Pratham :

“OPEN THE DOOR PRATHAM !! OPEN THE DAMN DOOR. I NEED TO TAKE A SHIT”- screamed Shaun just as i stepped into the shower. Chaos is the only word that can encapsulate this travel experience. Raw moments like these are exactly what molded those 4 days into one of the best experiences of our lives.

The journey to Jaipur and back was one of the most exhilarating yet chaotic experiences of my life. Whether it be from the last minute boardings, the heart attack I'd get from repeatedly forgetting the boarding pass (it was in my back pocket), or even the mental toll that the seating arrangement took on us. 

After the short flight, with its scenic views, followed by a considerable amount of howling and celebrity cameos in the front end of the carrier, the bus ride with some of the most unique personalities I've ever met awaited us. Unbeknownst to me the road trip was rejuvenating unlike what i had in mind. Though our friend group had been split up into 2 buses, Raghav’s goated playlists, Vedant’s antics, and the stunning rajasthani terrain compensated for everything. The back of the bus was actually quite fun, there's a lesson Rosa could learn from us.

As soon as we got to the hotel, through the narrow gullies, carving through the tumultuous jaipur crowd, and into the outskirts of the city, we were left appalled. And I'm not joking when I say that, this hotel was unlike anything I'd ever expected. A massive palatial haven, with a gargantuan yard in the front, glistening marble covered floors and probably the clearest view of the night sky that any Mumbaikar could appreciate.

Some of the fondest memories I had throughout the trip were made here. Be it jumping through windows (looking at you Vedant) to enter our friends room, hiding in cupboards, playing cards against humanity at 2 in the morning, or even pretending to be asleep when Mitesh sir barges into our rooms at midnight. 

From borrowing forks to eat maggi, playing cricket in the corridors from morning to night, to almost dying from the rooftop to take a cool pic, this was one of the experiences of all time.

The ROOM, how could i forget about it. This was the most luxurious and spacious room in all of jaipur. Just the bathroom was the size of a 2bhk in Mumbai. Damn thing had us all looking like this

I had my notions about the places we were to visit, but my god was I wrong. 

First and definitely the least, the Hawa mahal. Definitely felt like a scam, traveled just about 4 hours in total to see a wall through the bus window amidst the Jaipur hubbub 😭. This definitely lowered our expectations, but then we were hit with the uppercut that was the amber fort. Holy hell, this was the most massive grandiose thing ever. After climbing mount Olympus with a recovering ACL, my jaw dropped. The scene felt like something straight out of a Hollywood depiction of the middle east, with bazaars on each corner, vendors selling handmade jewelry, and our tour guide ranting about the Rajputs in all their glory. Later, we saw the albert museum and that's about it (i dozed off). 

Chaukidani was honestly a holy experience. From the nostalgic carnival games, to the eerie tarot reader, to the camel ride and the magic shows, there was something to appreciate every step of the way. My favorite part was meeting the funniest fatphobic chaukidani server ever, he kept pouring ghee (seemed very targeted 😭), and dal with endearing nicknames and gave us the best ab workout of all time. The food was finger licking good, and the show was even better.

Thanks to the dude who let me have 3 jeera waters on the house (I needed it).

The penultimate night was a blast, the halloween party. Needless to say my idea flopped, tried to be a pirate but ended up looking like Orlando forgot to bloom.

The last day felt like the morning after the sleepover, a crowd of 200, just walking outside on the palatial porch. Not a phone in sight, karaoke on the left, football game on the right, frisbees flying everywhere. Couldn't believe it was actually going to be over. 

After a tearful departure from that beautiful bathroom, we headed towards the airport. As usual, flight delays crashed the party. It was weirdly nice though, a group of over 25 of our closest friends sat in a circle on the airport floor, a cult, in essence, playing cards against humanity. I was getting thirsty so I approached the nearest Starbucks in sight and ordered a frappuccino. 

And the barista gave it to me for free. Itna royal treatment zindagi me kabhi nahi mila tha.

The transition from the trip to school was as abrupt as this ending. The chronicles of Jaipur lived on as nothing but memories in our hearts, awaiting to be unleashed on the next trip.

Until next time, Jaipur- you were amazing. 👾

Aayana:

“I wish we were in Group B,” I sighed, frustrated. All my friends were in Group B, while I was stuck in Group A. We were only traveling a day apart and still spending two days together in Jaipur, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. After all, isn’t the best part of a school trip the journey, not the destination? Still, I wasn’t going to let this ruin my 11th-grade school trip to Jaipur. Sharing a room with three of my closest friends made it worth it.

The journey to Jaipur was one of the most interesting travel experiences I’d had in a long time—matching sunglasses and earrings, DSLR cameras, and music. A LOT of music. (I still have the bus driver’s Bluetooth speaker saved on my phone.)

I wasn’t kidding…

(Samikaa and Aman cameo)

The first day was about getting familiar with the hotel—a literal palace—and checking into our amazing rooms. After freshening up, eating, and changing, we headed to the market. This was the first time I lost my phone on the trip (trust me, it wasn’t the last). I had left it on the console under the TV in a random room, on silent. After successfully single handedly holding up the bus for 30 minutes, I finally found it.

The next morning, the trip truly began. We spent the entire morning visiting some of the most famous places in Jaipur, like Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal. By the time we returned to the hotel, Group B had arrived, and I finally got to see all my friends. After lunch and some relaxation, we got ready to visit Birla Mandir and Chokhi Dhani—arguably my favorite part of the trip.

(Dressed up in cute clothes and took pictures during golden hour!)

Chokhi Dhani was basically a Rajasthani fair, complete with games, camel and bullock cart rides, and food—lots of food. Some of my favorite things were 

the small Ferris wheel,

 the 10-rupee hair massage,

and the food (no pictures because I was too busy devouring chaat and gola).

We were supposed to have Bollywood and Halloween-themed parties that night, but we didn’t get back to the hotel until 12:30 a.m., and none of us had the energy to get dressed up after such a long day.

The next day started early with more sightseeing, including Amer Fort (it felt like climbing Mount Everest just to get to the top) and Albert Museum (by this point, everyone was tired and just wanted to go back).

(Mandatory post-Amer Fort workout photo)

After returning to the hotel in the afternoon, we had plenty of time before the parties, so we made the most of it by playing at least 35 rounds of Cards Against Humanity.

Finally, the Halloween and Bollywood party, the last event of the trip where everyone was together. The party was great, but it wasn’t the highlight of the trip for me.

The last morning was probably the most chaotic. None of us could process that the trip was over—or maybe we were just in denial. Sitting on the balcony, debriefing everything that happened, it finally hit us that the trip was ending. But we couldn’t leave without an all-girls picture right before we left.

After multiple flight delays, games of Uno at the airport, and a lot of caffeine, we finally made it back to Bombay. The moisture-laden air reminded us we were home—or maybe home was the people I spent the trip with.

Until next time, Jaipur—you were amazing💌.

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