24 Hours in Jaipur, India: What & Where to See, Stay, Eat, and Do
Strictly speaking, I had 4 days in Jaipur - but one was written off for recovering from Bombay, two were chock full of festivities and shenanigans (you know how traditional Indian weddings are like, it’s like Bollywood but bigger and better), which left all of a day to see as many of the Pink City’s highlights as I could. Yet, despite a thousand setbacks thrown at me in the form of mind-boggling inefficiency (Bombay International Airport, I’m looking at you), culture shock (Me, to my taxi driver: “Shouldn’t you unfold your side mirrors before you drive?” Taxi driver: “Side mirror use by bad driver only. I good driver. No need use mirror” Me: *screams in British accent*), and sheer bad luck - you know by now how my travel companion couldn’t enter the country, leaving me to travel solo in India? That story is now immortalised in my “Travel BTS (Behind The Scenes) ” Highlights reel on my Instagram @poshbrokebored - I survived my trip to the capital city of Rajasthan and made it back, relatively unscathed, with this guide to 24 Hours in Jaipur.
February 26, 2018
Amber Alert: Listen up! Amber Palace, Amer Fort...However You Call it, This is a Gem You Must Visit in Jaipur
Much like the power struggles between the Rajput rulers and invaders to control Rajasthan, my ordeal to reach its capital city, Jaipur, is one for the classics. Replace Turks, Afghans, and Mughals with a) drama at Kuala Lumpur International Airport when my mother realised that she didn’t have the entry requirements for India (fun fact: the “IDN” on the back of your Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation membership card stands for visa-free access to Indonesia, NOT India), b) drama at Mumbai Airport when I found out that the stacks of 1,000 rupee notes I brought for this trip have been invalid for a while and no bank would exchange them, and c) drama when I realised I couldn’t go to a bank anyway because it was Republic Day and nobody would be working all weekend. Incredible India, indeed! But I rose to the challenges and made it to Jaipur, where for a hot minute all my frazzled nerves were soothed by the historical charms and beauty of the Pink City. The star attraction of which would be, naturally, the UNESCO Heritage Site that is Amber Fort, also known as Amer Fort and Amber Palace.
February 20, 2018
Bollywood, but Bigger and Better:
An Epic Wedding Party at an 18th Century Fort in Jaipur, India
“Everything is bigger in Texas”? Darling, no. Everything is bigger in India...at least as far as weddings are concerned. My non-Indian friends, have you ever had the immense pleasure of being a guest at a traditional Indian wedding? Amazingly, despite enjoying a rather eclectic friendship circle across several international cities including my hometown, the mulitcultural Kuala Lumpur (incidentally, there are 2 million Malaysian Indians - that’s 7% of our population), at the ripe old age of 30 I had yet to partake in the festivities of an Indian wedding. So when the invitation came from one of my long-time friends - the first friend I ever made in London, actually! - to celebrate her nuptials in Jaipur the proper way ie. several hundred guests on at least a three-day bender of feasting, drinking, and dancing; the RSVP was a resounding YES. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity in more ways than one (I mean, most people would be so lucky to get married only once) and you can be sure I‘ll be there with bells on!
What follows are photos I don’t remember taking (even if I faintly recollect the scenes) of one of the most the most exciting evenings I’ve ever had: a night of colour, celebration, chaos all set in an 18th century fort in the hills of Jaipur, India. Oh, and there were elephants, too. I told you, everything is bigger in India!
February 18, 2018
Phnom-menal! Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 24 Hours: The 10 Places You MUST See, Stay, and Eat At
There are very few occasions in which I like to be proven wrong. They all involve pleasant surprises especially when it comes to managing travel expectations. More specifically, when a layover city turns out to be more than a place to pass through but rather a destination in itself. That was what happened last Christmas. The plan was to fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia via the capital, Phnom Penh. What I thought was going to be a simple stopover (maybe just a cocktail at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, a few lazy hours at one or two museums) turned out to be an extremely enriching experience of culture, history, food, food for thought, and shopping..all of it clocked in just 24 hours, with time to spare. Suffice to say, I had a Phnom-menal time, and you can too. Here are my 10 Things To Do with 24 Hours In Phnom Penh, Cambodia...
February 16, 2018
SISTER SISTER: Malis and Topaz - Two of the Best High-End Restaurants in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Hey sis! I’ve found the Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield of Phnom Penh’s restaurant scene. Like the Sweet Valley High twins who have so little in common, these two restaurants exist almost side by side - separated by a 5 minute walk on the same street in downtown Phnom Penh - and belong to the same family (Thalias, a leading company in the Cambodian hospitality industry), yet seem like polar opposites: one being a revival of an almost-forgotten traditional Cambodian cooking style, and the other being French haute cuisine that is classic and unlikely to ever go extinct let alone out of vogue. Like the Wakefield twins, the two restaurants have more in common than their personalities suggest: both Malis and Topaz represent an era in Cambodian history, both are two of the most highly-rated restaurants in Phnom Penh. Want to keep it in the family next time you’re in the city? I got you, fam...
February 12, 2018
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