this day after some relaxation we went to visit the nearby local market. We booked this place only for 1 day and rest 2 days @ Jaisalmer Marriot. After b/f we left to check in to Marriot. But our room was not ready, so we went to see original Handicraft place.

For Jaisalmer sightseeing we had booked one very experienced guide Mr. Harish Giri Ji. He is really informative and very good human being.

Mr. Harish helped us in doing all the bookings i.e.  city tour, desert safari package, taxi service etc.

So, on our second day of Golden city tour, Harish Ji took us to one genuine place to see some of most beautiful Rajasthani handicraft items.

We can definitely see the price difference as we have visited few shops before coming to this place and this place as huge price difference (it was way cheaper).

Harish ji is working as a volunteer in the co-operative place which provides ways to earn to the  women living in desert area and keep the real hand craft art alive in this machine era.

You can check the place on Instagram with name Jaisalmerhandicrafts. This shop has amazing products. This was the first time ever we did shop on our trip/holiday. Usually we buy some fridge magnets only.

After this we had some lunch/snacks at a local shop and then headed towards – Kuldhara.

Kuldhara is a haunted village which is 50 min drive i.e. 27 Km around from the main city. Roads are good, there is a diversion which is a single road but in decent condition which takes you to the village.

This village and some adjacent villages were abandoned over night for unknown reasons. As per local stories some say it was due to the persecution of Salim Singh minister of Jaisalmer state.

Before abandon Kuldhara was inhabited by ‘Paliwal Brahmins’ and it is said that they were very prosperous.

It is very fascinating to visit this village and listen to all the stories, now we can only see few feet walls of all the houses and nothing else.

Converted into a tourist spot and there is an entry fee which is Rs 20 pp and Rs 50 per vehicle.

After spending some time here max 30 min as it was hot and there is not much to see, we left for desert safari.

Ours booking was done by Harish Ji and it’s called – Desert Safari Camp Sam Sand Dunes, you can find it on Instagram as well – @desertsafarisamsanddunes

One thing I would suggest to everyone is either stay in the camp or reach little early to properly enjoy the desert.

We reached just on time to have enough time to enjoy the dune bashing by open Mahindra Thar and enjoy sun set in the desert.

After taking lot of pics we headed back to the camp on camels. It was quite thrilling going up and down on a camel. Few times I thought we will fall ?

Back at the camp we had High tea with some snacks post high tea. There was a live folk music and dance performance. We really liked the performance all the talented artists.

After all the enjoyment and fun filled day. We ended the day with a good dinner at the camp and then drive back to the city.

While driving back had amazing experience, watching clear sky full of stars & cold breeze.

This ends our 2nd day in Golden City Jaisalmer. Stay tuned for our last day in Jaisalmer.

click here to know full details of this 10 day Rajasthan road trip .

Harish Ji’s contact details –

Company name – Jaisalmer Tour Guide

Website – http://www.jaisalmertourguide.com/#services

Instagram – @jaisalmertourguide

Cell # 9414761153 & 7014396051

Shekhawati Region of Rajasthan – Nawalgarh & Mandawa

After spending amazing time in Jaipur and visiting few of the most popular places of Jaipur. On Day 3 we headed to a less explored region of Rajasthan i.e. Shekhawati region.

As mentioned in my first blog this is region is located in Northern part of Rajasthan. It consists of Jhunjhunu, Sikar & Churu district.

Places we visited came under Jhunjhunu district. As per the guides this region was founded by ‘Rao Shekha’ and named after him.

About the region

This region consists of some of the most beautiful and iconic havelis. Word haveli means big house or as per our guide “Havadaar” ghar. These havelis were build by some of the rich merchants of that time.

This region was a part of ‘Silk route’ so the merchants were quite rich. They built these havelis to show off their wealth. Few of the famous havelis are situated in Nawalgarh, Mandawa & Fatehpur.

We visited Nawalgarh on our way to Mandawa. It’s around 120 Km from Jaipur and it’s a National Highway 52 via Sikar.

The most famous haveli in this place is ‘Podar’ haveli. After restoration it was converted into a museum and now it is maintained by the Podar trust.

This place is really beautiful, with lot of frescoes. Fresco is a technique in which the painting . It is done when the plaster is wet so that the paint penetrates the plaster and becomes fixed upon drying.

There are 2 courtyards with different kind of frescos all around it.

The door that connects these 2 courtyards was(is) amongst the most beautiful gates in the country.

Podar Haveli

There are around 700+  frescos in this haveli, these frescos depict many scenes from Indian mythology as well as some modern trends like trains and dresses and also European culture. All the colors used in these frescos was obtained naturally.

There is entry ticket which is Rs 75 pp and timings are from 8 AM to 8 PM.

The museum displays the art and culture of Rajasthan,different festivals and way of celebration.

Different types of bridal costumes which brides of different sections of the society wear.

There is a section which displays different turbans which holds specific significance and are wore on different occasions .

In the marble art section, there is this beautiful artifact of a Rajasthani women. Build out of single piece of marble.

There was a school at this place which was converted into a museum. To accommodate the kids, they constructed few rooms on the first floor.

The caretaker/manager of this place showed us the Haveli and informed us each and every detail about the place plus. He helped us in clicking some good pics as well ?.

After completing our tour and taking a lot of pictures, we continued with rest of the Journey towards Mandawa which another 30 Km. We booked the stay a place which was 9-10 km before Mandawa city.

Mandawa is 236 KM from Delhi.

On the way we stopped at a hotel and to our surprise it was one of the most cleaned and hygienic and modern roadside hotel/property. It has auto on lights in bathroom with contact less flush etc.

We had tea here and it was really good. Place name is – Hotel Om, Sikar Road. You can see it on the left side while coming from Jaipur and going towards Mandawa.

We stayed @The Desert Resort which is part of WelcomHeritage hotels. It’s design replicate the rural culture. It has mud houses/huts of different sizes.

The Desert Camp
Desert Camp main entrance

This was the second time we didn’t find the service up to the mark as per 5* standards(First one was with Sofitel BKC Mumbai which is one of the worst service we ever had)

So, there was a film crew who has occupied most of the resort and we were given choice of 2 rooms, one in each category and the rooms were not cleaned at all.

The covers of sitting area was dirty there was dirt on the floor on the table, we called multiple times for all this.

Also not sure if there was shortage of staff but as there was a bottle kept outside of room which was there when we arrived and was still there when we were checking out.

Another thing is there was garbage left by guest in the main garden area right in front of reception and few of the housekeeping members pass by but no one picked it

Overall their attitude was not at all good which is totally opposite of the people of this region. We booked this place for 2 days but moved out after one day to a different property.

And  this was one of the best decisions as we got the chance to stay in one of the original heritage property more than 100 year old Haveli – Vivaana Culture Hotel

Vivaana

Day we reached Desert resort we relaxed as we were tired of walking a lot in Jaipur and explored the property itself.

The property is good with some activities as well(which are very costly like Rs 1500-2000 per activity) we didn’t do any activity as most of these activities we were going to do in our next destination.

In Mandawa city there is a lot to see and can be covered in half day or max a day’s time. All the tours are done walking only. The guides here knows multiple languages as before pandemic most of the tourists were foreigners.

Fun Fact 1 – our guide asked us which language we prefer we said Hindi then he said he is not comfortable in Hindi as their native language is marwadi and after that he can talk in English, German, French etc.

Fun Fact 2 – Bajrangi Bhai Jaan wash shot in Mandawa (Pakistan part)

Frescos inspired from different historical events

There is a fort in Mandawa which is now a hotel and there is entry fee and as per the guide it was not worth.

There was this one golden room and the ticket price of that was 100 pp and that was not worth at all. So, you can avoid that and can save some money. Why not worth as the room was not maintained at all the family living there have stored all the crap and the walls and ceiling was not maintained.

After completing our tour of Mandawa we came back to the Haveli where we were staying and had a tour of that as well.

Vivaana
Vivaana @night

They also do village walk but not sure if it was due to pandemic or we were Indian tourist the person was not at all interested in taking us for a walk, so we did that by ourselves.

You will see a lot of cows and bulls and cute little kids playing in the evening, we went to a vendor who make Bangles but we were little late as they have already turned off the furnace(small one to make bangles).

He didn’t even showed his own property(he works there was customer relationship manager at the property) with any enthusiasm or interest.

The Maze waterway in the middle of the courtyard is a tribute to the amazing human ability to negotiate problems and came out free at the other end.

Vivaana
Maze courtyard

We gave the same review in their feedback book and to our surprise the owner does check that, and we got a WhatsApp message from the owner Mr. Atul Khanna very next day when we were on rout to our next destination. He apologized for that person’s behavior and informed us that there CRM is very enthusiastic.

There are different category room starting from Deluxe, Luxury and Royal. We got the opportunity to stay in Royal room which was quite amazing and weird as well.

Beautiful Royal room

Weird in the sense that the bathroom of this room was on the first floor and it’s an open bathroom.

The room is very beautiful with frescos all over the room. This property has 2 blocks, basically they acquired the haveli adjacent to theirs and combined it.

Original and working Rolls Royce

The Luxury rooms with frescos are there in second block and on low occupancy they close that block to save some money.

Overall with mixed experience we enjoyed our stay in Mandawa and will definitely recommend it to everyone.