NYT article on travel to India
Mar 25th, 2012, 11:01 AM
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NYT article on travel to India
travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/travel/through-indias-desert-cities-three-itineraries.html
I loved the first few paragraphs of this article which reflects the advice old-timers here routinely give to newbies:
"In travel it is seldom acknowledged how routinely people pile on excess. And while this may not hold true on cruises or Club Med, where the biggest daily challenge is finding the proper level of SPF, among independent travelers the tendency is to take on countries, regions, continents, galaxies.
From the placid vantage of a laptop, the world looks manageable. In real time, the degree of travel difficulty unfolds in agonizing increments. Did I really think I could fit all that into a week? I did."
I loved the first few paragraphs of this article which reflects the advice old-timers here routinely give to newbies:
"In travel it is seldom acknowledged how routinely people pile on excess. And while this may not hold true on cruises or Club Med, where the biggest daily challenge is finding the proper level of SPF, among independent travelers the tendency is to take on countries, regions, continents, galaxies.
From the placid vantage of a laptop, the world looks manageable. In real time, the degree of travel difficulty unfolds in agonizing increments. Did I really think I could fit all that into a week? I did."
Mar 25th, 2012, 05:17 PM
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Thanks for the link, Kathie. The writer has excellent suggestions on seeing the valuable parts of Delhi, not just the touristy parts.
That's what we did on our most recent visit to Delhi....we were there day after Republic Day and Rajpath (the road from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India gate) was closed for workers to remove the set-up for Republic day, so we walked on this grand boulevard that had no traffic.
Then we visited the National Museum which is near Rajpath. The museum has artifacts from Mohenj-daro, Harappa and other similar archeological sites showing the planned cities of the Indus Valley civilisation that existed before 2600 BC (same timeline as the civilisations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete.)
The writer even likes the Nathu sweets outlet in Sunder Nagar, which is our favorite destination for good snacking.
Craig---for your one day stop in Delhi, this may be the answer. Easy going and yet full of adventure. Also close to the center of town. If you like Indian food or meat kebabs of exquiste quality, I may have a recommendation for that as well.
That's what we did on our most recent visit to Delhi....we were there day after Republic Day and Rajpath (the road from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India gate) was closed for workers to remove the set-up for Republic day, so we walked on this grand boulevard that had no traffic.
Then we visited the National Museum which is near Rajpath. The museum has artifacts from Mohenj-daro, Harappa and other similar archeological sites showing the planned cities of the Indus Valley civilisation that existed before 2600 BC (same timeline as the civilisations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete.)
The writer even likes the Nathu sweets outlet in Sunder Nagar, which is our favorite destination for good snacking.
Craig---for your one day stop in Delhi, this may be the answer. Easy going and yet full of adventure. Also close to the center of town. If you like Indian food or meat kebabs of exquiste quality, I may have a recommendation for that as well.
Mar 25th, 2012, 09:11 PM
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I have 3 recommendations.
You might have heard the term "Awadhi cuisine"....it is the most exquisite meat cooking style from the region of Awadh (present day city Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh state). All 3 recos restaurants have some awadhi items on their menu.
1 & 3 below are more expensive and a la carte, 2 below is about $20 pp fixed menu changes daily. These are all 5 star restaurants, so safe for meat, water, everything. They all have tandoori nan, lassis, and serve alcohol. Ask your waiter about the dishes you order and they will describe the history behind each recipe....at these restaurants.
1. Dum Pukht restaurant (in ITC Maurya Sheraton, Diplomatic enclave, new delhi). Primarily awadhi cuisine.
2. The Great kebab factory (in Radisson hotel, near the airport)...this is all you can eat, served at your table. Gulati kebab and the biryani is to die for....more on gulati kebab later.
3. Bukhara restaurant (in ITC Maurya Sheraton, Diplomatic enclave). Dal is too good and a speciality.
More on gulati kebab---Shah Jehan, who built Taj Mahal, wanted to develop a food for his old age toothless father, Jehangir who was retired and no longer king. So a chef from Awadh came up with Gulati kebab...it is so tender but full of taste. Awadhi cuisine draws from the best recipes of Awadh, Punjab, Kashmir, Hyderabad and all perfected in Awadh. And now available to you in Delhi.
Yeah, the national museum in new delhi is wonderful. Check the timeline chart near the start of the Indus Valley civilisation displays....it shows India & Mesopotamia(Iraq) cultures are the oldest 7500 to 10,000 years old, older than China and older than Egyptian.
When is your trip? I am sure you'll have a great trip.
You might have heard the term "Awadhi cuisine"....it is the most exquisite meat cooking style from the region of Awadh (present day city Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh state). All 3 recos restaurants have some awadhi items on their menu.
1 & 3 below are more expensive and a la carte, 2 below is about $20 pp fixed menu changes daily. These are all 5 star restaurants, so safe for meat, water, everything. They all have tandoori nan, lassis, and serve alcohol. Ask your waiter about the dishes you order and they will describe the history behind each recipe....at these restaurants.
1. Dum Pukht restaurant (in ITC Maurya Sheraton, Diplomatic enclave, new delhi). Primarily awadhi cuisine.
2. The Great kebab factory (in Radisson hotel, near the airport)...this is all you can eat, served at your table. Gulati kebab and the biryani is to die for....more on gulati kebab later.
3. Bukhara restaurant (in ITC Maurya Sheraton, Diplomatic enclave). Dal is too good and a speciality.
More on gulati kebab---Shah Jehan, who built Taj Mahal, wanted to develop a food for his old age toothless father, Jehangir who was retired and no longer king. So a chef from Awadh came up with Gulati kebab...it is so tender but full of taste. Awadhi cuisine draws from the best recipes of Awadh, Punjab, Kashmir, Hyderabad and all perfected in Awadh. And now available to you in Delhi.
Yeah, the national museum in new delhi is wonderful. Check the timeline chart near the start of the Indus Valley civilisation displays....it shows India & Mesopotamia(Iraq) cultures are the oldest 7500 to 10,000 years old, older than China and older than Egyptian.
When is your trip? I am sure you'll have a great trip.
Mar 25th, 2012, 11:35 PM
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Great article and thanks for posting this.
I do believe the photo of elephants climbing the hill at Jaipur is backwards, though. I distinctly remember the elephant veering towards the left and me gripping the rails to make sure I didn't fall the hundreds of meters down to the ground.
One other museum which she didn't mention but is well worth a visit is the Arts and Crafts Museum. While much smaller than the National Museum (which I also absolutely loved) there are wonderful exhibits of folk art and textiles, as well as some old traditional homes.
I do believe the photo of elephants climbing the hill at Jaipur is backwards, though. I distinctly remember the elephant veering towards the left and me gripping the rails to make sure I didn't fall the hundreds of meters down to the ground.
One other museum which she didn't mention but is well worth a visit is the Arts and Crafts Museum. While much smaller than the National Museum (which I also absolutely loved) there are wonderful exhibits of folk art and textiles, as well as some old traditional homes.
Mar 26th, 2012, 07:30 PM
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Craig...at these restaurants, they will bring out several chutneys to go with the various dishes. Do ask your server which chutney goes best with which dish to enhance the flavor.
Ofcourse, western dishes are all available at these fine restaurants as well...in case you decide to bail...not a chance, right!
Ofcourse, western dishes are all available at these fine restaurants as well...in case you decide to bail...not a chance, right!
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