Tom According to a study done by Marian Diamond (one of the founders of modern neuroscience), it was found that the brain can continue to grow throughout one’s lifetime. This is contrary to popular believe that the brain stops growing after a certain age. Hence, the popular phrase coined by her – “Use it or lose it“. In the same series of studies, it was also found that new experiences actually promote the growth of connections between neurons and guess what? The top recommended way to do so is to travel!
Hence, on our 3rd day of our travels in India, we decided to try out new experiences and promote growth of connections of our neurons – in hopes of growing our brains! 😛 In today’s India Travel Itinerary, we’ll show three new experiences that we did to expand our horizons…
1. Experiencing a Relaxing Afternoon Tea at the Ultra Luxurious Taj Rambagh Palace
2. Watching an Hindi Movie (without subtitles!) at the Theatres
3. Posting a Parcel at the General Post Office (GPO) in India!
Breakfast at Hotel Pearl Palace
After confirming that Peacock Rooftop Restaurant is a better restaurant than Kalyan Rooftop Restaurant, we started the day with breakfast here…
This morning, we ordered Dosa (known as Thosai in Singapore) as well as Eggs Benedict. The Eggs Benedict turned out to be really salty. After reflecting it to the waiter, without any clarification at all, the item was immediately taken off the total bill. That’s another thing we liked about dining at Peacock Rooftop Restaurant – an honest business with good food and great service! 👍
Unique Experience #1: Posting a Parcel at the General Post Office (GPO) in India
To “spice” up our trip to India, we decided to send a little parcel from the local General Post Office, also known locally as GPO. The first order of the day was to get our package wrapped. Armed with experience of how the Singapore Post Office works, we thought that getting a parcel wrapped at the post office would be a fairly simple thing right? We’d probably be paying a couple of bucks more but it’ll save us the hassle of wrapping it up ourselves…
The tutuk from Hotel Pearl Palace to the nearest GPO costs 50 rupees ($1SGD). As we walked towards the entrance of GPO, a burly, unkempt man approached us and asked if we wanted to send a parcel. We nodded and he led us to one of the counters inside GPO. After speaking speaking to the gentleman over the counter, we were led back outside once again. This time, the burly man started to wrap our parcel – not using wrapping paper nor plastics but…CLOTH! 😲
He actually has a small little set up over the fence, right outside GPO (as seen in picture above). Here, he has all his tools – cloth, tape, markers and sewing kit! That’s right! Our parcel was wrapped using cloth and secured using thread and needle! Cool! Most notably, there was no point in time that burly Uncle needed a pair of scissors. All he needed was his teeth and hands! The cloth was easily ripped into the proper size using his bare hands while threads and tapes were “cut” using his razor sharp canines. After the cloth wrapping was done, he handed it over to us to write on the address before he used a layer of clear tape to “laminate” the address. We paid the uncle 150 rupees ($3SGD) for his excellent craftsmanship and headed back into GPO again.
Just as we re-entered GPO, the lights went out! There was a power outage but no one was surprised – it seemed to be a normal everyday kinda affair for the lights to go out. We handed our package over while the gentleman started to calculate the price to send our package – which turned out to be 106 rupees. After payment was made, the lights came back on and we were outta there! What an interesting start to the day!
Unique Experience #2: Watching an Hindi Movie in India WITHOUT Subtitles
As this day was supposed to be a relaxing day, we decided to immerse into the local Indian culture by watching a Bollywood movie at the theatres. As Badhai Ho was still showing, we decided to give it a go. The “Club Seats” (better located seats behind) costs 150 rupees while the “Executive Seats” were 118 rupees. Before we purchased the tickets, we asked whether there would be English subtitles – the reply was a firm “no”. We stared at each other for a while and decided that we should do it since we’ve already had prior experience of watching Harry Potter in Italian. 😂
As we were still a little early, we walked around MGF Metropolitan Mall in Jaipur and checked out the amusement park and food court before heading back to Inox Crystal Palm to watch Badhai Ho…
Badhai Ho is a movie about an elderly couple, in their 50s who conceived a child and had to deal with the criticisms from friends, neighbours, family and even their own grown up sons. It was both a comedy and a reflection of the kind of relationship within the circle of friends and family. The actors were also really professional. Although we did not understand the words, from their facial expressions, we were able to understand most of what the actors were trying to convey. Many times we laughed and at times we teared. That’s how good the actors were! Cool! We’d definitely try it again if we were to return to India! One downside though – the large popcorn set was 670 rupees (13 SGD! 😱)! Surprisingly more expensive than movie popcorn in Singapore!
Unique Experience #3: Luxurious Afternoon Tea at Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel
Tom was contemplating where to bring Kate to experience a touch of luxury in India when he stumbled upon the afternoon tea set at the Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel. During our visit to the City Palace Jaipur (aka Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum), we knew how rich the Singhs were in Jaipur. But only when we visited Rambagh Palace THEN we realised the kind of opulence and exuberance of the “Singh Dynasty” in Jaipur! 😲
In fact, the “exclusivity” started as our Uber ride entered the gates of Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel. We had to inform the security that we were dining at the Verandah Cafe (the outdoor alfresco cafe of Taj Rambagh) before we were allowed to enter the premise. As we alighted, we had to pass through a metal scanner, under the watchful eyes of yet another security guard before we were allowed to enter the lobby. Passing through the classy lobby, this was the first view of the premise of the hotel…
The Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel was first built in 1835 for the wet nurse of Prince Ram Singh II. But it was really in 1931 that the palace really took shape with Maharajah Sawai Man Singh II making it his principal residence. Today, it is one of the top luxury hotels in Jaipur and probably the whole of India. In fact, it is so exclusive that the “Who’s Who” celebrities and famous people across the globe have stayed here. However, everyone is so tight-lipped about the guest list that it has become a norm for guests to “check” everyone out to see if they’re sitting/staying next to a celebrity! This, we experienced several times throughout the 4 hours we were there…(being checked out and checking others out – especially those in shades!).
Afternoon Tea at Verandah Cafe takes place daily from 3pm to 6pm. There are currently 2 afternoon tea menus available at Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel’s Verandah Cafe – The Victorian Splendor (English Tea Set) or the Maharaja’s Sojourn (Indian Tea Set). Both sets cost a hefty 2500++ rupee per person. We also ordered 2 cocktails bringing our total bill to 8000rupees ($150SGD)! :O Looking back, we could have gone without the cocktails since the teas were “bottomless”. Nonetheless, we felt that this once-in-a-while splurge was well worth it because of the quality of food, the exquisite architecture, prompt service as well as the exclusive feel of dining alfresco at the beautifully manicured lawns of Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel…
We were first seated on the sofa seat just outside the Verandah Cafe. Looking across the corridor of the Indian crossed with British architecture and staring out to the luscious green lawns does have a calming effect. Probably the first time we really enjoyed a leisurely afternoon tea. Ah…
Photos in and around Verandah Cafe and Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel
Soon, our afternoon tea sets were served…
The description of the Victorian Splendor Afternoon Tea Set goes like this
“Steeped in history, the Rambagh Palace has been serving the grand tradition of afternoon tea, to famed celebrities, dignitaries and royalty alike. Allow yourself to be taken back to a different era as you sit back and enjoy the grand visage of the palace lawns with this sumptuous traditional spread and a cup of tea!”
Selection includes
Traditional Sandwiches
– Plum Tomatoes and Fresh Cherry Mozzarella
– Whole Wheat Bread, Avocado Enhanced with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Freshly Ground Pepper
– Pumpernickel Bread, Smoked Norwegian Salmon and Cream Cheese
– Bagel, Ham and Grain Mustard, Brioche
Selection of Homemade Pastries
– Tarte au Citron, Strawberry Cheesecake, Custard Tartlets with Fresh Berries
– Opera, French Macaroon, Traditional Plum Cake
– Blueberry Eclair, Bakewell Slice
– Red Velvet Cup Cake, Vegetable Curry Puff
Traditional Scones
– Served with Cornish Clotted Cream, Home Made Preserves Orange, Grape Fruit and Kiwi Fruit
Next came the Maharaja’s Sojourn
and the description of Maharaja’s Sojourn Afternoon Tea Set goes like this
“Our award-winning chefs have crafted a unique take on the Traditional Afternoon Tea dishes inspired by authentically local flavours and regional specialties.”
Selection includes
Traditional Indian Savoury Selection
– Khaman Dhokla, Steamed Gram Flour Cake
– Rice Cake topped with Beetroot Pickle
– Chakli, Crispy Fried Pastry made of Rice Flour and Gram Flour
– Namkeen Kerela, Flaky Savoury Biscuits
– Jaipuri Samosa, Spicy Potato Stuffed Flaky Pastry
– Masala Curry Puff, Curried Vegetables Stuffed Puff Pastry
– Kanji Wada, Lentils Dumplings Immersed in Tangy Mustard Liquid
– Pani Poori, savoury puff dumplings filled with flavoured water
Flavours: Sweet Tamarind / Jaljeera
Wrap and Sandwich
– Flat Green Peas Bread Wrap Chicken Kathi Roll / Paneer Kathi Roll
– Served with Homemade Chutneys: Mint, Mustard Yoghurt
– Tamarind Mango and Mint Sandwich
Assorted Indian Sweets from Our Cauldron
– Peda, Sweet Reduced Golden Brown Milk Cake
– Pista Barfi, Indian Style Pistachio Fudge
– Rabri Filled Macaroon, Sweet Flaky Milk Stuffed Macaroon
– Sandesh, Semi Soft Sweet Made from Casein
– Kalakand, Sweet Granules of solidified milk and cottage cheese
To entertain the guests (especially the kids), the waiters would feed the peacocks with…ALMONDS! So atas (high-class)! You’d be able to see the peacock pecking furiously between the palms of the waiter to get the almonds within…
After some guests left, we swapped seats to be right next to the lawn, under the ceiling fan. By now, the sun had began to set and this was another different feeling altogether. Although located in the heart of the city, the tranquil ambience was a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of it all…
As it was the Deepavali (better known as Diwali) period in India, a floor flower decoration (akin to Rangoli) was setup by the staff…
We didn’t know how time just flew by. Sitting there, chatting with each other, reminiscing the past, recollecting the trip and looking ahead to the next few days – just connecting with each other, 4 hours went past just like that! Perhaps, that’s the real enjoyment of a relaxing afternoon tea – enjoying each other’s company. To cap off this visit to the luxurious Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel, we decided to take a walk on its grounds. With permission of course. And these were some of the images we captured…
Several things that we found memorable
– A lyre player actually set in front of the building of the indoor swimming pool of Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel. Did create the “mystic” of the Indian sub-continent but was a little creepy as the rest of his body was actually really still
– Guests (families) flying kites at the lawn of the premise as the sun set. Sorta transported us back to the colonial times where these simple pleasures must have kept the kids very much entertained.
– Greetings from every staff (with hands clasped) we came across during this walk-about.
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The last view of the beautifully litted Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel in the evenings certainly made our day. If we ever have the opportunity to revisit Jaipur, another leisurely afternoon with Kate at Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel would definitely be a treat!
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You have just completed a post from our 13 days travel in India. Find out more about this trip from our posts below!
India Travel Itinerary Day 1: Singapore to Chennai to Jaipur (Hotel Pearl Palace) via Indigo
India Travel Itinerary Day 4: Train from Jaipur to Agra – Our first views of the Taj Mahal
India Travel Itinerary Day 11: Arriving in Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty after Kerala Boat Cruise
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Top 4 Attractions and Things to do in Munnar
Top 6 Things to do and Attractions in Leh Ladakh India
Top 4 Things to do and attractions in Agra India
Top 8 Jaipur Attractions and Things to do in Pink City
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