Bob--

I read your post from a few days back saying you were about ready to go home and had had enough of India. You also mentioned you'd not been feeling well. This reminds me of the last week of our trip to Vietnam when I'd been struggling with attacks of diarrhea and was rather out of energy. I am sure this colored my feelings about the trip, and I was so ready to go home.

When I got home I still wasn't well after a few days and so made a trip to the doctor where I got the lovely kit for all of the stool samples. It turns out I had a campylobacter bacterial infection and needed some big gun antibiotics to clear it up. We'd taken cipro along on our trip, but I'd never taken it which was a good thing since it wouldn't have touched this type of infection anyway. So, if your health problems are anything similar, I'd advise a trip to the doctor to make sure you don't have anything serious. My husband, who'd eaten nearly identical things to me (with 1 or 2 exceptions) didn't get this.

Campylobacter was my little souvenir from Bali, ha ha.

Karen here...Jaisalmer is really a special place. The fort is not what you think of as a fort, but rather an ancient village inside a wall. Our guide Lalu lives inside the wall, and is well know up there, so maybe he gave me a different perspective of life up there. He is really for UNESCO taking over the area, even though it will eliminate a lot of the hotels/ hostles , gift shops and eating places up there. The problem is there is NO place for the waste water to go , other than into the ground, and that is litterally roting the base of the fort.
I enjoied my visit to the cotten shop, where lalu's mother shops. It was very UNTOURISTY. Prices were extremely reasonably. BUT you did have to watch what he was selling. One top had a big blood stain in the middle of the front , where the sewer had pricked her finger. Another had a small burn hole, from a fire ember maybe. Walking the narrow lanes was interesting although most of the shops were the usual tourist stuff.

The painted havelis were carved in great detail. The paintings for the most part are well preserved, although some have been restored. The paintings are all inside and the exteriors are red sandstone. I went into two.

The ride thru the dessert on the camel cart was very peaceful and the colors of the grass , that sage green we have in the US south west was calming. The plastic bottles in the sand dunes took something away from the scene, as did the hundreds of other tourists.

Our haveli (Nachana Haveli) was an experience... The daily power outage at 7:20 AM when you wanted to shower and dry you hair was a pain. The room was very dark with no power...read NO windows. But...it was an expierence to live in a room that a Maharaja or maharini may have once lived in.
After a few days the veg diet got to me. I guess I am a true carnivor. The Silver guy was fun... Loved diging thru piles of gem and silver to find the few pieces I finally chose. I'd still be there looking if I hadn't gotten hungry.

I guess I would go to Jaisalmer again, but I am not sure Bikaner would be my choice again. Not that much to see and do, and the road trip is long, bumpy and more of the same as far as landscape.

OK, OK Andy keeps yelling down at me---‘tell the GM story Einstein…’

Yesterday we arrived back into jaipur late in the afternoon. I had selected the brand new Marriott as our resting place--literally. I have not mentioned it but all the major chain hotels have added security---first for the car as you enter and secondly at the door before entering—a large xray machine and a metal detector to walk thru.. About as adept as TSA…

After entering the glass enclosed lobby we checked in and were being escorted to our room by the hostess. We were waiting by the elevator when I looked up and saw this man in a suit sprinting down the corridor. He ran up to us yelling out: “ Mr Kimball, Mr Kimball…” He said ‘I am the GM of the hotel and I just wanted to welcome you personally to the hotel. You are one of our most preferred guests…’ I thanked him and he told me if we needed anything just to contact him… At this point andy fell out of the sky laughing…

OK, SO IT MISSES SOMETHING IN TRANSLATION…


Sat Nov 26

Off to Jaipur… 6.5 hour drive… very long and at times bumpy with erratic traffic.
The new Marriott is very nice. We were upgraded to a suite with 2 bathrooms, a huge living room, and even more huge bedroom, 2 tv’s, etc. Too bad the stay was only one night.

We had made a res for dinner at 7 at Niros, about the best restaurant we ate at in India. LK and Mahadev, our jaipur guide in 2006 and this year, were joining us. We had lots of laughs and a good dinner, even though K did not feel 100%.

About 2:30 AM K got quite sick, but in about an hour it passed. In 45 years I had never seen her this way.

By morning she said she was 98%.

I neglected to mention that while driving we were stopped for perhaps 15 minutes at a railroad stop. The kids in the bus in front of us waved and we began to play hand games. I got out of the car and passed candy thru the window to them. They loved it. Other people approached us to talk and shake hands. The average Indian is very friendly and curious.


Sun Nov 27

Another travel day. Off to Delhi.

While at breakfast the thai chef came by to talk… quite a pleasant man. Next the Italian chef came by and spent about 30 minutes talking to us. He was very interesting. Later he delivered to our room a doggie bag for our driving trip. Very nice of him.

Road was not great… but not as bad as day before.

We are at the Delhi Hyatt Regency, built in 1983. Tiny room in comparison to everything we have had… 2 nights only… Drinks and snacks in club—no dinner.

Two days of shopping follow… K repacked tonight to see if we have any room left—a small amount..

Bob I think for sure Andy would be rolling his eyes at your GM story.

Bob and Karen,

I have throughly enjoyed your report. I feel I have been a stowaway on your Indian journey--your descriptions are so rich and so personal.

Like any trip, it is always nice to look forward to getting home and in your own bed. You are arriving home at a wonderful time. Christmas is in full swing--the trees are lit, the carols are being sung. All Needham and surrounds (AKA Boston and Cambridge) needs is the two of you.

Your journey has been fascinating and enlightening. Can't wait to have another lunch at Similians and hear more details.

Safe journeys home.

BH, we followed your notes again today and hit haus kaus village and khan market, plus Inde Arts--he is suffering a bit from the economy and priced accordingly.. pls don't tell customs.

Mon Nov 28

Very easy day today. SHOPPING in Delhi

First up was Khan Market... This block of shops contains restaurants, shops, a bank, two pharacies and Anoki and FabIndia shops.

At one pharmacy, I was able to buy 1 year's worth of a med I take daily for 50% of the Canadian pharmacy price I have been paying and about 25% of the usa price. I order it quaterly thru canada from India---same manufacturer. I was not asked for a script... BINGO...

K bought a few tops, some $$ envelopes, and a few other things.

I had another stomach issue once we got there and had to rush off to a nearby Taj hotel.

Next up was Haus Kaus Village, a similar area to KM... Fist up was lunch at Kafe d'Oro. Delicious soup... We visited a few shops, but most were very high end sari/indian dress shops and jewelers, which held no interest for us.

Back to the Hyatt after this. We had a cold drink in the club which was welcome and then visited the very large selection of shops within the hotel. Most held no interst for us but we did visit Inde Arts, a jeweler- based on a suggestion from Boston Harbor. We had no intention of buying another thing, BUT the prices he quoted were toooo good to pass up---let's just call it xmas 2012 and 2013 in advance. He is an older man and he says business is not good so I think maybe he is just looking to unload things quicker than usual.

K got sucked into another shop---scarves, etc---i got us out of there quite quickly, although he had one super fine pashmina+ scarf, i would love, but $275 is just tooooooooooo much, no matter how nice it is---and i already bought a way less expensive one, which was too expensive too.

Avrind, his wife and daughter will be our guests tonight in the Italian restaurant for dinner. Arvind is the owner of Castle and King, our Delhi based tour agent on both this trip and our first Indian trip.
Let me say again that the planning and the execution of both trips has been flawless. I cannot recomend them more highly.
I have spoken above about our driver and have spoken about many of the guides as well and will say more before I am finished. Most of the guides are available for free lance work. Two of them also guide weekly for Palace on Wheels.

We had a very nice dinner with Avrind and his 5 yo daughter and I are about on the same level... The Italian restaurant at the hyatt is excellent, btw.

Next up--change hotels in the AM for the last time.. A visit to the shops at santucci..

Tues Nov 29


Our last day in India. Krishna picked us up at 11. We had one and only one goal for today-- a visit to Santucci Shopping area within the Air Force base. There are a series perhaps 20 shops here---all upscale... many are dress/sari shops, but there are home furnishing shops, jewelry, leather, childrens, scarf shops. Basil and thyme is a nice lunch restaurant there as well.

An ATM stop provided tip money for LK and we were DONE.

Off to the airport at 7 tomorrow on our way to Helsinki on Finn Air. We have 22 hours in Finland at the lux Kamp hotel before our flt to JFK.

I think i will have a series of thoughts on the trip, some contact info, etc later in the week.

Bills for your portion of the trip will be posted within 2 weeks.

Vicarious living saves me a lot of stress. India just fell to the bottom of my travel desires.

DH sent you a message on my trip report.

Safe travels home, and we want to hear more about Finland.

Sandra

Have a safe journey, you two. Hello from Lausanne Switzerland.

NO COWS, NO SPEED BUMPS, PAVED ROADS, SPEEDS OVER 45 MPH, NO SPICE, CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, NO BEGGERS, NO LORD KRISHNA, NO GOATS, NO PISSING ON THE STREET, NO COLORFUL SARIS, NO SUN SHINE AND VERY LITTLE DAY LIGHT, NO FORTS OR PALACES, WILDLY EXPENSIVE, BEEF, COLD WATER FROM THE FAUCET TO THE MOUTH, NO SMILES, AND FINALLY ALL SOOO CIVILIZED HERE AT THE LUX KAMP HOTEL IN CENTRAL HELSINKI, FINLAND.

We had a good 7 hour flt from delhi on Finn Air, tightly packed, but we each got a 2 seater to ourselves. The Kamp is worth the splurge, its old world elegence with all the updates. We had dinner last night in the hotel brasserie---filet mignon sandwiches, rare, served like a hamburger with delicious fresh FF--- 27 E each. We sat in a glass enclosed, and heated, sidewalk section overlooking the street and the park promenarde decorated with a few xmas lights.

We were in bed by 8...

We took a shared van in from the airport, 27 E for 2. The stand is directly outside the customs door and is marked "airport taxi". It is misty here so not a time for walking around--maybe this AM. Fully dark by 4 PM.

Helsinki is a lovely city surrounded by water. Large passenger ships/ferries dot the harbor area. The buildings are drab, utilitarian 4-7 story and mostly all box like. There is not much green in the center except the lovely promenarde. Lots of green outside however. Clothing is mostly dark and dreary.

We really like Finn Air, so Helsinki makes a great place for a break to and from asia.

We are apprehensive about catching our jet blue flt to boston from jfk, but i have a car res back up if necessary.

We look forward to being home, to seeing the family, to the Christmas season and OUR OWN BED.

This has been a packed 6 week journey, filled with new experiences and now on to the picture sort out--- ~ 3000.


OK, WHY India? Why not. It has to be one of the most diverse, fast moving, exciting, romantic, frustrating, spiritual, wonderous, mystifying, grand, lavish, outrageous, rich/wealthy/poor, smart, outspoken, cutting-edge, populace, green, corrupt, dirty, but yet delicious countries on the face of the earth or outer space. Every traveller, including sandra, richard and carol (no E) simply must travel here.

With the exception of hotels, costs are very reasonable here. If you stay at the heritage hotels, your costs can also be reasonable as well. We paid as little as $67.
India is also a great place to use points for stays in the big cities, or cash and points--starwood.

Having a car and driver also make all the difference. Many fodorites travel solo and pick up things as they go, but imo this takes way too much effort when for the comparitively small cost for the driver you can have comfort, not to mention safety. This is soley my opinion and relates to northern India only.

Using a local tour agent in India also makes complete sense to me. I have used Castle and King in Delhi for two trips now and I can't say enough for Arvind, the owner and his willingness to work with you and to PLEASE you and to make your trip memorable. The men and women that he employs or contracts with were 110% in our experience. His fees are reasonable and correct, his vehicles are safe, well maintained and exceptionally clean. He is very flexible in all planning. For this trip I chose and booked all of our hotels, and he commented on the suitability of each one and supplied alternatives for consideration.

We were 100% happy with each of our hotels, although I would not stay at temple on the ganges another time, but would instead chose the Palace on the Ganges next door--both in Varanasi.

Delhi-belly is alive and well and is not confined to Delhi. It joined me for 100% of my time in India and I left it there yesterday. At one time or another we both took an anti-biotic during the trip. Drugs are available in each city with no script, although K brought a supply with her.

The food was really good, but I found myself yearning for some plain oil/lemon BBQ chicken and some red meat. I love the use of cauliflower in so many veggie dishes and the delicious sauces that accompany so many dishes. The frequent and varied use of cashews is also a delight.

Every foot of space in India offers a photo experience. The faces, the animals, the veggie stands, the buildings, the shops---you never want for subjects... Did I mention the varried colors...

Of course there is the abject poverty, depravity and squallor also. These are not pleasant, but are a fact of life in India. K often has commented on the cleanliness of clothing and people in other 3rd world countries, but sadly we cannot report that for India.

We found the constant need for hand wipes and I have never washed my hands as much as in India.

Given all the plusses and the minuses, India is climbing the world chain and will be a giant of the world power and economic structure for decades to come.

To round out your travel experiences, you must visit India. It is unlike any other country that I am aware of and deserves your attention. You are simply not well travelled until you have spent some time in India!

SO WHY NOT INDIA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great report, Bob - can't wait to see the pix!

OK, THE FIRST SNAG... THE WOMAN CHECKING US IN GAVE US A REAL HASTLE (our carry ons were too heavy). We were able to work it out, but now she is at the check-in gate... we will know shortly.

2 questions for you:

Please explain why you'd stay at Palace on Ganges rather than Temple on Ganges if returning to Varanasi.

In retrospect, was it worth making the effort to go all the way to Jaisalmer?

Hope Delhi belly stays in India and doesn't make the transatlantic trip!

Live your wrap up. Have a safe and easy journey home.

I also loved your wrap up. "From Delhi to Helsinki"--what a culture, color, and climate shock as you reenter the West. Your description in your first paragraph was fantastic.

I'm sorry that Delhi Belly was so bothersome, but I'm glad that it didn't ruin your trip.

Welcome home. Enjoy that wonderful feeling of showering in your own shower just before climbing into the familiar comfort of your own bed.

OMG, the shower and the bed!! safe return home, even tho the transfer to jet blue at jfk was a bit rushed...

for us the extension to bikaner and jaisalmer was worth it. Both offer yet another perspective on India... However if your finances and/or time is limited I feel that you could skip either or both. Both accomodations were unique and fun. The J guide was outstanding. Staying within the city walls of a living walled city was another experience which we enjoyed.

Varanasi. The bathroom at Temple on G had water problems on the floor which turned me off. The hotel itself was adequate with a very nice roof restaurant with edible food, but in comparison to Palace on G appeared to be a far lesser quality of a hotel. We did not view P rooms, but the public rooms were far more lux---but then nothing in V is very lux.... We did like being out of the hustle at assi ghat rather than more centrally located up near the burning ghats. It had more of a community atmosphere rather than a freak show. Having the car at our disposal again made life easier. Each time we took the boats we did so from the central ghats, but many also hired boats at assi ghat for the more extended row up to the action--cost about 400-500 Rs.
The boat rides are very memorable and for us were the highlight of our visit to V.

Welcome home. I have greatly enjoyed your report, and look forward to your photos.