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Dogster's Next Adventure: India again. Draft Itinerary Unveiled!

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Dogster's Next Adventure: India again. Draft Itinerary Unveiled!

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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 07:10 AM
  #41  
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You simply have to trust. That's the reality of it.

And select well. There are some amazing hotels in strange places. You simply have to work on the assumption that they haven't been poisoning their guests thus far.

My most dangerous areas will be when I'm living in tents at festivals in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It won't be like Pushkar. I'm back on Rann Riders now. One night there I'm sleeping in a cattle cart in a village. But I'll make sure I carry a packed lunch/dinner/water/cold towels and have several strong young men to carry ME. I'm no fool.

Frankly, I have no idea what is going to happen a lot of the time.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 01:33 PM
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Dogster-Your travel plans into remote corners of Rajastan are truly envious.
Just shows how deeply you love traveling in India and how hard you are researching to find the most exciting and adventureous places.
I also find it amazing how well you mix with the locals in the crowds.
a Wonder how you mange with language as well as cultural shocks. And cant figure how you eat at the fairs because I am sure they are some strange looking stuff with spices you never heard of or strange looking fruit and other concoctions.
Most travelers will be apprehensive, so how do you did you get yourself trained to do such a miraculous feat--eat everything, meet and greet strangers and then always have something nice to talk about!
Just cool-most people will not even try!
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 07:33 PM
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What a lovely post ileen. Thank you. It's not nearly as intrepid as you think - or, maybe it is. I sure don't know anybody else who travels like this - even when I'm on the road I'm mostly surrounded by fear from my fellow travellers. They huddle together. I go out into it.

Fear. It's very simple. Fear of getting sick. Fear of a different culture. Fear of actual connection. When we travel with a guide, driver and car we can set up a little touring bubble that SEES but doesn't LOOK. We feel safe inside it.

You have to stay. Three days, as I've said, is a good length of time. You have to actually be interested... embrace the differences. Men are men, all over the world. Children are children. Young men are young men. Women are, apparently women. [I meet so few of them on the road, for a thousand cultural reasons, that I reserve judgement.]

I'm not in the least intrepid with food. I don't eat anything off the street. Full stop. I don't let anything other than bottled water [and beer] pass my lips. When at fairs etc. I'll be travelling in my own little bubble, food and accomodation wise. Like I said, these are the riskiest places.

It all comes back to fear AND something strange that's happened to me over the last twelve months. Scales have fallen from my eyes. Somehow, for the first time, I can see properly, without everything being filtered through a fine curtain of my own terror. Like many of us, I too have had to confront my own mortality head-on. Having won that battle - or at least managed to wake up alive several years in a row, I've come to the conclusion that I'd sooner die at the hands of marauding tribesmen in Namibia, Papua New Guinea or Maheshwar than sink into a torpor back at home.

Fear again. Or, finally, a LACK of it. Death in bed or death in Venice? Who cares? I'm still dead. This old crow would sooner go out flapping his wings.

Language is easy. A firm handshake, a look in the eye, a smile, waving hands and expressive face - it's easy. If you understand your own happiness and pain, it's easy to understand that in others. If you know love, if you know parenthood, if you know what it was like to be young...

Remember, I'm an old, unthreatening fart. They call me Uncle. That Uncle sits down in the dirt and drinks chai with them, that he says 'Yes' instead of 'No', that he laughs and smokes ganja with them, that he keeps quiet when required and watches, rather than playing the lead role, that he laughs and takes the piss out of himself - seems to impress them. I'm always having people say 'We've never had a tourist just like you...'

But I'm not an idiot. The moment my intuition says 'get outta here!' I go. Unfortunately, my intuition kicks in a little late sometimes.

The only things that can really get you into trouble on the road, [barring accident] are sex, drugs, and crap food. Money CAN buy you love - or a brief approximation. When it's your turn to pay - you better pay with a smile. If you've been ripped off - accept it as your role in the performance. If you've been ripped off BIG then you've been dumb. That's all. Cop it.

Gawd, ileen, I realise I could write a treatise on this topic. Better stop. I'm not worthy of your kind words.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 08:21 PM
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I am <i>shocked</i>.
You never eat off the streets? Really? Why not?
Are you concerned about food safety or just not interested in that type of food?
Hmmmm. Interesting.
I know you have to know that street food can be just as safe as food in a restaurant or hotel (if not safer) if you follow some basic rules.
What will you eat when at the Camel fair or whenever it is you will be sleeping in a cart? ;-)
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 08:34 PM
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Kristina, while I am an adventurous eater (in terms on new foods, new flavors, new spices) I never eat street food. I'm afraid I know too much about transmission of food and water-borne illnesses. You increase your chances of food-borne illness exponentially by eating somewhere that does not have hand-washing facilities.

I eat hawker food in Malaysia and SIngapore (where hawker centers have hand-washing facilities) but not in Thailand, Cambodia, VN.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 08:36 PM
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I've eaten street food in China, where it was dunked in boiling oil while I watched, but not in India. And the one time I did it in Thailand I felt distinctly queasy for a while afterwards.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 09:05 PM
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Lol Kristina - I've finally shocked you! Drug abuse, sexual misadventure, hookers, whores and Jimmy's - all failed to shock but street food - aha! lol. I'm a happy dog.

Now I'm talking about India here: It's purely for safety. I'm on the road for three months at a time. I don't obsess about it at all. I just have my funny rules that seem to get me through. And I follow the nuances of my body. I think it knows. I just have to listen.

You know that moment when you taste something and you KNOW something is kinda wrong? I stop eating then and there. I go hungry. [Dogster's travel tip #547: always carry a secret supply of chocolate.]

I actually stay in quite good places. I eat there or at restaurants full of locals - not tourists - I guzzle chai at every opportunity, happily sit in the dirt - but nah, no street food. I'll pass. I tend to eat chicken most of the time. Having spent many hours in many markets I've seen what happens to the meat.

I've learnt that the fatal words in the itinerary 'lunch at a local restaurant' can signal horror piled upon horror. When I see those words I say No-o-o-o. Gently. No-o-o-o. Dogster's lunch will be a packed, picnic delight on a riverbank instead.

In my cattle cart I'll be receiving food parcels from Rann Riders who are setting it up. Nobody gets offended, it seems. They are acutely aware that tourists get sick at the slightest opportunity. It's not in anybody's interests to kill us. It's the same as the packed lunch principle.

The real danger is from well-meaning strangers whose idea of hygiene works for them but not for me. The only time I got sick, as Kathie will remember, was when I ate at the little boy's house in Varanasi. This was a thank you lunch for Uncle Dogster. It could not be refused. Salad. I watched as she poured that pure Mother Ganga water over the sliced tomato. I knew what was coming. It did.

I spent a week in Kathmandu immediately following, doing all those things you do...

Is it fear? Is it folly? Is it wise, dumb or worse? I dunno. I'm still standing. I reckon it's all about the water. Solve that and you're 80% there.

Then pray to your Dogster God, keep alert, trust your nose and jump.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 09:42 PM
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&quot;[Dogster's travel tip #547: always carry a secret supply of chocolate.]&quot; LOL - the one thing I can't find in SE Asia is really good quality dark chocolate. I always have some in my carry on just in case... pharmaceutical grade...
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 09:42 PM
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We all have our rules when it comes to food on the road.
I'll eat on the street, but only if I see the food cooked before my eyes and only if the perishables are on ice or in some sort of refrigeration.
One of the best things one can do is wash <i>their own</i> hands before eating.
I can't really comment on India as I have not been there yet.
Yes, most of it is about the water and I don't think I would have been as gracious as you to eat the Ganges washed tomato. I did turn down raw pork larb during a pre-wedding meal in a small Northern Thailand village once. I ate the fried pig's intestines, but had to draw the line with the raw pork.

I too, always carry snacks; chocolate, nuts, dried fruit.

It doesn't seem to matter where I eat, I always get a &quot;touch&quot; of something when I travel but I chalk that up to over-indulgence of spicy food, too much fruit, or too-rich foods, rather than anything else. Happens to me where ever; in Rome and Paris, Thailand, or Cambodia.

I've only been truly laid out a couple of times; Bali and Nepal during my RTW and Paris a few years back come to mind right now. I've also gotten seriously sick here at home from eating in restaurants.

I know a lot about foodborne illness too as a result of years and years in the restaurant business. But I'm not sure eating in restaurants is any safer than on the street or in markets in places like Thailand (again, can't comment on India).
I can't tell you how many times I've seen food being prepped or dishes being bucket washed in some Bangkok back alley behind a restaurant.
If people don't wash their hands, they don't.
We have some of the strictest food safety laws in the world here in CA and still people get sick.
I think at some point we all have to just hope for the best. That said, yes, I am cautious too.

And Pup, don't worry, you've shocked me a couple of times before this, I've just kept quiet, hoping not to discourage you.
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Old Jan 4th, 2009, 10:13 PM
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I agree with you, dogster, when it comes to street food, best to be cautious and safe.

Actually, I have just a few basic rules for eating overseas, and they seem to work for me.
(1) Never eat cut fruit, except at a known restaurant.It's OK to buy whole fruit, wash it myself, and then cut it with a clean knife.
(2) Drink bottled water, or beer, or hot fluids like tea etc. Avoid ice unless I know where the water came from that was used to make the ice.
(3) Give myself a little time to acclimatize to the local diet before jumping in to eat EVERYTHING.
(4) Eat hot food as much as possible.

Beyond that, I stop worrying, because worry will cause unnecessary stress, which does not help me.

And then there is chocolate. It is available in major cities in India (not sure about good dark chocolate, though). Smaller towns or remote villages are a different story.

Happy trip planning !!
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Old Jan 5th, 2009, 09:39 PM
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Fascinating stuff guys, I realise I rarely talk about this stuff, I just get on and bumble through.

When I do get sick, I check in immediately to the nearest, most expensive chain hotel I can find, get room service and sit it out. The Dog does not soldier on. He yields.

I think magical's point 'Give myself a little time to acclimatize to the local diet before jumping in to eat EVERYTHING' is very smart indeed. Once I've been out on the road for a fortnight or so the danger period seems to be over. [Famous last words]. Like Kristina, I find the minor explosive moments more amusing than terrifying. Par for the course. I have great many adolescent jokes for those occasions. They make me laugh, anyway.

Planning continues apace. I just had to blow out my festivals in Chattisgargh. A little research reveals a major Maoist insurgency going on there. It was the little matter of the three policeman hacked to death yesterday - twenty kilom. from my proposed base that did it. I'm a sook, I know...

So I'm going to stay in Kolkata for another week instead. I love that city beyond reason.

The two really obscure festivals I've locked in. A tent for four days. My various enquiries turned up the secretary of the Heritage Hotels Association of Gujarat. A very esteemed being. lol. For no reason at all, I'm placing myself in his brightly turbanned care. Well, actually, there ARE reasons. This man appeared to read my mind.

You can go here and look at him, just for fun.
www.poshina.com/take_trip.html

Does this man look like a criminal? My intuition says 'no'. But then, I thought that about Blue Poppy in Bhutan. lol.
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 03:11 AM
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Hi,

we are also doing the same itinerary (but littile bit different from yours), our travel agent has offered us the same hotels in great deals, i am pasting my itinerary hear, and if you want to take my travel agents email is : [email protected]


HIDDEN TREASURE OF INDIA


Duration: 19 Nights / 20 Days
Places Covered: Delhi - Ahmedabad - Gondal - Bhuj - Dasada - Danta - Poshina – Dungerpur – Udaipur – Ghanerao – Narlai – Rohet – Jodhpur – Delhi

Highlights of Tour: POSHINA'S CHITRA VICHITRA MELA (25/26 March) / GANGAUR FESTIVAL, UDAIPUR (29/30 March’08)

Date: 15th March (Day 01) - Arrive Delhi
Arrive Delhi. Met on arrival and transfer to hotel for overnight stay

Date : 16th March (Day 02) - Delhi - Ahmedabad
On arrival at Ahmedabad airport, you would be received and transferred to the hotel. Ahmedabad is a main hub of the contemporary and traditional textiles. Few crafts flourish at Ahmedabad as block-printing and the narrative cloth paintings of Mata-Ni-Pachedi. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Date : 17th March (Day 03) - Ahmedabad

Today take a tour of the leading specialized textile museum of India ‘Calico Museum’. Calico Museum has the rich collection of textile swatches of Indian origins which are found at famous sites of archaeological in Egypt, Sarees of silk from the throughout India, the silk sarongs of double-ikat prepared at Patan especially for the markets of Indonesian, curtains &amp; chintz completed during the Dutch, Portuguese &amp; British colonial reign at Gujarat, Punjab’s floral embroidery, famous Kashmiri shawls, tie-and-dye work of 18th of century, opulently embroidered tent of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan that palace is located very close, Rajasthan’s royal attires, manuscripts &amp; paintings on the cloths, spiritual description in the paintings of cloths known as Kalamkari &amp; Pichwai. Later the few other museums of Ahmedabad based on folk art collection. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Date : 18th March (Day 04) - Ahmedabad-Gondal (250 KMS)
In the morning leave Ahmedabad for princely place Gondal. Gondal has considerable significance and prosperity. Later take a sightseeing tour of 1740 AD Naulakha Palace to see the superb collection of former rulers as textiles, beadwork, toys painted by hands, crafts of silver, brassware &amp; the excellent carvings. Also visit the place that promotes the weaving in Gondal and few historic buildings. In the evening, take a tour to Rabari and Bharwad villages’ located bear to Gondal. Stay overnight at a heritage hotel which is fabulously decorated by the rich textile collection of erstwhile ruling family of Gondal.

Date : 19th March (Day 05) - Gondal-Junagarh-Gondal

Today take an excursion to Junagadh to visit the carpets of gem-encrusted, the Nawab’s tapestry in the museum and wardrobes. Historical Junagadh is known for its 03rd of century (BC) Buddhist ruins, medieval palace, complexes of tomb and the forts. Stay overnight at Gondal.

Date : 20th March (Day 06) - Gondal-Rajkot-Bhuj (259 KMS)
Transfer from Gondal to Bhuj visiting Watson Museum at Rajkot on the way to see the skills of the craftsmanship in Gujarat and Rashtriya Shala. Finally arrive at Bhuj, check in to the hotel.

Date : 21st March (Day 07) - Bhuj
Take the excursion to the villages near to Bhuj. Visit rustic Hindu groups as Rabaris and Ahirs. Also see the traditional Islamic communities as Jaths and Muthwas. Take a tour of the groups of artisans namely Meghwals. There are also Sodha Rajputs refugee came from the area called Thar Parker in Pakistan and the embroidery techniques of these group is must watch. Return back to Bhuj to stay overnight.

Date : 22nd March (Day 08) - Bhuj -Dasada (240 KMS)
Transfer to Dasada visiting beautiful old villages and towns on the way. Arrive at Dasada and take a tour of Vadiara, Rabaris, Jaths, Mirs, Kharapat and Bajanias communities. Stay overnight at jungle resort. Here you will use locally prepared materials and handicrafts which make you, feel like a village.

Date : 23rd March (Day 09) - Dasada-Patan-Danta (200 KMS)
In the morning, drive to Patan to see the working Salvis on Patola. Patola is considered as one of the finest silk textiles. Also watch the woven with the use of technique double-ikat. Take a tour of 11th of century’s Sun Temple at Modhera. Modhera Sun Temple is one of the most excellent examples of Hindu’s temple architecture at western India. Visit 12th century Taranga Jain Temples. Stay overnight at Danta. Bhil tribes are surrounding this place.

Date : 24th March (Day 10) - Palanpur/ Danta-Poshina (70 KMS)
In the morning depart Danta for Poshina. Take a tour of the tribal villages of Garasia near to Poshina. Also visit a shrine of Bhils and Garasias tribes. Stay overnight at Poshina.

Date : 25th March (Day 11) - Poshina ( POSHINA'S CHITRA VICHITRA FAIR)
Two weeks after Holi in the month of March/April, the Chitra Vichitra Fair is held at the confluence of three rivers near the village of Poshina. The fair is attended by tribals in great numbers, sometimes exceeding 60,000. The site is believed to date from the time of the Mahabharata, when Chitraveer and Vichitraveer are said to have repented at the Shiva temple, around which the fair is centred. This fair, one of the largest, purely 'Adivasi' (tribal) fairs is attended by around 60,000 to 70,000 tribal people. It takes place every year in the village of Gunbhakhari in Sabarkantha district, very near the borders of Rajasthan. It is held a fortnight after Holi, the festival of colours.

Date : 26th March (Day 12) - Poshina ( POSHINA'S CHITRA VICHITRA FAIR)
Enjoy the full day in Fair Ground &amp; experience the original.

Date : 27th March (Day 13) - Poshina / Dungarpur (100 kms)
The district is the stronghold of Bheels, a tribe whose history of occupancy in the Aravalli range is said to date back to 4000 BC. They are one of the oldest and most primitive tribes of the world. This morning we will visit some of these unspoiled Bheel hamlets in and around the town. We will witness and photograph age-old tribal lifestyles and customs handed down over the centuries.
Udai Bilas Palace is a round-the-year paradise for bird watchers. One can see from the Palace itself at remarkably close range egrets, night and pond herons, white necked and painted storks, coots and winter or resident ducks among others, depending on the season of your visit. Overnight At Hotel.

Date : 28th March (Day 14) - Dungarpur / Udaipur (100 Kms)
Following breakfast, we drive to Udaipur. Royal capital of a divine dynasty. Languid Lake City, strewn with marble palaces, hibiscus - massed gardens, fountain pavilions, and cobbled medieval gardens.
Welcome to Udaipur, the famed &quot;City of sunrise &quot;. Founded in 1567 by Maharana Udai Singh, from the lineage of the legendary Sisodias of Mewar - the decedents of the sun God. A city where the sun truly never set, where tradition and a strict code of heroism were happily united with a love of fine living. A city that has come to be an oasis of romance in the warrior state of Rajasthan. Upon arrival check into the hotel Jagat Niwas.
Afternoon is at leisure for nature walks, visits to the bustling bazaars or just to enjoy your charming heritage hotel overlooking the tranquil Lake Pichola. Overnight At Jagat Niwas.

Date : 29th March (Day 15) - Udaipur (GANGAUR FESTIVAL 29-30th March)
GANGAUR FESTIVAL : Celebrated with great fervor, the Gangaur Festival in Udaipur , is one of the famous festivals and events in Udaipur that bears a special significance for the people of Rajasthan. Celebrated in honor of goddess Gauri, it is a spring festival where the devotees offer their prayer to the goddess whom they consider as the mother of abundance. Though the celebrations take place in parts of Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nathdwara, Jaisalmer in a massive scale, the Gangaur Festival in Udaipur is celebrated with equally pomp and grandeur in other parts of the country as well.
In the afternoon the idols of Isar and Gauri are taken out to a garden, tank or a well. Both the images are placed on the heads of the married women and are accompanied by songs. The theme of the songs is the departure of Gauri who is on the way to her husband's house. On the first two days of the Gangaur Festival at Udaipur, the image of Gauri is made to face backwards. On the final day the image is made to face the same direction as Isar. Finally the ceremonial procession comes to an end with the immersion of the images in the waters of the tank or the well. After the women bid farewell to Gauri they return to their homes with the hope to celebrate it the next year.

Date : 30th March (Day 16) - Udaipur / Ghanerao (125 Kms)
We would have an opportunity to explore the feudal village of Kumbhalgarh. The people here are extremely friendly and hospitable. We witness their ethnic tribal lifestyle. We continue our ride to the interiors of Rajasthan to witness tribal life untouched by modern times. Upon arrival at Ghanerao we check into the Royal Ghanerao Castle. Afternoon escorted walks through the primitive town to witness traditional styles of living and occupation. Overnight At Ghanerao Castle.

Date : 31st March (Day 17) - Ghanerao / Narlai (60 Kms)
Following breakfast we ride to Narlai, stopping several times for photos and walks through the countryside to interact with and witness the life styles of the natives. Upon arrival check into Rawla Narlai. Rawla Narlai is full of surprises; it is situated in the heart of a typical Rajasthani village bustling with activity and bursting with colours. Afternoon, we would have an escorted stroll through the small town, bustling with activity and bursting with colour- perhaps pausing to see the rich handicrafts or even to design your own silver Tabiz, a ancient lucky charm, both for women and men- worn around the neck, at the silversmith. Overnight At Rawla Narlai

Date : 01st April (Day 18) - Narlai / Rohet (110 Kms)
Morning at leisure to enjoy the amazing palace hotel of whimsical charm and the surrounding fairy tale town of Rohet.
Late afternoon we enjoy jeep safaris to visit the heart of Rajasthan villages where traditions centuries old still permeate life styles. One can witness the 'opium ceremony' - a ritual by which guests are welcomed. Gaily attired men and women carry on their chores and one can catch a glimpse of their norms and customs. The smoothened mud floors of the village huts remind one of the simple and traditional living here. Overnight: Rohetgarh

Date : 02ndApril (Day 19) Rohet / Jodhpur (40 Kms) / Delhi
Following breakfast, we drive to Jodhpur. Upon arrival, check into the Hotel. Afternoon, proceed on a guided tour of Jodhpur. Our tour includes the massive fort. In olden days this must have been impregnable since its rocky base is scraped straight down making it nearly impossible to ascend. Once inside, royal palaces abound with fascinating history and priceless jewels, on to the armory and Jaswant Thara - Overnight Train to Delhi.
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 03:41 AM
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Thanks sarah, for that generous first post. Did you join Fodor's just to come in and tell me? Thanks for dumping your itinerary in the middle of my post. I appreciate that.

I wouldn't do an trip like that in a thousand years. If I were you, I'd shoot your travel agent.

He has you driving over 1,200 km over the course of 6 days [18 - 23 March]. This is classic Indian travel agent bullcrap. The more you drive, the less you see, the more profit they make.

So thanks, but no thanks. I don't need another smart Indian travel agent in my life. They lie. They cheat. Sometimes they even pretend to be someone else.


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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 07:01 AM
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True, the Hidden Treasures itinerary reminds me of a German movie I saw called Run Lola Run!! In any case the hidden trasures shall remain hidden with all that running.

Coming to your queries -

The grooviest, boutique-iest, oddest, most unexpected place to stay in Jaipur - High end and totally safe - Samode Haveli - www.samode.com
Mid-range - Naila Bagh www.nailabaghpalace.com or Narain Niwas - www.hotelnarainniwas.com or their sister property just out of Jaipur - Castle Kanota - also at www.hotelnarainniwas.com
Low range - www.ratanhaveli.com

Bhuj is definitely the pretiest place in Gujarat. The Banni area, around Hodka, is stark and beautiful. Tried to book the Shaam e Sarhad for a client and had the damnedest time getting any kind of replies from them. Finally had to settle for Prince in Bhuj. But got a call a day before the booking date from Shaam manager asking if my client was going to stay with them. I went purple but I saved his number. The lesson - Dont email and try calling if you want to book. The emails are read but not replied to, it seems. Parth- +91-94274-52626. For the record the email is - [email protected]. Also remember this a seasonal camp and may not be operational in March/April. An alternate is Garha Safari Lodge en route from Bhuj to Banni(sorry dont have a website)
Also well worth the visit the Vijay Vilas Palace on the beach at Mandvi.
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 07:18 AM
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Thanks Nik, great info: I'll run thru all that. BTW, I've taken your advice on Mt. Abu and Jaipur House. The minute I saw it I knew it was perfect.

You too with Shaam e Sarhad, eh? Hopeless. I did get a reply from Parth telline me to contact another guy and round and round - and nothing. I had to blow it out. Looks great though. Fly in, fly out, easy 8 - 10 day trip Hotel Ilark/Shaam/Mandvi - very cool I think.

I'm thinking of going East from Udaipur across to Bassi Fort, Bhuj, Kota, Bainsrogargh and Jhalawar then back down to Ujjain and Maheswar to finish the circuit. I have a Doggy feeling about Bainsrogargh and Jhalawar...

And I think there might be more adventures going East.
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 08:14 AM
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Dogster, what fun to watch your planning process! I always research at least two to three times as many places as I can actually get to.
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 02:41 PM
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Dogster,
I'm just back from our trip...had a great time and now the pressure is on for the report.

Anyway just a couple of comments. I highly recommend the Bassi Fort Hotel and Ravla Khempur east of Udaipur. We really like the area all the way to Bundi and went to a large fair at Jhalawar...no tourists at all. People seemed very bemused particularly when I got on a hand cranked iron ferris wheel. On the top of it all I could think was it would be very foolish to die in a predictable disaster on this thing!

If you do opt for Devi Garh don't go for the tents. They are down at the bottom of the fort next to the vegetable garden and have a &quot;poor relative&quot; feel about them. This is a large property, very romantic and luxe with a strong wow factor but it doesn't have the heart of the family places. It's somewhere you could stop in for lunch and get a good sense of it. We liked Kankarwa in Udaipur for reasonable prices, nice views and dinner which can be ordered on the roof. Rohet Garh is another great property. A friend of ours was there is November and loved it too.
I haven't visited but Dungapur is somewhere I've considered.

WE have photos of many of these at our website
www.eyebright.com/travels

WE had a great time in Assam and we also LOVED Calcutta. What a great city and easy to get around by cab. I have some great recommendations for a walking tour with an architect who has been working on the conservation/preservation of Dalhousie Sq. I'll put the details in the trip report. I could certainly see spending a week in Calcutta.

Hope this helps!
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 03:42 PM
  #58  
 
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Dogster, see my pleading to you on the PBS thread!
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Old Jan 6th, 2009, 08:16 PM
  #59  
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welcome back, welltravelled: I'm really looking forward to your report. I hope Udit made a fuss of you on the boat.

Thanks for your comments. My word, we are similar travellers. We could just swap itineraries and not have a worry. Your choice in hotels, river cruises et al is a complete match to mine. Amazing. I think we are the only ones in here [oh, and Mitch] who really GET the river-cruise thing. Everybody else thinks it'll be like a week on Carnival Cruises.

I'll post the latest variation later so others can see what we're talking about. Did you stay at Prithvi Vilas in Jabalpur?

I found 'Calcutta Walks' in Kolkata. Similar to your architect, I think. I tried to find your guys, but, in the Indian manner, they NEVER replied to repeated E-mails.

Jaya: yes, I saw. Lol. I'll respond in there.
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Old Jan 7th, 2009, 01:09 AM
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Excuse me for a moment. I just have to give this guy a smack.

O.K. Balveer...

Balveer Singh Rathore
B - 201, 2nd Floor, Sharma House, Gautam Nagar, New Delhi - 110049, India
24X7 Contact: +919811913864
Email: , [email protected]

You've been doing this on other sites, haven't you? '

'he is very young but he is very knowledheable &amp; friendlly,' [sic]

If you do it again, I'll start calling your mobile at 3.00 a.m. You'll stop being friendly then.
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