After dreaming of visiting India for years, finally we made it, and not only was this our first trip to India (well, with the exception of 2 weeks on a beach in Goa, a very long time ago), but after years of travelling around the world, often with the help of all you wonderful fodorites, I’ve finally got around to writing my first trip report.
We are a couple in our 40's with no kids and our aim was to experience India, but at a pace that didn’t leave us needing another holiday at the end of it! The keys for us were to experience the local culture, wander the markets, enjoy the food and take in the sights. We enjoy seeing the odd temple or palace but are not hugely into history or museums, but we are massive photographers and this was a huge part of our trip.
ITINERARY
Kolkata – Oberoi Hotel - 3 nights
Varanasi – Radisson Hotel - 2 nights (Changed to 1 night mid-trip)
Delhi – The Imperial Hotel - 1 night (Changed to 2 nights mid-trip)
Agra – ITC Mughal Hotel - 1 night
Jaipur – The Raj Palace - 3 nights
Jodhpur – Ajit Bhawan - 3 nights
Udaipur
- Leela Palace - 3 nights
Mumbai – The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel - 2 nights
Thursday 20th December 2012
BRISBANE - SINGAPORE - KOLKATA
Finally, the day had arrived for our India trip. Our day started at 5.30am with a taxi to Brisbane Airport. It hadn't actually sunk in that tonight we would be in Kolkata! The Singapore Airlines flight was on time and ran smoothly, service and food weren't bad, then we had 3 hours to kill at Singapore Airport, so we took a walk, had some food, and it wasn't long before we were boarding our Silk Air flight to Kolkata. Again the flight was good, the service was fine and it was only 3.5 hrs, so after years of dreaming of going to India, at 8.45pm we landed in Kolkata. Only then did it begin to sink in. We were actually here. We got through immigration and customs in minutes, our cases came out pretty quickly and in no time at all we were in the arrivals hall, where our driver from the Oberoi was waiting for us, with a smile, a bottle of cold water and cool towel. Lovely! Within minutes we were making our way into the traffic heading for the city. We were very tired but exhilarated at having arrived and kept grinning as we looked out the window. The streets were busy with people and traders and food stalls, and the traffic was chaotic, even though quite late at night. The city was more ramshackle than I had imagined - no big skyscrapers here. We were so engrossed in everything that the drive flew by and in no time at all we were pulling up outside the stunning white colonial style building of the Oberoi Grand. We were taken to our room to check in (we had been upgraded when I had previously emailed the manager requesting a higher floor non-smoking room). The room was lovely, with a very comfortable bed, just what we needed after 21 hours travelling. We unpacked, showered and went to bed, although it took a while to fall asleep we were just so excited to be here.
Friday 21st December 2012
KOLKATA
We woke at 5am this morning, which was partly because we were eager to see the city, and partly jetlag. So we headed to the gym, which felt great after the previous day's traveling, then after showering, and having a wonderful breakfast, we ventured outside. Our hotel really was in the midst of everything - on a very busy street with lots of traffic and honking horns, and traders selling there wares up and down the street. It was only 9am so still pretty quiet. We took a walk up to the Maiden where boys were playing cricket, then walked the back streets to the New Market. We were pretty jet lagged and everything felt a bit overwhelming, so we decided to get a car and driver to take us round to get our bearings. Having taken a walk, despite my intention to dress modestly in three quarter pants, a t-shirt and sandals, I felt like a stood out like a sore thumb so changed into my walking trousers and a shirt, and took off the sunglasses, thereby deeming most of the clothes I had brought with me unsuitable for the rest of the trip! We booked a car with the concierge and at 10.30am we set off. It was a brilliant idea. For 2 hours he drove us round, starting with Eden Gardens Cricket Ground which Mr V desperately wanted to see, he took us down to the Ganges where we watched people praying and bathing in the filthy water, it was incredible to watch, then we drove past the Writers Building, around the streets, over the Howrah Bridge, taking photos along the way and just sitting grinning as we watched the scenes outside pass by. Then he took us to Mother Theresa's home, where we went inside and saw her tomb, which was quite moving. Our last stop was the Victoria Monument, and the driver was pretty shocked that we didn't want to go in, just photograph it from the outside, philistines that we are! When we got back to the hotel at lunchtime we really felt we'd packed such a lot in already. The car and driver for that morning was definitely a good call.
We decided to have lunch at the hotel and as we took a table outside near the swimming pool this was our first chance to test how helpful the hotel would be in catering to Mr V’s gluten-free needs as a Coeliac, as the menu consisted of sandwiches, pizzas and pasta ... we needn't have worried! After handing over a coeliac card, we ordered vegetable fried rice (which wasn't on the menu), then the chef came out to assure him that they would make anything he liked and assured him gluten free bread was now being made and would be ready for his future meals at the hotel. The lunch was delicious and very relaxing sitting by the pool and the weather was still warm. I decided to relax with my book by the beautiful pool in the afternoon, but the heat went very quickly. Jet lag and a busy morning got the better of us and we decided on a quick nap in our room at 4.30pm but we both fell fast asleep and didn't wake until 7.30pm! We headed downstairs to the Thai restaurant, which we hadn't thought to book, and they had no tables free until 9.30pm - so much for our quick meal and early night! When we finally got a table in the restaurant it was lovely. We had fantastic food and wonderful service, and Richard, the Food and Beverage Manager couldn’t have been more helpful. Finally, we headed to be after a wonderful first full day in Kolkata.
Saturday 22nd December
KOLKATA
We had an early start today (which wasn't a problem due to our jet lag) so we could head off to the flower market at 6am. This was so worth it. Not really a market as we think of it, more little muddy tracks with hundreds of flower sellers setting up shop, under the Howrah Bridge. Not another tourist in sight, although we were fairly conspicuous by the white suited peak capped Oberoi driver who insisted on showing us around, which was actually great as we felt very safe taking our cameras out and getting some fabulous pictures, what a great experience. We headed back to the hotel for a shower and breakfast.
Next we went for a walk into the old part of Kolkata. Fantastic! Dusty streets, filled with people, cars, motorbikes, tuk-tuks, rickshaws, bikes, cows. We wandered past street stalls selling all kinds of food, watched men bathing at water outlets on the street, and marveled at all kinds of businesses, from the man sitting on the pavement hand-cutting keys to the man at the typewriter providing office services. We wandered for a couple of hours until we were hot and tired and headed back to our hotel. I was so hot and dusty I decided I wanted a swim and had to do it before the temperature dropped in the afternoon, so by 11.30am I was by the pool with my book and the sun was still warm. The pool, however, was not. Despite this I braved the ice cold water which after a few minutes felt refreshing. Mr V joined me but it was too cold to stay in for very long. We dried off and ordered another delicious vegetable fried rice lunch. We decided to have some time relaxing as we were still very tired, so spent the rest of the afternoon reading by the pool which was lovely. After last night's experience at dinner we decided to book a restaurant and chose the hotel's multi-cuisine restaurant La Terrasse for 9pm, as we wanted to go for a walk in the early evening to Park Road. When we headed out of the hotel we were shocked at the noise from outside, there were people everywhere! As it turned out there was a march going on with thousands of people involved. They were protesting for stronger punishments for crimes against women, after a brutal rape and beating by 6 men in Delhi had left a girl in intensive care. There had been similar marches escalating into riots in Delhi in recent days. We walked, or rather shuffled our way through the crowds past all the street traders to Park Road, which had all the Christmas lights on. We had a look around a great bookshop, Oxford Books, but beyond that there wasn't a lot to see. It was a nice thing to do on our last evening in Kolkata, but we were back in the hotel at 7pm, so we brought our dinner reservation forward, and went at 7.30pm.
Dinner in La Terrasse was a highlight, and mainly due to the wonderful service we received from Richard, the Food and Beverage Manager. He welcomed us like family and when we said we wanted to try some of the Bengali Specialties he asked us to let him choose. Mr V had decided to go vegetarian for the trip but I didn’t find that so easy, so decided to use my judgement and go vegetarian if eating anywhere that I felt unsure about and eat meat in the 5 star places. We had a mixture of vegetarian starters which were delicious, followed by a Bengali lamb curry with mace and black cardamom, with Poori bread for me, and a Bengali Vegetable curry, with ridge gourd, potatoes and poppy seeds for Mr V. All were absolutely delicious, and this remains the best meal we had on the whole trip (and we did have lots of wonderful food elsewhere). As all of their contained gluten, the chef prepared a beautiful complimentary fruit platter for us. It was a lovely meal to have on our last night in Kolkata. Our Oberoi experience was exceptional, with the overriding feature being the warm and caring service, unusual for a big chain hotel. They have a no-tipping policy which means you get great service because that's what they do and it also makes a great place to find your feet. Kolkata was wonderful, a great place to start our adventure, and the Oberoi made it all the more special.
Next: KOLKATA - VARANASI
Our long awaited 'Incredible India' experience
Recent Activity
View all Asia activity »
- 1 9 PM arrival in Narita
- 2 where is best place to exchange left over Chinese RMB's for US dollars
- 3 Suggestions for Asian visit Feb. 2014, incl. Singapore
- 4 Photography Trip to Vietnam
- 5
Beijing To Tibet, Mt. Everest And Nepal All In 10 Days
- 6 Which flight from BKK to Chiang Mai should I take?
- 7 Kanchanaburi - Toi's Tours
- 8 Thailand-Japan-China (is it a bad idea?)
- 9 Trip plans to SE Asia for 2014 coming together! Int'l flights purchased!
- 10 11 days in Japan, JR pass question
- 11 Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan tour suggestions
- 12 where to go in SE Asia
- 13
4 days with Orangutans Balikpapan + Camp Leakey
- 14 Elephant Visit in Chiang Mai
- 15 Proposed Sri Lanka Itinerary - any opinions welcome
- 16 Kuala Lumpur - Doubletree (Hilton) or Renaissance (Marriott)?
- 17 which hotel in Bangkok in July?
- 18
Uzbekistan: A Lesson in Silk Road Hospitality
- 19 Siem Reap from San Fran in winter 2013 FIRST TIME to Asia
- 20
trip report to tajmahal agra india
- 21 Hilton coming in Zhengzhou, China?
- 22 Dreamliner to Japan in Nov.?
- 23
Cambodia, Laos and a bit of Hong Kong - 5 1/2 weeks (Jan.24-March 4, 2013)
- 24 Sri Lanka
- 25 Suggestion for Bali
Waiting for more. Thanks for writing.
Reading along and enjoying.
Cant wait to hear about the Mumbai part as we are going there in a few days!!
yes, joining in here too. so far a great start to your first TR.
we spent a fortnight in Sri Lanka last year and although we would like to go back there some time, we also felt that we are probably ready to try India, so I'm so interested to read about your first experiences there.
hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions along the way? the first one is did you use an agent to help you book the trip, or DIY using this and other forums?
great start.. reading with interest..
Annesherrod - I doubt I'll get to the Mumbai part before you go, so if I can offer one recommendation, take a look at http://www.realitytoursandtravel.com/ we asked them to customise a private tour to cover all the bits we wanted which included a short tour of Dharavi slum, a visit to see the Dabbawallas, Dhobi Ghat and a tour of the markets. It was truly one of the best things I have ever done. I was in two minds as to whether to go to Dharavi but it was done in a very sensitive manner, no photos were allowed, and 80% of the profits go back into providing education for the residents of Dharavi. I was worried it may feel too intrusive, or that I would find it distressing but it was exactly the opposite. Such a positive and humbling experience, and our guide was wonderful I can't recommend it highly enough. a great way to end our stay in a truly fabulous city.
Annhig - more than happy to answer questions
We did Sri Lanka in 2006 and loved it - India is definitely the next step. I made all of the hotel and flight bookings myself. I used Fodors and Tripadvisor to help make decisions on the hotels, and wherever I could get the best deal on the hotel's website I used these. Two of our eight hotels I used hotel booking websites as they had the best deals. I booked all of the airline tickets directly through their respective websites. I booked a car and driver from Delhi through Rajasthan through Castle & King (thanks to recs on here) and they were excellent. I got C&K to book our train tickets from Delhi to Agra and also arrange tickets for moonlight viewings at the Taj. For me the planning is as almost as much fun as the holiday, so to have someone else do it would have spoilt it for me
Wonderful start ..... You did India the right way.
Sounds like you enjoyed your trip.
Isn't that what travel should be about?
Looking forward to more.
I like your travel style. We've been to India a couple of times (plus a brief stop on the way to Bhutan) so I look forward to reading more...
Thanks Violet! Kolkata is one of my "must-see" India places Glad to rad all about it!!
Looking forward to the whole repot, including the change from 2 nights to 1 in Vanranasi
Sunday 23rd December 2012
KOLKATA - VARANASI
The airline had brought our flight forward by 3 hours, so we had a pretty early start, breakfast then drive to the airport, although we still managed lots more photographs along the way. We got to the airport and walked past all the empty bag screening counters for every airline until we got to ours … yep, JetKonnect had the longest queue ever - not a good start. Eventually we got through to join the (again ridiculously long) queue for check-in, whilst all the other airlines had much smaller queues. We needn’t have worried about missing our flight though, as it was delayed! We eventually took off an hour late, and realized that we had to fly over Varanasi, up to Lucknow then back to Varanasi, so it was a much longer flight than it needed to be. We were now feeling thankful that we had no more flights booked with JetKonnect! Compared to Kolkata Airport (which felt old and run-down) Varanasi airport is surprisingly new and modern. We had arranged through our hotel (Radisson) to be collected, and were met by our driver, Sam. The drive to the hotel was interesting and such a contrast to Kolkata. Apart from being colder (and a bit foggy), we were struck by how rural it felt, and enjoyed taking pics on our journey to the hotel. Our plan with Varanasi was based on arriving at night, doing both the sunrise and sunset boat trips on the Ganges the following day, then fly to Delhi the next day for 1 night before heading to Agra. Because the airline had brought our flight forward we arrived in Varanasi at 4pm and Sam suggested we would have time to go to the Ganges for sunset that evening. We liked Sam immediately and as we only had a short time in Varanasi we agreed to let him take us to and from the Ganges and arrange a boat for us. We checked into the Radisson, piled on as many layers of clothes as we could (it was getting really cold) then raced out to meet Sam in time to head to the Ganges for sunset. It was a half hour drive through the crazy, noisy busy streets of Varanasi, but we were driving slow enough to take loads of pics on the way. Sam dropped us off and we were met by Raj (Sam’s friend, guide, and local gangster). He walked us through the chaotic streets and markets, which we were glad of, as it really was like a rabbit warren, and while I’m sure we would have found our way down to the river somehow, I’m not so sure we would have found our way back! Raj took us to our boat and we were rowed down the Ganges, towards the burning ghat. It was incredible. For so many years I’ve seen these pictures of Varanasi, but to actually be in a boat on the Ganges felt surreal. When we got to the burning ghat we watched for a while, it was peaceful and very moving, then we came back up to watch the Aarti Ceremony and bought candles to light and float down the river. We watched part of the ceremony from the boat then Raj took us ashore to a great spot to see the ceremony from close-up. We walked back through town, which was buzzing, marveling at all the food stalls, people, dogs, cows, rickshaws and activity on the way. The whole experience was just incredible.
As soon as we got back to the hotel we showered and changed for dinner. The streets of Varanasi were filthy and after our trip down there and boat ride, we felt grimy. This is where our idea of a nice clean hotel to retreat to should have kicked in, but the Radisson just wasn’t up to scratch, the public areas were fine but the rooms (we had booked a business class room) were old and tired. The bathroom smelt of damp, the towels were threadbare and it had a shower curtain which I spent my whole shower trying to avoid touching. We knew it wasn’t going to be the Oberoi, but it was supposedly a 4 star, so we were disappointed. Dinner at the hotel's barbecue restaurant, despite the slightly strange decor and the waiters wearing boiler suits, was really good. The food was great, service brilliant and they had already made gluten free bread for Mr V.
Having already packed our sunset Ganges trip in, that only left the sunrise one which we would do the next morning. We decided that we didn’t need to stay for 2 nights and the thought of an extra night at the Imperial Hotel Delhi v’s a second night at the Radisson was much more appealing. It also meant we’d have a full day to see Delhi instead of a few hours, and we wouldn’t be travelling on Christmas Day. Varanasi was very dirty, but it had to be experienced and we loved it. I definitely wouldn’t have missed it out, but we’d seen what we wanted to see and were happy enough to move on so made the necessary hotel and flight changes, then headed to bed for an early start the next morning.
Monday 24th December 2012
VARANASI - DELHI
Sam collected us at 5.45am and took us to the Ganges, which as it was early, only took 15mins. Raj met us and took us to the boat through much quieter streets than the previous night. We were on the boat before dawn, but even though we had wrapped up in several layers we were still frozen. This time we went down the Ganges in the opposite direction in time to watch the sunrise. It was so peaceful at that time in the morning and incredible watching the river and the ghats come to life as the day dawned. We got off further down where we watched people bathing, praying, brushing teeth etc. It doesn't matter how many photos you can see of this, nothing can prepare you for the feeling of actually being there, it was incredible. It was still very quiet even though the sun was up, but it was nice just wandering. Then we got back in the boat and made our way back up the river. We took a walk through the tiny alleys of the old town, which was fascinating. The biggest challenge was trying to avoid walking in the cowpats and dog poo, which was everywhere. I'm not sure we would have wandered down some of those alleys by ourselves and we got some great photos, so we were glad to have Raj with us.
Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel for breakfast, then Sam picked us up and took us to Sarnath to see the Buddhist temple and museum. This was a lovely thing to do and such a contrast to the dirty, noisy streets of Varanasi. It was a very peaceful rural setting, so we wandered around for a bit before heading back to the hotel for a quick lunch, then it was off to the airport and goodbye to Varanasi.
Our flight to Delhi was with Spicejet, they were much better than JetKonnect and only ran 15mins late. We arrived in Delhi at 5pm and were met by Castle & King. Unfortunately the riots in Delhi had escalated and most of the streets near our hotel were closed off by the army, so as a result we had a 2hr journey to our hotel. By the time we arrived at the Imperial Hotel at 7pm, we looking pretty bedraggled and tired, and I’m sure we smelt of cowpats! But Wow. What a hotel! We had been upgraded to a Grand Heritage Room which was beautiful and most importantly, after Varanasi, had a stunning bathroom. After showering and unpacking we felt human again. We had dinner in the wonderful Indian Restaurant, Daniell’s Tavern. Stunning restaurant, amazing food, wonderful service, it was just perfect. Finally it felt like Christmas Eve!
Tuesday 25th December 2012
DELHI
Had a lovely slow start to the day. After a wonderful breakfast, we walked to Connaught Place for a wander around the shops, bought a few things then got back to the hotel in time for Raja, our driver from Castle & King to pick us up and take us out for the afternoon. Temples, mosques and historical monuments don’t hold much interest for us, so the only place we really wanted to see was Old Delhi. As we were nearby though, we decided to visit Jama Masjid Mosque, but were pretty underwhelmed, so didn’t stay long. As it was just across the road, we decided to take a look at the Red Fort. We were impressed by the size and scale of this place, it was huge, although we didn’t go in as we really wanted to spend our time in Old Delhi taking photographs. Then we moved on to Old Delhi, which was fabulous. We took a cycle rickshaw for an hour through the streets and alleys, now this is what we came to India for! Bumping and jolting our way through these narrow passages crammed with shoppers and cycle rickshaws was such an experience, and the photos we got were fantastic, we loved it! We arrived back at our hotel at 4pm, in time for our Ayurvedic Massages we had booked at the Spa, leaving us nice and relaxed for our Christmas Day dinner at the Hotel’s renowned Spice Route Restaurant. Like everything else at The Imperial it was flawless! Beautiful décor, fantastic food and lovely service. A truly memorable Christmas Day.
Next: DELHI – AGRA
I'm enjoying following along, remembering our stays (and excellent dinners) at both the Radisson in Varanasi and the Imperial.
I'm following along as well and enjoying.
reading along and loving the detail..
our flt to varanasi was thru lucknow---it was easy, but i think your decision was a good one..
xmas dinner---wow!!
Very much enjoying your report!
Looking forward to reading more of your great adventure.
Great report with excellent detail. I have a feeling that you would have wanted to stay in Varanasi for longer if you had stayed right on the river.
Great report! We got back from India a week ago so this is bringing back memories. We also stayed in the ITC in Agra - I was pleasantly surprised that it was a pretty good hotel with more personality than I expected.
Thanks guys, will get more done this weekend.
Crosscheck, I'm not convinced ... While we loved the experience of being down on the river, (I might have come across as a bit negative, but I truly wouldnt have missed it for the world) the only thing which could have tempted me to stay longer would have been a better quality hotel, and in particular, a more modern and clean bathroom, and I'm not sure we'd have got that on the river. I actually liked the location of our hotel, and found it almost a relief to escape the crowds and the filth of the town. It didn't take all that long getting back and forward and the drive to the river was interesting anyway.
In all fairness, this wasnt our sole reason for leaving Varanasi early, we already felt we would barely see Delhi, so the idea of an extra night there, in additon to not spending Christmas Day travelling just made a lot of sense. I don't think I would have originally booked for just 1 night, for fear of loving the place and having to leave before we were ready, but we really felt that the time we had there was ample, and with the exception of our hotel being a bit grotty, we loved our visit to Varanasi. If I was recommending to someone who hadn't been, I'd probably suggest 2 nights only because some people might prefer more time there than us, but if someone was short of time, then provided you had decent flight times in and out I think 1 night would still be very worthwhile, and for some people, may well be long enough.
As an aside, I would like to thank galactus and CICII for their advice on Delhi hotels. I had narrowed it down to Leela Palace or Taj Mahal and CICII suggested The Imperial, which I had already ruled out, due to construction of the metro system nearby. Between them, they convinced me to take another look and I'm so glad I did. It was not only our favourite hotel of the trip, but the most amazing hotel we have ever stayed at. Whilst we wouldn't be fussed about returning to Delhi, we'd go just to stay at The Imperial, and we'd have missed this if hadn't been for the great advice we got on here.
I worried about the construction around the Imperial also. Guess it is not too big a deal.
I know I am going to be sorry we aren't staying at the Imperial, but by staying at the New Delhi Oberoi we were able to use their 6+ night package and get a wonderful deal on our whole stay in India. I have always wanted to stay at the Amarvilas in Agra so that was the deciding factor for us. I will just have to make do with a meal at the Imperial!
Really enjoying your report, can't wait for the rest.
Hi cwn, I'm sure the Oberoi will be lovely too (I'm a big fan of Oberois after Kolkata and also Bali), I didn't see the Delhi one so can't comment. I can highly recommend either of the two restaurants we dined at, at The Imperial. I would find it very hard to pick between The Spice Route Asian, and Daniell's Tavern, Indian - both were wonderful. Enjoy!
Hi guys, sorry I didn't get this finished but had a house move which was pretty chaotic, hoping to get this finished now.
Wednesday 26th December
DELHI - AGRA
So today is the day we get to tick off 2 biggies – traveling by train in India and seeing the Taj Mahal. We decided to take the 11am train even though it takes longer than the 6am express to Agra. We figured we didn’t need to be in Agra until the afternoon as there would still be plenty of time to see the Taj Mahal at sunset, and it would let us have a more leisurely start to the day. Arvind at Castle & King had booked our train tickets, and a driver was collecting us to take us to the train station. While one of our biggest concerns on this trip was staying well, so far we had had no problems. We had been very careful where we ate – mostly 5 star hotel restaurants, and we had taken lots of packs of antibacterial wipes, which we used meticulously while out and about and in airports etc. If we ate out in a local restaurant we wiped our hands, the plate, cutlery, glass, top of coke can etc before using anything, although we didn’t go so far in the Imperial! So with the train journey, our biggest worry was food. Mr V is a Type 1 Diabetic and has to eat regular meals with good carbs, but as a coeliac this can be challenging. We didn’t want to risk not having good or safe options on the train so I spoke to the hotel staff at The Imperial, and they made us packed lunches. They baked gluten-free bread, pastries, and cakes, and packed 2 large fancy looking cake-boxes with the gold imperial logo embossed on the side for us. After a wonderful breakfast of chickpea curry and potato paratha for me and plain dosa with coconut chutney and masala chai for Mr V, it was time to leave. When our driver picked us up, he was with a Castle & King rep, and during the car journey to the train station we made payment for the trip we had booked with them. So far, Castle & King were spot on, clean, comfortable car, friendly professional staff, always on time, and hadn’t taken a penny deposit from us until now. When we arrived at the station, two coolies sprinted towards our car arriving and haggled for a price to carry our bags. To be honest we couldn’t stop grinning with the excitement of being at Delhi train station and watching these two little guys hoist our big cases onto their heads, and another guy just to carry our lunchboxes (well I did say they were large!). That experience was priceless – they could have said any number and we would have paid them, our C&K rep made sure we didn’t bankrupt ourselves and helped us agree a price. We followed them through the station to our train and settled ourselves in our carriage. We had a top bunk and a bottom bunk, and our lunchboxes took up half of one of the bunks! The train journey was everything we had imagined and more, we braved the toilets early on, which was a good call. We loved watching other foreigners following the same routine as we did – toilet visit, antibacterial hand wipes – touch anything, hand wipes – before you eat, hand wipes – after you eat, hand wipes! At least it wasn’t just us! After 2 hours we were told we were an hour away from Agra, so were making good time, and then, we stopped! Then, we crawled, then we stopped again. Hordes of people were getting off and standing around the tracks drinking chai and smoking, then they’d all pile on and we’d crawl another few yards. We weren’t stressed by it really, not until 3 more hours had passed and we had barely moved. The fog was moving in and the light was fading. We started to doubt whether we would see the Taj at sunset at all, and as we were moving on to Jaipur tomorrow this was our only chance. We eventually started to move, very slowly. In the end we arrived in Agra after a 6-hour journey. The train hadn’t even pulled to a halt when our driver appeared beside us – how did he do that? This was something we would become used to with Raja, he was always there looking after us. We got in the car and he tore through the streets trying to get us to BBD Bagh to see the Taj before the sun set. I think he thought we were mad. He told us it was too foggy and almost dark so we wouldn’t see it – but said he was happy to take us if we really wanted to go. We really wanted to go. We got out of the car and followed him down this dirt track in what was now almost pitch black, and suddenly it was there. The faint but instantly recognizable outline of the Taj Mahal in the misty night was right in front of us. It was an incredible view and looked almost ethereal as the 3 of us stood there, the only people around in the middle of this dry riverbed, and I have to admit to shedding a tear. It was a truly magical moment, and one I’ll never forget – my first view of the Taj Mahal.
We then drove to our hotel, the ITC Mughal. It was quite beautiful, but somehow felt very cold. The staff were lovely and we were upgraded to a brand new suite which was stunning. However, there was no time to hang around as we had arrived in Agra during one of 5 nights in the month around the full moon, where you can visit the Taj Mahal at night. We had asked C&K to buy our tickets (they can only be purchased in Agra 24 hours before the viewing night), and we were booked in at 9pm. We had a quick dinner in the multi-cuisine restaurant, which again felt very cold, but the food was pretty good. It was at that this point when I started to get stomach cramps, but I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of our Taj viewing tonight. We layered on every item of warm clothing we had with us and headed out to meet Raja. When we got to the entry point for the moonlight viewing, the security was incredible. We knew you couldn’t take food, or drinks or large bags or tripods in so we each had a small camera bag with our cameras. We went into a room where we were frisked and our bags searched. Two ladies took out my antibacterial wipes, and told me I wasn’t allowed food. They spoke little English, but I tried to explain what they were, in the end I forfeited the wipes. Then we got on an electric bus, which took us to … another security check. We had to go through a scanner, have our bags scanned then searched, and were then frisked. At this point they decided we could take our cameras, but not camera bags. Not sure why they didn’t tell us that at the previous checkpoint where there were lockers that you could leave your things in, but hey. So our bags (which included Mr V’s insulin and blood test kit) were placed in the corner and we were given a ticket, and all we kept thinking is that this better be worth it. Then we got back on the bus and finally we arrived at the entrance gate, where we stood and waited in the freezing cold for a good 10 minutes. Eventually, we went in, but not very far. The moonlight viewings only allow 30 people at a time, in scheduled time slots for 30mins, and you are only allowed just inside the gate. We stood at the barrier and looked … at the dense fog in front of us. We couldn’t see a thing! Nothing! We thought some lights would come on at some point, but no, complete darkness and thick fog. We stood there for 30 minutes just staring at the blackness, trying to pick out even a hint of an outline, but nothing. We were cold, tired and stressed that Mr V’s insulin would never be seen again, and all we’d managed to see was fog. The good news was, when we got back to the checkpoint our bags, and insulin, were all there. As we headed back to our hotel Raja suggested picking us up at 8am the next morning for our proper Taj visit. Oh no, we said horrified, we have to see it at sunrise. He looked at us like we were mad, and I was starting to think we actually were. He tells us, there will be no sunrise tomorrow, there will only be fog, as we have had no sunrise for the past week. But we weren’t to be dissuaded; we wanted to see it at sunrise no matter what. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled, and agreed to pick us up at 7am, so we headed to bed, shattered after an eventful day.
Thursday 27th December
AGRA - JAIPUR
We woke this morning to clear blue skies – awesome! Raja was waiting for us at 7am and had brought along a friend as our guide. This morning we really got to see the Taj Mahal in all its glory. After one quick security check, we were in, and it was more incredible than we could have imagined. Our guide was fantastic, and for two people not really interested in history, we were enthralled. The beauty of the building itself and the detail is like nothing I’ve ever seen. I had wanted to see the Taj Mahal all my life, but in the end thought it could end being an anti-climax. Not so. It was truly incredible and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. We spent 2 hrs there before heading back to the hotel for breakfast.
Breakfast at the ITC Mughal remains the worst breakfast selection we had for the whole trip, and possibly one of the worst ever. Overall the hotel was very nice, but there was nothing that really made us love it. Before leaving Agra, Raja took us to a marble demo and shop where we could buy souvenirs such as tables and chessboards inlaid just like the Taj Mahal. I wanted to get a souvenir of the Taj so I didn’t mind, although they were disappointed we didn’t opt for the full marble table, and instead bought 2 small but very beautiful elephants.
Then we were on our way to Rajasthan. En-route we stopped at Fatehpursikri. There’s nothing I can say about this place other than, truly awful. We had to go on minibuses from the car park which meant waiting around, then we were dropped off at a spot which meant having to run the gauntlet of tourist tat shop and touts, before arriving at one of the ugliest collection of buildings I’ve ever seen. As I’ve said before, we’re not into historical monuments, so forgive me if I’m being harsh, but we just didn’t get it. It looked very much like the school buildings I attended in the UK as a child. We managed about 10 minutes before running the tout gauntlet again to take the minibus back to the car park, which we waited 20 mins for. This remains our biggest disappointment and waste of time during our whole Indian trip.
So, on to Jaipur. The drive towards Rajasthan was fascinating, especially driving through the villages, leaning out of the windows taking photos. We lost count of the number of smiles and waves and hello’s we got from villagers, old and young, and this remains one of our biggest memories. The light and the landscape changed as we got closer to Jaipur and the colours of men’s turbans and women’s saris changed from village to village. It was an absolute feast for the eyes. We stopped for lunch on the way, and eventually arrived in Jaipur at 7pm and received a royal welcome at the Raj Palace Hotel situated just outside the gates to the old town. The hotel was beautiful (now this kind of historical monument I can live with!), the staff were lovely but there was just a hint of chaos and we did wonder if this was going to be our Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It kind of was. We were upgraded to a suite, but when they openend the doors decided we couldn’t have it so had to walk through a maze of corridors until they found our room, which was also a suite. It was brashly decorated and very ornate but somehow quite charming. The room was freezing as just about everything was marble but the little heater in the corner soon warmed us up. Nothing quite worked properly, the plugs sparked when you put them in the sockets, the bathroom got very damp when you showered, the staff tried to help and if they couldn’t then they just smiled. We got a bit irritated but decided we were probably just tired. We went for dinner in the hotel’s ornate dining room, (there was a beautiful dining terrace but it was way to cold to sit outside) where we had wonderful food and service. Exhausted after a long day, we headed to bed.
Next: JAIPUR
What a great story! Thanks.
Loving this Violet. MIraculous that you hd a bright clear morning for the Taj Mahal. Arent you glad yo stuck to your gun about a sunrise view?
Disappointed to read of your stay at ITC Mughal. I wonder what happened? Their breakfast was wonderful when we stayed there (June 2010).
Looking forward to more!!! Thank you for catching up after your move.
Glad to know that you like this country.
Comment has been removed by Fodor's moderators
i'm shocked about FS. we loved it and found the buildings to be quite interesting... we were driven right to the door??
loving the report..
glad C&K did well by you.
Following along again - I am truly impressed that you are intent on finishing your report...
rhkkmk
I agree with you. We just got back from our trip and enjoyed FS very much. Our guide meet us at the entrance to the car park and then walked us to the buses, there was a tourist shopping area near the bus stop. Going to the bus we did not walk through it, but behind the back of the shops and were not approached. Going back to the car we walked by the entrance to the shops, but were not bothered once we said we weren't interested. Though I read other reports about the hawkers being a terrible problem. Maybe being with a guide from leaving the car kept that at bay.
I had not wanted a guide for that site but our tour provider said we really needed one to enjoy that site and the Taj. He was so right, at least for us. We felt the complex was beautifully restored and enjoyed the commentary provided by our guide.We walked through the complex visiting the various palaces of the wives, the public halls and vistas then caught the bus back from the other side near the impressive mosque. That last bus ride was a great India experience and I will tell about in our trip report coming soon.
violetm
You started your report right before we left. Glad you are finishing it. I agree with you about the Oberio's. They were all wonderful hotels and made our India trip perfect! Sorry your experience at FS wasn't as good as ours.
Really enjoying this, thanks for sharing your your experiences.
i never find hawkers a problem... i just keep walking or try to sell them something
Loving this. We're about to go to Machu Picchu and have only allotted one day, so the Taj saga made me rather nervous. So glad you got to see it properly.