Rajasthan + Madhya Pradesh – Afterthoughts

25. January 2026

 

 

The most striking thing in relation to the thoughts above is probably that I changed my travel plan. Originally I only wanted to visit Rajasthan, but in the end I also veered off into Madhya Pradesh. I struggled quite a bit throughout that time. I was exhausted and would have liked to just hang around more — but the destination wasn’t really suited for that. I had forgotten how cold it can be from Christmas to mid-January. Or rather, I think it was even much colder at the beginning. And since Rajasthan doesn’t struggle with cold for the rest of the year but mainly with heat, there were no real comforts in place — just cold rooms.

 

On the one hand, I felt a bit lost, and often lacking both decision-making energy and strength. And yet I discovered things that I think will greatly benefit my work as a tour operator. I now know a bit more about quite a few things.

 

Shekawati

Yes, on the one hand you can get so saturated by the sheer number of painted houses that in the end they all start to blur together and you feel completely full of impressions by the evening. On the other hand, Shekhawati has so much more to offer: stepwells, temples, hills, and a very rural atmosphere. It doesn’t feel “typically Rajasthani” in the sense of deserts, camels, and turbans (they do exist, but not in huge numbers), yet there is still enough of that — and in a way that makes you more curious about this region with its merchant rather than warrior past.
In tour itineraries I usually planned just one night here — by now I think two nights are more worthwhile. And since the tourism ministry wants to promote it as well, all the better!

 

 

Bundi + Kota

I already knew Bundi and didn’t really discover anything new there — except for a very long walk through the old town and the market. I still find it well worth a visit. Kota, on the other hand, was a surprise in terms of modernity, something I hadn’t expected in Rajasthan. With few major sights, comfortable hotels, business activity, and universities, it would be a good opportunity to get to know the “real India.” And it’s also not nearly as crowded and congested as, for example, Delhi. I don’t think I fully made the most of my time there, but the brief glimpse was definitely interesting.

 

 

Indore-Mandu-Ujjain-Bhopal

In 2012 I visited the most well-known part of Madhya Pradesh — Khajuraho, Orchha, and Gwalior. That was nice. Since then, I’ve learned so much more about the state that I actually really wanted to explore it properly. But with only a week and a half and feeling exhausted, it ended up being too much. Still, when a colleague tempted me toward the end and organized the trains and accommodation, I went after all — and didn’t regret it. It made me even more curious about many more places in Madhya Pradesh and confirmed my impression of its great diversity. So it’s now on my list of regions I’d like to see more of. That said, I do find the landscape somewhat monotonous overall — except for the mountainous areas, which do exist there, though I haven’t seen all that much of them yet. It’s often said that on overland journeys you don’t find yourself gazing out of the window in amazement or delight all that often.

 

 

Travelling

I traveled the entire time using public transport — trains, buses, sleeper buses — and within towns by motorcycle taxi, tuk-tuk taxi, and for longer excursions by car taxi. India is a vast country with poor roads and heavy traffic, which means getting around is slower than you might sometimes expect. And it can be exhausting when everything is bumpy, loud, and dusty. On the other hand, it’s very inexpensive and reflects the reality of life for most people in India. But for me, I need to be careful not to overdo it during more exhausting phases. One thing that worked well was that I didn’t have all that much luggage, and it was always easy to carry and store. Bringing more luggage, leaving it at a base, and packing fresh just for individual trips seems like a very good idea to me.

 

 

Traveling alone doesn’t seem to work so well for me anymore. I don’t really like it that much. Either having more constant company, or at least visiting or meeting someone regularly in each place, is something I really need to take to heart and factor in! Even though people say you experience more when traveling alone — at least for me, that’s not true. I’m often more open when I’m traveling with someone else.

 

Dirt and lack of care

India has always had a problem with litter lying around, and despite efforts there seems to be no visible improvement — rather the opposite. Of the regions I visited, Rajasthan appeared to be the most obviously dirty. And even though not enough is being done officially in terms of public waste management, it also feels as if people genuinely don’t care and don’t even notice it. It’s not for me to judge, but I do notice that it bothers me more and more. I’ve also become more sensitive when it comes to accommodation and realized that I should raise my standards a little. Not that simplicity can’t be good and clean — when it is, I appreciate it all the more. I also thought about this again and compared it with Kyrgyzstan. There, people often lacked the money to make places prettier, but I felt that, at least in a tourism context, a lot was done to ensure that you could always sink into clean bed linen and that things were kept tidy. What bothers me is the lack of care for the surroundings — especially since India has so much beauty in its design! I would love to see that integrated much more into everyday (tourist) life. The murals in public spaces are already a great step in that direction.

 

Aspects

What I still love about India — including this part of the country — is that there are always more layers to discover, everywhere. India feels to me like a huge, multi-layered puzzle that I’m in the process of putting together, constantly stumbling upon surprising pieces. The thing is, there’s no reference image to guide you in finding the right pieces — you just come across them and then have to figure out how they fit. And sometimes, just when you think something fits, it turns out it wasn’t quite the right place after all. Or you find pieces and have no idea where they belong. And the puzzle is probably moving as well…
But that’s exactly what I still like about it. At first I thought that, apart from Ladakh, there was nowhere else in India I really “needed” to go anymore. But with these new discoveries and a bit of distance, my curiosity about India clearly hasn’t let go of me yet. And this part of the journey, too, turned out to be very good!