Revel like Rajput royalty in a floating palace, soak up the atmosphere of a desert camel fair or lose yourself in the fairy-tale Golden City with this guide to India's most vivid and enchanting region. <ul>
essential notes on desert safaris and wildlife sanctuaries </li></ul>
Average customer rating:
- Heat and Dust and Palacial Hotels
- For travellers who want to soak in the stories
- Fantastic mix of the ancient with the modern!
- Simply great!
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In Rajasthan (Lonely Planet Journeys)
Royina Grewal
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
- Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra (Lonely Planet Travel Guides)
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- A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club)
- India Treasures : An Epic Novel of Rajasthan and Northern India through the Ages
- Lonely Planet India
ASIN: 0864424574 |
Book Description
As she writes of her travels through Rajasthan, Royina Grewal takes us behind the exotic fascade of this fabled destination: here is an insider's perceptive account of India's most colourful state. In Rajasthan discusses folk music and architecture, feudal traditions and regional cuisine... Most of all, it focuses on people; from maharajahs to camel trainers, from a female Marxist leader to itinerant snake charmers. In Rajasthan doesn't dwell on the state's glorious past: it looks to the present and the future to convey the excitement and challenges of a region in transition.
Customer Reviews:
Heat and Dust and Palacial Hotels.......2002-02-23
Royina Grewal and her husband Ajit chose to leave Bombay and exchange their metropolitan existence for a rural one in the village of Patan in the Alwar district of north eastern Rajasthan. Royina, who also authored Sacred Virgin about a trip on the Narmada river, and her husband have decided to rebuild a run down farm and using experimental agricultural techniques they are attempting to grow crops on arid land. While her husband tends to the farm and the reconstruction of the house Royina, aware of Rajastahn's reputation for its renowned fortresses and palaces, decides to go on a bit of a tour of the countryside. Its an amusing tour. In Rajasthan, which is one of the least modernised areas of India, it is very rare to see a woman traveling alone so her presence brings out many interesting females who are enthused by her boldness in a land where women are rarely free to choose the course of their own lives. Royina even tours the countryside on the back of a motorcycle in one scene. She claims to feel the nomadic spirit which may be true but she also feels the shopping spirit as well as she makes purchases here and there(including a pair of leather boots that are made for princes) that she is careful to note most Indians cannot afford. This is perhaps one of the problems with this book, Royina only leaves home for an eight week stretch and then writes her book. Other travel writers spend years in India before writing about it. She was born in India, given an education, and one surmises has always had a fair amount of money and freedom(she is careful to note her marriage was not an arranged one). She is one of the privileged westernized few and for her roughing it is a matter of choice and really she is not roughing it for she more often than not stays in the renovated and converted former palaces of the Rajasthan princes with their elaborate gardens. More a vacation than a tour of India I would say. Still she relates a lot of valuable and interesting information along the way and she has some good stories to tell and listens to others tell theirs. She no doubt has a real interest in womens liberation and that theme runs through the book. Nothing gives her greater pleasure than to see a woman asserting her independence(very rare in Rajasthan) and nothing hurts her more than to see a woman or girl in some form of bondage to a husband or small minded community or a religion. Royina places her hopes in the education system and she is touched to see a young tribal girl wearing a school uniform beneath her sari. As Royina says change happens very slowly in India but you have to keep chiseling away. A good book (perhaps designed to encourage tourism to the area) though compared to other Indian travel books(Norman Lewis, William Dalrymple)pretty light fare.
For travellers who want to soak in the stories.......2000-04-22
Royina Grewal's work is rich with imagery and balanced, sensitive observations. She evokes the atmosphere of Rajasthan to a traveller without romanticizing, never straying too far from the lives of the locals. She is always careful not to claim to speak for the people she interviews or let her preconceptions take over their stories. She describes beautifully the scenery, history and customs of various parts of the state. I've learned a lot from this book, not only about Rajasthan, but how to journey through this colorful, changing place as an outsider.
Fantastic mix of the ancient with the modern!.......2000-04-12
Royina Grewal's book is full of the history and grandeur of the Rajputs and the Moghul Emperors, told as the author travels through modern day Rajasthan. The book is so descriptive in parts you can almost feel the heat and dust as if you were there yourself. A wonderful read and highly recommended, especially if you are fascinated with India and her colourful history as much as I am.
Simply great!.......1999-06-27
You shouldn't leave home without it. Especially not if you are a Lonely Planet-Woman travelling on your own...
Average customer rating:
- Can't go without one
- Lonely Planet's Guide to Rajisthan (Northern India)
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Lonely Planet Rajasthan (Lonely Planet Rajasthan, 2nd ed)
Sarina Singh , and Michelle Coxall
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| Afghanistan
| Armenia
| Bangladesh
| Belarus
| Bhutan
| Brunei
| Cambodia
| Central Asia
| China
| Far East
| General
| Georgia
| Hong Kong
| India
| Indonesia
| Japan
| Korea
| Laos
| Malaysia
| Maldives
| Mauritius
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| Myanmar
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| Pakistan
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| Seychelles
| Singapore
| South Asia
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ASIN: 0864427433 |
Book Description
42 Maps
Customer Reviews:
Can't go without one.......2003-04-03
This is an excellent guide. I saved a lot of money on hotels and transport thanks to it. Its compact size allowed me to put it in my passport pouch. Virtually every foriegn tourist in Rajasthan had one with them.
Lonely Planet's Guide to Rajisthan (Northern India).......2000-10-17
Sarina Singh and Michelle Coxall's guide to Rajisthan is a well written reference for any Western traveller. Detailed information on the history and cultural context of a region or country gives any travel buff an insightful introduction into their travels. In addition, Singh and Coxall include up-to-date information (with convenient currency converters) on places to stay and eat, regional attractions (inluding listings of museums), regional events (such as festivals and fairs), etc. However the book's strength lies in the inclusion of several detiled maps of the region and of major cities in Rajisthan. The maps guide tourists to important locations such as hotels, banks, hospitals, post offices, police stations, etc. The color pictures and the black and white sketches well support the book's narrative and give travelers mnore than a brief glimpse into Northern India and its unique lifestyle. Other travel guides such as Frommers and Lets Go, while offering strong information, are unable to paint as clear a mental picture as the Lonely Planet guides are so adept at.
The guide to Rajisthan is perfect for unseasoned travelers unused to the hustle and bustle of Asia. The book guides tourists through the murky waters of regional customs, while highlighting invaluable cautionary information on health (e.g., food and water), local scams, etc. In addition, the book devotes an entire section to travel and transportation information including useful hints on visa applications, drivers permits, etc. The book conlcudes with a glossary of important terms and a phrase book that helps toursists navigate through simple phrases imperative for travelling through foreign countries.
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