true, Annihig! not to mention the dog poo on the sidewalks. My first sight of it is the REAL "Bienvenue en France!"
CC, i saw the most humongous cockroach/beetle I've ever seen, in Mcleod Ganj, India--in a restaurant bathroom. I did NOT check out the kitchen!
You survived Africa, no? Spiders;bats; mice in the thatched roofs of cabins, etc. Heck, what's a beetle (-:

just catching up and surprised that your fabulous report is still a work in progress - makes me feel better about not having started my Bhutan trip report...

Annihig, turns out there wasn't even as much squatting as in France....stay tuned.

Cali, Our Africa adventures were remarkably insect free. Can't say the same about Central America...I think that's where I became desensitized.

Worst pest story: When my son was a freshman, as I waited for him in his dorm room, I saw a mouse scurry under the bed. When I told my son and his roommate about the rodent, they knew exactly what I was talking about. They said it was *only* a roach, acting as nonchalant as if I had spotted their pet kitty. I forced the boys to capture the bug, and indeed it turned out to be a mouse-sized Super Roach, still the largest I've encountered in any of my travels.

Apologies to all about my tardiness in finishing my report - hope some of you are still following. You'll be happy to know I am winding down because I barely remember the trip at this point, so forgive me if some details are not accurate.

that would be "for my tardiness"

DAY 9 – TO ORCHHA BY ROAD, TO AGRA BY TRAIN

THE INNOVA
Why aren’t these available in the U.S.? Best suspension ever! One recent Fodors trip report had mentioned that the road from Khaj to Ochha was awful, as did the disenchanted French people. But it was just fine in our trusty Toyota Innova. We had traveled in these quasi-minivans (sans sliding doors) since the beginning of the trip, but didn’t fully appreciate them until our four-hour drive to Orchha. This vehicle needs to be marketed to soccer parents in North America!

THE DRIVE
Ahh…the Indian countryside – agricultural paradise with a few villages two sprinkled in (as well as a stop in a hut to meet a woman who makes chapati over a wood fire). The ride would have been perfect with good music. Instead we asked our guide (our Khajuraho guy accompanied us) for Hindi lessons. This was fun until he discovered we spoke Spanish, a language he had impressively taught himself online to use with the numerous tourists from Spain. He had many, many questions about ser and estar, "hay que" and especially the imperative. (How do you say “Be! said the king?”)

ORCHHA
Fantastic town, big on old world charm. An endless array of stunning ruins, domed temples and exquisite palaces (lots of steps involved - a relief to get some serious exercise) and a river and riverbank to explore. The market is full of bright-hued paint pots (everyone oohs and aahs when they see these photos). There an elderly turbaned guy grabbed my hand and covered it with henna stamps (sadly temporary) and several vendors gave us friendship bracelets and candy for free – the swag market!

Might have been fun to spend the night, but our afternoon (about 5 hours total) seemed relaxed enough.

A HOUSE DIVIDED
As we drove into town we saw a row of houses on the main street all of which literally had been sliced in half. The residents sat on furniture in fractions of rooms with no facades, looking out onto the road, like characters in a diorama or a museum exhibit. Our guide told us that these people had built homes or moved into "ruins" illegally on government land. Now the government was widening the road, and the authorities had sawed the houses in half. This was disturbing to me, but our guide shrugged it off saying the people were squatters and deserved it.

HOTEL HOPPING
During our afternoon in Orchha, we visited pretty much all the decent hotels in town. Had lunch at Amar Mahal, a replica heritage place with attractive courtyards. Almost lovely, but the meal was a buffet in a dark room full of extremely unhip European package tourists. Also had bathroom and drink stops several other hotels – the Sheesh Mahal next to the palace complex had potential but was crying out for a renovation. And the Bundelkhand River Resort (for yet another bathroom break) was indeed right on the river - charming location, but we didn’t see the rooms.

JHANSI TRAIN STATION
So, the French people were wrong. The station was a heritage building with great architectural details...cheery, bubble gum pink, slightly run down, but not at all filthy. No one-armed beggars, pushy touts or people “doing their business.” Our train arrived promptly and we were off. Could have happily continued our road trip, but there is always a lovely anticipation about boarding a train, especially when you're heading to the most beautiful building in the world.

THE TRAIN
We took the famous Shatabdi express in the highest class available, which I think was 2AC. This was no bullet train, but it was comfy and relatively fast. As we chugged through the twilight it became a bit drizzly, so we missed the sunset and any real scenery.

FEEDBACK
Marija wasn’t kidding in her trip report. You are asked to provide feedback every five minutes in India. On the train we received a mulit-page form asking us to rate the cleanliness of the restroom, which I hadn’t dared to use, but Mr. C gave it a 2 on a scale of 5. Might be a good idea to spend time and money on cleaning up instead of printing, distributing and analyzing forms.

AGRA: NO GUIDE FOR US
Arrived in Agra at 8pm. Met by a driver (no rep this time) for the short ride to the Oberoi Amarvilas. The driver was in shock that we would not be using a guide in Agra, but we stuck to our guns - Louise had said the Taj was totally doable on our own.

AMARVILAS
This was our 7-star experience. I had stayed the Oberoi at the Egyptian pyramids and knew this would be extraordinary but still wasn’t fully prepared for the wow factor. Even Mr C, who hates to dress up, was inspired to change out of his travel cargos. After our welcome drink in the magnificent lobby, a charming young woman, more of a historian than front desk gal, shared all about Agra 101, then filled out our check-in forms in our suite. She too seemed surprised and skeptical about our guideless plans for the next day.

Our room was truly spectacular, with a full-on view of the beckoning Taj, with one of the world's most gorgeous pools in the foreground (Louise had strongly suggested that we spend a little more for a balcony since we were splurging anyway, well worth it). Stunning geometric designs, fabrics and rugs, but not too opulent. Supreme service – we called our personal butler for matches so we could light the incense provided – took him about 45 seconds to arrive. Had he been lurking outside our door?

Had our best meal of the trip in the romantic, intimate Indian restaurant – split our usual veggie thali, went crazy for the gluten free millet papadum and tried our first Indian wine of the trip, the Sula reserve Shiraz. Surprisingly drinkable, but not so cheap. Retired early in anticipation of our 5:15 wake up call for our big day on our own.

NEXT: THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OF AGRA

thanks for keeping up with this - you are making me feel guilty about my half-finished Sri Lanka TR. Next week!

Thanks for continuing. We loved the Khajuraho to Orccha road (in an Innova). Awaiting more!

We loved our Agra stay at the Oberoi (with balcony)...

I am thoroughly enjoying your report which is bringing back fond memories of our India trip. I agree with your assessments of Khajaraho and Orcha. They are both definately worth a visit. The visits to both, but especially Khajaraho, will be memorable.

Sorry we are not going to Orcha. I will ask for similar town to be included in our trip. Also no balcony in Agra..it will be Valentine's Day and very full occupancy. So happy with your report. Nothing could be more helpful.

Elainee, if you want to have dinner at the Indian restaurant at Amarvilas make reservations before you arrive. We couldn't get in the first night and it wasn't even Valentine's day.

Hey CC, enjoying your continued report. Yes, Innovas are great! I recommend them always--a bit more than using a sedan but higher up off the ground (better for view) better comfort, and SAFER which is a major factor on Indian roads.
I too am surprised about the "no guide" thing for A
gra . It was one of the few places i was GLAD fora guide-- he was excellent. I can see doing the Taj Mahal without guide, but the Agra Fort definitely more interesting with his stories and pointing out assorted nooks and crannies!!

p.s. As you have discovered, NO "bad road" in India is as bad as a bad road (or so they call it) in East Africa!

Thanks for the suggestion, Marija. I will have our agent do just that.
Is it a good idea to buy a bottle of gin at the Delhi airport when we disembark? Is the dutyfree convenient from BA?
I do love these forums. Where else could you get this information.

Still reading and enjoying your report!

Hi Crosschecck, I'm finally catching up with your report. Enjoying every detail. Once we get home from Java it will be time to start planning for next November, and India is high on our list of options,

Thanks, everyone. Marija is right about the Indian restaurant - it's small and intimate so reservations are mandatory during the high season. We were able to get same-day bookings for dinners, but hotel was only half full when we were there. The other restaurant (where breakfast is served) is continental and much more generic...would not be my first choice.

Cali - We actually didn't mind the roads in Kenya, but only traveled to Amboseli. Central America is another story.

Elainee, Re: Gin - Sorry, can't help you..We arrived in Mumbai, not Delhi. Also, we're not big drinkers, shared a Kingfisher (beer) most nights.

Kathie, it will be my pleasure to help you, for a change!

DAY 10 – AGRA: SUNRISE, NO SUNSET

THE GUIDE NOT TAKEN
Woke at 5:15, grabbed some coffee in the gleaming Amarvilas lobby and headed off by golf cart (although we discovered that it would have been an easy walk) to get in line for the Taj’s opening at sunrise. All hotel employees acted surprised that we were going guideless, almost as if this was a first: Courageous Tourists Visit the Taj Mahal On their Own.

As we took our place in the very short line (separated by gender), a young man with an impressive-looking camera approached us. He said he would accompany us to the Taj Mahal, snap some fabulous pictures and charge us 50 rupees (less than $1) per print or digital image, with no obligation to buy anything. This seemed like a good idea in our guide-free state.

LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
The Taj is so worth it. If you’re thinking of skipping it because it’s overrated or a cliché or out of the way, think again. It helped that it started out shrouded in heavy mist and gradually revealed itself, subtly majestic, breathtaking. Another bonus was that we shared the magnificence with a handful of other guests, no huge crowds.

We were so wowed that we didn’t object when our personal photographer posed us in all sorts of bizarre ways, staring into each other’s eyes, one foot on a bench, our reflections embracing, etc. This wacky styling went on for about fifteen minutes in various locations. When I think back, both of us clearly knew enough about photography that we should have been more aware that we had just hired the Cheesy Wedding Photographer of Agra, but we were distracted by all the awesomeness.

Finally, after posing us in the classic holding-up-the-Taj mode, we sent Mr. Soft Focus on his way. Nothing against all our guides, but it was a relief to listen to the excellent audio tour and do things at our own pace.

THE TACKIEST PHOTOS ON THE SUBCONTINENT

By 10:30 or so, we were ready to leave. The light now was more postcardish, but we didn’t think to take more photos of us because we were expecting perfection from our professional. Then when we saw the proofs…YUCK! There were scores of images, but all looked comically distorted or photoshopped…even the ones he had taken with our camera (plus I didn’t like my outfit or my hair, another story). Out of dozens and dozens, we (I) really couldn’t select one that didn’t scream “silly tourist”, so we bought them all (a CD, plus several alarmingly giant prints), hoping they’d improve with age.

TOUTLANDIA
Mr. Soft Focus claimed that none of our credit cards worked, so he gave Mr. C a ride back to the hotel on a motorbike (a trip highlight for my husband) and waited while Mr. C got cash. Meanwhile I hung out at the shops. I mentioned previously that we were not bothered by touts on this trip…These ten minutes more than made up for it – At one point I made the mistake of glancing at a tunic, and within moments I was draped in every tunic in northern India.

Everybody was still invading my personal space when Mr. C returned, so we quickly went back to the hotel. My plan was to return to the Taj at sunset in a better outfit and take normal photos.

ENCOUNTER WITH THE ALMOST-FAMOUS
We are not buffet people, but the Amarvilas did not disappoint – gourmet versions of pretty much every Indian, western and middle eastern breakfast specialty, plus a lovely presentation, if you like that sort of thing. Close to over the top.

It was on the buffet line that we encountered our only fellow Americans of the vacation…some Home Shopping Network on-air personalities and their jewelry designer. Their photos looked fantastic. And I hope we’re entitled to a discount on the jewelry for promoting it here (although I must admit that I was unaware that the HSN still existed.)

BOLLYWOOD TO GO
We had mentioned to the management trainee/historian who checked us in that we had enjoyed the Bollywood movies on our brief plane flights. She sent up DVDs by the same director. Plus popcorn. Perfect for a quiet post-Taj activity. Whoever trains the Oberoi staff should consider running for office.

DOWN TIME
Spent the most relaxing afternoon of the trip at one of the most spectacular pools in the universe, sort of an indoor-outdoor Romanesque deal, the size of a small Great Lake, with the Taj looming in the background. We ordered Kingfishers and the grilled artichokes and prawns without the prawns…and were not charged for the food. A pool attendant approached and let us know we were entitled to 15% off on massages and treatments. But we were too relaxed and lazy to visit the spa. No Baby Taj or Agra Fort for us. We read. We swam. We were on vacation.

MISSED SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES
Don’t want to relive this – too painful. Moral: If you see something you like, including jewelry, just buy it.

SUNSET SANS DEET
Our guide from Udaipur, who was still texting us daily, told us not to miss the sunset from the park opposite the Taj. But the concierge advised not to go - too far, too much traffic.

Maybe he thought we were too cheap to take a taxi because we had shared food and wine at dinner, declined the spa services, refrained from buying anything at the shops....and used the wedding photographer instead of a guide.

He suggested that instead we view the sunset from our room balcony or the terrace adjacent to the lobby bar, no crowds. We chose the latter - The sunset WAS spectacular (and lasted forever, almost in slowmo, with the soundtrack of a Muslim festival in a nearby village). But sadly, the sun chose to set in back of the village, rather than behind the Taj Mahal. And the only crowds were swarms of quiet invisible mosquitoes, which ate us alive before we realized they were present.

We met a young German couple who were serious photographers - they had been at the Taj twice that day to experience different lighting. Although I was in awe of their afternoon light, they liked mine better because it was more unusual and the Taj looked pinkish. I guess you have to go even more than twice in a day!

Mr. C was utterly and totally satisfied with our Agra visit, but I must admit that I pined away for a day or two about not going back at sunset. However, I now have accepted that the private experience at the Amarvilas was also pretty cool. And I now love my photos of the monument of love…One is my facebook cover shot. But I am not sure that I will ever show anyone the ones taken by Mr. Soft Focus.

YET ANOTHER MEAL TO REMEMBER
Our dinner at the Indian restaurant (thali again, but different dishes, including some amazing tandoori stuffed cauliflower) made up for the angst…There are many other places to see in India, but might have to go back at some point to witness another once-in-a-lifetime sunset.

NEXT: OUR VERY OWN SUPERHIGHWAY TO DELHI

How timely, just last night as we were discussing where we might go in India, we both agreed we didn't feel the need to see the Taj. I guess we will have to re-think that once we decide where to go in India.

Crosscheck, loving your report, but this bit is fantastic for me as I'm in the process of trying to plan our sunset/sunrise visits.

We are big photographers and thats really what we are there for (not massively into the history etc), so had been planning to go to Mehtabh Bagh on the far bank of the Yamuna for sunset photos, the day we arrive, then hotel for dinner, then we hope to get tickets for the full moon evening that we happen to be there for (half hour visits, 50 people at a time, booked between 8.30pm and 12.30am although no tripods allowed so not sure how good the photos will be), then visit properly the next morning at sunrise, before going back to the hotel, having breakfast then heading off to Jaipur. Do you think this sounds do-able? I was interested to see how long you stayed in the Taj? I'm not sure I'd want more than a couple of hours, but maybe not?

Also, we are staying at the ITC Mughal Hotel (Amarvilas was fully booked) and are only there one night. It looks like a lovely hotel, but I'm wondering if we should go to Amarvilas for dinner instead ... do you have a view of the Taj from the restaurant? Or is it a bit too special to be rushed in between our photographing and Taj visit sessions?

We might never return and only have one night so want to make the most of it.