King for a day in Jaipur

This is the second part about our trip to India. Here you can find parts one, three, four, five, six, seven and eight.

It just so happened that I was on a business trip in India just days before my fiftieth birthday. As it felt a little boring to celebrate on the plane, we decided instead to take the opportunity and take a little trip in this exciting country. With the theme "you only live once", we planned a royal day for the birthday child.

The day started with an extremely early departure. We were picked up at the hotel by a Range Rover while it was still dark, which gave the feeling that we were part of an exciting adventure. After just under an hour's drive, we pulled into a field where feverish activity was underway to get the balloon ready for flight. Before we knew it, however, it was time to leave and we quickly jumped into the basket. We were a little tired before when we were waiting, but once on board we were suddenly wide awake.

Flying a balloon is truly a unique experience. You move completely soundlessly with the slow breeze, which gives the feeling that you are floating through the air. We were in this pleasant state when the sun began to rise above the horizon. I can't put into words how beautiful it was so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

We commuted between slightly different heights. At the highest we were up to 800 meters and at the lowest the basket hit the treetops. Incidentally, the pilot said it was a good way to clean the basket. Don't miss the peacocks at the end of the video below.

It was truly a fantastic experience that we would love to do again. We are not exactly adventurers, but this thing about flying a balloon felt like the most natural thing in the whole world. The only thing that was a little dramatic was the landing, but that's the downside of building a crew that can't be controlled. The company we hired is called Sky waltz and they arrange tours in several different places in India.

After a little nap, we set off to the known LMB (Laxmi Misthan Bhandar). They are best known for their Indian sweets which they export all over the world. However, it turned out that they also have a hotel and an excellent restaurant. At the restaurant we got what they call Royal Rajasthani Thali which is a tray with all the most famous dishes from the state. In the picture, you can see the waiter preparing dal baati choorma, which is a kind of bread ball that you mix with sauces and various spices. Believe it or not, it's actually one of the few dishes that isn't so strong that you fall off your chair. Laal maas and the other side is a stew of long-cooked goat meat that is extremely well seasoned and not for anyone who gets heartburn easily…

We were probably a bit tired on the way home because we got lost and as the confusion grew, so did the early morning. If you had been in a country where the phones worked, you would have just ordered an Uber to the hotel, but here it was a bit more complicated as the only thing available were auto rickshaws. Just when we decided that the only way to get home was an hour's ride in this uncomfortable mode of transport, we had an epiphany in the form of a sparkling Airtel. We stormed in, bought a cash card and thus the matter was beef.

Incidentally, this is one of our tips for you who are planning to go to India. Take the opportunity and buy a cash card at the airport, as most Swedish operators do not work here.

We made a quick pit stop at the hotel and then it was time for a luxury dinner. We had booked a table at Cinnamon, which is one of four restaurants at Jai Mahal Palace. The hotel is part of the Taj, a chain of luxury hotels located across the country.

It was excellent service and amazingly good food that after a long day made us end up in some kind of pleasant dream state. My only regret is that I didn't have time to take a picture before they replaced the gold plates with boring white ones. In all other environments it would have felt like too much, but here it felt just right.

What still made the biggest impression on me was when the chef came out with a piece of cake on which they wrote Happy Birthday. Everything else was very professional to the point where it was almost impersonal but that particular detail felt more like the feeling of the moment which made me very happy.

We ended an absolutely perfect birthday with a good laugh. When we were waiting for our Uber, we could see that a stream of luxury cars was passing by. When I say luxury cars, I mean the kind of cars that you almost never see in Sweden, but only in movies. For every car that drove up, a very well-dressed porter jumped out and helped the guests in or out of the car.

We couldn't help but laugh as our Uber, an old burgundy Suzuki Desire with blue lights in the cabin, rattled up to the entrance. Here, however, you can see what happens at a hotel that has understood this with service. The porter was just as quick to jump forward and with some effort open the door for us as he had been to the luxury car. That's service!