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  Located very near the big city of Ajmer but separated from it by a long hill, the holy town of Pushkar is a very laid-back, quiet place. It surrounds a lake which has 52 ghats for ceremonies and ceremonial bathing, and Pushkar itself is surrounded by hills. The setting, the architecture, the atmosphere are all fantastic. Furthermore, the streets aren't crowded, and the little motorbike traffic that exists during the day dies off in the evening, so Pushkar is indeed a quiet place. 

  Visiting Amber Fort 32 years ago was a much quieter experience than now; then again, India's population was one-third smaller, local tourism wasn't yet too popular, and it wasn't a holiday period. Despite the crowds, Amber Fort (or Amber Palace) is a beautiful place, and somewhat fewer people were in Jaigarh Fort which stands on a higher peak. You find in it the Jaivana Cannon, said to be the world's biggest cannon, but I think the three big gates (or windows) offering a view below are far more impressive. There is a road leading down to the village from behind Amber Fort; it passes the Shri Jagat Shiromani ji Temple, a beautiful site that I remembered from decades ago. 

  Jaipur is another city I visited 32 years ago, and where I was happy to return. But it's not a foreign tourist friendly place, I learned. In the hotels and guest houses of the city centre, in old Jaipur, only Indian people are allowed to stay. I wasted quite a lot of time figuring this out and then trying to find a place in a less central suburb, just to return to the area around the bus station which is quite run-down but fairly central and where hotels accept foreigners. Because of this initial disappointment I decided to stay only two nights, so all the attractions I wanted to visit had to be covered in one day. I visited the historic centre in the morning, then took a threewheeler to Amber Fort, and returned to Jaipur for the sunset. You can get spectacular city views from two spots.

  Since two important attractions that I wanted to see were closed on the previous day, I bought another day pass for the Metro and headed back to these sites. Along the way I visited a few more places; maybe not that well-known, but interesting and beautiful. I finished the day in Old Delhi, from where I walked back to my neighbourhood, Paharganj. Early in the next day I was supposed to take a train to Jaipur, Rajastan.

  The Metro system in Delhi is really great: it's comprehensive, cheap, and not or not very crowded. There wasn't a single line when I last visited Delhi in 1992, and it is definitely a great development. It provides a convenient way to get around, and since I wanted to cover a bigger area, I bought a day-pass. I forgot, however, that it was Monday and some attractions might be closed, as it turned out to be. I still managed to visit many places, as you can see next. Another thing to keep in mind is that buying entrance tickets to a government site with a bank card is cheaper than by cash. 

  Visiting Delhi after 32 years (!), I wanted to see some of the places I knew plus discover new ones. On my first day I started from my neighbourhood, Paharganj, on foot, intending to walk as much as I can, with rikshaw rides between some of the points. At the end, as I ended up quite far, I took the metro back to New Delhi station from where I walked home. Attractions visited on the first day are as follow.

  Known locally as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the massacre in Amritsar took place on April 13, 1919, during British colonial rule. It "remains a poignant symbol of the atrocities inflicted upon the Indian people under British colonial rule. This tragic event served as a pivotal moment in India's fight for independence, as it fueled the country's demand for self-rule and liberation from British oppression." 

  Amritsar is the holiest city of the Sikh religion, famous for its Golden Temple, locally known as Shri Harmandir Sahib gurudwara. It is an impressive place, and its volunteer-run free kitchen serves as many as 100,000 people a day, every day, around the clock! ( BBC ) There are other notable gurudwaras , Sikh religious complexes, as well as famous Hindu sites; in fact, one of the Hindu temples looks very similar to the Sikh Golden Temple. And be it day or night, the downtown pedestrian area has a great atmosphere. 

  Not as grandoise as the Kailasa Temple in Elora, nevertheless the Masroor Temple is also an impressive monolithic building carved out of solid rock. It can be visited in a day from Dharamshala, but the only possibility seems to be a taxi. A return trip for about GBP 25 is still very reasonable. 

  Dharamkot and Bhagsu are two villages near McLeodganj, alternatives to staying in the latter. Dharamkot seems to be quieter, more laid-back and more hippie in style, ideal for a longer relaxing stay; in Bhagsu centre you'll find multi-level hotels and it is more popular with local tourists coming for a day or two. You can do many different hikes in the area, and Bhagsu is near a waterfall of the same name. 

  Dharamshala is home to the the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government in Exile (Central Tibetan Administration), and a large number of Tibetan refugees. So obviously there are many Buddhist places of interest in the area. Following you'll find some of them.

Located 2,000 metres above sea level, McLeodganj is an area of Dharamshala on a hilltop high above Dharamshala city centre, which lies at the elevation of around 1,500 metres. As you approach Dharamshala, you can see McLeodganj and other hilltop settlements, with dramatic, snow-capped high mountain ranges in the background. McLeodganj is where most places of interest are located, as it is home to most Tibetan temples and institutions, and most tourist facilities are also located here. Smaller villages such as Dharamkot and Bhagsu provide quieter alternatives near McLeodganj, ideal especially for longer stays. There is also a Christian church nearby; the only Christian place I know of where you have to take your shoes off before entering. Hotels and guest houses abound in McLeodganj and I found a beautiful room with a balcony and mountain views - a luxury for the budget traveller. 

  It seemed to be a good idea to stop in Mandi on my way to Dharamshala, and it was. Officially a city, but with a population of 26,000, it feels to be a town even if a busy town. It is at a river junction in the foothills of the Himalayas, in a very beautiful setting. The main square of the town is pretty, and quite unusual with its underground market surrounding a square with a pagoda clock tower. You'll find more nice and interesting buildings in the area, and a few old Hindu temples. 

  The Rock Garden of Chandigarh was founded by Nek Chand Saini, a government official who started building the garden secretly in his spare time in 1957. It has spread over an area of 40 acres (16 ha), and is completely built from industrial and home waste, discarded items ( Wikipedia ), and a lot of cement and rocks. It fits well in with the modernists' vision of robust concrete structures. There is one path in the Rock Garden that you have to follow, leading between steep walls. Along the walk you come across a creek, a couple of water falls, curious buildings, amphitheatres, aquariums, crooked mirrors and a display of traditional Indian life, and hundreds of bizarre sculptures. 

  Formed in 1953, Chandigarh is an artificial, planned city by Indian authorities and Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, and it feels different from all the places I have seen in India. It is divided into numbered and walled sectors by a perfect grid of wide streets (avenues) and these sectors contain richer or poorer living districts, shops, hotels (most for Indians only), markets, museums, parks, entertainment or sport centres, or government offices. There are no cows, crowds, serious traffic jams, but everything is far apart. It reminded me of the pioneer city Zánka in Hungary, a Soviet-era planned "town" for communist youth camps, but on a much bigger scale. Chandigarh's main attractions are the architectural work of Le Corbusier, found in a restricted governmental area; you can only visit them as part of a free tour led by a guide. You have to register at a tourist office with your passport, and if there are at least 4-5 people who turned up at (or rather a li...

  Located an hour downstream from Rishikesh, Haridwar is a much larger and holier city. It is one of four sites where drops of amrita , the elixir of immortality, was accidentally spilled over from a kumbha (pitcher) while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. As a result, Indian people visit it in large numbers even when there isn't any festival - and at Kumbha Mela times it gets jampacked. The centre of Haridwar is crowded but interesting, vibrant, beautiful, with its bathing gaths along the long river banks of the Ganges. 

A short uphill walk in Rishikesh leads to the hillside Bhootnath Temple featuring a tall pagoda that you can climb to the top. From there, you get a beautiful view of the city and its surroundings. There are two ways to reach the pagoda, coming from the two separate hubs on the left bank, so you can turn it into a circuit walking back along the Ganges. Approaching from the southwest involves a steep, direct climb through narrow streets, ending with a long flight of stairs. From the north, a paved road winds along the hillside, roughly parallel to the river, connecting the temple with the northernmost point of Rishikesh’s left bank. You’ll also get some nice views from certain points from this road. In this set of photos, we begin in the southwest and end in the north. 

  I liked Rishikesh too much and got lazy. Ater 4 months of travel, it was great to relax a little bit. So I stayed much longer than I thought I would; exactly three weeks. And I could have stayed longer, but I want to visit some other places too, so it was time to move on. 

  Rishikesh lies at the foothills of the Himalayas, where the Hindus' sacred river, the Ganga, leaves the mighty mountain range and enters the plains. The upper part of the city, between three bridges, is the most spectacular, and the holliest. There are many temples and ashrams, along the river and up in the hills, and pilgrims flock in in massive numbers. 

  Back in India, after 23 years! For better or worse, let's see how things have changed. From what I can tell in one day, it is just as as I remembered: peculiar, mysterious, chaotic, crowded, noisy, smelly, lively, vibrant, ... amazing!  And the food is just as good, and just as spicy. It wasn't part of the original plan, but with flights from Almaty to Delhi costing only a little over 100 USD, I couldn't resist.