The genesis for this trip occurred 12 months ago when
looking at my bucket list of things to do I realised that Vivienne and I had
never spent time in India. Various
friends had recommended going to India with one constant message – only stay in
six star hotels. CAM, the alumni
magazine for Cambridge University, consistently runs advertisements promoting
Martin Randall Travel so I booked a tour starting on 26 February 2016 and
finishing on the 11th March called Essential India.
The only airline that flies direct Sydney – Delhi is Air
India so I booked a return trip departing 25 April and returning 11 March. Numerous flight changes later the flight
dates were finalised as 24 February and 12 March. I came to dread emails from Air India as this
meant booking addition hotel nights.
Also when I told every travel agent that I subsequently met in Australia
that I had booked with Air India their faces were a combination of stunned
surprise and admiration for my bravery.
The flight left Sydney on time and arrived at Delhi airport
on time. We felt immediately as if we
had arrived at London Heathrow. There
were Indians everywhere. We were met by a rep from tour co who had arranged a
driver to take us to hotel. We followed
him out into lower car arrival/departure area which was a huge blast of noise,
honking horns, hordes of people massing in all directions. The traffic was utterly
chaotic; overtaking on both sides, everyone weaving in and out, each
intersection a game of chicken. There
were two added touches: motorbikes and cyclists, sometimes a car even,
unbelievably came towards us against flow and every so often a group of sacred
cows were planted on the road as a mandatory diversion. We got the Taj Mahal hotel at around 8:30 pm
and as we had been well fed on the flight we showered and crashed into bed.
The next morning we asked the concierge about going to
Jaipur for the dayand he said if we wanted to spend 10 hours in a car it would
be a great choice. Instead he recommend
a number of places to visit that proved excellent. We attempted to walk to local Khan market
which is supposedly more European. A chef from hotel returning to his lodgings
walked with us to ensure safe crossing of roads. Then a autorickshaw driver
stopped by us, the chef said he should take us to an Indian market as the Khan
market did not open till lunch time, advised what to pay etc. it was most
entertaining, weaving through the traffic. The driver then just waits for you
whilst you look around. Then we went to the Gandhi Smriti a museum dedicated to
Mahatma Gandhi, where he was assassinated. Very impressive to see his extremely
simple living area, read all the newspaper reports of events leading to the
final day. Then we returned the Khan market which opens midday. It was not
glamorous looking at all, but lots of little shops selling sunglasses, Indian
clothes. We found a pastry shop L'Opera
which Vivienne had read about in magazine on the plane and picked up some
pastries.
That night we ate at The Grill Room on the top floor of the
hotel which must be one of the most expensive restaurants in India. There were loads of pictures of politicians
who ate here including Julia Gillard and
David Cameron. The chef prepared great gluten free courses for my wife. We had our first bottle of Indian wine. Not bad at only $100, (by comparison the
Jacobs Creek was $150). Total cost was
$300 but in Sydney the equivalent meal would be twice that.
The next day we again followed the advice of the concierge. We walked out of the hotel picked up an autoRickshaw
with a Sikh driver, which proved fortuitous as the first place we were visiting
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, which is a major Sikh temple. It was an extraordinary place with hundreds
of people. It also has a massive
communal kitchen with old and young people,chopping, peeling vegetables to
make curries in massive pots. Then all sit in a vast hall and get fed including
people just for a meal. The Sikh
religion only started in 1490s yet to me is perhaps the most impressive. Then we went to the Laxmi Narayan Temple,
which is a Hindu temple with lots of
gods and Buddhas but no free food so surprisingly a lot less people. The driver unsurprisingly took us to several
shopping emporiums. My wife is a very
cautious buyer and drives the salespeople mad.
I just tell them that she is the economic decision maker and that I am
like Ghandi I just want a simple life with very few possessions. That night we had a very pleasant meal at a
new restaurant the hotel had set up as an outside BBQ. I had chicken and an artichoke salad, Vivienne
had salmon and roast potato. Then I
finished with the signature dessert of the hotel, a "bullseye". This is a melted chocolate mud cake with a
scoop of vanilla ice cream in the centre.
Being a celiac Vivienne was unable to share it.
The next day we met our four guides and 16 fellow
travellers. Hubert Giraud, the tour
manager, is a relocated Frenchman, who had the perfect personality for his task. Dr Giles Tillotson was the mandatory
academic. A fellow Cambridge alumnus
(Trinity) he had the sceptical perspective that Cambridge ingrains into you
plus the pleasing wit. Bindu was the
India link fluent in Hindi, English and German.
She acted as the Indian Freelancer for German television. Finally Utpal acted as the sweeper making
sure no one in the group was let behind.
The 16 travellers were nearly all retirees. In our early 70s Vivienne and I neither
raised nor lowered the average age. The
group was a true representative of the Anglosphere comprising representatives from
Australia, New Zealand, UK, and USA.
Those that had worked in the private sector were
conservative/Republicans; those who worked in the public sector were
liberal/Democrats.
We started at the Red Fort which is sort of the spiritual
home of the Indian nation. It is a
series of palaces built by the Mughal emperors.
Unfortunately most were in disrepair; there isn't a lot of money for
conservation here. It is also the scene
of the 1857 India mutiny now described as the First War of Indian Independence. Then had a wild ride through old Delhi back
streets in a rickshaw. The poor driver nearly died when he saw me but I gave
him a good tip (even though tips were included in the tour price). We ended up at the main Delhi Mosque which is
open air and can take 25000 worshippers.
The Iman is a fierce fundamentalist who gave a sermon saying all young
Muslims should go fight in the Middle East against the west. A minister in the Indian government who was
formerly a Bollywood actress. suggested he should lead by example. He said he did not take advice from dancing
girls. In the afternoon went to the
President's palace. This was originally
designed by the British when India was part of British Empire and built and
finished post WWI as home to the Viceroy.
Massive building and parks complex and now put to good use. That night had our first joint dinner. The other members of group in shock at
poverty. I told them that it is getting
better and what do you do?
The next day we flew to Varanasi which is the religious
centre of the Hindu religion. We stayed
at the Gateway Hotel which is the best in town and has good cooking. That night we took a boat trip to see
cremations and then along with 15,000 people packed on boats and the
embankments watch the day to night transition led by Seven Hindu priests. Bells, chanting, conch shell blowing, waving
of 108 candle pyramids, and incense was everywhere, it was spectacular sight. The
river is filled with mosquitoes and I was spraying Aerogard like you would not
believe. Then the next morning we got up
at 4:30am to do the reverse ceremony. Again
it was an amazing welcome as the sun rises.
People were washing themselves and clothes in the Ganges which is unbelievably
filthy. On the banks of the Ganges (known as Ghats) there are corpses
wrapped in blankets and huge of piles of wood everywhere waiting to be used for
funeral pyres.
After a breakfast on a roof top balcony we then did a walk
through the back streets and visited a temple.
We had to take off our shoes and as we walked around in our socks the
floors were wet, sticky and filthy. When
we got back Vivienne dived into the shower and then washed her hair. Again
shock of the poverty was overwhelming.
Still we had a pleasant lunch and then went to Sarnath about 9km where
Budda preached his first sermon. This is
a very impressive layout and museum. There
were lots of overseas buddist pilgrims from Sri Lanka and Myanmar but very
orderly and peaceful. What is surprising
about India is that although Bhudda was born and lived there and Ashoka, the
first major India Emperor, promoted Buddism, the religion is now only followed
by around 1% of the population. By contrast
around 80% of the Indian population follow the Hindu religion.
Day Six of the tour saw us fly to Khajuraho. We stayed at the Lalit Temple Hotel which is
the best in town and was excellent. The afternoon was spent
visiting Jain temples (Jain is another Indian religion) and the next day we did
a full visit of the Western and Southern temples which have all the
erotic statues. Quite amazing as you get
your eye in.
Day 8 was our first rest day. I started by having a Swedish massage. I thought it was going to be a blonde nubile
Swedish backpacker working away to the music of ABBA. Instead it was a 50 year old man accompanied
by Hindu chants. The afternoon we went
to the Panna nature reserve which is famous for its tigers. Unbelievable roads and driving getting
there. We saw monkeys deer antelopes vultures and eagles but the tigers
who had GPS trackers in their collars were sleeping. We were leaving the
park when suddenly we saw a magnificent leopard sitting down and looking at us
about 5 metres away. He sat there for 5 minutes yawned and then
disappeared into the bush blending unbelievably quickly with the undergrowth. It was a highlight of the trip and a rare
event. As soon as we got out of the jeep
the driver was on his mobile telling everyone he had seen a leopard.
Day 9 saw started with a long 4 hour coach ride next day to
Orchha. The drive as usual was terrifying. First there are no traffic lights so every
intersection is a game of chicken.
Secondly overtaking is done on either side by the overtaking vehicle and
if the vehicle is smaller than you say a bike, tuk-tuk or a car you expect them
to swerve off the road. Thirdly every
kilometre or so there is a collection of cows which, because they are sacred
you have to slow down and manoeuvre around.
The afternoon of our arrival we visited the Jehingar Mahal a large palace
which Lonely Planet accurately describes as an assault course of stairways and
precipitous walkways. Not many tourists
come here and it is quite laid back. We
were staying at the Amar Mahal hotel, Orchha’s most luxurious and noteworthy
because the bar had no gin. The next day
we first visited Ram Raja temple going up the hill and back in
autoRickshaws. Then we caught the train
to Gwalior.
The
train trip was ok for us as we were in first class and had reserved seats. You would not believe the crowds of people
trying to climb into the already packed 2nd class carriages. We went by train because the tour guide said
the road between Orchha and Gwalior was quite dangerous and full of pot holes
(like so far the roads were safe and smooth).
The next day day started with a visit to the Gwalior fort which is
spectacularly located on the top of a ridge overlooking the town and even
contains a frieze of yellow ducks. It
was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1857 Indian Mutiny. After lunch we then visited Jai Vilas palace
which is where the Maharajah of Gwalior lived.
It was started in 1874 and contains in the main hall two of the largest
chandeliers ever suspended from a ceiling.
They tested the ceiling by suspending live elephants. The dining table is so long that the is a
model railway track running around it that carries a silver train filled with
brandy, port and cigars. It seems as if
all the heads of state go there on their India trips. We stayed at the Usha Kiran Palace hotel
which was built as a guest house by the Maharaja. Not only was there no gin in the bar, there
was no bar. The hotel had lost its
liquor licence. However Hubert did a
fantastic job we had great meal in the Bada Bar with our own sourced liquor.
Day 12
saw us take the coach from Gwalior to Agra. We arrived for lunch in the
afternoon and guess what we went to the Agra Fort which is one of the finest
Mughal forts in India. We then went to
the Itimad ud Daulan or baby Taj which is a beautifully carved mausoleum on the
river bank. It was the first to be built
in Agra and was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal which we saw the following
morning getting up at 5:15 am to catch the sunrise. It is fabulous and truly one of the great
buildings of the world. After two hours
there we returned to the hotel for breakfast and then went to, yes you guessed
it, another Mughal fort, this time known as the Fatehpur Sikri which was
another impressive building combining the red sandstone and white marble. We stayed at the Trident Hotel which although
the rooms were smaller that we were used two easily had perhaps the best
food. The head chef was terrific in
ensuring that Vivienne had gluten free food.
Day 14
saw us drive to Guragon. Our first stop
was to see the Akbar Mausoleum in Sikandra.
This another outstanding building with an impressive gate and huge
garden courtyard containing gazelles and peacocks. We then had a six star lunch at the Dakshin
restaurant at the Sheraton in Delhi. All
of us felt conspicuously underdressed. After
lunch we then saw our final sight the Qutb Minar which is the earliest Islamic
building in India, built with plundered masonry from 27 Hindu temples.
We then
had our final group meal at the Leela Kempinski Hotel. This adjoins one of the largest shopping
malls in India and was another complete contrast to the rest of the shopping. The rest of the group flew out the next day
while we went shopping. The hotel was
again excellent.
Summing
up:
Before
we left a good friend, Andrew Horsley, said that India was a place you wanted
to leave shortly after you arrived but then wanted to return after you
left. Our trip was pretty intense on the
site visits with lots of information but only at the end was I feeling I have
had enough. The guides were good with a
well selected range of site visits. The
food was excellent. I was eating the
salads and having ice in my drinks (at the 5 star hotels) and did not reach for
the Imodium bottle once. The religious and
wealth diversities are amazing. Of
course a big pleasure was being able to say Australia number 1 cricket team and
watching the Indians grit their teeth.
Everywhere there were advertisements for the International T20
championships which started just as we were leaving. Last night India, almost unbackable
favourites, lost their first match to New Zealand; the feeling in the country
must be the same as in New Zealand when the All-Blacks lose.
Chris Golis Australia's expert on practical emotional intelligence website: www.emotionalintelligencecourse.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgolis Email: cgolis@emotionalintelligencecourse.com mobile: +61-418-222219
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