Impressions from our three week trip to India February 2013
Mar 6th, 2013, 04:07 AM
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Impressions from our three week trip to India February 2013
First….a special moment. When we arrived in New Delhi airport, we were tired from the long flight, but pleased that getting through the arrival routine was nothing special. But then, we got to the last uniformed counter (probably customs) and we stopped. What were we supposed to do there? I looked at the man and he gave me the head waggle. Dogster!!! He often wrote about it. Yes, we were in India and it had been Dogster who set the stage. We smiled and went out into India.
Rather than a trip report reviewing the places, palaces, temples, forts, monuments visited, my report is of my impressions of our experience. The tourist sites we saw were the ones everyone sees on their first trip to Rajasthan. Many trip reports have discussed them. But going to India first means selecting a style of travel that works for you. Group tour or independent travel is the first major decision. For us, independent was a requirement. We are in our 70’s and wanted to sleep later in the mornings and not be required to follow a hourly schedule. We also did not want to visit the rug looming exhibition, the stone sculpture showroom, the pashima weaving demonstration. We are not shoppers. Group trips can be excellent and you will not miss any major tourist attraction and often get to know people who will become lifelong friends. Independent travel planned by a local operator can have the “completeness” of group travel but will allow the tourists to make changes on an hourly or daily basis.
We used Legends & Palaces which is owned by Mr. V.P. Singh and is based in New Delhi. He has been doing this long enough to know the nuances of trip planning for Western clients. We wanted/needed to go in the “Oberois Bubble”. My husband had no interest in exploring the culture of India…Italy is for him. But, he is a good guy and knew that this was important to me. India is so overwhelming that I knew we would need quiet, reliable, comfortable hotels. We also wanted to travel at a slower pace. Few one nighters and driving between cities kept to 4 or 5 hours a day. It may not be necessary to go to these very expensive hotels but they were very nice and there were no unpleasant surprises.
Mr. Singh made the hotel reservations based on my requests, arranged a car and driver, tour guides, suggested routings. All of his arrangements were fine. We liked some guides better than others, but that is often personality. All were competent and anxious for us to have a good experience. Our driver was excellent. He went beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and enjoying our experience. He was with us all but two days of our trip so he was very important. It is my impression that having Mr. Singh make our arrangements meant that it cost us less than if we make them ourselves. There are too many parts (car and driver, guides) which I could not price. But, it was much less than if we had taken a group tour with the well-known upper level international tour companies, or museum or college tour operators which used the same hotels. Independent tours from these operators were much, much more. I usually make our own travel arrangements but this trip was beyond me.
We used our points for the flights. We flew British Air from NYC to London, had a 3 hours layover, and then on to New Delhi. We flew Business going and Business and First (for the last leg) returning. I admire people who can go long haul coach, but that time is over for us. The return was almost 24 hours door to door.
We stayed at the Oberois Gurgaon near the New Delhi airport our last night. (Which I thought was too expensive for a one nighter getting there after 6pm. Wrong!) We had to get up at 4am for our 7am flight. Amazingly enough, the service and accommodation at the hotel were so good we actually slept very well that night. Maybe the 2 glasses of wine helped.
What else helped was that Mr. Singh arranged that we were met at every airport by someone who escorted us to our car. We were even met in hotel lobbies to escort us to our car (at the end of the hotel lobby) when we did not have a guide since we were being driven to an airport. We also had an Indian cellphone supplied by Mr. Singh so we could call our escorts. In short, no worries. Also, using a porter at the airports was really important. Indian airports and airlines have special quirks that can be confusing to a first timer. When Jet Airlines charged us for an extra bag which had been used before as a carryon, it was our porter who showed us where to go to pay the extra fee when we did not have enough rupees and the counter would not take a credit card.
India is amazing! It is the most colorful place we have been. Color everywhere! The women dress in the most beautiful saris. Many younger men dress Western style, but most women wear color! Older men wear unbelievable costumes. Everywhere you look, it is fascinating. The posture of the people is so erect. The faces are striking. I took endless photos of the people. Usually I take photos of things….in India, people.
For years I was afraid to go to India because the poverty would be too upsetting. But having been to Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. the poverty here was not the most overwhelming factor. (We did not visit, though we saw shanty towns.) Less people were begging than we have seen elsewhere. Our driver and guide absolutely forbid us from giving except to a temple. The people live a different lifestyle than we do, but they do live. Water, sewerage, housing, garbage are big problems. But there is food everywhere. Fruit and vegetable markets everywhere. Food being cooked everywhere with lots of customers. We were often told about charity kitchens. Most amazing, in Delhi someone was celebrating something and provided free food from a very upscale hotel all day. Chefs in white uniforms and high hats were cooking on the street all day at the hotel next to the Imperial Hotel. At the end of the day, the discarded paper plates and plastic utensils were removed from the streets
Personal space. Not in India. Whether in a city or even in the countryside we did not have the “invisible” distance around us we have had elsewhere. The traffic is really as has been so often described. Cars, all kinds of wheeled vehicles, people, cows, dogs, goats, camels, a few elephants, cars, going in all directions at once with horns blaring. I was bumped more often in three weeks in India than in my whole life all together. Varanasi was much more crowded than NYC at anytime including New Year’s Eve. Plus, Indian people gather. Wherever you look, people, usually men more often than women, are gathered together, sitting on the ground, discussing. Who knows what they can be discussing so often, but there they are. Anything draws a group. When our driver had a hard time getting a receipt from the tolltaker, next thing we knew, there were 15 men gathered around offering opinions…and this was a tollbooth on a highway. When we stopped to take a picture of the woman with oxen circling to bring up water we went back across the road to get money for her. Immediately, ten other women appeared out of nowhere (flat fields there), who wanted money, candy, anything from us. They were friendly, smiling…we were the entertainment.
Even in the usual Rajasthan tourist circuit we followed, especially in Varainasi and the countryside, women wanted to hold my hand. I was “different” and they seemed to enjoy making the contact. “I shook the hand of the foreigner.” It was usually accompanied by a big smile and sense of pride. People were hospitable. When I had to wait in the street in Varanasi while my husband and the guide went to the toilet, I felt uncomfortable. So I stood near a group of women having tea at a stall. They immediately offered me tea, food, a seat, etc. Their English was very limited but far better than my Hindi. In Lodi Garden in Delhi I stopped to look at the group of beautiful people having a picnic. The senior man immediately invited me to join them and eat. They were from Afghanistan only moved to Delhi a few months before.
(End of first installment)
Rather than a trip report reviewing the places, palaces, temples, forts, monuments visited, my report is of my impressions of our experience. The tourist sites we saw were the ones everyone sees on their first trip to Rajasthan. Many trip reports have discussed them. But going to India first means selecting a style of travel that works for you. Group tour or independent travel is the first major decision. For us, independent was a requirement. We are in our 70’s and wanted to sleep later in the mornings and not be required to follow a hourly schedule. We also did not want to visit the rug looming exhibition, the stone sculpture showroom, the pashima weaving demonstration. We are not shoppers. Group trips can be excellent and you will not miss any major tourist attraction and often get to know people who will become lifelong friends. Independent travel planned by a local operator can have the “completeness” of group travel but will allow the tourists to make changes on an hourly or daily basis.
We used Legends & Palaces which is owned by Mr. V.P. Singh and is based in New Delhi. He has been doing this long enough to know the nuances of trip planning for Western clients. We wanted/needed to go in the “Oberois Bubble”. My husband had no interest in exploring the culture of India…Italy is for him. But, he is a good guy and knew that this was important to me. India is so overwhelming that I knew we would need quiet, reliable, comfortable hotels. We also wanted to travel at a slower pace. Few one nighters and driving between cities kept to 4 or 5 hours a day. It may not be necessary to go to these very expensive hotels but they were very nice and there were no unpleasant surprises.
Mr. Singh made the hotel reservations based on my requests, arranged a car and driver, tour guides, suggested routings. All of his arrangements were fine. We liked some guides better than others, but that is often personality. All were competent and anxious for us to have a good experience. Our driver was excellent. He went beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and enjoying our experience. He was with us all but two days of our trip so he was very important. It is my impression that having Mr. Singh make our arrangements meant that it cost us less than if we make them ourselves. There are too many parts (car and driver, guides) which I could not price. But, it was much less than if we had taken a group tour with the well-known upper level international tour companies, or museum or college tour operators which used the same hotels. Independent tours from these operators were much, much more. I usually make our own travel arrangements but this trip was beyond me.
We used our points for the flights. We flew British Air from NYC to London, had a 3 hours layover, and then on to New Delhi. We flew Business going and Business and First (for the last leg) returning. I admire people who can go long haul coach, but that time is over for us. The return was almost 24 hours door to door.
We stayed at the Oberois Gurgaon near the New Delhi airport our last night. (Which I thought was too expensive for a one nighter getting there after 6pm. Wrong!) We had to get up at 4am for our 7am flight. Amazingly enough, the service and accommodation at the hotel were so good we actually slept very well that night. Maybe the 2 glasses of wine helped.
What else helped was that Mr. Singh arranged that we were met at every airport by someone who escorted us to our car. We were even met in hotel lobbies to escort us to our car (at the end of the hotel lobby) when we did not have a guide since we were being driven to an airport. We also had an Indian cellphone supplied by Mr. Singh so we could call our escorts. In short, no worries. Also, using a porter at the airports was really important. Indian airports and airlines have special quirks that can be confusing to a first timer. When Jet Airlines charged us for an extra bag which had been used before as a carryon, it was our porter who showed us where to go to pay the extra fee when we did not have enough rupees and the counter would not take a credit card.
India is amazing! It is the most colorful place we have been. Color everywhere! The women dress in the most beautiful saris. Many younger men dress Western style, but most women wear color! Older men wear unbelievable costumes. Everywhere you look, it is fascinating. The posture of the people is so erect. The faces are striking. I took endless photos of the people. Usually I take photos of things….in India, people.
For years I was afraid to go to India because the poverty would be too upsetting. But having been to Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, etc. the poverty here was not the most overwhelming factor. (We did not visit, though we saw shanty towns.) Less people were begging than we have seen elsewhere. Our driver and guide absolutely forbid us from giving except to a temple. The people live a different lifestyle than we do, but they do live. Water, sewerage, housing, garbage are big problems. But there is food everywhere. Fruit and vegetable markets everywhere. Food being cooked everywhere with lots of customers. We were often told about charity kitchens. Most amazing, in Delhi someone was celebrating something and provided free food from a very upscale hotel all day. Chefs in white uniforms and high hats were cooking on the street all day at the hotel next to the Imperial Hotel. At the end of the day, the discarded paper plates and plastic utensils were removed from the streets
Personal space. Not in India. Whether in a city or even in the countryside we did not have the “invisible” distance around us we have had elsewhere. The traffic is really as has been so often described. Cars, all kinds of wheeled vehicles, people, cows, dogs, goats, camels, a few elephants, cars, going in all directions at once with horns blaring. I was bumped more often in three weeks in India than in my whole life all together. Varanasi was much more crowded than NYC at anytime including New Year’s Eve. Plus, Indian people gather. Wherever you look, people, usually men more often than women, are gathered together, sitting on the ground, discussing. Who knows what they can be discussing so often, but there they are. Anything draws a group. When our driver had a hard time getting a receipt from the tolltaker, next thing we knew, there were 15 men gathered around offering opinions…and this was a tollbooth on a highway. When we stopped to take a picture of the woman with oxen circling to bring up water we went back across the road to get money for her. Immediately, ten other women appeared out of nowhere (flat fields there), who wanted money, candy, anything from us. They were friendly, smiling…we were the entertainment.
Even in the usual Rajasthan tourist circuit we followed, especially in Varainasi and the countryside, women wanted to hold my hand. I was “different” and they seemed to enjoy making the contact. “I shook the hand of the foreigner.” It was usually accompanied by a big smile and sense of pride. People were hospitable. When I had to wait in the street in Varanasi while my husband and the guide went to the toilet, I felt uncomfortable. So I stood near a group of women having tea at a stall. They immediately offered me tea, food, a seat, etc. Their English was very limited but far better than my Hindi. In Lodi Garden in Delhi I stopped to look at the group of beautiful people having a picnic. The senior man immediately invited me to join them and eat. They were from Afghanistan only moved to Delhi a few months before.
(End of first installment)
Mar 6th, 2013, 08:37 AM
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Thanks for the report--I'll be reading along. I too am starting to plan a trip for October or November and have been considering various options--will definitely look into the possibility of an independent tour with Legends and Palaces.
Mar 6th, 2013, 09:15 AM
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Why you need an Indian travel agent.
We got on an Air India plane in Varanasi to go to Agra. The plane was then going on to Khajuraho. But they took us all to Khajuraho and said get off the plane. No apparent reason.
There we were about 25 Agra passengers. We were much worse off than if they had cancelled the Agra flight. It was then 4pm. We were 500 kilometers from Agra. If they flew us to Delhi there is now good toll road to Agra. They said the next open seat would be two days. They provided a bus (no toilet on it) to Agra. Take it or leave it.
Our wonderful Mr. Singh called us even before we got off the plane.
He arranged a car and excellent driver. We took two young Japanese women with us so they did not have to take the bus.
More than 120 kilometers of the road had been removed for a new road. But they never built the new road.
So we drove on bare ground that had been highly eroded with gullys, deep holes, etc. and so much dust that the driver had to stop to clear the headlights.
We often had to crawl along. Remember, this is during the night. How many times have you read to never be driven at night in India? Good advice.
We got to our hotel at 3am after 10 hours.
The bus got to center Agra at 5:30 and then the tired passengers had to get to their hotels.
We are grateful to our agent.
We got on an Air India plane in Varanasi to go to Agra. The plane was then going on to Khajuraho. But they took us all to Khajuraho and said get off the plane. No apparent reason.
There we were about 25 Agra passengers. We were much worse off than if they had cancelled the Agra flight. It was then 4pm. We were 500 kilometers from Agra. If they flew us to Delhi there is now good toll road to Agra. They said the next open seat would be two days. They provided a bus (no toilet on it) to Agra. Take it or leave it.
Our wonderful Mr. Singh called us even before we got off the plane.
He arranged a car and excellent driver. We took two young Japanese women with us so they did not have to take the bus.
More than 120 kilometers of the road had been removed for a new road. But they never built the new road.
So we drove on bare ground that had been highly eroded with gullys, deep holes, etc. and so much dust that the driver had to stop to clear the headlights.
We often had to crawl along. Remember, this is during the night. How many times have you read to never be driven at night in India? Good advice.
We got to our hotel at 3am after 10 hours.
The bus got to center Agra at 5:30 and then the tired passengers had to get to their hotels.
We are grateful to our agent.
Mar 6th, 2013, 04:16 PM
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Thanks for sharing, Elainee. This is wonderful. India is a country that's high on my list although I've hesitated more than once, due in part to some of the things you've described. Your report's giving me a fascinating insight into the land and its people. I look forward to reading more.
Mar 7th, 2013, 02:25 AM
#13
Elainee,
I'm also enjoying reading about your experience, having just returned a few weeks ago. The colors and textures - wow!
Triplanner - I agree with dgunbug - India is an incredible experience that is very doable. We traveled similarly to Elainee, having hired an agent (TGS) who arranged car, driver, guides and we were met by agency reps whenever we arrived or left a place -- we felt very protected throughout our travels.
As we are also the "independent traveler" types, this was the perfect way to maintain independence while still having the advantages of group travel.
I'm also enjoying reading about your experience, having just returned a few weeks ago. The colors and textures - wow!
Triplanner - I agree with dgunbug - India is an incredible experience that is very doable. We traveled similarly to Elainee, having hired an agent (TGS) who arranged car, driver, guides and we were met by agency reps whenever we arrived or left a place -- we felt very protected throughout our travels.
As we are also the "independent traveler" types, this was the perfect way to maintain independence while still having the advantages of group travel.
Mar 7th, 2013, 11:06 AM
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Dgunbug and Progol, thanks for the encouragement. Originally, I thought about visiting Sri Lanka this month as a prelude to tackling India, but that didn't work out as planned. I cannot say that I'm 100% ready to take the leap, but I'll at least put it on my list of considerations for my next trip in 2014 (my planning for November 2013 is well underway).
Mar 7th, 2013, 11:18 AM
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The Varanasi Decision
Many tourists to the Rajasthan circuit do not go to Varanasi. It is out of the triangle, it is dirty, it is crowded with poor people, has a more limited hotel selection. We are so very glad we went to Varanasi. I would recommend it as a must-see. All the negative reasons are true. We heard lots of tales of tourist cars not being able to get close to their hotel and having to walk thru rather unsavory areas followed by luggage bearers. Hotels that were 2* at best. Our hotel was a long ride from the Ganges. But, go to Varanasi. It is an out of this world experience.
You are immediately transported back to the Middle Ages with peasants and others making their pilgrimage to a religious shrine. Think the pilgrimage route in Spain, the cathedrals in France. Well, in Varanasi, that is today. While we were there it was also the year of the once in twelve years Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Allehabad which was less than 100km away. In addition, to the faithful going to the Ganges add the (estimated) 400,000 pilgrims going to Allehabad and then coming here. The crowds were truly unbelievable. I was concerned that if I fell over, it would be the end of me. Not that the crowds were menacing or unruly, just that there were so many people in a small area. We would see bands of pilgrims with their stuff (bedding, clothes, food?) on their heads following their leaders. Our guide would tell us where these people were from based on their dress. They were from all over India and neighboring countries. And these were happy people. It was not only their ultimate religious experience, it was the adventure of their lifetime. So down to the Ganges they went, to bathe, to pray, to participate in the evening aarti. Of course, vendors lined the route to provide food, religious artifacts, all kinds of stuff, plus, souvenirs. People would patiently wait in line for many hours to get into a temple. Where all these people, especially the women, found toilets or whatever, is beyond me. People would gather together, sitting down, almost anywhere, including around the police hut in the center of the main traffic crossroads. Just sitting there. Add to all this, the animals, cows of course, donkeys, chickens all just wandering around eating the garbage, or lying down in the center of it all.
Families would join together to perform the Ganges bathing ritual. Of course, men in one group, women in another. They would dunk right next to a body covered in bright cloth getting its last immersion before cremation. And then there would be in the tourists in their boats and these tourists could be Hindus as well as Western tourists. Boats terribly overloaded. Some people were there for their hygiene or to wash clothes. Whatever. Impossible to take enough photos. The cremations were not upsetting to watch as we did not really see anything except a fire. But I will never again see a crude bamboo ladder without thinking that it is to hold a body for cremation. I had even seen one (with body) on the roof of a car.
A few notes about tourist issues in Varanasi. We went to the main Dasvamedha Ghat for the evening aarti ceremony. Being on a boat for the aarti ceremony sounds good but you will get attacked by hordes of mosquitos. You cannot believe how many 10’s of thousands of people were there. The whole area was jammed including all the way up the many steps. Crosscheck was able to get priority seating thru her guide. Our guide got us seats on a balcony right above the action by giving a small donation. We left before the ceremony ended because we were concerned about getting thru the crush when everyone left. Your car is parked quite a distance from the ghat, so it is a long walk and while there are lights a flashlight would have been good.
Hotel. We stayed at the Taj Nadesar Palace for two nights which has only 10 rooms and is a distance from the river. It is like being part of a PBS Downton Abbey episode. Our suite was larger than our NYC apartment and certainly came with better service. Lovely grounds, a building for the Maharaja’s leopards (now probably stuffed). We were taken around the grounds in a horsedrawn carriage with our “butleress” standing behind with an umbrella over us. All this, for our Ganges experience. What a contrast! People have loved staying on the river in the center of the action. We liked retreating to a quiet green place.
But like all our Taj and Oberois hotels, we stayed on the grounds and did not explore the neighborhood. Not that we were afraid to explore, it was more that the grounds were so large it was a long walk to get out of them and it was so pleasant in the hotel garden. I guess they would have driven us out if we asked. They might have even carried us. But what we saw of the neighborhoods did not look that interesting. Something about our trip or us resulted in our being hotel stayers. We certainly walk around in other countries, just not this trip. Not sure why. To me, the shops seemed either tourist stuff or stuff I did not want or need. There were few sidewalks and the streets were frightening with the chaotic traffic and assorted animals. I am sure others have had a different experience. Plus, India for the most part, does not have grocery stores. It has lots of food, vegetable, fruit, spice, grain carts and stalls, but we did not see any ”grocery”stores beyond snack shops. Not the kind of places you wander around in looking at the stuff. We were told by our “lady guide” that nobody goes to stores to shop for food. The food is brought to your home on a daily basis by the fruit, vegetable, meat, etc. vendor. Plus, people prefer fresh buffalo milk brought in from the countryside by the milk man. We saw lots of bicycles, motorbikes, trucks carrying metal milk cans into the city every day.
Many tourists to the Rajasthan circuit do not go to Varanasi. It is out of the triangle, it is dirty, it is crowded with poor people, has a more limited hotel selection. We are so very glad we went to Varanasi. I would recommend it as a must-see. All the negative reasons are true. We heard lots of tales of tourist cars not being able to get close to their hotel and having to walk thru rather unsavory areas followed by luggage bearers. Hotels that were 2* at best. Our hotel was a long ride from the Ganges. But, go to Varanasi. It is an out of this world experience.
You are immediately transported back to the Middle Ages with peasants and others making their pilgrimage to a religious shrine. Think the pilgrimage route in Spain, the cathedrals in France. Well, in Varanasi, that is today. While we were there it was also the year of the once in twelve years Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Allehabad which was less than 100km away. In addition, to the faithful going to the Ganges add the (estimated) 400,000 pilgrims going to Allehabad and then coming here. The crowds were truly unbelievable. I was concerned that if I fell over, it would be the end of me. Not that the crowds were menacing or unruly, just that there were so many people in a small area. We would see bands of pilgrims with their stuff (bedding, clothes, food?) on their heads following their leaders. Our guide would tell us where these people were from based on their dress. They were from all over India and neighboring countries. And these were happy people. It was not only their ultimate religious experience, it was the adventure of their lifetime. So down to the Ganges they went, to bathe, to pray, to participate in the evening aarti. Of course, vendors lined the route to provide food, religious artifacts, all kinds of stuff, plus, souvenirs. People would patiently wait in line for many hours to get into a temple. Where all these people, especially the women, found toilets or whatever, is beyond me. People would gather together, sitting down, almost anywhere, including around the police hut in the center of the main traffic crossroads. Just sitting there. Add to all this, the animals, cows of course, donkeys, chickens all just wandering around eating the garbage, or lying down in the center of it all.
Families would join together to perform the Ganges bathing ritual. Of course, men in one group, women in another. They would dunk right next to a body covered in bright cloth getting its last immersion before cremation. And then there would be in the tourists in their boats and these tourists could be Hindus as well as Western tourists. Boats terribly overloaded. Some people were there for their hygiene or to wash clothes. Whatever. Impossible to take enough photos. The cremations were not upsetting to watch as we did not really see anything except a fire. But I will never again see a crude bamboo ladder without thinking that it is to hold a body for cremation. I had even seen one (with body) on the roof of a car.
A few notes about tourist issues in Varanasi. We went to the main Dasvamedha Ghat for the evening aarti ceremony. Being on a boat for the aarti ceremony sounds good but you will get attacked by hordes of mosquitos. You cannot believe how many 10’s of thousands of people were there. The whole area was jammed including all the way up the many steps. Crosscheck was able to get priority seating thru her guide. Our guide got us seats on a balcony right above the action by giving a small donation. We left before the ceremony ended because we were concerned about getting thru the crush when everyone left. Your car is parked quite a distance from the ghat, so it is a long walk and while there are lights a flashlight would have been good.
Hotel. We stayed at the Taj Nadesar Palace for two nights which has only 10 rooms and is a distance from the river. It is like being part of a PBS Downton Abbey episode. Our suite was larger than our NYC apartment and certainly came with better service. Lovely grounds, a building for the Maharaja’s leopards (now probably stuffed). We were taken around the grounds in a horsedrawn carriage with our “butleress” standing behind with an umbrella over us. All this, for our Ganges experience. What a contrast! People have loved staying on the river in the center of the action. We liked retreating to a quiet green place.
But like all our Taj and Oberois hotels, we stayed on the grounds and did not explore the neighborhood. Not that we were afraid to explore, it was more that the grounds were so large it was a long walk to get out of them and it was so pleasant in the hotel garden. I guess they would have driven us out if we asked. They might have even carried us. But what we saw of the neighborhoods did not look that interesting. Something about our trip or us resulted in our being hotel stayers. We certainly walk around in other countries, just not this trip. Not sure why. To me, the shops seemed either tourist stuff or stuff I did not want or need. There were few sidewalks and the streets were frightening with the chaotic traffic and assorted animals. I am sure others have had a different experience. Plus, India for the most part, does not have grocery stores. It has lots of food, vegetable, fruit, spice, grain carts and stalls, but we did not see any ”grocery”stores beyond snack shops. Not the kind of places you wander around in looking at the stuff. We were told by our “lady guide” that nobody goes to stores to shop for food. The food is brought to your home on a daily basis by the fruit, vegetable, meat, etc. vendor. Plus, people prefer fresh buffalo milk brought in from the countryside by the milk man. We saw lots of bicycles, motorbikes, trucks carrying metal milk cans into the city every day.
Mar 7th, 2013, 01:35 PM
#17
Elainee,
Wonderful description of your visit to Varanasi! I, too, found it to be a highlight of our recent trip. Interesting, though, as we were there just after the Kumb Mela started in January, and we didn't have anywhere near the crowds you describe, though we certainly saw groups of pilgrims arriving and in boats.
We were pretty lucky when we saw the Aarti ceremony -- we arrived by boat, and our guide gave us the option to remain in the boat or sit on the ghat, which we opted to do. We had no difficulty finding seating close in, and when it was about over, our guide brought us back to our boat and brought us back to our b&b. Door to door service! There was a nice crowd-- perhaps a few hundred people- but nowhere near the size of crowd you describe.
Paule
Wonderful description of your visit to Varanasi! I, too, found it to be a highlight of our recent trip. Interesting, though, as we were there just after the Kumb Mela started in January, and we didn't have anywhere near the crowds you describe, though we certainly saw groups of pilgrims arriving and in boats.
We were pretty lucky when we saw the Aarti ceremony -- we arrived by boat, and our guide gave us the option to remain in the boat or sit on the ghat, which we opted to do. We had no difficulty finding seating close in, and when it was about over, our guide brought us back to our boat and brought us back to our b&b. Door to door service! There was a nice crowd-- perhaps a few hundred people- but nowhere near the size of crowd you describe.
Paule
Mar 7th, 2013, 07:04 PM
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I am so enjoying your trip report. I have contacted Mr. Singh and feel very glad we are working with him having read what you have written so far. We are in the beginning stages of planning our first trip to India so will be happy to learn of any suggestions you have.
