LOL Haridwar, not hardware. the same automated spell correct system wants to refer to Sartorial as "sartorial"!
damnyouautorcorrect.com

Ha ha CaliNurse, it’s fun figuring out the typos sometimes. Yes, please link the article on Haridwar and Rishikesh here.

Auto correct grŕrrrr. A boon and a bane . With my failing eyesight and not so nimble fingers on this smartphone its nerve wracking . Will dig out old albums and give you guys an insight into the hinterland Himalayas. Magnificent India...not just incredible!! Another thread..
That's serious work . Need a little time. Will deliver.

...the Kumbh Mela??God Lord . Guess I'll need 5 refeers of marijuana before I could handle it . Not my high. I'll probably have a panic attack followed by a fatal heart attack .

Haridwar or hardware. Its definitely for the hardwired and the matt-haired. Wouldn't attempt staying there.This time autocorrect is right.

Ok gang, "off topic" but some per request:

Sartoric, here's the article. Sherrell 's an Aussie too--married an Indian guy and they now live in Mumbai. I've enjoyed her "take" when trip savvy was www.India.about.com

https://www.tripsavvy.com/visit-hari...hikesh-1539701

I'm not sure whether any/all her recommended lodgings were experienced by her first hand, or she's instead using "crowd-sourced" review sites (tripadvisor, booking.com) on which to base reccos, but a friend also liked Seventh Heaven Guest House --mentioned in the link to Rishikesh accommodations

Annhig, r/t your question earlier on this thread about solo safety, there is this from the same writer:https://www.tripsavvy.com/why-tamil-nadu-is-best-for-solo-women-travelers-in-india-3971447

Inquest, I get it re the failing eyesight and autocorrect-causing finger dexterity! Your "God Lord" above is a truly perfect example!
LOl re panic attack vs heart attack--just about spit out my tea while laughing. I "relate" to that also, all too well!
You really, really should try to revisit Tamil Nadu in January for a mini gtg and all us meeter-uppers can have a good time over chai, seeing as how beer is difficult to come by!

Rishikesh is certainly a better place to stay. The one I stayed for two nights was the Glasshouse on the Ganges a Neemrana property.

The Glasshouse on The Ganges | Hotels above Rishikesh

The Ananda Spa is simply marvellous.

Best Luxury Spa/Resort in India | Destination Spa | Health Resort/Hotel India | Ananda in the Himalayas

Plenty of hotels and resorts to choose from.Can day trip to Haridwar or probably a stop-over on the way back to Delhi.

Thanks for the links CaliNurse and inquest. Look out for a planning (India) thread from me in the not too distant future...

thanks Calinurse. Interesting.

Sartoric - I'm off to Italy for a couple of weeks on Wednesday but I'll look out for it when I get home.

Sartoric, looking forward to your future trip plan thread! Planning threads are always interesting and inspiring. And challenging...another temptation to decide on? Oh no!

Annhig, buon viaggio!!!! (Off topic, but....(-; you leave on Wednesday 7th February? My son and daughter-in-law travel that day too, for their first trip to Europe. That you will be departing then as well, I take as a great omen for my kids!!

Looking forward to your next planning thread -- or am I?! Selfishly, I don't know how much I can stand having too many choices of places to go! But of course, it's wonderful to follow your threads, both planning and realizing the trip! You have such a wonderful attitude toward traveling and it's always a delight to travel along with you!

Meantime, I'll be returning to your last trip as I make plans for my next trip to India. Of course (off topic here) with a trip to Morocco coming up in April and a trip next fall to London/Paris, it's still a bit off in the future, but not too soon to be thinking about it!

Have a great time in Italy, annhig! It sounds like it will be great!

Nice blog, alikarim.
Thank you progol. I envy your upcoming trip to Morocco, we had some adventures there in 2004, the most exotic place we’d been til then. Have a wonderful time.
Ditto to annhig, enjoy your time in Italy !
CaliNurse, the planning threads are such good thought provokers, there’s very well traveled people here. Lucky we are.

Thank you, CaliNurse, I will take that as a good omen too. Where in Europe are they going? I hope they have a wonderful time.

Annhig, what a lovely, lovely reply! Thank you!! For them, it's a quick ten day trip (work schedule limits) via a super-low cost airfare, from Oakland (our local Bay Area airport) direct to Barcelona, then to Paris...where it's snowing!!
E tu , Annhig, ...have a wonderful time enjoying Ialy and learning its language!!

Bon Voyage Annhig and Progol. Have a safe and a wonderful trip. To your kids too Cali ,wishes from me. Pray that Abeona the Roman Goddess of outward journeys with her mate Adiona the Goddess of safe return watch over you all.

Talking about temples that all of you are planning on your return to Tamilnadu,what intrigues me (surprisingly) is that there is no mention of Rameshwaram. Have any of you been there during your earlier travels ? A little 'out of the way', I agree but its spectacular.Its an absolute 'must do'. Just 3hrs one way from Madurai , it'll make a great overnight getaway. Though 2 nights would be recommended. The Ramanathaswamy temple dedicated to Shiva is a 'Jewel of a monument', a Magnum Opus in stone. Its a beautiful place by itself, worth a stay. Not to overlook of course the Agnitheertham temple , the Kodandaramaswamy temple and the Badrakali Amman Koil .Ride the train over the Pamban bridge, its awesome.Either from Mandapam or a train from Madurai. I know little about the railways in India as I haven't been on one for a long time. Many moons ago,I only did the Mandapam - Rameshwaram leg.
Part of the Char Dham, Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri Jaganath and Rameswaram is a circuit highly revered by the hindus as a must do in their lifetime.

Its also the birth place of Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam , the 11th President of the Republic of India.A Space scientist and also called 'Missile Man of India'.
We'll take up the issue in the ensuing,brand new travel thread.

Oh, inquest, you've added yet more places to consider! The difficulty of course is having to eliminate so many places that are fantastic to see in a limited time... sigh....Rameshwaram looks really interesting and a place worth visiting. We'll see how the trip unfolds when the "formal" planning begins!

Safe travels, annhig! I hope you have an amazing trip to Italy!

alikarim -- I finally got a chance to look at your blog and am thoroughly enjoying it, especially (offtopic warning here!) the trip to Morocco! Now I'm getting very excited about our upcoming trip!

@progol; thanks for reading my blog; and glad it is interesting and useful. I am always looking to improve my blog, so any feedback is much appreciated.
Offtopic: Morocco was another fascinating place; ; you will have a blast.

Inquest, thank you so much for your good wishes (Roman goddesses, no less!) and for more great travel ideas, in this case to the off the beat3n tourist track area around . Rameshwarum. Sounds like hat would b a very interesting area to see during Pongal!!!
Will read Alikarim's blog next and get more India yearning!

Ali, thank you for the commentary and great photos, in particular of Varanasi!!! (I stayed with Harish and Malika too, about 5 yrs ago.)
You could/should start a separate thread. We need more India info on the site!!