Hill Fort, Kesroli

• Great food, picturesque swimming pool and solitude, these are what Hill Fort Kesroli offers to you. If you are looking for adventure, go somewhere else.
• Morning walks around the village and fields is possible. Hotel also offers bicycles to help you take a round. 
• Bhangarh and Abhineri are each an hour away although in different directions. You can go for them if you are staying for couple days.

Hill Fort Kesroli is a Neemrana property and inaccessible to outsiders. You need to book a room to even enter the premises which is on high grounds and not at all easy to reach. It was my birthday and so we decided to spend a night at the resort. The August sun was bright as we drove from Gurgaon to Kesroli near Alwar in two and half hours. We checked in and roamed around the property. While the entrance is a climb, the fort is an easy navigation with rooms on two levels.

Swimming pool at lower levels, Hill Fort Kesroli

Himeji Castle

• Go all the way to the top. You will appreciate the thick wooden pillars and beams on which this massive palace is built from ground up.
• The armoury on the third floor is amazing with a collection of Japanese Katana Swords from Samurai era.
• Try to walk around the castle. The beauty from inside is architectural, from outside Himeji Castle is a giant work of art.

We covered Himeji Castle on our penultimate day in Japan. It would have been big miss had we not decided to go for it. The architecture, construction and accessibility is unparalleled even by the open standards of Japan. Given that it is in opposite direction to Tokyo from Osaka, we took some effort and it paid off handsomely. While the castle is visible from railway station itself, it hardly justifies what's inside.

Himeji Castle, Himeji

Kyoto

• Kyoto is huge. Plan ahead on what are the top sites you want to visit. Top three in my list were Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji & Fushimi Inari-Taisha.
• Expect a lot of walk. Even if you reach the gates of one of the attractions, the walk inside will be tiring but worth it.
• Take Kyoto Day Pass which includes transport and entry to some of the main shrines. For food, the restaurants near the river are best.

Kyoto is beautiful. At the heart of Japan, nestled with temples, spotted with shrines and bifurcated by a river, the city is duly called the spiritual capital of Japan. We reached Kyoto through a super fast train from Osaka early morning and immediately started moving towards the Kinkaku-ji Temple. It is one of the showstoppers among the famous temples of Kyoto. Known for the gold-leaf structure and located at the centre of a placid lake, the temple was indeed teeming with selfie lovers as we arrived.

Kinkaku-ji Temple