Angela’s India Adventure
Our client Angela spent two and a half weeks in India in Autumn 2023 with her husband. Here’s her fabulous account of the tour and the wonderful experiences it provided.
After years of not being able to travel, we decided to pack in as much as possible on our India trip and despite Vimal’s initial slight concerns, he set about creating our amazing itinerary.
He certainly took advantage of India’s greatly improved transport system, giving us the opportunity to travel by air, rail, and road. Our unique tailor-made trip began in Amritsar and Shimla, followed by rural Rajasthan, the cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur, Aurangabad for the Ellora and Ajanta Caves, and finally Mumbai.
We experienced so much on our 17-day adventure that it’s difficult to put into words, but moments from each of the vastly different areas are captured below.
Amritsar
Our first afternoon at the Wagah border ceremony was simply a riot of fun and we loved watching people demonstrating joyous pride in their Indian nation. We were entertained with singing and dancing, and couldn’t help joining in with the boisterous chanting which accompanied the elaborate ceremony as the flags were lowered.
For most, the main reason for visiting Amritsar is the truly beautiful Golden Temple and it didn’t disappoint. In the evening the Palki ceremony is alive with colour, commemoration, and spiritual significance and then the following day going behind the scenes and seeing an army of volunteers produce up to 100,000 meals a day is not only amazing but incredibly heart-warming. We were just glad we didn’t have to do the washing up as there isn’t a dishwasher in sight and each item is washed 5 times, although it could be 4 as my hubby recalls.
Added to that the shopping was great and I seriously wish I’d purchased more Sikh bracelets at 50p, the food was gorgeous and our visit to the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial was very humbling. Amritsar gave us so many precious memories, not least the warm smiles and friendly greetings we received but also the feeling of being Angelina and Brad as some lovely people asked for photos with us.
Shimla
Shimla offered a surprise or two, and not just the cheeky little monkey that tapped on our bedroom window in search of food as I took a siesta. I had imagined it to be quite quiet and small nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, and while it did offer amazing views, we visited on a public holiday weekend and it was buzzing with domestic tourists and excited families. The mall was a wonderful hive of activity offering great shopping opportunities and a whole host of dining options.
Unfortunately, the very busy roads meant we didn’t visit the natural setting of Wildflower Hall and the Toy Train was out of action due to repairs from flooding earlier that year. So, it was really only at the Viceroy Lodge and our beautiful Oberoi hotel that we experienced the feeling of serenity I had imagined.
Rural Rajasthan
Going slightly off the beaten track from the ‘Golden Triangle’ was such an experience. As we left Delhi we said goodbye to the state-of-the-art business parks with their world-leading branded call centres, and soon we were travelling on roads with trailers packed high with the latest crops and waiting for cows to let us pass.
Our stay at the Samode Palace was simply unreal. As we drove up the narrow cobbled road and entered through the fortified gate, we had stepped back into a world of Maharajas and incredible opulence. That feeling of excited disbelief continued as we wandered through historic corridors before being shown our room which was literally fit for a King with its museum-style displays, supersize bath and ornate sitting area. The amazement didn’t go away with a private tour of the ‘Hall of Mirrors’ and a viewing of the Vintage car collection. Suffice to say our room was inspected as we left to ensure we hadn’t taken a fancy to any of the valuable artifacts.
The Ranvas, at Nagaur offered another ‘out of this world’ stay. Here we were enthralled by the award winning conservation work that has helped to restore the fort to reflect its former glory. The peace of the fort was such a contrast to the chaos of Nagaur that evening, with motorbikes, people, and cows all competing for space on the narrow market roads, shops crammed full of colourful wares against a background of the haunting call for prayer. This all played on my overactive imagination that night as I lay in our Queen’s bedroom transported back to medieval times.
Manvar and the Manvar Kumat Desert Camp resort was our 3rd rural stay, and although very different, that feeling of ‘is this really happening to me, have I become royalty?’ continued. What impressed us most was the friendly attentive staff and the amazing attention to detail which made the most of its beautiful setting. We later learned from the owner this was a COVID project, which involved a prominent architect and everything had been designed to reflect and enhance the environment in an eco-friendly manner but with luxury in mind.
That evening we enjoyed a wonderful sunset while relaxing in our private outside space, relished a beautifully prepared private meal with candles and a desert backdrop, and were entertained with fabulous local music and dancing. We both agreed the only shame was that we were a middle-aged married couple rather than nearly wed honeymooners.
After a restful night’s sleep, it was an early start for our desert jeep safari – and what a treat it was. From the fun and games of off-roading through the dunes, waving and smiling with the local kids on their way to school, spotting wildlife and picking fresh peanuts to try, to visiting local homes and meeting the people, our understanding of Rajasthan was truly enriched.
The rest of the day we just enjoyed the tranquillity before our sunset camel ride. Let’s just say it seemed a good idea at booking. Everything was well organised and the camels were beautifully presented but camel riding is 100% not for me. I’m not sure if it’s the height, the sudden lurch as you ascend, or the anticipated descent but I was happy to leave my humpbacked friend behind for an evening tipple.
Safely back relaxing, enjoying the immense sense of peace from the beautiful natural setting, we vowed one of our next holidays would have to be a safari.
Jodhpur and Udaipur
The Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada in Jodhpur as well as the Royal Palaces of Udaipur are wonderful must-see sights which we thoroughly enjoyed, but it was the everyday activities that gave us the fondest memories.
The chaos of the market stalls and shops around the Clock Tower in Jodhpur was amazing. Before I knew it, we were swapping our following night’s stay which included a leopard safari for an extra night in Jodhpur. It was so reassuring being on a well-organised tour with our own car and driver, but the opportunity to venture out on our own, hail down a tuk tuk and barter for shirts and dresses gave us a great sense of adventure and independence. Combined with the time to relax in the pool and the chance to watch an important premier league game (which incidentally our team won) was well worth the extra expense.
Then on the journey between the cities, we saw village life and herds of camels or goats being carefully guided along country roads by their owners.
And on arrival at Udaipur it immediately struck us as one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities in India. We were lucky to experience the colour and activity of a special festival day with ladies from all over the area beautifully dressed and paying homage, the young couples posing for their pre wedding photos beside the stunning lake setting. Two elderly ladies happily let me take their photo, then having gained our confidence, we did more bargain hunting before jumping in a tuk tuk (fortunately without the friendly cow who attempted to accompany us), before heading back to the hotel on the crowded streets.
Ellora and Ajanta Caves
The caves became part of our wish list having seen a Joanna Lumley documentary, and it turned out to be one of our best ever decisions. Getting to Aurangabad involved taking 2 flights but it was worth every second of that ‘what am I doing here’ 2 hour crowded stop-over at Hyderabad airport.
Our 3 hour journey to the Ajanta Caves soon whizzed by in the comfort of our own car and being entertained by our guide, while Ellora only takes about 45 minutes. You can take an extended walk to reach the Ajanta site but we chose the rather crowded rickety old bus. Despite some overcrowding fears from the bus ride and a couple of bottlenecks for the most popular caves, the sheer size of both sites meant there’s plenty of space to enjoy them at your own pace and often in private.
It’s really difficult to describe how awe inspiring these two World Heritage Sites are. The craftmanship and work that went into carving out the rocks to produce these amazing temples is immense. They are incredibly beautiful and sophisticated, and we were astonished to think they date back to 200 BC.
We felt we’d uncovered a best-kept Indian secret and were so privileged to experience these great feats of architecture, especially as they attract few Western tourists. Our fellow visitors included some lovely ladies from Chennai and Kolkata who greeted us warmly, politely asked for the obligatory pictures, which were duly taken with lots of smiles and good wishes.
I’d had so many misconceived ideas – can we fit both sites into just 1 day, I’m sure they’ll be great but are they really that spectacular and was a bit concerned if there would be bats that could bite us, so appropriate clothes were packed. But we listened to advice, allowed the two days and were totally blown away by these magnificent pieces of art.
I don’t know if we were just lucky but our fascinating knowledgeable guide enhanced our experience with chanting that beautifully echoed around the temples for an extra-ordinary spine chilling experience.
Visiting the caves does involve some walking so a moderate level of fitness is advised, as are a pair of comfy shoes which can be taken on and off quite easily for the temples, along with water and sun protection.
Mumbai
Often referred to as one of the most exciting cities in the world, Mumbai has a lot to offer. It was fascinating to see the Dhobi Ghat washing area, the Dharavi Slums, the regal architecture and the famous Gateway to India. Unfortunately, you can’t do anything about the weather, and we arrived on one of those rare overcast days so we couldn’t enjoy the spectacular views from our beautiful hotel. We enjoyed Mumbai but it had a lot to live up to, to become a ‘highlight’ on our tour, especially after everything we had seen and the amazing memories we were already cherishing.
