hi to all you traveller's <BR> <BR>I came across the FODOR'S site on the recommendation with one of the fellow travellers from France in the lonelyplanet thorn tree section. I was told to plan a trip to India one must prepare very well and should yet be prepared for any eventuality that might come ones way as nothing is predictable in that country. After careful research and planning of about 6 and a half months we (ie my family of 3 kids along with my husband) went on a tour of North India and Rajasthan. It was a great experience and we totally enjoyed every part of it. Our tour was comprising of the cities of Udaipur , Jodhpur , Jasalmere , Jaipur (in rajasthan) , Delhi , Agra , Khjuraho and Varanasi elsewhere and later we went over to Nepal for a few days. The entire programme was organised by a very friendly and well informed tour operator in North India and it was totally worth it. I am posting this message as I want all fellow traveller to know that India is a very beautiful and mystical country (contary to the images of the media) and if anybody wants any help or information on the cities we visited or elsewise I would be glad to offer me help. <BR> <BR>Have a nice day ! <BR> <BR>Kathleen <BR> <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR> <BR>I want to thank

Am looking at India also-What health precautions did you take-and shots I am told almost eveyone gets ill when going there

I am wondering if you would share your thoughts on the hotels you stayed in in Rajasthan. My husband and I are planning a trip in January.

Kathleen, Thanks for your encourging message on traveling in India. My husband and I are planning a trip in Oct. Can you give the name of the tour group you used. Also name of hotels in rajasthan Thanks <BR>ttro

HI <BR> <BR>IT SEEMS YOU HAD A VERY INTRESTING TRIP TO INDIA ! I WOULD APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD SEND ACROSS THE NAME OF THE TOUR COMPANY YOU USED ... ARE THEY BASED IN US OR IN INDIA ... <BR> <BR>KINDLY LET ME KNOW <BR> <BR>RGDS <BR> <BR>ANDRE

hi seems like you had a very good tour ! could you pl share some points on health and basic precautions one should take during a trip to India and if possible give us the name of the tour company which you used... <BR> <BR>Thanks

hi could you tell me the names of the hotels you were staying at ? <BR> <BR>Thanks ' <BR> <BR> <BR>R

Hi! <BR>I love India very much especially Agra where the Taj Mahal is. Absolutely awesome structure of marble with Arabic scriptures on this Seventh Wonder! <BR>I ate in hotels/resturants and try to avoid drinking water with ice cubes. Had a bad bout of diarrhoea thereafter! <BR>India is really THE place where the contrasts between the rich and the poor was so vividly entrenched in my mind. My heart really went out for the really poor. Some who had no hands or legs.. stubs actually knocking on my colleague's car asking for money!

hello fellow <BR> <BR>contact www.touroperators-india.com

THE POSTING ABOVE WITH THE LINK IS NOT MY POSTING ... PLEASE DEAL WITH PRECAUTION REGARDING THE AGENCY MENTIONED ABOVE AS THEY ARE ADVERTISING FOR THEMSELVES THROUGH THIS FORUM... <BR> <BR>THANKS

Ya guys... <BR> <BR>Be careful of these people. Thanks Kathleen. I also found out that this agency does not have a very good name in the market. <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR> <BR>Micheal <BR> <BR>

micheal, <BR> <BR>its not right, i travelled with this company last year and they are just wonderful....may be u dont have first hand experience..not a nice gesture to say anything wrong about any compnay without even using them. <BR> <BR>cheers

Taking the shots before going to India is a good idea. <BR> <BR>Check out the website for "Centre for disease control and prevention" at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm. They have very useful information. <BR> <BR>In addition, the major contributors to travellers' poor health are- <BR>(a) Water <BR>(b) Hot Weather <BR>(c) Unhygienic Food <BR> <BR>If you take care of these aspects, you should be fine. Drink only mineral water from reputed companies like "Bisleri". Insist on getting the sealed bottle and inspect the seal before opening the cap. If, for some weird reason, water is not available, drink Pepsi, Coke, Miranda, Miranda Lemon, Slice (mango drink), Maaza (another mango drink), and Thums Up (A cola drink which tastes somewhere in between Pepsi and Coke. Really good). <BR> <BR>Unless you are getting dehydrated, resist the temptation to drink water from any other source. <BR> <BR>I would also avoid fresh fruits juices that are available at most tourist spots. <BR> <BR>Take appropriate precautions if you are going in summer months. Wear proper clothing and drink lot of (mineral) water to prevent heat stroke. <BR> <BR>Eat food at good Indian restaurants. Though small eateries offer some of the greatest food and service, avoid them. I love small eateries and would rather have food there but then my stomach is adjusted the food of India. <BR> <BR>And for God's sake, don't order western dishes when you go to India. Try the ethnic Indian food. It is absolutely amazing. <BR> <BR>And in that part of the world, I would use a good tour company based on tourbooks recommendations. <BR> <BR>All the best. I am sure you will enjoy a lot. The sights, sounds and aroma of India is unbeatable.

Kathleen, You said the web site posted wasn't the one you used. Could you tell us who you did use as we'd like to go to India in a year or two, thanks, Margot

Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Bombay? Any other first hand experiences about Bombay would be appreciated.

could you let me know the name of the tour operator you used? I am planning a trip for November and would be most interested in advice or recommendations! We only have two weeks and this is our first trip.

Hi Kathleen <BR> <BR>My daughter and I are planning a trip to India in December. Would appreciate any advice and details of your trip that you can give, particularly the name of your tour operator. We are debating trains vs. planes vs. car and driver. How long was your trip without the Nepal extension? What were the not to be missed experiences? What would you give up if you had less time? <BR> <BR>Thanks

Hello! I just returned from India in May. I booked my tour through General Tours (www.generaltours.com). The trip was expensive, about $4,200.00 per person. It was a great tour, however. We even went to Nepal for 4 days. General Tours doesn't conduct the tour of India and Nepal. They use Creative Travel. They are based in Delhi. The web address is: www.travel2india.com. They only use Indian guides and drivers, so these people know the language and what they are doing. I highly recommend it. There was a woman on my trip who is one of the world's great antique experts. If you go to any bookstore, almost every antique book was written by her or published by her company. She raved about the trip and said it was one of the best tours she has ever taken. Cheers, John G&gt;