June & Mike's 24 Day Adventure in India

We arrived and cleared customs easily around 11 pm. We intended to sleep in the Delhi airport hotel but discovered that it had not yet opened. An alternative was to rent a sleeping pod, but we discovered that they were all pre-booked. There is what looked like a quiet lounge area just outside the sleeping pod rooms and one can pay approximately $20 for 2 hours of rest which included a small snack and wi-fi service. The wi-fi service did not work and the lounge was less than quiet. If you want a massage, you can get one there. We headed up stairs and found the seating to be more comfortable. The Delhi airport was quite nice with gift shops and a nice food court. It was very clean with modern toilets. We understand it is a big improvement over the old airport.

We flew Air India flight to Udaipur, departing at 5:40 am and arriving timely at 7:30. We had pre-arranged for a hotel pickup and were pleased to see a driver from the Jagat Niwas hotel waiting as we exited the terminal. We knew what to expect on the roads, but it gave us a certain thrill to actually pass by an elephant, several camel driven carts, goats, dogs, pigs, sheep, and numerous cows, in only the first few moments as we made our way into Udiapur. The level of poverty, the dilapidated housing and road conditions were all stunning. We were thrilled to have finally arrived and anxious to begin our adventure.

Okay, now let's get down to the new part of your report. You know we are all chomping at the bit. And the rhkkmk's are leaving shortly and need to have as much info as they can for their one month (2nd) tour of India.

Oh, good! I've been looking forward to your report.

Bookmarking

Slowly, slowly catchee monkey... don't let anyone, even the esteemed Craig, rush you.

Oh esteemed one, more is on the way. Patience please...I've just gotten over Delhi Belly.

So...upon our arrival at the Jagat Nivas Hotel we were given juice, which we hesitated to take as we feared that water was added, but we were reassured that all was well and the juice was from a can. We were quickly checked in and went up to the rooftop for a quick breakfast of a massala omelet, juice, toast and massala tea. The view from the rooftop is spectacular and the setting so serene. The service was very good and the room, while basic was comfortable and had a nice sitting alcove. We did not pay extra for the room with a view, but truthfully, we rarely spent time in the room and it was not something that we missed as we enjoyed the view from the rooftop. We picked this hotel/haveli after many recommendations on Fodors and on Trip advisor and we were quite pleased with the location and hotel. It is situated right on the bank of Lake Pichola and provides an excellent view of all the Palaces of Udaipur i.e. City Palace, Lake Palace, Monsoon Palace. There is no wi-fi in the hotel, but right next door is a Travel Agency/Internet center. We did use the services of the travel agency and were quite pleased with them. More on that later.

We were off and running as soon as we finished breakfast and freshened up (all of about 5 minutes) - we were too anxious to linger in the room to rest. We like to begin our journey by simply wandering the streets and as it was still early, we strolled through the town, into the market area heading toward the bell tower.

India (as far as what we saw) is not a beautiful country but can be described more as chaotic. The streets of Udaipur, as well as other cities we visited are filled with people, cows, carts drawn by mule, horse, camel, or manpower. Woman and men commonly pass by with heavy loads upon their heads. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are layed out upon the streets for sale. Vendors cook and sell their food on carts or stalls set out on the street. Most are deep fried and seemed to be buzzing with flies. Many men wear colorful turbans and the woman are adorned in beautiful saris. India is a photographer's dream. The streets are dusty and filthy and littered with cow dung, necessitating great care in ones footing. The store fronts and houses are in poor condition and often look half built, if that. Unsightly electrical wires are everywhere. It is not uncommon to see men urinating out in the open whenever they have the urge. I often wondered what the woman do.

The people were as interested in us as we were in them. Many of the children wanted their photos taken, but it was disheartening when we realized that often their request for a photo was followed by a request for rupees. It was saddest to see young woman with their babies begging for money and food. I tried to hand out bananas at times, but it is impossible to feed and give to all the beggars and of course it only encourages more begging.

After wandering the streets for a while, we headed toward the City Palace, stopping along the way at the Jagdish Temple. This Hindu Temple is well worth a visit. There is no fee and the carvings are quite intricate.

The City Palace Complex is the largest Palace complex in Rajastan and we were anxious to tour it. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE WE MADE: Despite having read how good the audio guides are, we were convinced by a guide to use his services. It turned out that we had difficulty understanding him at times. I did use the audio guide for part of the complex and was extremely pleased with the quality and information. We found this to be true throughout India - the audio guides were terrific.

We were told that the Museum is the jewel in the crown of the Udaipur City Palace Complex. It is here that you can immerse yourself in the history of the Maharanas of Mewar, and really get a feel for their culture and how royalty lived. The Museum comprises both the Mardana Mahal (King's Palace) and Zenana Mahal (Queen's Palace), which make up the City Palace. Constructed over four and a half centuries, starting in 1559, the Museum is the oldest and largest part of the City Palace Complex. The architecture is the main highlight and it was a bit disappointing that the furnishings no longer exist.

Sitting opposite the Museum, and requiring a separate ticket, is the Fateh Prakash Palace hotel with the Durbar Hall, once used for royal audiences. It now serves as a venue for banquets and special functions. Overlooking the Durbar Hall is the Crystal Gallery which should not be missed. It is purportedly the largest private collection of crystal in the world. Amongst them is a crystal footrest, and the only crystal bed in the world. It is truly amazing.

After touring the Palace complex, we decided to take the boat tour on Lake Pichola, which included a stop at The Jag Mandir Palace which is adorned on the outside with elephant carvings. The boat ride was pleasant and gave us an opportunity to look back upon the City Palace Complex and to appreciate its grandeur. It was a great way to cool off after a long and tiring day.

By this time we had had it and we returned to our hotel to relax and freshen up before dinner time, which we had decided to do at our hotel.

We made our way up to the rooftop to enjoy the end of the day and to have our first wonderful Indian meal. The butter chicken was delicious as was the Paneer dish and cheese and garlic naan that we shared. As the sun set our wait staff pointed out the monkeys scampering on our hotel's roof. This was a great way to end a perfect first day. We were exhausted, but ready to get up early to set out on new adventures the next morning with a guide we had lined up through the hotel.

fantastic.... glad to read this portion because other than info from craig i have not read any first hand info on udaipur.. we will be there in a few weeks for 3 days..

before i retire tonight to my crystal bed (the only other one in the world), i wanted to say that i look forward to your other installments, espcially the one on varanasi.. thanks

This is probably a dumb qjestion but where do you get the audio guides? Are the guides on the internet or provided at each site (possibly like the ones we had on a tour of Alcatraz)
Thanks for any info.

Audio guides are available at most major sites in India and can be rented when you purchase your entry ticket.

Thank you. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

More please! I had to go unpack my cheat sheet of notes , and added to it from your report, esp the audio guide.

Glad to hear you are finding this helpful...it gives me more of an incentive to complete the report. Will post more later today.

dgunbug, another great start - I'm just going to follow you around the world!

Hi dgunbug, How was the weather in Udaipur? We're thinking of going next year at the same time, but the guidebooks all say it is not the ideal time because of monsoons, heat, humidity, mosquitoes, etc.

sf7307 - thanks for the encouragement. Where should we go next?

Day 2 - Udiapur: Just outside the entrance to the Jagat Nivas is a travel agency/internet center. I thought I saved the name of the driver/guide we used, but can't find his card. I believe the young man is a partner in this company and his English and personality were excellent. He can arrange to take you around by car or by tuk tuk, depending upon how far you will be going and on how you prefer to travel. We used his services for two days. On the first, his Uncle, a very pleasant gentlemen, took us out on a tuk tuk
as we indicated that it was our preferred means of transportation.

We first stopped at the Cenotaphs located just outside the city. These are burial memorials for the royal families and they were quite impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the area and it was a great photo opportunity. I highly recommend this stop.

Our next stop was to Sahelion-Ki-Bari, the Garden of the Maidens. This garden, with extensive lawns and shady walks is situated on the banks of the Fateh Sagar Lake and was constructed in 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh for forty-eight young ladies-in-waiting sent to the royal house, as part of the dowry as a cool summer retreat for them. It is purported to be one of the finest examples of Hindu landscape gardening and is a favorite picnic spot of the city, however, we were unimpressed and could easily have given this stop a pass. Perhaps during another time of year this garden is more impressive.

One word of advise: The toilets there are communal squat toilets. I will admit that I locked the door when presented with three squat toilets and no privacy barriers between them. I quickly took care of my business and sheepishly exited the premises as an Indian woman was banging on the door, bewildered why I would have locked it. This was one of the rare instances where I did not find a Western style toilet.

Our next stop was to an art exhibit of miniature paintings, for which Udaipur is famous. They were truly beautiful, but my husband is not one for shopping and we stayed only briefly while the artist showed us the art of making such paintings.

We drove past Fateh Sager Lake, one of Udaipur's man made lakes, where we could have taken a boat ride, but we passed on the opportunity. Note that in the center of the lake is the Naroot Park with an Observatory. As we intended to see the Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur, we saw no need to visit this one.

We continued on through the lush and pleasant countryside to the very pretty Tiger Lake which has a boardwalk to stroll upon. The walkway is lined with gazebo like structures. What was most interesting was that we were accompanied by cows also strolling the boardwalk. It was also interesting to note how high the water level was, as evidenced by one of the gazebos fully underwater. This was obviously a good monsoon rain season as we also discovered later in Varanasi where a large portion of the ghats were also underwater.

Upon our return to town, our driver dropped us off at the vegetable market where we decided to wander. En route to the hotel, we encountered tribal dancers celebrating on the streets. It was not clear to us what they were celebrating but this group of people were colorfully adorned with painted faces and bright tribal clothing. It was all entertaining for us and for the local folks who were gathered around to watch them.

We made our way back to the hotel for a shower and nap prior to dinner. Shortly before sunset, we were picked up by car (by the same agency) and taken to the Monsoon Palace. One drives through a game reserve to get to this palace which was used in the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy as the residence of Kamal Khan, an exiled Afghan prince. It offers a panoramic view of the Udiapur's lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, the skies were cloudy so a nice sunset was not in our cards. We proceeded back to town where we were dropped off at Ambrais, a restaurant that had been recommended by several people. This restaurant is on the opposite bank of the river from our hotel and the main town. It has a beautiful view of the City Palace and of the Lake Palace Hotel. We enjoyed our dinner and the ambiance, although we thought that the meal at the Jagat Nivas was better.

Day 3 - Udiapur: At 10 AM we were picked up by our driver (the young man) to take us to the magnificant Jain Temple "Shri Eklingji Prabhu Temple" in Egleton. It's located around 20 kilometers from Udaipur so we took an auto this time. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple complex is made completely out of marble. It also contains large colorfully painted statues of Lord Shiva’s Nandi Bull. The original shrine was built by Bapa Rawal, the founder of the Mewar Dynasty.

Nearby, and also worth seeing, are the ancient 10th century Sas Bahu temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The temples are covered in intricate sculptures and were in the process of being spruced up (some scaffolding) when we were there.

We returned several hours later to the hotel to relax before going out again to tour the Bagore Ki Haveli and then to watch the recommended folk dance performance which is held there nightly - Rajasthan dancers, puppet shows and music. Our notes indicated that the Haveli was open between 10-7 pm, after which there was the evening performance. We arrived at 6 pm expecting to tour the Haveli prior to the show, but discovered that the Haveli closes for tours at 5 pm. We were somewhat disappointed as we had saved this for our last evening. This Haveli is only a short walk from our hotel and is supposed to be well worth visiting. The show was entertaining, but similar to other puppetry and dance performances that we were to see later in the trip.

Afterward, we returned to the room to retire for the evening as we were being picked up at 7:30 am by Castle & King for our drive to Jodphur.

Crosscheck - the weather in India is definitely hot this time of year, however, we did not have one day of rain and hardly saw a mosquito the entire time. I would presume that November through February would be a better time to travel, however, sometimes you just have to take what you can get. This was the only time we could travel this year.

I just returned from a similar trip to India (Mubai-Aurangabad-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Agra-Varanasi-Dharamsala-Delhi). We also stayed for two nights in Udaipur and dined at Jagat Niwas about a week after you. I must agree that it is the best restaurant around and has an amazing view! However, I must beg to differ regarding the mosquitoes - perhaps you are not as tasty as I, but I had serious problems with mosquitoes while traveling through Rajasthan and wore DEET all the time. But then again I am always the one who attracts them at home too.

In Udaipur, we made the mistake of staying at a cheaper haveli nearby called Mewar Haveli. I wish we had stayed at Jagat Niwas. The rooms there were amazing! Instead we had a much smaller room, minor bloodstains on the sheets (but no apparent bugs), and a tiny bathroom with the shower in the middle.

Also, we did in fact have a very good experience with the guide that we hired outside the City Palace - we were hesitant but he turned out to be excellent. I agree that it is a crapshoot, though, and the audio guides we tried at other places were all good enough that I don't think you ever NEED to hire a guide anywhere.

One additional note - for those who are planning a trip to Udaipur, we can recommend Cafe Namaste for breakfast. The power goes out in the city for a while every morning but you can get a wonderfully strong coffee and pastry at Cafe Namaste around 9 or 10 am. We enjoyed a fresh cinnamon bun and muffin there that were a welcome respite from the usual toast and eggs at all our hotels.

After a great deal of debate, we hired Castle and King to provide transportation between Udaipur and Jodphur and then later between Jaipur and Khajuharo. Arvind, the company owner is a real gentlemen, his drivers were all extremely competent and we felt safe with them at all times. We were shocked that Castle & King did not require a deposit up front and we agreed to meet with Arvind at the end of our trip when we returned to Delhi in order to pay him. Upon meeting Arvind at our hotel, he advised us that he had a driver available and offered us his services complimentary for our first day in Delhi. When my husband met with the unfortunate incident of being pick-pocketed at the Lotus Temple, Arvind emailed us and kindly offered us assistance and even money if such was needed.

We had arranged for an early pickup at 7:30 from the hotel in Udaipur and the driver met us timely. We were a bit disappointed that his English was not better, but he was able to understand us and was helpful at all times. This driver was only used for the day and had been arranged last moment.

After being picked up, we made our way a few hours North to
Kumbhalgarh Fort. This fort was very impressive, having the second longest wall in the world, the first being in China. It is so wide in places that eight horses can stand abreast on it. We had read that the wall encompassed 360 temples and many palaces and gardens. It was built in the 15th century and is up 1100m high so the views of the area are amazing. The climb up to the top was worth it and not too difficult. The day was very cloudy and at times obscured our view, however, it also added to the magical atmosphere of the place. We visited the temples first and were impressed with their intricate carvings.

There is a light show at night at the Fort and several people suggested staying overnight here before going to Udaipur, but we were anxious to get to Ranakpur and proceed. We were glad with our decision.

The Jain Temple at Ranakpur is a couple of hours further. The temple is still used and Non Jains can only come after 12 noon. The temple was constructed in 1439 and made of milk white marble that is almost iridescent. The carvings are amazing and so intricate. The incredible C15th Jain temple at Janakpur is one of India's most significant religious buildings. Built of beautifully carved marble over 1,400 pillars (the precise number is claimed to be uncountable) support the building. We wished we had longer to linger as the marble changed color, depending on the angle of the sun. It was difficult to capture the beauty of this Temple by camera.

At the recommendation of another Fodorite, we stopped for lunch at Hotel Maharani Bagh not far from Ranakpur. The grounds were beautiful and we were taken to an outdoor dining area. We had expected a buffet lunch, but lunch was only off a menu. Lunch was fair and evidently safe to eat as we suffered no ill effects.

We continued several hours further arriving in Jodphur at approximately 5 pm. While we enjoyed passing through the small villages on the way, the road conditions were terrible and the drive seemed endless. We arrived at our hotel at approximately 5 pm and were very pleased that we would be staying at the beautiful Vivanta by Taj - Hari Mahal for the next two nights. This was to be one of the nicest Taj hotels that we stayed at. We were exhausted and decided to rest and do dinner at the hotel. The dinner was buffet style and probably the best we had during our journey, however, there was not any one item that stood out as being particularly wonderful. Nevertheless we were happy to dine here and enjoyed the Indian live music played as we ate.

Greycat92 - how funny about those mosquitoes! Did you get to tour the Bagore Ki Haveli? If so, how was it?

I'm enjoying reading about your trip. Did the Vivanta (previously just the Taj Hari-Mahal) still feature outdoor entertainment before dinner? We saw a very elaborate free program of dances, songs and a puppet show. The exclusively Indian audience (except for the two us) even joined the dancers. Do tell us more about the pick-pocketing episode. Looks like India is catching up.

My husband informed me that the Kumbhalgarh Fort is now ranked 3rd longest, followed by the Gorgan Great Wall in northern Iran's Golestan Province.

Still reading...will have to catch the rest from the road. We are off on our journey.

off to bkk, will pick up the tale from there...

Enjoy your journey.

I'm enjoying reading your TR and am looking forward to more.
Although we were in northern India for 15 days several years ago, we did not go any farther west than Jaipur, so I am particularly interested in the cities you visited at the beginning of your trip. When we return to India, it will be to do the southern route, possibly with some stops up north on the way home, depending on time. As you know, travel in India can be very intense, and I am not sure if DH could enjoy/tolerate it for more than 3 weeks per trip.

Marija - the Vivanta still has its entertainment outside and also a barbeque, however, it was way too hot for us and we decided to stay indoors. More on the pickpocketing later. Now you'll have to stay tuned!

Shelleyk - it's always encouraging to hear that someone is enjoying the trip report.

Bob & Karen - I'm trying to get this done before you get to India.

Just reviewed my pictures of the Kumbhalgarh Fort. I should add that the palace itself (up on top of the fort) is not all that impressive, but you've got to go to the top for the view anyway. There were a few elephant murals, but not a lot more up there. What was interesting was the fact that there exists a small village within the fort grounds and we wandered through it on our way from the temples.

Jodphur:
Once a major trade center of the 16th century A.D. it is now the second largest city of Rajasthan. While the graceful palaces, forts and temples strewn throughout the city bring alive the historic grandeur, exquisite handicrafts, folk dances music and the brightly attired people lend a romantic aura to the city. The jumble of wide winding streets are flanked with pavement stalls. It is also referred as the Blue City due to the indigo tinge of the whitewashed houses around the Mehrangarh Fort. We began our day by heading to the Fort via Tuk Tuk.

The Mehrangarh Fort is one of the largest forts in India and it looms on the top of a rocky hill, rising 125 meters above the plains. This was our favorite forts in Rajastan and the audio guide was well worth the money. We probably spent 4-5 hours at this fort/palace complex. DO NOT pay to take the elevator up to the top unless you are physically unable to walk. If you do so, you will miss many of the stops on the audio guide. We paid for the elevator but decided against taking it and were glad that we did.

Today, managed as a museum by the royal trust that maintains it, only some of the more spectacular palaces of Meharangarh are open to the visitors. We found this complex to be one of the best maintained on our trip. The palaces consist of Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) with its pierced screen windows overlooking the Sringar Chowki, the coronation seat where the Rathore ruler have been ritually anointed to rule; Jhanki Mahal, the apartment from where the zenana women would watch ceremonial events; Chandan Mahal, where affairs of state were discussed; the royal Darbar Takhat or throne room with its octagnal throne; and the Rang Mahal where the maharaja would play Holi with his Zenana. Also noteworthy are Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Umaid Vilas and Maan Vilas, while a large tent seized from the mughals in battle is spread for viewing in what has come to be referred to as the Tent Room. The Umaid Vilas displays the Rajput miniature paintings and the Ajit Villas exhibits musical instruments and the royal costumes. Both these villas are joined by a beautiful mirror room.

Just a short tuk tuk drive from the fort and well worth a short stop, is Jaswant Thada. It is the traditional cremation ground of the rulers of Jodhpur. Taking pride of place amongst the ornamental gardens and chattris is the fabulous white marble memorial to Jaswant Singh II, built in 1899. This is also a good spot to look back upon the Fort and to take pictures.

Our tuk tuk continued on into the market area of town, dropping us off at the bell tower where we spent several hours taking in the colors and sights. Many people say there is not much in Jodphur, but I thoroughly enjoyed our time at the fort and in the town. The market reminded me of a large flea market - but one with cows, horses, camels, textiles (shawls), cooked foods, produce, etc. We wandered until thoroughly exhausted from the heat before retiring to our hotel.

By the way...any cravings you may have to eat beef will instantly disappear when you see the trash that the holy cows eat off the street. It is truly disgusting.

Unfortunately, this was the one city where my husband's asthma began to flare up. We found Jodphur to be extremely smokey and a bit dirty. We would have enjoyed spending time out by the very pretty hotel pool, but did not as the smoke was overwhelming and there was no shaded areas to sit in after getting out of the pool. We showered and napped for several hours and decided to be lazy, having dinner at the hotel.

Great report! Bookmarking for information.

Aloha!

Do all of you who've been to India agree with what ShelleyK has to say about 3 weeks max being about all that people can bear of being in India in one trip? I'm into trip dreaming and planning for India. Even though normally we are ready to go home after trips of about 2 1/2 weeks, the more I read about India with al of the things to do, the more I am inclined to think we should try for 4 to 6 weeks if possible because I suspect we might never have a chance to return. But, we wouldn't spend all of our time on the main tourist path sightseeing either. We'd balance that out with some different things to do.

The first time I was there for ten weeks. The second time I cut it to six. I'm thinking four next time...

Seems that fort in Jodhpur was really worth a visit...

julies - I think India is to be savored in small doses - for us 2 weeks + travel time has worked well. Although not being retired and being from the USA, we could never do a longer trip anyway. Another (retired) poster on this forum and his spouse, rhkkmk and Karen are going for 4 weeks (their 2nd trip to India) - you should follow their report to see how they make out.

I don't think you need to limit your time to 3 weeks although I would probably suggest trying to mix up the areas that you go to. We got a bit forted and temples out and they started to blend together somewhat.

If we'd have had more time we would have loved to spend some tome in the south and also in amistrar and that region.

Normally the max we have for a trip is 2 to 2 1/2 weeks, but there are some exceptional circumstances this time around which might allow us the flexibility to have more time. I'm also looking at some wildly different things to do and see like a journey into some of the tribal areas of the north east or a cycling trip in Kerala or some trekking in some of the hill stations or maybe a trip to a national park to see the wildlife. I know exactly what dgunbug means about being forted and templed out. We've experienced church overload in Europe many times and have come to realize that what most remains in our memories are different types of experiences on vacations rather than running around to see all of the most-hyped sights.

I have one more question that I don't know if anyone will be able to answer. Our travel style in recent years has been much more of the slow travel mode, and we make it a point to rent an apartment or house for any stay of 3 or more nights because we just like the room to relax and spread out. We are moderate range travelers who don't need any of the amenities that hotels have to offer and much prefer the independence and space an apartment offers. In addition to Europe and the US, we've done this in other developing countries. But, it just doesn't seem this is at all the travel style in India. Correct?

Day 2 Jodphur: After reading Bostongirl's account of her visit to the Bishnoi Village, a day trip out of Jodphur, we thought we would do the same and so we made arrangements through our hotel to visit the area with the hotel's driver. Our understanding was that the Bishnoi people are a 450 year old tribe of environmentalists who live in harmony with nature with no electricity or refrigeration other than ancient clay coolers.

One traveler had said that this was “one of the best experiences of our trip. We had arranged for a daytrip to the Bishnoi area independently. We started out at 6 am. Went with Gemar Bhati. He is an independent guide, who believes strongly in sustainable tourism and comes from the area himself, but lives in Jodhpur. He speaks excellent English and has a tourism degree. He managed to take us to visit two families in a very nice way, which didn't make us feel like we were intruding, as their lives were not made into a zoo or worse. They were the kind of visits where the children are interested in you for a few minutes, and then go back to playing, and are not paraded for photos. I found his way very respectful. His contact details are as follows:”
Gemar Singh, Hacra India - E-mail: guidedesert@gmail.com; Tel. (91) 02922 27 23 13
Mobile- (91) 09460 58 51 54; (91) 09829 61 45 43; Website: www.hacra.org

Well...we seemed to miss the boat as we did not make our arrangements through Mr.Signh. I cannot personally say how the day with Mr. Signh would have been, but I can say that ours was totally worthless.

We were first taken to a local potters home where he demonstrated the art of pottery making on a potters wheel. Of course we were expected to look around and buy something. We were less than pleased. Then we were taken to a second home where carpets were woven...we were given a demonstration for which we tried to be polite and again the sales pitch. We continued down a rather poorly paved road and turned off onto a dirt roadway where we finally arrived at the home of a bishnoi villager. We were introduced to the husband who spoke no English. We sat while he demonstrated the "opium" tea ceremony which was rather suspect, then were invited to wander around to look at this village home. The tour was uninspiring and we left knowing no more about the Bishnoi people than we had known before. On the return trip we were taken to a lake to see local wildlife, but saw far fewer birds than we see at home.

Upon our return to Jodphur we decided to visit the Umaid Mahal Museum. This was also less than inspirational.
The view from the outside is more than adequate unless you are interested in seeing a model of the facility and photos of the men who built it in the 1920's. While the outside architecture (and the hotel side) is impressive, the museum is poorly laid out and contains few artifacts of interest. Most of the palace is closed off to the public for use as a high end hotel. We considered having lunch there in order to see the palace/hotel, however, the cost of entry onto the grounds is 2000 rupee each and we didn't consider it worthwhile. The cost of the entry would have been applied to our meal, but when looking at the menu, we didn't see any reason to pay such steep prices.

While the fort and town are reason enough to spend a day in Jodphur, ultimately, we decided that one day would have been adequate and my husband was especially happy to leave due to his difficulty in breathing.

Our train to Jaisalmer departed the next morning at 6:10 AM and was expected to arrive at 11:45 AM. As we were unfamiliar with the train system in India, we decided it would be prudent to arrive early. Upon checkout, the hotel surprised us and provided complimentary goody bags filled with food and beverages for the journey. We arrived at the train station at 5 AM and expected chaos, but found instead hundreds of bodies sprawled out in front of the station asleep and wrapped up in blankets. We believe these to be homeless people rather than travelers awaiting their train. Scurrying around these sleeping bodies were rats everywhere. I was utterly grossed out and could not get into the train station past these rats quickly enough. I was more than pleased with our decision to skip the famous Rat Temple in Bikaner as I had seen enough rats to last me a lifetime! We now had more than enough time to wait for the train with no where to sit. All I could do was look around to insure that there were no rats scurrying around me. We had reserved First Class AC tickets and found our compartment fairly easily once the train pulled into the station. The train was not cleaned between stops and our compartment had old sheets and pillows. The conductor eventually came by and sorted things out, providing us with clean bedding in the event we wanted to sleep. At the end of the hall was both a western style bathroom and squat toilet. I used the western style facilities which were not at all as bad as I had anticipated. It turned out that we were alone in our compartment and we ended up dozing off most of the way to Jaisalmer. The ride was comfortable and was quite a relief after seeing the facilities at the train station.

Oh...forgot to mention - the Vivanta also surprised us with a birthday cake brought to the room for my husband on the first evening.

Julies - From what we saw in our travels, you will not want to rent out an apartment. We did not see any housing that looked even remotely acceptable to stay in. Perhaps in the bigger cities there would be an apartment to rent, but I would be really hesitant. We are very moderate travelers and do not stay in 5 star accommodations, yet we would never consider staying anywhere but a nice hotel in India.

Thanks so much for writing this -- I am enjoying it tremendously! We leave for India tomorrow and reading your trip report is making me more excited than ever. Can't wait to read more.

Hi dgunbug. Really enjoying following along with your trip. Sorry we missed Udaipur - maybe next time. Can't wait to hear about Jaisalmer.

OMG, your discription of the rats near the train station left me just shaking my head. We took a short train ride during our first trip, but after reading this, I think I'll fly or take a car service for my southern India trip. Looking forward to more.

shelleyk - our second train station experience between jaisalmer and Jaipur was much better and we saw no rats. I'm not sure if the rats were in full force in jodphur due to the early hour that we arrived at the station, or if it is like that at all hours of the day. It is definitely an experience we will long remember.

Thanks for posting this. Your comments are immensely helpful for those planning a trip.

And, you've confrimed what I thought all along about apartment rental in India. If you don't mind my asking, approximately how much per night did you feel you needed to pay for a hotel room that was in an acceptable location and with acceptable comforts? While we like "nice" places, we certainly don't need or want luxury.

I've ridden a number of Indian trains without ever seeing a rat, although there was a mouse in the aircooled waiting room at Gorakhpur on my last trip. The trick with Indian train stations is to find the AC/first class/aircooled/ladies waiting room. The one at Coimbatore is positively luxurious, but it costs all of 15 INR an hour - probably why it was nearly empty. I thought I remembered Jodhpur as having a rather nice foreigners' waiting room, but it was 2001, and maybe it was at Jaipur.

I always prefer squat toilets to western in Asia (and some other places), especially on trains. More hygenic....

Believe me, there was no avoiding the rats which were outside the train station. You have to pass that area to get into the station. I do believe that they may only come out at night and the sun had not risen when we arrived to find our train.

Julies - Our hotels were relatively inexpensive, but remember that we traveled off season. We got a great deal at the Taj chain - most were running a special - 3 days for the price of 2. Also, we did not pay extra to have rooms with a view. We could care less as we rarely spend the time looking out the hotel window. The following were the approximate prices spent on hotels nightly:

Jagat Nivas:
Taj Khajuharo: $100
Taj Gateway (Agra): $90
Palace on the River (Varanasi): $55
Gateway Hotel Rawalkot (Jaisalmer)
Country Inn & Suites (Jaipur):

Thank you June & Mike!!!

The info on hotel pricing is very helpful because many people here seem to go the 5* route, and that is not us. 3 nights for the price of 2--you were lucky.

Sorry...did not intend to send that yet. Here's the completed list:

Jagat Nivas (Udiapur): $60
Vivanta Hari Mahal Jodpur by Taj : $142
Chandela Hotel - Taj (Khajuraho) $100
Taj Gateway (Agra): $90
Palace on the River - Rasmi Guest House(Varanasi): $55
Gateway Hotel Rawalkot (Jaisalmer)Approx $100
Country Inn & Suites (Jaipur): Approx $75 incl breakfast
Usha Kiran Palace Gwalior (Taj): Approx $100
Bundelkhand Riverside Hotel (Orchha): $54 incl breakfast
Wood Castle Hotel (Delhi): $61 incl breakfast

Jaisalmer:

We stayed at the Gateway Hotel Rawalkot, a Taj property which was comfortable, but not up to the standards of the Taj hotel that we had stayed at in Jodphur. The hotel was 6 kilometers from the city center, necessitating a tuk tuk or car whenever we wanted to go into town. That was no problem as tuk tuks are so inexpensive. The pool seemed nice, but again, no shaded areas. The staff assured us that umbrellas had been ordered. The dining room was adequate, but not that inviting. There was dining outside and music, but it was just too darn hot for us. We noticed that there were several large tour groups at the hotel during our stay. Wifi was available, but again for a fee. Most hotels in India have wifi but there is almost always a charge.

We debated a long time on where to stay in Jaisalmer and while the Taj was clean and well staffed, I regret not having stayed in town at the Nachana Haveli, in the old city just outside the gates of the Fort. It has tons of ambiance, is centrally located and has a delicious roof top restaurant. Be sure to check out the reviews from Karen & Bob who will be staying there in a few weeks. We did not see a room so cannot vouch for the same.

Jaisalmer is a town filled with tons of atmosphere and we had a wonderful time there. While we probably stayed one more day than we actually necessary, the extra time was not bad as it gave my husband time to recover from the pollution in Jodphur. After relaxing for a short time, we headed into town and decided to do lunch at the roof top restaurant Saffron, at the Nachana Haveli Hotel. Lunch was delicious and the view from the rooftop was great. I definitely recommend lunch here.

We had decided that on this day we would just wander the city, reserving the next day to actually go into the Fort area. We also checked out several tour companies to get some basic information on camel excursions. We did not want an overnight into the desert, but preferred instead to go by jeep or taxi to pick up a camel and then go out to the desert for the sunset. Since it was still very hot at night, the desert dancing and dinner was not an option.

As an aside, it is interesting to note how the local people remember your face and they seem to know where you've been and where you are going. Jaisalmer is a small town and everyone seems to know one another. One is instantly befriended by merchants, touts and guides that would like to offer their services. We met one young man who befriended us and walked around for quite a while over a two day period, hoping we would go to his shop. On the third day we met up with him again and I did feel compelled to go to his shop, but sadly the merchandise was of an inferior quality and nothing that I wanted to purchase.

Besides the people watching, picture taking and wandering through the streets of the city surrounding the fort, one should take time to visit some of the elaborate havelis, which are impressive for their lavish latticework. On our first and second day we visited the following three Havelis which should not be missed.

Salam Singh Ki Haveli -- This Haveli was built about 300 years ago and a part of it is still occupied. Salim Singh was the prime minister when Jaisalmer was the capital of the princely state and his mansion has a beautifully arched roof with superb carved brackets in the form of Peacocks. Best observed from outside – not as impressive inside as other Havelis.

Patwon ki Haveli -- one of the largest and most elaborate Haveli in Jaisalmer and stands in a narrow lane. It is five stories high and extensively carved. It is divided into six apartments, two owned by archaeological Survey of India, two by families who operate craft-shops and two private homes. There are remnants of paintings on some of the inside walls as well as some mirror work. I really enjoyed this Haveli.

Nathmalji-ki Haveli -- Two architect brothers built it in the 19th century. Interestingly, while one concentrated on the right, the other concentrated on the left and the result is a symphony epitomizing the side-by-side symmetry during construction. Paintings in miniature style monopolize the interior walls. Mighty tusker elephants carved out of yellow sandstone stand guard to the Haveli.

We hired one of the local guides on our first day and enjoyed it immensely when he walked around with us, taking us into a Jain Temple, explaining about Jainism and about the history of the Havelis that he showed us. We learned about the water shortage, how the havelis were constructed without cement and water, using an interlocking construction system. He also explained how the people of Jaisalmer managed to conserve their water through its multiple uses. We learned that wedding invitations are painted and posted on the side of one's home. It was unfortunate for us that we never experienced a wedding celebration as we were not in India during the wedding season.

We also learned how Indian people can easily identify one another, the region that they come from, their caste, occupation, as well as their religion, based upon the type of saris worn by the woman, their jewelry, the men's head turbans and the shape of their mustache. All very interesting.

Our guide took us to a government cooperative to look at the beautiful handicraft (of course hoping we would buy something). Several of the beautiful bed spreads were very tempting, but we passed on those as we really did not need another spread. The handiwork was just beautiful. After we were shown the handcrafts, we were able to discern the difference between textiles made by the Muslims, Hindus and the desert people. Incidentally, just inside the fort's gate is a shop that had beautiful shawls and scarves. I did not buy anything, thinking that I'd be back or that I'd find something later and I still regret not making a purchase at that time.

Over the next two days we continued to wander. One day we ate lunch at a place called the Jaisal Treat Restaurant. It is not far from the circle outside of the city gate. The food was a bit oily, but tasty. There was no atmosphere, but the air conditioning was terrific and there was free wifi.

Another day we had lunch at Trios which was good, although a bit less atmospheric that Saffrons. My husband enjoyed it more than Saffrons as the dish he had was less spicy. I thought Saffrons was better. We did enjoy our conversation with the owners of the Trio restaurant.

On our second day we set out for Jaisalmer's ancient fort, built in 1156, and perched high on a pedestal overlooking the city. Jaisalmer is referred to as the Golden City and the fort is unique as it is the only "living" fort in India. The cobbled streets of the fort are still alive with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We spent a good part of a day wandering though the alleys and passageways of the fort, admiring the ornately carved windows and balconies, visiting the temples and watching the people. As my husband was still feeling a bit under the weather, we decided to wait for the following day to visit the Palace and we returned to our hotel after lunch to relax until our camel adventure that evening.

We decided to have the hotel make our arrangements for our camel safari and they had a taxi driver pick us up at 4:00 pm. On our way out to pick up our camels, we stopped at Ladawa, which was the original capital before Jaisalmer. The only thing remaining there today is a Jain Temple which was lovely and well worth stopping at. The guide there opened up several of the doors so that we could view the various gods, and of course so that he could get a tip.

Once we arrived at the area where camels and their drivers were congregating awaiting tourists like ourselves, we negotiated a camel ride at 300 rupees per person. We did not want to share a camel as that meant that the driver would merely be leading the camel by a rope. It would have been cheaper had we shared one. This was not to be a private ride into the desert, but rather a caravan of camels setting off for the dunes. It was all fine with us. We loved the experience of riding the camel, even though it was for only a short period. When we reached the sand dunes (Sam Dunes), we dismounted and walked around awaiting the sunset, watching the other tourists, taking pictures, allowing people to take pictures of us and with us. It was all great fun. There was music, people dancing, and children, as was often the case, asking for money to take their picture. Our camel drivers were great and offered to take pictures of us. This was a very enjoyable few hours. Our ride back after sunset was less than enjoyable. The taxi driver was horrendous, driving too fast, flashing his brights when other cars were coming at us and keeping them on, blinding the oncoming drivers. We noticed that the other drivers did the same. We were greatly relieved to arrive back at our hotel in one piece.

On our last day we set out back to the Fort and headed for the Palace which we still had not seen. Once again the English Audio tour was well worth the price and very informative. We enjoyed seeing yet another palace, although we were beginning to see many similarities in the palaces at this point. Our overnight train out that evening was scheduled to depart at 4:20 pm. Our hotel allowed us a late check out, therefore after finishing the palace tour, wandering a bit further and having lunch, we returned to the hotel to shower and relax before heading to Jaipur.

We were taken by taxi to the train station, only a short distance from the hotel, where we awaited our train. Thankfully, no rats this time. The Jaisalmer train station is fairly small and it was easy to find our train once it arrived. We had reserved a four person 1st class sleeper cabin, but the other two passengers never showed up. The train left on time and rode smoothly upon the tracks, however, the beds were hard as a rock, making it most difficult for us to sleep through the night. We arrived in Jaipur at 4:50 AM and hired a tuk tuk to take us a very short distance to the Country Inn and Suites.

Fantastic! Loved this segment. I've got to go back and get to Jaisalmer. Keep it coming!

Thanks Karen. I'm sure blip would enjoy jaisalmer too!

I was disappointed with the two Gateway properties I stayed at on my recent trip - Taj only in name! They were my splurges, I was speniding in the 1500 to 2000 INR range most of the time, and the cheaper places did have free wifi. I particularly liked the new Keys chain, but they are targeting the Indian business market more than tourists,

I loved Jaisalmer. I stayed in the fort itself: the place was very basic but the view from my window seat was lovely.

You say you probably stayed one day too long in Jaisalmer. How many nights were you there?

We arrived at 11:45 on a Thurday so we had 1/2 day then, Friday, Saturday and almost a full day on Sunday - we left at 16:30 by train. We took long naps each day, but that was due to the heat and the fact that my husband was still recovering from his asthmatic episode. We enjoyed our time there and if you love to shop, I am sure you could spend the extra time browsing the many stores.

We arrived in Jaipur by train at 4:50 AM and headed just a short distance away to our hotel, the Country Inn & Suite. We should have requested an early check in, but didn't think to do so. We waited in the lobby until about 6:00 when a room became available. After freshening up, we headed to breakfast which was included in the price of the hotel room. While we were not officially supposed to have breakfast on the morning of our arrival, the hotel comped us on this day. The breakfast included a large assortment of Indian food along with an omelet station. I believe the buffet opened at 6:30. The hotel was well situated and we enjoyed our stay here. The beds were extremely comfortable and the room modern and clean.

More later...

dgunbug- Great report! It's both helpful and entertaining...looking forward to more.
Did you make all hotel reservations yourself?

Thank you iamles. It is always encouraging to hear that someone is reading and enjoying a report. All hotels were reserved on our own by contacting the hotel directly.

I'm reading along and enjoying too!

I'm sad to say I'm interested in the details of your husband getting pickpocketed. I hope that was not a huge problem for you - what a bummer. My mom & I leave for India in a couple of weeks and I'm wondering about wearing moneybelts or not. Hate to but maybe in crowds we'll have more peace of mind.

Leslie - you should absolutely wear a money belt. Both my husband and I wear money belts, carrying the majority of our cash in it and only money for the day in our pockets. I keep the passports on me along with extra credit cards and insurance info. We also have a copy of all credit cards and our passports kept in another place. Unfortunately, and for no good reason, my husband also had his driver's license, a debit card and two credit cards in his wallet with about $200.00. The money was not all that much, but the cards were a pain to cancel. The number on the MasterCard was incorrect for international calls and we had to have our kids at home contact the credit cars company.

My husband was pickpocketed at the lotus temple and it soured him on going into any more temples or mosques after that. At the lotus temple you will be given a burlap back and told to put your shoes in it, then carry it to an area to be checked in. I gave my husband my shoes and walked ahead. Instead of taking his shoes off ahead of time, he took them off near the counter and in the crowd he was jostled by three men working together to steal money and wallets.

Wow dgunbug - so sorry to hear that! I loved the lotus temple.

Leslie - absolutely wear a money belt - under your clothes and don't access it in public. I have one day's worth of money in my wallet, sometimes with a credit card, and that's it unless I need to visit an ATM or cross a border. Great peace of mind!

I get the international phone numbers for my cards before I leave home, but I've recently found that you can call 1-800 numbers for free using Skype.

We got the international number off the cc but the number was incorrect and it was also
Incorrect on the Internet. The cc company acknowledged that the numbers were wrong. It was a royal pain trying to contact them.

Jaipur - We decided to get an early start and headed by tuk tuk for the market area around 8:30 AM. We were surprised to learn that the stalls do not open until 10 AM, so we strolled toward the City Palace and enjoyed watching the traffic and people as they began their day.

Jaipur is referred to as the pink city, a highly idealized description of the terra-cotta-colored lime plaster that coats the old part of the city's walls, buildings, and temples. The reasons for painting the town pink are unknown, but various theories have been tossed about. As the second largest city in Rajastan, following Delhi as number one, we had heard that Jaipur is not one of Rajasthan's most attractive cities and that after visiting the City Palace it's probably wise to concentrate on sites farther afield: Amber Fort, first royal residence of the Maharajas of Kachchwaha, lies 11km (7 miles) north; and popular Samode Palace is an hour's drive away. However, we really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of this lively city, the people, food stalls, etc.

Since City Place did not open until 9:30, we decided to visit Jantar Mantar, built by King Jai Singh II between 1727 and 1734 and literally meaning "calculation instrument". More than just a curious collection of sculptures, each structure at the intriguing Jantar Mantar observatory has a specialized astronomical function. There are 14 structures in total, which measure time, predict eclipses, and track stars. The most impressive one is the huge Samrat Yantra sundial. At a height of 90 feet (27 meters), it has a shadow that moves roughly the width of a person's hand every minute. There are plenty of guides for hire as one walks in the gates and we enjoyed our tour of these instruments.

Just next store is the magnificant City Palace. It's easy to see that the royal family of Jaipur was one of the richest in India. The huge complex of courtyards, gardens, and buildings blend both Rajasthani and Mughal architecture. The Peacock Gate is exquisite, and contains an alluring display of detailed workmanship featuring bright peacocks. Today, the royal family lives in the graceful Chandra Mahal (Moon Palace) bordering the courtyard. Also inside the City Palace complex is a museum, art gallery, and a display of royal costumes and old Indian weapons. While we enjoyed the palace, we were beginning to feel like there was a great similarity between the various palaces we were visiting.

Upon leaving the palace, we were approached by a nice young man, approx 30 yrs old, who spoke excellent English and who convinced us to hire his services as a tuk tuk driver for the next day when we would visit the Amber Fort and surrounding areas.

Not far from the City Palace is the intricate and fascinating facade of the Palace of the Winds, which is probably Jaipur's most recognized building. Constructed in 1799, it has five floors that contain rows of small windows and screens. Wind used to flow through the openings, giving the palace its name. Legend has it that the palace, which overlooks the main street of Jaipur's lively Old City, was built so that the women of the royal household could watch the streets below without being observed.

We continued our walk and ended up in front of the Raj Mandir movie theater, so we decided to take a reprieve from the heat and see a Bollywood movie. The movie showing was "The Body Guard" and while we could not understand all that was said, we got the general gist and were well entertained for a few hours. It was interesting that the line to purchase movie tickets was separate for men and woman - I couldn't figure out why as everyone sat together anyway. At the recommendation of one of the woman in the line, we paid for the more expensive tickets and our seats ended up in the balcony. I think the cheaper tickets would have been better (closer to the screen).

After leaving the theatre, we wandered around a bit further and found ourselves at the Indiana restaurant which had been recommended by other Fodorites. The restaurant is set in a lovely garden and there is entertainment nightly (music & dancing). We asked after the owner, who we heard had studied at Purdue University in Indiana, USA as my husband has a family member who had studied there. The owner, an extremely engaging 85 year old gentlemen joined us at our table and we had a most enjoyable discussion with him which lasted approximately one hour prior to even ordering our dinners. One of the dishes that we ordered (I think) was chicken jaisalmer which came with veggies and was one of the best dishes we had while in India. The portions were large and we could hardly finish our dinners. Satisfied with a great meal in our bellies and after having spent a most enjoyable day in Jaipur, we returned to our hotel to relax for the rest of the evening.

i'm loving, loving your report and K is writing everything down... thanks for going before us so that we can gain from your experiences...

about the length of stay. india is the most difficult country we have travelled in, but also one of the most rewarding. everything is a bit of a hastle... that is where a driver, at your service, helps. he clears the way for you in many ways and makes things easier. he takes care of lots of details---laundry, etc... but i think that the haste you move at makes the difference---don't hurry... spend at least two nights in every place and 3 is better... go to less places if time does not permit. eat carefully. i see no reason why 4-6 weeks is not easy... we don't mind beggers or touts or people selling you things---we often enjoy it---take advantage of them, as they attempt to take advantage of you... make a game out of it... smile, smile and smile... I do not use a money belt, a pouch or anything like that---i use common sense and am always on guard, but i don't let it ruin my day. having been taken advantage of twice recently in spanish speaking countries, i know how your husband did fell a bit jaded after the robbery... i solve it by never returning... its only money...

KEEP IT COMING.... what is your next trip?? B

We are still arguing about next years trip. China is on the table, but my husband was hoping to take a break from Asia after having traveled three years in a row. Southern Italy was considered but we've heard that prices are sky high and there is an anti American sentiment due to the economic climate...they seem to be blaming the USA for their financial woes. Israel is another consideration, but we've both been and it would probably be more about visiting relatives. I'm thinking we are going to china - isn't that your next big trip bob?

Bob - I should probably just ask you where we are supposed to go...after all, you followed is to vn and then India. This is becoming a regular pattern!

the plan today is shanghai, X'ian and maybe HK, then thailand for the month of november...

Have you considered Sicily? Prices not so high. Or there are the Balkans just a ferry ride from Italy - some parts a bit pricey, some not.

Thursday - if we do Italy, it will be Rome southward so Sicily was definitely in the picture. We've also considered the balkins.

Day two - Jaipur

We were picked up by tuk tuk promptly at 10 am and headed to the amber fort. Before getting there our driver suggested that we stop at Kanal ghati, a lovely garden/temple complex where we were told that many weddings and events are held. This site was pleasant for a short stop.

The tuk tuks and cars are prohibited from going up to the fort and must remain in the parking lot down below. We contemplated riding the elephants up, but having ridden elephants before, we opted instead for the jeep ride up which was far cheaper. Of course there were those who chose to walk up to the fort, but being old and decrepid and wanting to conserve energy, we decided that option was not the best for us. We rented the audio guides again and thought they were excellent, although at times it was difficult to find the next number. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at this fort and spent about four hours there.

We returned back to town and our driver took us to a shopping area that supposedly sold to the retailers on the streets. Who knows if this was true, but in any event I found bangle bracelets that I liked and bought to give as gifts for the family. All this exhausted my husband who hates to shop, so we returned to our hotel for much needed showers.

But before getting to the hotel, we made a quick lassi stop at the highly recommended lassie
Walla shop that is not to be missed. There are actually three shops next to one another and all named the same. Our driver suggested the one dating back to 1944, as noted on their sign. Do yourself a favor and buy a large sweet lassi - no flavor. We ordered the small version and had to get seconds!

We were pretty exhausted from our day out and decided to remain in the hotel after our nap. Dinner was ok, but not memorable. We did enjoy our stay at this hotel though and would recommend it for it's good location, breakfast, and cleanliness.

enjoyed the fort and spent about four hours there.

Ooops ...last line didn't belong there. Guess I should preview first.

I LOVED the lassis - banana was my favorite. Did you get them in the clay cups?

Yes - I had mango one but it was thick and not thirst quenching. We loved the plain lassi.

Thanks for the advice - we'll wear the dreaded money belts.

So fun that you went to a Bollywood film!

I'm making restaurant notes from your report (relied on your Vietnam trip report heavily too for recommendations!). Sounds like you've had no tummy problems. I was thinking to only do veg dishes but you've been eating chicken with no problems?

No problem with Delhi belly till our final day - more on that and the flight from he'll later.

The next morning at 7:30 AM we were picked up by our driver from Castle and King. This nice gentlemen would be our driver for the next 7 days and we were pleased that his driving was so skillful, for it is no easy task to drive in India. While our driver's English skills were a bit limited, we were able to communicate and he was courteous and helpful at all times, providing us with drinks and making sure we were comfortable.

Just 10 kilometers outside of Jaipur, on the way to Agra, was our first stop at the Galta Kund, also known as the Monkey Temple. The temple is dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman and hundreds of monkeys roam around the grounds, waiting to be fed by visitors.

The temple complex is located in a rock gorge amidst springs and reservoirs and it is considered auspicious to bathe in the holy waters of Galtaji. Thousands of people come every year to take a dip in the tanks to rinse out their sins. It was great fun to watch both the monkeys roaming the grounds and the people bathing in the water. The scenery is beautiful and this was a stop not to be missed.

Our next stop was Chand Baoli, the famous step well situated in the village Abhaneri, a small town village located at a distance of 95 KMs from Jaipur, on Jaipur-Agra road in Rajasthan, India. It is located opposite Harshat Mata Temple and is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. This step well, as well as others in India, became not only sources of drinking water, but cool sanctuaries for bathing, prayer and meditation. The site was spectacular from above and one can only imagine what the view is from down below. You weren't going to find me climbing up and down the narrow steps, but I'd sure like to hear from anyone that decides to venture down all those stairs.

Our final stop before arriving at Agra was to FATEHPUR SIKRI, capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585, during the reign of Emperor Akbar. The city was built around the abode of Sheik Salim Chishti, a mystic who had advised the childless Emperor Akbar. Shortly after giving his advise, Emperor Akbar's wife gave birth to his first son. Fatehpur Sikri was a glorious city with its beautiful architecture, constructed of red sandstone, but it was built in an area that had a low water supply and for this reason, the city was abandoned shortly after Emperor Akbar’s death. The palace buildings and mosque, which is still in use, are well-preserved even after 400 years. Although Fatehpur Sikri is a ghost city there is much to see and it was well worth a stop on the way to Agra, or as a day trip from Agra.

We arrived at Agra in the late afternoon at approximately 4 pm, quickly checked into our hotel and then proceeded to Tomb of Tmad-ud-Daulah (Petite Taj Mahal) - a precursor to the Taj Mahal and a masterpiece of dome-less class of Mughal tombs. It is made in white marble and marks the transitional phase from red stone to white marble, from the Akbar's tomb, Sikandara, to the Taj Mahal. It was built in 1611 by Nur Jehan, wife of Mughal emperor Jehangir, as a mausoleum of her parents. It was the very first tomb in India that is entirely made out of Marble.

Still anxious to see the great Taj Mahal, we made our way across the Yamuna river to Mehtab Bagh, a recently spruced-up riverside park where one can view the Taj from its backside. It is from there that tourists mill about, just a stone's throw away from the Taj to watch the sun set. It is said that on those very grounds, it was Emperor Jehangir's intent to build a black temple to compliment the Taj Mahal and that such would have been his own resting place with a pathway between the two great structures.

We returned to our hotel for dinner and an early night's sleep as we intended to return to see the Taj the following morning at sunrise.

Taking notes still. We are really looking forward to our time in India after reading your report. Waiting for more.

we have been advised by an indian friend that we should not drink any lassies for health reasons?

Only the bhang lassi, rhk. That's completely safe...

We were assured that the only water added to the lassi at this place was filtered water. We limited our lassi consumption to only a few places - the others all hotels. This one in Jaipur was by far the best.

Hmmm, I drink them partly FOR health reasons, lol. It's lukewarm chicken you should be avoiding!

Sometimes the piping hot chicken can get you ill as well.

Aha! I just now got your screen name.

Mine??? Did you figure out that I am a junebug rather than a gun bug?

The Taj Gateway Hotel was adequate - clean with comfortable pillows, but again, not up to the standard of the Vivanta by Taj. Dinner was unremarkable.

Oh...forgot to mention that upon our arrival in Agra, we were met by a guide that Castle and King had arranged. While we had the option to hire a guide along with our driver, we had declined that option as we figured we'd hire guides along the way as needed and as desired. We were very surprised by the arrival of the guide, but we learned that Arvind felt that it would be best to have a guide in Agra and he provided the guide as a complimentary service for the two days we were there.

At 5:30 AM our guide met us at the hotel to accompany us to the Taj. We headed to the ticket booth where we purchased our tickets (750 rupees each), which were significantly more expensive than the price charged for Indian residents, but worth the price of doing business. This was true at all national monuments. The price of our ticket included a bottle of water each and foot coverings so that one did not need to take off their shoes.

The ticket booth is not at the entrance to the Taj. Vehicles are not allowed to enter the area around the Taj, so instead, one must take the motorized transport from the ticket booth to the end of the street where the Taj gate is located. We arrived at the gate at 5:45 and waited on two separate lines (one for men and one for woman) until 6:00, at which time the gates opened. One must go through a security check before entering the premises. I was concerned that we were not there early enough to get those great photos without people in them as the line was quite long, however, we found that people were all very courteous and if one waited their turn, there was plenty of photo opportunities to get a number of great pictures. I don't think you can go wrong photographing the Taj.

There are professional photographers on the premises who will offer to take your picture for a fee. They were also helpful in advising us where to take the best picture, as was our guide.

There is little I can say about the Taj that has not already been said. It is remarkable and a spectacular piece of architecture. We had done much reading prior to our trip, so we were familiar with the history and many of the details that our guide shared with us. Quite honestly, we felt that we would have done just as well just soaking up the beauty of the Taj without a guide, but it was a nice gesture on the part of Castle and King.

We were happy with our decision to fore go the guided tour throughout our trip as we were very happy with the audio guides when we used them and the few guides that we hired along the way. Guides were readily available at each location and for the most part, we like to simply wander, talk to people and go at our own pace, taking pictures and taking in the scenery. I am not going to remember all the details that many guides provide and I often find them to drone on endlessly.

Following our visit to the Taj, we went directly to the Red Fort. This fort is similar architecturally to the many forts that we had already seen and while we enjoyed it, we saw a familar pattern.

We returned back to the room at 10:00, still in time for breakfast and then to rest and catch up on some email. We arranged with the driver to be picked up at 12:30 to continue our journey to Gwalior.

More later - Gwalior was a terrific surprise.

Can't wait to hear more...

Hi June,
I'm enjoying your report immensely and am eager to hear more! I'm taking notes for our upcoming trip in February when we will visit some of the same places.

Thank you to those who are reading along. Here's the next installation:

Gwalior:

We left Agra about 12:30 and arrived in Gwalior approximately three hours later. The roads in India are not for the faint hearted and they are a real experience. There is always something interesting to look at - between the people, animals and vehicles. The roads are not in the best condition...perhaps that is being kind...they are in horrendous shape. If only the maharajas had put money into the roads and infrastructure rather than their forts and palaces. We understand there is still a great deal of corruption and the government spends little on road construction and repair. When we did see repair work being done, the level of enthusiasm by the workers seemed meager and work proceeds quite slowly.

Upon arriving at our hotel, the Usha Kiran Palace (a Taj property), we freshened up and decided to take a tuk tuk into town to explore the market area. After wandering a bit, we returned to the hotel, relaxed and had dinner on the premises. The hotel was lovely and we were given a free upgrade to a beautiful suite. As with the other Taj hotels, we were able to ask for our choice of pillow for maximum comfort. The grounds were also very pretty and there was a nice pool on the premises. The staff at this hotel was exceptional and we had a very pleasant stay here. During dinner the chef came out to meet us and helped us with our dinner selection. Beware of the spicy food at this restaurant - you may want to tell the waitstaff that you want very little spice. Day Two - coming soon.

I'm here too. Yesterday Aswan - today Istanbul. Looking forward to Varanasi.

Would it correct grammatically to refer to our dear OP and her husband as the 'dgunbuggers?'

Dogster - I'm not sure I like the sound of that! Glad to hear you are lurking in the background.

Day Two - Gwalior: When our driver picked us up at 10 AM to head for the Fort, we learned that he had been sleeping each night in his car to save the cost of a hotel room. I believe this is fairly typical for the drivers and the hotels seem to allow them to stay in the parking lot. We presumed that there are washing and bathroom facilities somewhere that the drivers are able to use. It sure made us feel awful to think that we were sleeping in a comfortable air-conditioned environment while he stayed in his car all night and day. Of course, we realize that he is one of the fortunate ones to have steady employment, but the meager existence and the struggle that these people face are overwhelming.

The Gwalior Fort is reputed to be one of the most invincible forts in India, its history stretching back over 1,000 years. Inside the fort walls are a number of palaces and temples, the highlight being the Man Mandir Palace. This magnificient fort looms majestically at a height of nearly 100 meters overlooking the city of Gwalior. We approached the fort by a steep winding road flanked by statues of Jain tirthankaras (one of 24 persons who have attained personal immortality through enlightenment) carved into the rock face. These were amazing and we later parked the car and spent time walking by these statues to examine them more closely.

The solid fort walls of sandstone enclose several marvels of medieval architecture including temples, palaces, and impressive gates. This fort was very different from the others we had visited as there was no Muslim influence. The front of the palace was decorated with pretty blue and yellow painted ducks and other animals. Cows grazed on the lawn in front of the palace and it was a very serene environment. On the bottom level of the palace was a dungeon where prisoners were held...now it is filled with bats. As in other palaces in India, there were separate living quarters for the maharaja and his many wives. We were taken by surprise by this fortress/palace complex and thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Few tourists flock to Gwalior, but it was one of the highlights of our trip.

Following our time at the Fort complex, we headed into Gwalior and stopped at the very modern mall to take our driver for lunch. We were told that malls are beginning to crop up throughout India, but they did not seem to be doing a great business.

After lunch we headed to the Jai Vilas Mahal, built by Indian Maharaja Jiyaji Rao Scindia and reminiscent of an Italian palazzo styled edifice combining Tuscan and Corinthian architectural styles. The present Maharaja still resides at the palace and that portion is blocked off from tourists. However a part of the palace houses the Scindia Museum, which displays royal memorabilia and a remarkable collection of artifacts from across the world.

A crystal staircase winds its way up to the spectacular Durbar Hall. Its arched ceiling is covered with fabulous gold leaf work and is illuminated by two of the world’s largest and most magnificent chandeliers, each weighing over three tons and holding 248 candles. It is said that the roof was tested in advance by 10 elephants brought there via a two-kilometre ramp! The chandeliers were gilded with 56 kilograms of gold. Spread out across this very hall is the largest carpet in Asia, made in the Gwalior Jail.

Crystal ware, Curios and Tiger hides line the beautiful hall.
The most fascinating item on display is the famous model train that circulates brandy, cigar and dry fruit around the table after dinner. Removing a container automatically reduces pressure on the track and stops the silver train.

Exhausted from a full day, at 4 pm we returned to our hotel which was just down the road from the Jai Vilas Mahal, where we relaxed until dinner time which we took in the lovely dining room at our hotel.

You will note that we rarely went out at night time. Besides being exhausted from the heat, the few times we were out, we noticed that there were very few woman around and we felt it was best to retire early. In actuality, even during the day, we noticed far more men mulling around than woman. It was a strange feeling for me and even my husband, when we realized I was one of the few woman out. This night too we remained in our hotel and we retired early as we would be heading out the following morning to Orccha.

Dgunbug, you are hogging all of the responses! I'm not getting much traction on my thread . . . What's a Sueblue to do?

So sorry sueblue - perhaps I will send the above poster to toe thread!!!

Can someone tell me how to remove the above posts?

You can click on the yellow/orange triangle to the right of the post to report it to the editors.
I already have... Hopefully they'll remove them soon!

thanks marcy

Gwalior sounds wonderful - wish it was on our itinerary.

It is awkward when you realize a driver is sleeping in the car while you're off in your lovely hotel. We've had that experience before and in addition to the guilt, the car starts to get a bit...er...stale with someone living in it that way. Kind of yuk.

loving it all

There was never any body odor and the car was immaculately taken care of. Just felt bad for the driver and it hit us that his job is tougher than it looks.

That's good! Yes, tough job and on rough roads even tougher.

>>>If only the maharajas had put money into the roads and infrastructure rather than their forts and palaces.

On the other hand, we probably wouldn't be so eager to go just for a bunch of good roads and infrastructure if there weren't any forts and palaces.

(And yes, I was slow on the uptake re your screen name, dgunbug. Duh. I had a similar experience with Offwego. I had followed one of her threads for awhile, and in my head i was pronouncing the screen name as off-WAY-go. Until... she used it in a sentence along the line of... we finish our breakfast and then offwego! Oooohhhh! I'm actually reasonably intelligent but can be clueless at times.)

Back to Gwalior - I reviewed my pictures today and realized that I forgot to mention several interesting temples visited while in Gwalior on the second day.

Just below the upper fort area is the Gurdwara Datta Bandi Chhod Sikh Temple, built in memory of Guru Hargoboind Sahab, 6th Sikh Guru who was imprisoned there by Emperor Jehangir for over two years. We were instructed to wash our hands, take off our shoes and given orange bandanas as head coverings. After walking through an area of water which cleansed our feet, we proceeded up the stairs and into this temple which was very different from the Jain temples we had previously visited. Upon returning for our shoes, we were invited to share a meal with the Sikhs who open their food kitchen daily to feed anyone wishing to join them for a meal. We declined as it was not yet meal time and we did not want to wait. Also, we worried about getting sick from the food as we did not know the sanitary conditions under which the food was cooked. We enjoyed the experience of visiting this Sikh temple as it was different from the other temples we had visited thus far.

Nearby the Sikh Temple is the Sas-Bahu Ka Mandir Temple, built in the 11th Century. While many believe that they are dedicated to a mother-in-law (Sas) and daughter-in-law (Bahu), I learned afterward that this is not so, but rather that Sas-Bahu is the name traditionally given to two adjoining temples of different sizes. The larger of the two is profusely sculpted with graceful figures and intricate patterns. This is apparent in the interior where, above the sculpted walls and pillars, an elaborately carved lotus adorns the roof. We were alone visiting these temples and spent a great deal of time just admiring the carvings and artistry.

In the fortress area, elevating to a height of 100 feet high is the Teli Ka Mandir temple which was also built in the 11th Century. This Rajput temple is said to be the tallest and most stunning temple in the confines of the Gwalior Fort and it is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, however, it was closed to visitors while we were there.

Again, I highly recommend a visit to Gwalior. The people were extremely friendly and we loved wandering through the town in addition to seeing the Fortress/Palace Complex and temples. I don't understand why this town is not on the regular circuit of places to visit as it was quite interesting and one of my favorite places.

Sounds lovely..I don't think we have it in our sched. Oh well, next time.

We left Gwalior, heading to Orccha about 9 AM, stopping along the way at Sonagiri and Datia. The road conditions between Gwalior and Orchha were horrendous. Many spots were in disrepair with potholes everywhere. Often the road was only one lane wide with traffic going in two directions and three and four lanes made from the one. The going was slow and while it was only about 179 kilometers between the two cities, it took us about 6 hours with two short stops in between. We passed many small villages and people along the highway. There were buses stacked with people on the rooftop, carts pulled by oxen, donkeys, and horses, tractors, cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Pigs, cows, and dogs wandered the streets. There was never a dull moment. Nevertheless, the ride did seem endless.

Our first stop was Sonagiri, a city famous for its Jain temples and for being the holy site for the Digambar sect of the Jains. History says that King Nanganag Kumar had attained salvation and had been liberated from the cycles of death and life in this place. Thus, Jain saints who seek salvation or practice the paths to Nirvana flock to this place. This sacred Jain hill is home to 77 Jain temples, built in rows on the hill and its slopes, and date back to the 17th century.

Upon our arrival a Jain disciple greeted us at the lower gate of the temples and advised us that he would have to escort us to the temples. After removing our shoes and socks, we were led up a pathway leading to the various temples, all quite interesting and of varying designs. As we were led along the way, the Jain disciple explained a bit about Jainism, answering any questions we had. The ground was quite hot and at times difficult to walk on. It was all very interesting and worth the short visit.

Just a short distance away is Datia, where we visited the seven-storied palace built entirely of stone and brick by Raja Bir Singh Deo in 1614, and which is considered to be one of the finest examples of Bundela architecture in the country. We wandered the palace for a short time, but quite honestly, I don't recall it being that special and looking back at our pictures, it seems to be in need of a great deal of cleaning and sprucing up.

We arrived in the late afternoon at the Bundelkhand Riverside Hotel, which we had been told was one of the best hotels in Orchha. This heritage hotel had once a Maharaja's residence and the grounds seemed lovely. The room, however, was a great disappointment - the bathroom smelled like mothballs (which were in the sink), the air conditioning hardly worked and the room smelled musty. We had heard that the food was quite good, however, the next morning's breakfast was the worst we had experienced on our trip. There was no mini-bar in the room, no safe or complimentary bottles of water as was standard in all other hotels we had been in. The accommodations were such that it soured our stay in Orchha and we decided the next morning to check out a day early and proceed to Khujaharo.

After settling in the room, we decided to take a tuk tuk into town. Of course any time we wanted, our driver was available to us, however, after all the driving that he did, we preferred to let him rest and take a tuk tuk into town instead. Tuk tuks are quite inexpensive and it is generally fun to take them for short distances.

We wandered around the town of Orchha, planning to visit the main sites the next day. The children here were all very friendly and followed us around for quite some time, telling us that they wanted to practice their English. We forewarned them that we were not looking for a guide and that we did not wish to go to any shops, but they followed along anyway, insisting they had no alterior motives. We also forewarned them that we were not giving them money. Their English was actually quite impressive and we enjoyed talking to them until the end, when we got ready to depart for dinner and they asked for money and sodas. There was quite a large group of children and we told them it was impossible. One of the boys actually got angry and told my husband he was a "bad man". It is unfortunate that these children have an attitude that foreigners and especially Americans have tons of money and that they are expected to give it away to the poor children of India. These particular children did not look undernourished or shabby and it was obvious that they all received some degree of education. It was a most disappointing way of ending the time with them.

For dinner, we decided to eat at the Sheesh Mahal which is located in the fort area. The food was just fair. Dinner was accompanied by live Indian music. There was a light and music show just outside the Sheesh Mahal, but we decided to walk around the town a bit instead. Our return trip to the hotel was a real experience. We hired the tuk tuk driver from hell...he drove like a crazy man, could not find our hotel despite my husband trying to give him directions, and he crashed into a parked motorcycle, leaving the scene despite having caused damages. Upon finally arriving at our hotel after first having taken us to the wrong one, he demanded more money. Of course, we refused to pay him more than we had agreed upon.

The next morning, after checking that we were able to extend our hotel reservation for an additional night in Khujaharo, we checked out and proceeded to the Orchha Fort to visit the sites. One pass allows entry into all the sites and there are guides just outside the entrance. We hired a guide who showed us around the fort and palace area, we visited a temple and then proceeded to Khujaharo. Quite honestly, I don't think we gave Orchha enough time or justice, but my husband was annoyed by the children and the accommodations and was ready to move on. I don't remember thinking that the Palace and fortress area of Orchha was particularly impressive.

After several hours drive from Orchha, we arrived in Khajahuro and were delighted to arrive at the lovely Hotel Taj Chandela, a far cry from the Bundelkhand. By this time we were exhausted and we knew we had more than enough time to visit the sites in Khajahuro, so we decided to remain in the hotel where we had a nice dinner and relaxed. There is a billiards table in the hotel, so we played a few games of pool after dinner.

Khajuraho[1] is a small town located in the Bundelkhand region (Chhatarpur District) of Madhya Pradesh and is famous for groups of Hindu and Jain temples. These temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for their beautiful and erotic rock carvings.

The temples of Khajuraho were built between 950 to 1050 A.D. during the Chandela dynasty of Central India. After the decline of the Chandela dynasty in 13th century, the temples were left under the cover of dense date palm trees for many years, which gave the city of Khajuraho its name, Khajur in Hindi means a date. In the ancient times it was known as Vatsa. In 1838, a British army engineer, Captain T.S. Burt rediscovered them. By that time only 22 of the original 85 temples had survived.

Our driver picked us up the next morning at 9 AM to visit the temples and we decided to begin at the Western Group of Temples as these are the richest and largest of the temple groups. We purchased our tickets, which covered the temples at the Western, Eastern & Southern groups along with the audio guides. Although the audio guide was good, my husband's set broke and I decided after a while that it was just information overload, preferring instead to just take in the beauty of the temples and the intricate carvings.

We were surprised by the grounds at the Western Temple. They were extremely well manicured and the area is set up as a beautiful park. The temples were fabulous and it was difficult to avoid taking a million pictures from different angles. We returned to our hotel after spending several hours at the Western Temple and relaxed until 4 pm, at which time we returned to visit the Eastern and Southern group of temples. As we had expected, we were able to see all the sites within one day.

As our flight out to Varanasi was scheduled for the next day at 13:25 and as we had already seen the sites in Khajuharo, we advised our guide that he should leave first thing in the morning, rather than waiting to take us to the plane. He had told us that he would be making the long journey back to his home in Agra immediately after leaving us and we felt it would be best for him to be on the road early so as to avoid night driving as much as possible. We relaxed in our hotel until 12:30, checked out and headed to the airport which was only a short distance away.

and now varanasi...yea

Shame about the experience with the children. How did you do with begging in general during the trip? Someone here (thursdaysd?) said they donate to a charity or school rather than to individuals and then are able to ignore beggers without guilt. Sounds like a good plan.

Me too...can't wait to hear about Varanasi.

Giving to a charity is a great way to give back. We couldnt help but to hand out small pocket change on occasion, when one looked especially needy and I also tried to buy bananas and apples to hand out when possible.

Varanasi:

Our flight from Khajuharo to Varanasi departed at 13:25 and arrived timely at 14:15. We had arranged an airport pickup through the Rasmi Guest House (Palace on the River) where we would be staying the next three nights. The drive from the airport to the city took about 45 minutes. If you are staying on the river, an airport pickup is essential as you will need assistance in bringing your luggage to your hotel. Taxis are unable to enter the narrow alleyways leading the the riverfront. Upon our arrival in Varanasi, we were grateful when two hotel porters arrived to help transport our bags and lead us to the hotel, which we would have had great difficulty finding on our own.

The Rasmi Guest House (Palace on the River) is in an ideal location, directly overlooking the Ghats on the Ganges in the midst of all the action. The lobby was nice and the staff quite friendly. We were greeted and each given a lei of marigold flowers and a refreshing glass of juice when we checked in. We trudged up several flights of stairs to our room (no elevator) which seemed small, but adequate. We learned later that night that the bed was hard as a rock and hardly suitable for sleeping.

As previously noted while we were in India in my report "Off to India", my husband asked "if we pay extra, can we get a mattress". Dogster jumped in and was kind enough to suggest at that time that we mention to the hotel staff that we know the man who was pulled into the Ganges by Bruno (the dog). The next morning, we did just that and were delighted when we were moved to a nicer room with a far superior mattress. I suggest to anyone reserving a room at this hotel, that you throw out your intimate connection with Dogster in advance when you reserve your room and be sure to let them know you want a room with a "soft" mattress! For those who have had experience sleeping in India...there is no soft mattress to be found, but there are certainly acceptable degrees of hardness.

Several flights up from our room was a rooftop restaurant, which I highly recommend. There was no reason to eat outside the hotel. This restaurant had wonderful food and one has the option of outside dining or inside a nicely air conditioned room.

Later...onto Varanasi itself.

lol lol lol.

From somewhere between Rhodes and Jerumsalem. Keep it coming.

For most people, when they think of India they have images of the Taj and one would hardly think of going to India without a visit to that most beautiful heritage site. IMHO, a visit to India without visiting Varanasi, would be as bad, if not worse than missing out on the Taj.

A visit to Varanasi is an unforgettable experience. It is the most important pilgrimage site of the Hindus and as with many other cities in India it is an intriguing mixture of chaos, filth and beauty. Millions of pilgrims come to the ghats of Varanasi to conduct ritual bathing in the holy Ganges. Old and sick come here to wait for death in one of ashrams, as Hindus believe that there is no better death than death in Varanasi.

It is an amazing experience to watch man and women, old and young, poor and wealthy stepping into the Holy River and bathing in concentration and devotion. It is hard to describe the chaos that is Varanasi, but I will say that this is the India that I was expecting. It is a photographer's dream and we spent most of our time in this city just wandering the streets and watching people along the ghats, in the markets and in the narrow alley ways.

On the day of our arrival, as it was already late in the afternoon (approx 4:30), we decided to wander down to the ghats to watch the late afternoon and early evening activities on the Ganges. Our hotel was only a 2 minutes walk from Dasaswamedh Ghat (the Main Ghat) and 5 minutes walk from Manikarnika Ghat (one of the two Burning Ghats). Each evening there is a nightly ganga aarti ceremony at Dasaswamedh Ghat and one can watch it either directly from a hired boat or from the ghats. We decided on this evening to find a good spot close to the water to watch the ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony, there were people bathing in the Ganges and those who purchased lotus flower candle (Rs 10) to light and set adrift on the water.

Aarti is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. The purpose of performing aarti is the waving of lighted wicks before the deities in a spirit of humility and gratitude, wherein faithful followers become immersed in God's divine form. The rather lengthy ceremony lasted approximately one hour and was interesting to observe, although we really didn't have a clue as to what it all meant. Following the ceremony, we headed back to the hotel where we enjoyed our first evenings dinner.

I am loving this report. I'm beginning to think about a trip to Rajasthan and Varanasi for next year or so, and your description of your trip is inspirational. I 'm not only saving this report, but am savoring it!
Paule

I agree that Varanasi is as much the essence of India as the Taj. There is nothing like it. Keep it coming - this is one of the best reports on India that I have seen on this forum (apologies to Dogster who basically set the bar).

Paule - thank you for your kind comments. It's words like yours and knowing that others are following my journey that make writing a trip report satisfying.

Day Two Varanasi:

We had arranged with Bopul, a young man who works for the Rashmi Guest House and who serves as a guide, to meet us at at 6:15 AM to accompany us on a boat tour of the ganges, however, after waiting 10 minutes we decided to go on without him and to negotiate the price of a boat on our own. Bopul had greeted us when we initially arrived at the hotel and he seemed like a nice young man with excellent English skills and a nice personality. We learned from another guest staying at the hotel, that Bopul had also failed to show for her scheduled appointment.

We had heard that an hour boat rides down the Ganges should cost approximately 300 rupees, but were quoted 1200 to 1500 rupees, which surprised us. After quite a bit of negotiation, we settled on 500 rupees for the two of us for a small oar powered private boat. The boatmen explained that the cost was higher this time of the year as the level of the waters were higher, making it more difficult to row. There had been good monsoon rains this year and we could see that the water level was in fact quite high. We were surprised to learn that many of the steps are underwater still and that only a few weeks earlier, the majority of the steps had been underwater.

We enjoyed our hour boat ride, watching the sun rise, watching the people going about their daily business, some bathing, some washing clothing, some praying, and others merely socializing. Alongside the people were cows cooling off in the water's edges. And then of course there was the sombering scene of the funeral pires where those fortunate enough to have come to Varanasi to die were cremated while their families went through the funeral rituals. We enjoyed the beauty of the boats and the ghats along with the temples, palaces and homes. The Ganges is obviously the center of Varanasi life.

The boat ride ended all too quickly and we returned to our hotel where we enjoyed a delicious breakfast - banana pancakes, juice and massala tea, included in the very reasonable price of the room.

Craig - To be compared with Dogster is the greatest honor a person could receive. Thanks so much. More later. For now I am speechless.

Wonderful report dgun, have enjoyed every word of it, brings back memorys of India. Sorry to hear about the pickpocketing, but that happens everywhere in the world.

After breakfast, a quick shower and a bit of relaxation in the cool confines of our room, we were ready to begin exploring again. This time we set out to see the ghats and narrow alleyways by foot. One can easily get lost in the many twisting alleyways. But to get lost is the joy of being in Varanasi. It is not possible to walk the waterfront from one end to the other as the water levels come up too high in some areas. This necessitates strolling through the many narrow streets which are lined with homes, storefronts, small shrines and temples. The streets are filled with people, cows, dogs, carts, motorcycles, and the occasional goat. Monkeys can be seen scampering along the rooftops. The streets are too narrow for cars.

As the religious capital of India, Varanasi is famous for its many temples. The renowned Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva (now known as the Golden Temple) is set in the narrow alleyway and was not too far from our hotel. Security is high in this area and cameras and cell phones are forbidden to those entering the temple. Regretfully, we did not visit this site as we did not want to return to our room to store our electrical devices. In retrospect, I realize we could gone in separately, each taking turns holding the others cameras and phones. Oh well...next time.

For us, Varanasi was less about seeing the temples and more about watching the people go about their daily lives, seeing the fascinating Sadhu (holy men), interacting with the store front owners, the children, watching the variety of foods being prepared, the people eating and drinking their massala chai, and the people going about their daily business. We dared not sample the foods, even when offered a taste by those Indians noticing our curiousity. I felt badly declining their kind offer, but was fearful of getting ill.

As we continued our exploration we began to recognize many of the people living in Varanasi and they began recognizing us. It is uncanny how the local people knew where we were staying, where we were going and where we were from.

Varanasi in early October is a three shirt/three shower town. It's awfully hot and draining and it was impossible to continue throughout the day without returning to our rooms for a reprieve from time to time.

Along with the narrow alleyways, the main street of Varanasi is well worth exploring and there are wonderful shops with beautiful material, saris and other textiles for those interested in making purchases. On these streets which are wider than the narrow alleys closer to the ghats, one can find tuk tuks, bicycle rickshaws and horse-drawn carts for rent as well as taxis, cars and other vehicles.

Off this street is an area referred to as the Indian Market, which reminded us of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. We wandered through this market for quite a while and it seemed to go on endlessly. We got totally lost, but ultimately ended up in the old city where we happily were able to find our hotel after being directed by several of the children. A word of advice - be sure to carry your hotel's card with you.

On our third day in Varanasi, as we wandered the main road, I noticed a bicycle rickshaw driver who we had seen on several occasions and he convinced us to allow him to take us to the Durga Temple, also known as the Monkey temple which was approximately 20 minutes away. It was quite an experience seeing the scenery from the back of a rickshaw and we alternated between taking pictures and hanging on for dear life. It was so hot that I was afraid our rickshaw driver would keel over and die. At one point he had to pull over from utter exhaustion and although he apologized we insisted he rest longer. Upon arriving at the Monkey temple we were told that cameras and cell phone are not allowed. While there are storage lockers, my husband decided not to go in, so I quickly visited the temple on my own. The grounds of the temple were quite filthy and I did not consider this temple worth visiting. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the ride, the scenery, and our driver's commentary as he tried pointing out things to us along the way. We also stopped at another temple which was quite nice, but I'm afraid I cannot remember its name.

On our final evening, we again hired a private boat for a ride up the Ganges, but this time decided to take a motor boat instead as we thought we would be able to journey further in the same amount of time. Our boat ride began at approximately 6 pm and we enjoyed our ride immensely, watching the scenery once again and enjoying the beautiful sunset. The breeze from the boat felt wonderful after having wandered the hot streets for hours. In retrospect, I believe the motor boat was more enjoyable as the cool breeze was a delight.

I could go on endlessly about the intriguing sites we encountered in Varanasi while simply strolling down its many streets, about the woman receiving "dental care" from a man probing in her mouth with a dental instrument while both squatted on the dusty street surrounded by people, dogs and vehicles; or about the diversity of people including Hindu and Muslims in their various attire; or about the beggars and lepers, but you cannot understand Varanasi unless you see it for yourself.

This city is truly amazing and was the highlight of our trip to India. We could easily have spent many more days there and would likely have seen more had the weather not been so oppressive. We realize that we missed out on a visit to Sarnath, the site where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon, and to Benaras Hindu University: one of largest universities in Asia. We did not see the Ramnagar Fort or the Bharat Mata Temple: dedicated to Mother India or a multitude of other temples and sites in Varanasi, but one has to pick and choose when traveling and we were satisfied with all that we had seen and done.

On our last night in Varanasi, after returning from our boat ride, we found the ghats alive with festivities as the people celebrated the last day of the festival Durga. The festival of Durga Puja is celebrated for ten days including the last day when the idol of the Goddess is immersed in a sacred water body. It was an incredible site seeing various statues paraded down the steep steps of the ghats, carried by large groups of men who eventually passed the statues on the the holy men who prayed over them and then immersed them in the ganges. There was music and chanting as the Indians enjoyed their holiday. We regrettably pulled ourselves away from the festivities as it was getting late and we had not yet eaten. We returned to our hotel where we enjoyed our last dinner at the wonderful Dolphin Restaurant. The next day we would be checking out early for our trip to the airport where we would fly to Delhi, our last stop on our wonderful trip.

fantastic...

we depart for kolkata from bkk this afternoon...

Wonderful report,dgunbug.
Great insight in your travel experiences....enjoyed reading your report and felt like we were there with you.

I am adding Jaiselmer to my bucket list...and my wife wants to go to Varanasi too. Probably early next year.

Waiting for the next installment.

Loving your report - and now really really looking forward to our stop in Varanasi in a few weeks.

I'm interested to hear that Varanasi was the highlight of your trip because I had already decided that no matter where else we go in India, and I am thinking of taking a trip that is not the norm, Varanasi is the one place that needs to be included in my itinerary. I can miss out on the Taj Mahal, but Varanasi is a must see for me. Thanks for reconfirming this for me.

Julies - it would be a shame to miss the taj, but Varanasi and jaisalmer are high on my list. Loved Jaipur and Gwalior is real high up on my list also.

Hi again dgunbug, Like others, I have been following this with great interest, especially because we're considering a similar trip at the same time next year. Varanasi is high on our list, but three shirts/three showers, not so much. Was the weather there more oppressive than in Rajasthan? Any relief in the evenings/early mornings?

Crosscheck - depends on the time of year. I visited in early December and the weather was cool - even requiring a jacket in the evening/morning. It was a great time for touring because we avoided the oppressive heat.

Weather was the same throughout the trip. Would we have done it again if this was the only time to travel..yes. Would we recommend traveling November through February...definitely, although you may factor in much better hotel rates and transportation in the off season when we traveled. We did miss out though on wedding and other festivities in the cooler months. Fog and difficulty with transportation was not a factor for us but could be in the winter months. I say go when you can, bring extra shirts in the warmer months and give yourself time for necessary napping.

Our flight on Kingfisher Airlines was originally scheduled to depart Varanasi at 11:50, but the night before and after we had already confirmed our departure (note - we were advised it was delayed until 12:30), we received a strange email from Kingfisher advising us that our "previously canceled flight" was rescheduled for 12:30. It would have been nice to have received an email previously notifying us that the flight had been canceled, but this did not happen. Thankfully they rescheduled it and the time was not significantly later than the original departure time. For those considering using Kingfisher, BEWARE, as we also learned that they are having financial difficulty and that 75 pilots quit suddenly.

Not knowing what the status of our flight would be when we arrived at the airport, we departed from our hotel early. As it turned out, the traffic was much lighter on our return trip to the airport and we were there far earlier than we needed to be. At approximately 12:00 we boarded the plane for our 12:30 departure, however, upon taxiing down the runway, our pilot detected smoke and we returned to the gate where we remained on the plane for an additional two hours while repairs were made. To the airline's credit, they offered us drinks and finally when I asked if there was anything to eat, I was offered a sandwich. Shortly afterward, before our departure, all passengers were served a choice of vegetarian or chicken sandwiches. The chicken sandwich was decent, the staff friendly and the seats comfortable. We arrived in Delhi far later than anticipated, but things could have been worse...we were happy that the mechanical problems were detected before we took off. Upon picking up our luggage, we departed the airport and searched for our hotel pickup which had been prearranged through the Woodcastle Hotel, but which was a no show. By now, we had exited the airport in search of our driver and the security guard did not want to allow us back into the terminal. The policy at the airport is to not allow passengers into the terminal if they do not have a valid airline ticket for a upcoming flight. As ours had already landed, security did not want to permit our re-entry. After arguing with the security guard and showing him our flight ticket, my husband was finally allowed back in the airport where he searched further for the taxi driver. Finally, realizing that no one was there, he contacted the Woodcastle Hotel and was informed that the driver had previously been to the airport and had left as the flight was delayed. They informed us that they would again send the driver for us. In retrospect, we should have simply taken a taxi to the hotel, but we were afraid that they would never have been able to find it. Approximately 45 minutes later we were finally picked up. The driver was a bit strange, barely acknowledging us after telling us to follow him to the car which was parked quite far away in the parking garage. After several moments while we each followed him with our 22' rolling suit cases in hand, he finally grabbed my husband's suitcase and insisted on carrying it. Both my husband and I were stunned that he didn't offer to take mine and I laughed afterward, telling my husband that the driver had taken his since he is so much older than me!

By now it was quite late in the day and all plans of touring were shot. We had arranged with Arvind, the owner of Castle and King to meet us at the Woodcastle Hotel upon our arrival. He had kindly emailed us an offer to greet us at the airport, but we declined his generous offer as we had already made arrangements with our hotel. Guess that was a bad decision on our part. Just moments after we arrived at the Woodcastle, Arvind arrived to greet us as we had arranged and to settle our tab for the time spent with his drivers. It was a pleasure to meet with this gentlemen who was so professional in all his dealings with us and it still astounds us that he never asked for money up front. After complimenting Arvind on his service and paying our bill, we discussed our plans for the next two days and Arvind most generously offered us the complimentary services of one of his drivers for our first day in Delhi. We were delighted to spend time the next day with Castle and King's driver, Sunni whose English skills were superb. More about that later.

As for the Woodcastle Hotel - we anguished for quite some time over choices of hotels in Delhi and finally chose this one as the recommendations were good on Trip Advisor. Most hotels in Delhi are quite expensive and this one was in the $50.00 range. The hotel is situated in Karol Bagh section of town, walking distance from the metro station. The staff was extremely friendly, but the hotel had more of a backpacker feel to it. The breakfast choices were very limited, but adequate and I believe may have been brought in from outside the premises. We had eggs, toast, juice and massala tea each morning and were satisfied. We were given a room one flight up which seemed adequate, but nothing fancy - but we didn't expect much for the price.

We left the hotel to get dinner and chose to take a tuk tuk over to Connaught Place to explore the area and find something suitable to eat. We were less than impressed with this area of town which is still incomplete - many of the stores are not yet in, the roads are partially complete and there was not a lot of activity going on. We had several restaurant recommendations in this area but were having difficulty finding them. We happened upon the Radisson Hotel and remembered that The Great Kebab Factory @ Hotel Radisson by the airport was highly recommended. As it turns out, this restaurant is also located in the Radisson located at Connaught Place, so we decided to eat there. It turned out to be an excellent choice and we were able to sample a wide arrange of kebabs as well as other Indian food. I definitely recommend this restaurant, but do come hungry as the food is endless. After dinner, we found the metro stop which was quite nearby and easy to use and returned to our hotel.

Ready to retire for the evening and looking forward to a much needed shower, my husband set off directly for the bathroom while I figured I'd remain in the lobby of the hotel for a few moments to use the free internet. We had discovered earlier that while they offered free wi-fi service, it only worked in the lobby. When I returned to the room, my husband was coming out of the shower and I discovered that there were small insects all over the sheets and room. These were small gnat like flies which apparently were attracted to the light and entered through the front door which was not completely closed. After going back down to the lobby and complaining about the room, they offered to change our room to another one flight up, but after checking out that room, there was evidence of flies there too. I was ready to check out of the hotel at this point, but was finally given a room on the fourth floor (all walk up) which seemed to be clean and fly free. We were not very happy, but were tired and decided to just make due with the circumstances. We have stayed in worse, although I must say, this was not our best moment. As it turned out, the stay at the Woodcastle Hotel was quite adequate for what we paid and we slept comfortably. We did notice that the following day there were no flies and the front door remained sealed shut.

More on Delhi later.

We were picked up promptly at 9 AM by Castle & King's driver, a very nice young man who we enjoyed spending the day with. We were grateful that Arvind had provided this driver as Delhi is quite spread out and having a driver makes life incredibly easier. Our time in Delhi was over a weekend and as such, we were told that traffic was much less congested than during the week. Our first impressions of Delhi were far different from what we had imagined. The streets are wide and the city was quite green with many trees and vegetation. The buildings in the New Delhi section are more modern than we had seen throughout the trip, as one would expect in a large city and housing seemed quite nice comparatively.

Our first stop of the day was the the Laxminarayan Mandir Temple, a Hindu temple also known as the Birla Mandir after the Birla group that built it. The temple was built in honour of Lakshmi (Hindu goddess of wealth)and the side temples are dedicated to Shiva, Krishna and Buddha. The temple spread over 7.5 acres, is adorned with many shrines, fountains, and a large garden. Unfortunately, cameras and cell phones were not permitted in this temple and my husband decided to wait outside while I visited it on my own. While I raced through the temple, its beauty was quite apparent and I would have enjoyed spending a bit more time admiring the temple and grounds. This was not a stop that we had put on our list, but I was glad that our driver had taken us there.

We continued our tour, arriving at the towering archway of India Gate, a war memorial situated at the center of New Delhi, built in memory of the Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army in World War I. We were told that the gardens that line its boulevard are a popular place to enjoy a warm summer's evening.

Continuing down the road is the Presidential Palace and on each side of the road are various governmental buildings. We arrived just in time to catch the changing of the guards and enjoyed our visit more than we had expected to. This beautiful area and its buildings reminded us greatly of our own capital, Washington DC. The Indian Gate and the Presidential Palace are certainly must sees.

Our next stop was to Humayun's Tomb, the inspiration for the Taj Mahal's creation and thus, it had many similarities to the beautiful Taj. The tomb was built in 1570, and houses the body of the second Mughal emperor, Humayun. It was the first of this type of Mughal architecture to be built in India, and the Mughal rulers followed it up with an extensive period of construction all over the country. The tomb is part of a greater complex that's set amongst beautiful gardens. We were stunned by the beauty and spent quite a while here.

Qutub Minor, our next stop on the tour was equally amazing. This is the tallest brick minaret in the world and is an incredible example of early Indo–Islamic architecture. It was built in 1206, but the reason remains a mystery. Some believe that it was made to signify victory and the beginning of Muslim rule in India, while others say it was used to call the faithful to prayer. The tower has five distinct stories, and is covered with intricate carvings and verses from the holy Quran. There are also a number of other historic monuments on the site.

Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1193 AD, but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more stories, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last level. The relief work and even the materials used for construction differ. The 238 feet Qutab Minar is 47 feet at the base and tapers to nine feet at the apex. The tower is ornamented by bands of inscriptions and by four projecting balconies supported by elaborately decorated brackets. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled. This complex was quite a surprise to us as we were not expecting much more than the minaret.

Our day was going great thus far and we proceeded to the Lotus Temple to visit the Baha'i House of Worship. By this time it was mid afternoon and we were anxious to get in as much as possible, having lost the prior day. The line was fairly long, but we decided to visit anyway. Before entering the temple, one must remove their shoes, place them in a bag which was provided to us to be placed in a storage area off to the side. I took off my shoes and handed them to my husband who proceeded to the check in area. At that point he had not yet taken off his own shoes and I proceeded on in front of him, taking pictures of the outside of the temple. Moments later I heard my husband coming towards me shouting that he had been pick pocketed. He was more angry with himself, that he had allowed this to happen, than by the fact that his wallet, credit cards, some money and his driver's license were all stolen. Apparently, my husband was bending over to remove his shoes and was jostled by 3 men who were part of the group pick pocketing tourist. By this time my husband was so aggravated that he was not interested in visiting the temple and we departed to look for our driver and to return to our hotel so that we could make phone calls and arrange for credit cards to be canceled.

Our driver felt awful, but of course it was not his fault and there was nothing that he could do. While he was happy to wait for us and continue our tour, we suggested he go home and spend time with his family as he would be leaving the following day to take another couple on a two week tour.

Later we emailed Arvind to thank him once again for his services and to let him know what an enjoyable day we had with his driver until such time as my husband was pick pocketed. We received a reply almost instantly with offers of assistance and even money if we needed it for the remainder of our stay in Delhi. Of course that was not necessary as we keep most of our money in a money belt, but we could not believe the extent of the service provided by Castle and King.

Canceling our American Express card was a breeze, but what a nightmare trying to cancel the Master card that we had on hand. Evidently the international contact phone number on the back of the card was a non working number and the phone number listed on the internet was also incorrect. We finally managed to get hold of a family member in the States and had them call to cancel that particular card using the USA toll free number.

It was already late by the time we resolved our credit card issues and we decided to return to Connaught Place to find a restaurant. I'm afraid I do not have the name of the restaurant, but we had a most enjoyable dinner. Behind our table was a family celebrating a birthday and when a cake was brought to the table (prior to their dinner) we sang Happy Birthday along with them. They surprised us by sending two pieces of birthday cake to our table when we were finished eating. We returned to our hotel via the metro line and called it a night. Our trip was almost complete and we would have our final day in India the next day.

such a great report!!

I must admit that i am amazed that you selected a $50 hotel in delhi where prices are so high generally, and your experiences reinforce why i always seek out higher level places, albeit much more expensive.

we have arrived in kolkata, india yesterday and are taking a quiet day as i have a stubborn cold. i will make sure to protect cash, cards, etc. when we go touring tomorrow. i had forgotten about these issues.

in a couple of days we head to varanasi and will use your experiences as signposts.

I stand corrected...checked my notes again and realized the Woodcastle hotel was $60 and included breakfast. We weren't expecting luxury, but bugs are unexceptable. In all honesty it turned out that the hotel was not half bad. And likely when Arvind saw where we were staying, he felt so bad for us that he felt compelled to offer us a free driver for the day!!! These are the experiences that one looks back upon and laughs about.

Such a fun report to read - such great detail. I was sad to hear the full story of the pickpocketing. It has convinced me to wear the hated money belt.

I hate to admit this & sound neurotic but I'm having pre-trip jitters about bedbugs. Your mention of the Woodcastle flies - was that the worst you saw? I know bedbugs can be anywhere - no use getting worked up about it or I'd never leave home again. We had a scare this summer in our house which ended up being BAT bugs but they are very similar and I had time to research bedbugs before getting the ID so it planted a lot of scary fears in my head that I did not need!

It definitely sounds like Castle and King did a great job for you.

We awakened on our last day, had breakfast, caught up on a few emails and set out for Old Delhi and the Chandani Chowk area. The difference between Old Delhi and New Delhi are like day and night. While the cows, camels and other livestock were not present in this city as in other parts of India, the chaos is ever present. We were a bit surprised by the large number of Muslims in this section of the city and it was interesting to see a mixture of dress between Hindu, extremely religious Muslims in full burqas and those in just head covering. The streets were packed with people and lined with all kinds of products including rugs, books, birds, food items, clothing, kitchen ware, electrical supplies...you name it. The buildings were old and electrical wires were strung up everywhere. Carts, tuk tuks, and bicycle rickshaws filled the streets. We spent many hours just wandering the streets, taking our pictures and looking around. The people were all very friendly and we experienced no beggars as we had in the other cities we visited. As it was Sunday, there were men sitting around playing cards and socializing amicably. It was interesting to note that again, there were far more men on the streets than woman. We enjoyed watching the food being cooked, the tailors and barbers working right on the street and the various vendors selling their wares.

We had decided that we would skip the Red Fort in this city as we had already seen many forts. I had intended to include on my itinerary a visit to Jama Masjid, which was nearby the Chandani Chowk area and to the Akshardham Temple which was outside of the city and which would have required 1/2 day. After the prior day's experience at the Lotus temple, and after having visited so many temples on this trip, my husband just didn't want to visit another one, so regretfully we missed these sites. We also missed a visit to Indira Ghandi’s home and to Nehru’s home as well as several of the shopping areas that I had had on my list. Of course one cannot see everything in such a short time and one must leave sites to return to on future visits.

Exhausted by the heat and having traipsed around all morning long and into the early afternoon, we set out to find the well advertised Karim's restaurant, which was established in its current location in 1913. We had read that the Karim Restaurant, located near the Jama Masjid, offers inexpensive Mughal style cooking at its best. This restaurant was highly recommended by the New York Times as well as others. Upon arrival, the restaurant was packed and we were seated with a nice Malaysian mother and daughter who had settled in New Jersey and who were touring India together. We enjoyed their company and our food which was more than plentiful and which I thought was one of the best meals we had eaten in India. As one chicken dish was quite spicy, my husband barely ate more than a small taste and so I shared the remaining dish with our table mates. I'm afraid I may have done them a disservice, as I later became deathly ill with a good case of delhi belly.

After completing our meal, we decided to head back to our hotel to rest for several hours before we had to head out to the airport for our departing flight back home. As always, we were sorry to have to end our trip, but somehow, on our last day we get into departure mode and seem to curtail our vacation early knowing that we should rest up for that long flight home.

That long flight home seemed longer than any flight I have ever been on. Having had a late lunch around 2 pm and knowing that we would be fed on the plane, we decided to fore go dinner that evening and ate only a banana to hold us over. We departed from the hotel at approximately 8:30 pm (way too early as usual) for our flight which was scheduled to leave at 12:50 AM. We were told that the ride to the airport would take us approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour and we were supposed to be there 3 hours in advance for international flights. The ride to the airport took only 30 minutes. The check in was fairly easy and we found comfortable seating in the upper level. I left my husband to explore the airport for a while and checked out various stores. The new airport is decent, although the air conditioning was not working efficiently where we originally sat. I found out later that the A/C was much better near our gate of departure. Becoming a bit hungry, I bought myself a Hagan Das ice-cream which satisfied me greatly.

Our flight, having used frequent flyer points, was not direct, but rather flew from Delhi to Amsterdam, then to Atlanta and finally back to Fort Lauderdale. Luckily, we did not have a great deal of transit time waiting between flights. Shortly after getting on the plane I became chilled and could not stop shaking despite using three blankets. I also felt nauseous and had a good case of diarreah. (Maybe this is all too much information). I became so ill that I asked for a wheel chair to transfer me between gates. When we arrived in Amsterdam, the airline personnel informed me that I might not be admitted onto the next flight unless I went to their medical center to be examined. Reluctantly, as we were afraid of missing the flight, I agreed to be taken and after talking to the nurse on staff, we all agreed it was merely a case of Delhi Belly and I was given medication to help relieve the symptoms. I was in and out of sleep most of the trip home, between visits to the bathroom. I ate nothing but a roll and tried to keep hydrated. The food on the KLM flight turned my stomach, but I don't know if that was from being ill or the fact that it really looked quite unappealing.
On our last leg of the journey home, my husband started to feel waves of nausea and developed similar symptoms as I had, although not nearly as bad. I was told by my sister who picked us up at the airport that I looked green. It took approximately one week before I was back to myself, although my husband recovered much quicker, even going into work the next day. As much as I loved the Indian food, to this day, the thought of having Indian food is not yet appealing.

The reason I've gone into such details is to warn you that although the food at Karims was one of our most delicious meals, and although we can't say with certainty, the food at Karim's was highly suspect as the cause of our illness and I would certainly never eat there again. I suppose I should be thankful that I did not get sick eating anything earlier during the course of our trip and the fact that our vacation was not ruined.

For approximately one week after returning to Florida, I had vivid dreams about being in India. Perhaps it was from the fever that I still had, but I think those dreams were the result of the tremendous impact that India had on me. Never before have I had such vivid and colorful dreams that took me back in time, riding through the forts upon an elephant, wandering through palaces and reliving the past as if I had been there.

Would I recommend a trip to India to everyone - not at all. But to those who have an open mind, who are adventurous and can deal with the tremendous filth, poor road conditions and the disturbing poverty... India and its people are remarkable and are well worth a visit. As westerners it is so very hard to understand this culture that is so different from our own, but for those who try, there are great rewards.

Phew...I think I am finished with this trip report!

Leslie - the bugs were by no means bed bugs, but flies attracted to light. They were not mosquitos or gnats...not really sure of the type. They didn't bite, but I sure wasn't staying in a room full of them. All of our hotels seemed to be clean and even the Woodcastle was a clean hotel, but for the problem with the bugs which was due to the fact that the front door did not stay securely closed. Would I return to the Woodcastle...probably not, but was it the worst hotel we've ever stayed at - NO.

As for the money belt - we never travel without each using one and we divide our money between us. My husband was once pick pocketed in Madrid and actually caught one of the culprits in the act. There were two young men. One actually had my husband's wallet and my husband grabbed his friend, refusing to let him go until the wallet was dropped. That time the money was removed from the wallet, but the wallet was dropped with its contents - my husband's credit cards and drivers license. Even at that time, the majority of our money was in our money belts. You'd think my husband would have learned not to keep his driver's license and more than one credit card in his wallet. Next time he will be smarter. He was so proud of himself this time as he put a cloth in his pocket to cover the wallet, and to use to wipe his sweat. He thought this would deter pick-pocketers, but it did not. Oh well...live and learn. I also suggest that you make copies of all important documents - your passport, credit cards, health card, etc leaving it in a separate place in case of theft.

Super-compelling trip report. I'm having vivid dreams about it and I wasn't even there. So...other than the pickpocketing and the Delhi Belly, if you were limited to just 14 days had to cut out a few experiences, how would you edit your trip?

F A B U L O U S REPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks so much...

i never carry much cash and today i will only take one credit card with me. i can't be bothered (discomfort) with a money belt.

can't wait for your next trip june..

B&K

Thanks June for taking the time to report in such detail. I have been taking notes. We are off to see Kolkata.

B&k - glad you enjoyed the trip report. I'm enjoying yours as well and look forward to more. It's been decided - china next year, so I'll be looking forward to sharing notes with you as I seem to remember that is where you also intend to travel to. Perhaps we'll meet up next year there.

june, i think we will go to china around oct 15 so that we can be in thailand around nov 1 and stay for the month..

We are thinking 3rd week in October. We do not want to get caught up in the trade fair when prices are at their maximum and crowds at their peak. I'm surprised you are only allocating 2 weeks to China, although I see the draw to Thailand. We'd love to get back there.

dgunbug - thank you for your replies to my concerns but mostly thank you for a wonderful trip report.

I can't imagine being sick on a plane - how awful. I hope you never had to wait for a lav when you had an 'episode.' I imagine you'll be off Indian food for quite a while!

We're going on a group tour so it will be a vastly different trip than yours. I'm resigned to just going with the flow and enjoying the small glimpse of India we'll be getting on this tour. It's not my first chioice of travel mode but it will have to do for now and hopefully some day I'll be able to go back and set my own itinerary, etc.

Thanks again for the effort I know that report took! It brought India to life and was a joy to read.

Crosscheck - your question is most difficult as my favorite places were difficult to get to. In tour limited time I'd recommend dropping jaisalmer and Gwalior. You can cut down the days in jodphur and udaipur but I would suggest traveling in the cooler season so you don't have to rest as often as we did. Wherever you go, there will be interesting people and sites to see and you will have a wonderful experience if you keep your mind open to all that is around you.

June, GREEAATTT TR (think the lion of Frosted Flakes)!! YOur report is marveously full of useful thoughts and details.

Wood Castle New Delhi--so much for totally trusting reviews on TA. Did your tour planner warn you away from it? The folks I use have saved me several times from places which looked fine on website and reviews, only to have the reality be quite different.

Have been reading the FF reports, as have a chance for quick trip to India at end of January (Punjab village wedding of friend's cousin)--then first-time ever, very brief visit to small part Rajasthan. Am copying all your details about Jaipur and surroundings. Gotta see that Monkey Temple and try Indiana Restaurant.

Again..thank you for all the time you put into writing!!

Calinurse - thanks for your kind comments. Lucky you to be invited to an indian wedding! I will look forward to your report as well.

Wonderful report! Thanks so much for taking the time to write in such detail -- I really enjoyed it. We returned from India about 2 weeks ago, and I am getting my thoughts together to do a trip report as well.

I read with great interest that you ate Hagan Das ice cream at the airport in Delhi. We flew home from there as well, and I also got a case of "Delhi Belly," though not nearly as serious as yours. I swear I felt fine until I ate an ice cream cone at that same Hagan Das. Coincidence?

cali--we were really disappointed with indiana, but loved neros...