Thanks for the report Judy. I have persuaded my wife to do a real trip to India this winter so hope to see some of your photos and more stories!

Oh I'm looking forward to hearing more!

Oh, I've been awaiting your report! We are thinking next year we may go back to India, after all we have 10 year visas. Great start and the perfect dedication to dogster... falling in love with India.

I've been looking forward to this. We found the vegetarian diet in India to be quite satisfying and have had many meatless meals since. Need to hear more...

I, too, am looking forward to your report. I think it is very appropriate to dedicate it to dogster. I'm sure he will be following along from overhead.

Wonderful start! Can't wait to read thhe rest!

Wonderful start to a great upcoming report.....I can just sense it.

Great dedication to a great lover of India travel -- Dogster.

Report wanted! We are following in your footsteps in February and NEED to be prepared. We will not be vegetarians. My DH will probably enjoy the "tourist Western" meals at our hotels, but that is OK because he is coming...he would rather be in Italy. This is the trip I have wanted for years, now getting.

looking forward to more for sure..

how do we know dogster will be looking DOWN?

we often ate meats in India, but very carefully.

Settling in for a good read.

An Indian chicken can certainly do you in...

Dogster is no doubt looking sideways.

No doubt dogster is hovering over an Anokhi outlet awaiting a waft of peace and serenity. Or maybe he was radiating it. Waiting for more details.

Please submit your trip report!
Thank you...

Great start and perfect dedication. Can't wait for the rest...

Thanks so much, everyone. I did feel dogster's presence, especially because many locals asked us if we were "Austrian," meaning Australian.

goodness - I will eventually get around to the trip report, but my M.O. is to cover my pre-travel neuroses in depth. I do promise to be concise when describing our actual adventures. Please bear with me.

Correction: I neglected to mention Khajuraho, one of our noteworthy destinations, in the title of this report. I am going to see if I have enough clout with the Fodors editors to get this corrected.

ITINERARY - 10-23 September

LAX-LHR-BOM – BA (AA Award)

Mumbai - 1 night Waterstones - near airport (fly to Udaipur)
Udaipur – 4 nights Devi Garh Palace (fly to Varanasi)
Varanasi – 2 nights Suryaudai Haveli (fly to Khajuraho)
Khajuraho – 1 night Lalit Temple View (driver to Orchha, train Jhansi to Agra)
Agra – 2 nights Oberoi Amarvilas (driver to Delhi)
Delhi – 1 night, B-Nineteen B&B (complimentary late checkout)

DEL-BKK-SEOUL-LAX (Thai Airways flash sale)

WEATHER/BUGS:
I think I experienced more anxiety about monsoon patterns than I did about our son leaving for college. I had heard that Europeans flock to India in September because it’s less crowded and there are great deals (30-40% off on some of our hotels), but the mere existence of these bargains made me apprehensive. I even discouraged friends from going with us because I didn’t want to take responsibility for treacherous flooding, unbearable humidity and Dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

What I feared: When I (compulsively) googled “Varanasi September,” a link from a government tourist site kept popping up, warning me that “September is not the best month to visit Varanasi,” along with similar ominous predictions for Agra and Delhi. The historical info was just as bleak.

Even during the trip, the weather sites showed little black clouds with lightning bolts for all our locations for the entire time we were traveling. One site predicted a high of 31 C (87.8F) in Agra, with a “feels like” or “comfort factor” of 48 C (118.4F).

What really happened: Two brief thunderstorms while we were in vehicles in Udaipur and Varanasi and some midday mugginess in Khajuraho and Agra. At least one glorious day in each location, others somewhat overcast in a dramatic way, lows in the mid 70s, highs in the mid 80s. None of the sweatiness in djunbug’s trip report. There were, however, limited sunrises because of morning mist, but many spectacular sunsets. And a few bites at dusk at the posh Oberoi, of all places.

What I learned: Trust dogster.

OUR SECRET FOR AVOIDING DELHI BELLY:
We both travel frequently and I have lived in Latin America, so we know the drill about preventing gastrointestinal incidents. In this case, we thought a vegetarian diet would work because we could eat the spicy food we love without worrying about the spices covering up rancid meat. But when I went to our travel doctor for Malarone, she and I had the following conversation:

DOC
You know, the only time I’ve ever gotten sick while traveling was in India.
ME
That’s awful.
DOC
It was! Are you going for work?
ME
No, I’m going for empty nest enlightenment.
DOC
I see. If you’d like, I can prescribe Rifaximin, a terrific antibiotic that stays in the intestines and doesn’t get absorbed into the bloodstream.
ME
Wow – Sounds excellent, whatever that means….
DOC
Without the Rifaximin, your chances of becoming ill in India are 50%. And with it, you’ll have just a 2% chance, although for my patients, it’s been 100% effective.
ME
Is it safe?
DOC
Yes, it’s been used for years to treat traveler’s diarrhea, but now studies show that it works as a preventative. I’ve prescribed it for those who absolutely cannot afford to get sick – rock stars, politicians and one guy who was doing a three billion dollar deal.
ME
Hmm…we were planning on just looking at temples and buying a few pashminas. But we’d prefer to stay healthy. Are you allowed to prescribe it to garden variety travelers?

Later, I got a second opinion from my internist and he too mentioned the miraculous non-absorption thing, as well as a patient who took it for a two-billion dollar deal! What are the odds of two people in the same neighborhood both doing multi-billion dollar deals in India? And bragging about the amount of their deals to their doctors? It didn’t matter, I was sold. Rifaximin for us.

A few days later Mr. C went to the pharmacy and called with good news and bad news. The good news: Our insurance covered half of our prescription. The bad: The other half cost $25 a pill, or $500 for 10 days. I guess it is designed for those who do billion dollar deals.

Loving it all, crosscheck - yup even (or maybe especially) the pre-travel neuroses.

Now I know why I'd never heard of Rifaximin!

Keep it coming! What a completely fun and delightful report!

Bookmarking. Can't wait to follow along. Still working on our February India trip..I know it is getting close, but travel partner in Peru right now and we are busy getting ready for China trip. Also wanted to wait on your feedback since we are considering a similar (but reverse direction) itinerary...Delhi to Varanasi to Khajuraho to Orchha to Agra to Udaipur to Delhi. 12 total nights on ground.

We, too, are empty nesters this fall after almost 22 years of 24/7 parenting.

I love every detail of your trip and think you are channeling your inner Dogster! I visited India years ago and it's a very fond memory.

Loving your report - wish I had taken that pill, but not at those prices. Glad you had better weather than the heat we experienced. Even so - I'd do it again as India was worth it.

Looking forward to visit the place soon...

lol re finding serenity at the Anokhi outlet. That's MY kind of spirtiual nirvana!

I'll bet you understand now why the villages in Uganda and Kenya seemed so much less vibrant /colorful than expected. But of course, NOTHING compares to India.

sorry, i meant less vibrant to me--since i'd been to India first.

Wow, thanks everyone. I'm getting very close to posting the actual day-to-day trip report and appreciate your patience.

fun4all4, Congrats to your new college student, and to you on your new lifestyle and your many trips. Crazy that we came up with such similar itineraries. The adjustment has not been so easy for me- spending a lot of time cuddling with our Schnoodle. Hope you don't have to change your screen name!

Cali, Hmm...I'm not ready to compare India and Kenya. Sort of like Sophie's choice. But I will say that when it comes to India, vibrant and colorful is understatement. The wow factor is just beyond belief, on many levels.

TRIP PLANNER:
When it comes to travel I’m a DIY control freak, but for this trip we worked with Louise Nicholson (www.louisesindia.com), a British art historian who wrote the National Geographic guidebook to India, leads cultural tours (often for museum groups), plans cool luxury and mid-range independent journeys and runs a Delhi NGO for street kids. Many rave reviews from India-addict friends…and I admit that it was a great relief to research the big picture stuff, then leave the details to someone with extraordinary taste, connections and an amazing team of helpers.

LOGISTICS:
The perfect 11-day “un-Golden Triangle” itinerary – an urban/rural mash-up with smart/funny/non-drony guides, expert drivers, a road trip, a train trip, plenty of flexibility, and several downtime days on our own. Loved our eclectic mix of accommodations – a heritage palace, an Oberoi, two boutique hotels, a guest house and a haveli…this variety helped keep costs down.

Lots of VIP experiences, but nothing over the top – People kept showing up to escort us through airports during layovers, get us to the front of lines and even fill out our departure forms for us.

While at the Oberoi we got a call about a brand new super highway from Agra-Delhi. The rep suggested that we forego taking the train as planned (would have been our second train trip) and go by car at our leisure instead. Someone promptly came to collect our train tickets for a refund and we were not charged for the last-minute upgraded transportation.

Louise also provided insider shopping advice, which regretfully I didn’t always follow – I fear that a few of our purchases are available at Pier 1 for the same price we paid.

PACKING:
Not nearly as stressful as our safari. I did have a mini-meltdown about shoes because Mr. Crosscheck enforced his carry-on policy, and also became somewhat anxious when I read Louise’s travel tips, which insinuated that my all-black wardrobe would not quite cut it. Obediently packed some bright items from the bottom of my drawer, but I did spot clueless Europeans who looked just fine in dark urban colors.

We each took about three daytime and three evening outfits – which meant a) hotel laundry bliss and b) we looked the same in all of our photos. (I partially remedied this several days into the trip by purchasing some new gauzy scarves.)

Forgot to pack suitcase locks for the train trip – found these at the vegetable market in Udaipur, but never needed them because we kept our luggage with us on the train.

Important: Take an extra pair of sunglasses in case your favorite Ray Bans fall out of your rickshaw while you’re photographing an oxcart in the middle of an Old Delhi traffic jam. (Still recovering from the shock of this trauma.)

DRESS CODE:
I’m fairly certain we were the only Americans in India in September (except for some Home Shopping Network stars – more about them later). The other travelers were Europeans (French, Portuguese, Germans, Brits and many from Spain), Aussies, Japanese and ex-pat colonial types who live in Hong Kong.

Nearly all of these cosmopolitan globetrotters dressed if they came from Portland or Seattle (and we fit right in). The daytime look was outdoorsy – quick-dry convertible cargos/capris, or chic yoga wear. For evening, even at the Oberoi, women showed up in ethnic tops and men in linen drawstring pants. Mr. C lived in his Keens and I had two pairs of sandals and water resistant trail runners. Hats are a good idea, as are “temple socks,” although we never seemed to have ours with us when needed….ditto for the flashlights.

AN UNESSESSARY ACCESSORY:
Worried about yucky puddles, we packed disposable Hazmat galoshes that slip over your shoes http://www.northernsafety.com/Product/1473/12-Latex-Hazmat-Boot-Covers, not very fashionable but such a bargain at $4.95 a pair. Ordered them by phone and the sales guy said they’re a favorite of oil spill workers. They never left our suitcase until we gave them as a gift to the manager of our guest house in Delhi.

TIPS FROM MY INDIAN FRIEND
My pal Deepa is basically a California girl, but was born in Bombay (as she calls it), owns a business there and travels back frequently. She was slightly freaked that we were going during the monsoon, and assured us that her relatives could ”get us into any private hospital.”

Her advice:
- Take a fold-up nylon tote, a decent small umbrella (not from the streets of NY) and protein bars that won’t melt
- Beware of pashmina scams
- AC is freezing (Correct! Got a lot of use out of a lightweight cardigan)
- Don’t expect to like Varanasi

All valuable hints, minus the umbrella and Varanasi warnings. We were, however, grateful for the heads up about the protein bars – we took some Think Thin bars from Trader Joe’s, perfect for lunch because hotel breakfasts were so huge. Deepa also reported that she always loses five pounds when she goes to India…We did lose a pound (me) or two (Mr. C), but there wasn’t as much walking as we hoped…and there's an awful lot of ghee in dal.

Next: the actual trip report – thanks for sticking around

Loving this! Congrats on your new life and having such a great trip, just the two of you. India is definitely on the wishlist, but first will be an African Safari - am definitely going to checkout your Kenya report! Looking forward to the next installment!

Wonderful! I'm loving this as well!

By the way, would you mind sharing Louise's packing tips? I'm beginning to think about shoes & clothing - we're going in January for 3 weeks. What does one do about the washing/cleaning?

Love the advice about ditching the dark colors as that's what I usually travel with also, though in India, I ended up purchasing very thin cotton skirts/dresses to beat the heat. Sounds like you had a wonderful assortment of accommodations too.

don't overthink the packing/clothes as crosscheck perhaps did. take what you normally take on a trip to a usually warm destination. comfortable shoes are the most important thing and for ladies no low cut or revealing clothing

we found snacks readily available in india.

"we found snacks readily available in india."

I especially liked the packaged lentil based ones - they replaced my energy bars. I buy them from one of the local Indian grocery stores now I'm home.

I am really enjoying this report and your style. I am going to India for the first time for two weeks in November and have been wondering how to pack, so I am also curious about Louise's tips.

jgg, Hi - When are you in LA? Let's have a gtg! I'll bore you with my Africa photos.

progol, Louise gave the standard sage advice - put everything on the bed, then edit out half. She also said to bring a hat and to avoid all black or all white. Save lots of room for purchases - you can get anything there. And you probably need a jacket or fleece for the winter months.

Laundry - We rinsed a things out and used hotel laundry twice - service was phenomena...and very cheap. Clothes arrived back in gorgeous packaging - At Devi Garh we thought someone had sent us a present! I had a Tide-stick-resistant curry stain on my favorite travel pants in Varanasi, plus lots of caked mud, etc. Results were miraculous...hope they didn't wash them in the Ganges.

miles, Yes, most travelers were wearing locally-purchased items.

rhk, Overthinking is my specialty! But carry-on parameters are somewhat of a legitimate excuse. Check out earth tone issues in my safari report.

thurs, Loved all the lentil snacks as well, including the no-so-healthy spicy deep fried ones from the Udaipur vegetable market.

Hi Crosscheck
Really enjoying your report! We were two other Americans in India in September, but we didn't run into any others.
I had to chuckle at your packing/wardrobe comments. I wore Patagonia skirts and capris paired with LuluLemon tops....the same in every pic.

Looking forward to hearing about your time in Udaipur. After our golden triangle (aka India 101) we're already talking about Udaipur for our next India trip.

Enjoying your report - including the over-thinking!

Hey, CC. Can i join the gtg next time in LA? (I live in Bay Area). I'll show you mine if you show me yours....pix of Kenya, that is!!!
Enjoying your report. Darn, you are testing my resolve to NOT spend 'til the Africa trip is paid off. Ahhhh, Incredible India!!

Nikki, I think we were posting at the same time. Just looked back at Louise's tips. She includes info for people going on her tribal and temple tours (which look very tempting).

Her other suggestions, which you probably know about:
- hand sanitizer and packets of wipes
- copies of passport and extra photos
- long underwear top for winter
- sunscreen, repellant, bite cream (Had to take travel sizes of all of these..BA flight attendant saw me organizing my lotions and gels before we landed at Heathrow, said security there is very strict - one ziplock per passenger. She brought me some slightly larger bags so I could fit more in, but it turned out that nobody cared.

I would add:
- credit card that doesn't charge intl. fee
- $1 dollar bills, although our guides gave us a lot of small change for tips
- unlocked phone
- business cards - we both ran out. Everyone wants a card.
- souvenirs: I bought some Hollywood key chains at LAX, drivers and handlers loved these.

cruisinred - Good choice - Udaipur is a very user friendly city, but don't miss and rural surroundings, which are spectacular.

Kathie - thanks, Can't wait to hear your take on things. A lot of moving around, but somehow relaxing. Could be the other worldliness...you WANT to see more. We never felt rushed or as if we were doing too much.

Cali - By all means, join us!! jgg and I had our own exclusive gtg lunch, with Mr. jgg joining us for coffee.

This is bringing back memories of our recent trip--- we love all the packaged snacks available in India. A lot of them can be bought at our local Indian grocery stores.
One new brand "Kurkure" we came across is not yet available here in the LA area. We just loved it---it's really chips---but taste like you've never tasted before---light and much more tasty than even Nachos.

Yes, we do the same thing---have a lot of energy bars for between large breakfasts and fancy dinners. For some variety, we take with us small packets of nuts, M&M's etc--- better than store bought trail mix IMO.

cross-- you went to India in the off season and made it work for you. Fabulous.
Did you really give out $1 bills as tips ? Not small rupee notes? Right out of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, I'd say.
Looking forward to the report.

We only used the dollar bills for the first two days, until we were able to get small rupee notes, which are not that easy to find. I think I got that tip here here on Fodors.

Didn't try Kurkure, but the whole country was flooded with ads and commercials (We loved watching t.v.) Did you know it's owned by PepsiCo?

FINALLY, THE TRIP REPORT:

LAX-LHR-BOM (AA Award on BA)
Thanks to a stressful year, BA’s comfy business class and the wonders of modern medicine, we slept for most of BOTH flights. This turned out to be a good thing because Mr. C’s entertainment system on Flight #1 wasn’t working – He was given 75 GBP credit for merchandise from their duty free catalog (and in case you’re reading this, honey, I think you should demand some miles as well).

BA continued to throw money our way. At Heathrow the T5 lounge was being renovated, so they gave us a 30 GBP credit for the Starbucks at our gate. Not so easy to spend that much on a couple of non-fat lattes! Ended up with a supply of London souvenir thermal mugs, a hit with our guides and drivers.

LHR-BOM – More than half empty. Much better food (Indian) than from LAX-LHR. Flight seemed very short – if I lived in the UK, I’d visit India twice a year.

MUMBAI AIRPORT
BOM was our gateway because it was the only award ticket available. Deepa had said the airport was horrific, and we expected to get accosted by the supporting cast of Slumdog. Instead, though not shiny and modern, it was odorless and nearly empty when we arrived at 12:30am. We were through immigration in about five minutes with our tiny carry-ons and ten-year visas.

WATERSTONES, MUMBAI (Day 1)
A driver and a representative from Waterstones (on the Guardian’s Mumbai top 10 hotel list) met us in a BMW van and whisked us five minutes away to a quirky, boutique hotel. Ideal for a pit stop near the airport if you want to avoid the western chains, or if you want a giant fitness center (which we didn't have time to use). Our room had a rainforest theme and, apropos of nothing, a graffiti poem on the bathroom wall about a bad blind date.

Got about six hours of sleep then went to breakfast, remarkably refreshed. Had planned to avoid buffets, but the southern Indian spread was too tempting. Sat on the patio where we could smell the sea air and were a little sorry not to be spending time in Mumbai.

MUMBAI-UDAIPUR
The domestic airport was not so bad either, although the shanty town we passed on the way was disturbing to see because I was reading Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. Suggestion: Read this powerful book before or after, not during your trip.

Wasn’t thrilled about flying Air India because of dismal PR, but our BOM-UDR flight left on time, and the plane was much newer than the Jet jets we used later on. Although the flight was only an hour, they served a meal (decent warm veggie curry sandwiches), and we saw most of a Bollywood film in which the same actor played the protagonist and his prospective father-in-law. (Dual roles are a big deal in Bollywood, we learned.)

Our driver was waiting for us at the empty, modern Udaipur airport, along with the guide we would be using the next day. Became instant BFFs with both, especially because they were impressed with our lack of luggage. Our guide had studied history in Canada and is a distant relative of the royal family, the ones who still dwell in the Grand Palace. Very classy and personable – texted us for the rest of the trip with hints and factoids.

It poured on the way to to Devi Garh (one of two thunderstorms of the trip). But we were distracted by our new Indian SIM card, and also by the skills of our driver who calmly avoided the vehicles and animals that careened toward us during the 40- minute journey. The roads do have to be seen to be believed - like a wacky video game with all sorts of never-ending random obstacles.

DEVI GARH – rural Rhajasthan near Udaipur (Days 2-6)
Wasn’t sure if this restored palace/fort could live up to its Tripadvisor reputation, but it is simply AWESOME - stunning suites and views, gorgeous pool, superb food and service, cool design (traditional exterior, all-white contemporary interior), world class spa, great activities. Five minutes from the “living” Eklingi temple and serene Nagda ruins.

We didn’t think the 45 minutes to Udaipur was a schlep, and were happy to come home to the lush countryside every night. But what really nailed it for us was the authentic, photogenic village of Delwara right next door, where we fell in love with the people.

All this at an affordable off-season rate – A complete package of beauty, relaxation and culture that could work as a sole destination in India. (Only thing missing was a gift shop!)

It was still monsooning when we arrived, so we were greeted with a Bindi ceremony rather than the famous rose petal welcome. We were given a choice of two white marble Palace Suites with geometric gemstone accents and drop-dead views of the Araveli mountains and the colorful village. (Both Cicerone and Louise had advised against booking the lower category Garden suites because these lacked views, but these would work if you don't like stairs or elevators.)

AYURVEDIC TREATMENT
The spa was offering a special – two fatigue-relieving body-mind treatments for the price of one (Rs7250=$72). We both signed up for the Abhyanga full body oil massage, which pacifies the doshas, provides stamina and promotes longevity, plus the Shirodhara, a slow oil drip on the forehead (the third eye), which promotes peace of mind. Two hours later we were balanced and polarized. Farewell to jet lag... and to all of our other problems.

BAR/RESTAURANT
The rain stopped and we had a Kingfisher at the bar, overlooking the green hills as the sun set in the dramatic sky.

Then we headed to the restaurant where we split a yummy vegetarian thali, a perfect first day in India.

--

Next: Ayurveda-energized travelers go crazy sightseeing: three tours, a boat ride, a puppet show and dinner in the Venice of Asia - all in one day.

I'm ready to hop on a plane to Devi Garh immediately! Isn't it a shame we don't live in Europe as every place is such an easy flight compared to travel from the US.

PS You'll get used to the empty nest pretty quickly...

Oh, and I agree, miles were in order for a useless video in biz class. I've had that happen a couple of times on 6hr int'l flts and was given 15,000miles each time.

Loving this. I want to hear more, but you may have sold us on Devi Garth.

BTW I had the oil dripped on my forehead treatment in Sri Lanka and hated it. Spent a long time trying to shampoo all the oil out of my hair! For me, it felt like having oil dripped on it closed my third eye rather than opening it - lol.

Loving your report.
We get Karkure and every other Indian snack here in Toronto.

LOL Kathie re the dripping oil. I had an oil scalp massage and while it felt great, part two f the massage was self-inflicted as i tried to remove it from my hair.

CC, i surrender--am sold on Devi Garh, and like moremiles, tempted to reserve the next flights over! Great minds think alike--had it not been for your glowing review, i might have had to bypass it in favor of hotel with gift shop

(Off topic, but the icing on the cake at wonderful Serena Sweetwaters in Ol Pejeta, was its fantastic gift shop!!!)

anxious to read more

Thanks, all. Kathie and Cali, I did have a bad hair day after the drip, but it was surprisingly relaxing.

miles, Mr. C will to respond to you directly re: BA. I suspect it will be a rant about their award program.

emdee, A visit to Toronto is in order!

rhk, Honored that you're reading this so soon after the GTG

A few corrections:
City Palace, not Grand Palace.
Correct price of the treatments: Rs 3750 = $72

DAY 3
Dawn over the Arevelis, then breakfast, included with our room,
overlooking the landscape. Fellow guests were from Calcutta. They recommended what they were having and our servers brought us all that and more - a multi-course feast. From then on, the chef always had something new he wanted us to try. (Giant portion size an issue at DG in general, but they do mean well.)

By the end of our stay we were great fans of every Indian breakfast item - idlis, dosas, paranthas and masala omelettes, all served with fruit, mini-lassis and fantastic coffee.

DEVI GARH PALACE TOUR
Next up was a tour of the hotel - a must-do for history buffs (real 18th c maharajas lived there)…or for anyone who has ever done a renovation (just decades ago the place was a dump). Before and after photos were almost unbelievable. Now the gardens and public spaces rival what you see in the City Palace. Bonus: A great 45-minute workout, if you opt not to use the elevator.

UPGRADE KARMA
Midway though the tour, our guide told us we were being upgraded to an Araveli suite, the top room category besides the sole presidential suite. We had mixed feelings because we were in love with our then-current suite, but the guide stated that the new one would bring us more "satisfaction." She wasn’t kidding – we had a choice of a giant two-level duplex or a sprawling complex with a drawing room, bedroom, bath, dressing room, living room and enclosed round meditation terrace, with cushions strategically placed to take in the killer views.

We chose Door #2, and I have been pining away for it ever since we left.

VILLAGE VISIT
Akhtar, 22, met us at the palace gates to show us his village. Moments later we were strolling through the narrow alleyways of Delwara, an agricultural hamlet of 5000 - a peaceful mix of Jains, Hindus, Muslims and tribals. We asked Akhtar which of these he was, and he said “human." He was one of the favorite people we met in India - Smart and charismatic, will one day be the mayor of Delwara, and then surely the governor of Rhajasthan. (Thrilled to be still be in touch with him - He phoned the day after we returned to U.S. to make sure we had
made it home okay.)

The town is clean, vividly colorful and full of photo ops. There are few vehicles, no tourists, no tourist shops – but lots of friendly cows and some of the most wonderful people we’ve ever met. We visited the potter, the embroiderers, the school, the lentil fields, the “7-11,” the "Starbucks," the stepwall and the remarkable marble-pillared Jain temple, which Akhtar called a mini Ranakpur.

School kids were adorable and enthusiastic spellers - We asked the principal if they needed anything and he showed us that their floor mats had been destroyed in the monsoon. We set up a time to return the next day to make a donation for the new floor, and also got Akhtar’s address so we could send the photos we took of the villagers. (People everywhere wanted us to be photographed, sometimes styling their shots and asking me to delete and retake.)

On the way back to the hotel, we passed a lovely building with ornate trellises. Aktar said that a Danish artist had bought the second story flat for about the same price that it would cost to spend a week at Devi Garh, and she’d soon be living there for half the year. The beginning of the gentrification of Delwara?

--
At 1pm our driver picked us up for the ride into Udaipur. The road was in good shape and fascinating, with the iconic sight of Rajasthan of women in colorful saris balancing things on their heads. Outskirts of Udaipur were not quite as picturesque.

UDAIPUR - CITY PALACE/ WEIRD VENICE COMPARISONS
Met up with our guide and went to a café for macchiatos (I thought we’d be drinking a lot more tea), then on to the palace, full of history, treasures, Indian tourists and slightly reminiscent of Devi Garh, in a good way.

Whoever decided to call Udaipur the Venice of the East must have flunked out of PR school. Only similarities to Venice are the boat rides, the sparkly view at night and the above-mentioned macchiato. They don’t even have pigeons.

BOAT RIDE
Louise had told us that a one-hour cruise on Lake Pichola might sound like a cheesy activity, but it was well worth going at dusk. An excellent suggestion – relaxing, golden hour for photos, and a chance to take a closer look at the Taj Grand Palace and convince ourselves that we were glad to be staying in the countryside. However, the palatial estate on the island where we stopped is now being converted to a hotel…could be fabulous.

FIRST SHOPPING EXPERIENCE – GANESH HANDICRAFTS EMPORIUM
Frustratingly brief stop at one of the world's most outstanding – and overwhelming - textile stores - recommended by several friends, worth visiting just to have chai with the owner in his ancient 4-story haveli. Bought some pillow covers and a table runner made of vintage fabric – Even after a return visit the following day, I regret not buying more (not just fabrics, they have everything - clothes, rugs, bags). It was here that I discovered that Mr. C is as unenthusiastic about shopping as my sons are. All these years I blamed them for our abbreviated souvenir stops.

At this point our guide said farewell for the day and our driver stayed with us, strategically waiting for us in restricted parking areas.

PUPPETS - Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum
Again, recommended by friends, including a choreographer. Cool
space, good music, talented dancers and puppeteers, but fellow guests were swarms of mosquitoes, and we left after three or four numbers.

DINNER AT AMBRAI
I bet even Venetians are envious of Ambrai’s romantic, glittering City Palace/Taj Palace view. I think we had some sort of Mewari special dal here. Food was tasty, not quite as spicy as we like, but ambiance makes up for it. Seated at the primo lakeside table, procured by our guide.

We both slept soundly on the way back to DG. A very long day with way more activities than usual, but not at all too hectic, not even for the normally grumpy Mr. C, who craves his siesta
when traveling (and otherwise). I think we both had been seduced by India big time. Or else he was thrilled that I had purchased only pillow covers.

NEXT: We deviate from Louise’s itinerary and blow off Ranakpur

you missed the pigeons, there are lots of them..

Somehow I have to fit in a trip to Devi Garh-you have made it sound irresistible and my previous trip to Udaipur was way too brief anyway. Can't wait for the detour!

I'm taking notes for our trip. Ganesh shopping sounds great. Found them online (in a travel magazine article). Keep up the information. You are making our trip even better. Devi Garh will be busier in February but we have booked the "Romance Package" so we should get some special experiences.

Thrilled/envious that you’re all going to Devi Garh. Hope their rates don’t go through the roof, like the Anantara.

DAY 4

We had planned to go to Ranakpur, but couldn’t bear to be away from DG all day (1.5+ hrs. each way), and also wanted more time in Udaipur. So early in the morning after we went to the village and presented the school staff with our donation for the new floor mats, we headed into town with our driver.

VEGETABLES
Met up with our guide, who insisted on hanging out with us even though it wasn’t the plan, and soon we arrived at one of the most colorful, vibrant outdoor markets on the planet. Foodies and photographers – don’t even think of missing this place.

SCIENCE
As we marveled at the vats of spices and canvas bags overflowing with red chiles, some 11 year old girls came running out of a public school (all girls) to invite us to come in and see their science fair.

(Craig had written about a similar experience in his Udaipur trip report, and I had remembered thinking that he was incredibly lucky. But could it be that all tourists get invitations to school science fairs as a prelude to outsourcing??)

Spent a long time with the students, as they proudly showed off their projects and their English. As sweet as they were (both the projects and the girls), it was your basic fair fare (solar cookers, diagrams of organs, and global warming topographic maps), no groundbreaking microchips as expected.

ART
It was hard to leave, but we were on a mission – next stop
was a fabulous contemporary gallery/sculpture garden, followed by a gorgeous shop with exquisite embroidered shawls and other fabrics. Next was the studio of a dealer of miniature art, where we bought a small Rajput painting,not collector quality, but a fine souvenir.

At each gallery we had tea with the owners or artisans, with no pressure to buy. I could have done this for days, but Mr. C began to grow concerned that I would purchase a giant sculpture, so we ended our shopping with a quick revisit to Ganesh Handicraft Emporium to pick up a few more packable items.

RUINS
Shortly after noon, it was time to bid farewell to our guide, since the next day we would be on our own. We stayed in touch with him by text throughout the trip, and I'm certain we'll meet up with him again during a longer Rajasthan visit.

On the way back to DG we stopped at Nagda, a cluster of abandoned 6th century temples in a peaceful, lush setting
adjacent to a lotus-covered lake. Three days into our trip and we still were in awe of every sight we saw.

CAMELS
After a rest and some lentil snacks from the market, it was time for our free 5pm camel ride through the village of Delwara and the neighboring fields. We thought this would be extremely hokey…okay, maybe it was, but it also quite fun – empty nesters gone wild.

STREET FOOD
The DG bar chef will prepare any kind of street food you order, so you can get an upscale version of what you didn't dare to eat at the market. As we watched the sunset, we had Kingfishers and some yummy fried chiles stuffed with potato. Then after a rose petal bath (they’re big on rose petals at DG – check out the Bourdain episode), we both fell asleep and missed dinner. Had to be that strenuous camel ride!

At 10:30pm we were fast asleep when received a call from the restaurant to find out if we were planning to eat…Found out the next day that we had missed a big surprise they had prepared a for us.

NEXT: A day of spirituality - A living temple, yoga, meditation, dress-up time…and a most memorable meal

loving the report

Lol, "empty nesters gone wild" is great!

Please, do you know the names/addresses of the shops you went to. I am not a great shopper but I do want to buy miniature painting(s), plus all the usual.
Was the vegeatable market the obvious one that our guide would take us?
In addition, I want to have a dress copied. Suggestion, Delhi or Udaipur would be best since we will be there 3/4 days.
So glad you are writing these reports.

cross-check - i just came across this after posting the start of my TR on our recent hols in Sri lanka, and you've got me thinking about India now - to be fair, we were talking about it towards the end of our Sri lanka trip but you've sold me on it now.

our style of travel [and time of life - lol] is a bit like yours - we wanted a range of experiences, a mixture of boutique and not so boutique hotels, culture, scenery and food, activity and relaxation. We didn't restrict ourselves to carry-on [on Air Sri lanka, the carry-on weight limit is 6kgs! whereas the hold limit is 30 kgs - way more than we could manage!] and therefore took far too many clothes. however as we were visiting the hill country, we didn't know how cold it might get so a cardi or two was in order, plus one set of warmer clothes, none of which we wore from one end of the trip to the other. our macs got one outing for about an hour, and i wore the same pair of shoes [actually sandals] for the entire trip. another time, i'll know what to take and what to leave at home - and that the laundries are fantastic.

We didn't take any anti-biotics [it never occurred to us] but we did take what seemed like half a suitcase full of medicaments, hardly any of which saw the light of day - we used the anti-histamine cream a bit, the sun-tan cream, 2 plasters and the athletes' foot cream. and a couple of paracetamol. OTOH, we might have needed a lot more like the toilet wipes, so I'd take most of that again.

we had the same van and driver throughout, so we got to know him pretty well. another time I'd try to fly a bit more - people we met had flown from colombo to Kandy for example, for about U$ 50 each, on a sea-plane which landed on the lake. Very 1930s.

anyway, very much looking forward to more of your report, cross-check. keep it coming.

thanks, rhk and mm, appreciate that you're still with me. I intended to be brief...

Elainee, The contemporary gallery is Bougainvillae, well worth a visit. Embroidery place is Andraab, seemed pricey at the time, but I truly regret buying something there. I don't have the name of the miniature art gallery. Will find out, but in retrospect I would have preferred to visit the studio of just a few artists...the selection where we went was all over the place, too varied.

annhig, Your report has moved SL up many notches on our list!

cc - your TR has moved India up on ours - thanks!

DAY 5

This was our free day - our last - at DG, no guide or driver. First true sunny day. Started out with our last amazing DG breakfast. The servers told us that they had phoned the night before because we were no-shows and they had planned to surprise us with the signature DG event – dinner in a private area of the palace. We humbly apologized and promised we were in for that evening. Then the chef sent a message that he wanted to get up early the next day before our 5:15am departure to prepare a special dosa to be delivered to our suite. We reluctantly agreed, but ended up canceling after we had our evening feast.

LOCAL TEMPLE
We planned to walk to Eklingi, an 8th century complex of 108 marble and sandstone temples about 5-8 kilometers from DG, depending who you ask. Our guide and driver had said that it would be a great walk along the main road and it would be easy to find a rickshaw to take us back. But when we told the DG staff about our idea, they seemed horrified and said it was too far. We explained that we go on much longer walks/hikes at home, but they were clearly not fans of the plan so finally we chickened out and decided to go with the DG driver.

The place was awesome, the real deal. Take off your shoes, no photos allowed. Arrived right before a service was beginning…with music, singing, offerings and lots of bell ringing. We were the only tourists present.

Down the road are a few stands with pilgrimage-type souvenirs and snacks – great lentil chip assortment plus the famous potato-stuffed fried chiles. Also fabulous prices on leather slippers (Rs 450=$8), spotted elsewhere for much more.

RELAXATION
Back at DG safe and sound (BTW, it looked as it would have been perfectly fine to walk to Eklingi, all downhill on the way there, lots of locals were doing it with large branches on their heads), Mr C took a nap. I read at the pool, then swam for 45 minutes. Pool was the perfect temperature for me, might be too warm for real swimmers.

YOGA
We had booked our free yoga and meditation session for 5pm. The turbaned teacher met us on the lawn near the garden suites, where he had set up mats and brought water. He previously worked at an ashram in Rishikesh and was right out of central casting for gurus. We warned him that one of us (not Mr. C) was the least flexible person in yoga-obsessed SoCal, and requested at least ten minutes of pure meditation. The guy was on a higher plane – took one look at us and said he knew exactly what we needed (beginnerish floor poses plus an excellent guided meditation). We felt the burn and the benefits for days.

VILLAGE VISIT III
We were drawn back to the village to bid farewell to Akhtar. One of his 12-year old protégés summoned him immediately (by carrier pigeon?)and we all went to the construction site of a new temple to get a view of the sunset over the fields, then to the home of the silversmith. The 16-year old daughter was learning to cook and showed us the curry she was preparing. Her mom then appeared with a silver sequined sari. I thought she wanted to sell it to me (wish I could have bought it), but in fact she just wanted to dress me up, including bindi and nose ring. (A big hit as my profile pic on FB!) Then her husband demonstrated his ancient fire blowing method - made a copper ring for me and refused to accept payment until we absolutely insisted. So sad to leave this village.

DRINKS WITH NEW FRIENDS
We arrived late for our sunset date with an Aussie/British couple living in Hong Kong we had met during our camel ride. Ordered tea because our yoga guy had told us to avoid alcohol for an hour. (This didn’t matter – we were still high from the meditation.) Shared travelers’ tales with the expats, who were on the last leg of a stellar itinerary - They had stayed at the Lake Palace where they were upgraded to the presidential suite. And they raved about Mihir Garh, a desert equestrian oasis outside of Jodhpur (Google it: looks sublime AND offers off-season rates)

PRIVATE DINING EXPERIENCE
Soon it was time for our private-venue dinner in the Sheesh Mahal, the most enchanting space in the palace. We were seated on cushions surrounded by faded frescoes, ancient mosaics, lots of glowing candles and a musician using a felt-covered stick to play a dozen metal bells (anyone know the name of this instrument?).

Found out later that the manager, who had joined us for drinks on the second day, had arranged this at no extra cost. Not sure how we qualified...but WOW!! We each had our own divine veggie thali (with different specialties than the previous thali in the most romantic setting ever. If someone from DV is reading this, I apologize for napping on the cushions between courses – had to be the swimming and the yoga, because we never did get to go on that walk.

NEXT: VARANASI

It sounds marvelous, crosscheck! And I'm now going to google Mihir Garh.

awaiting varanasi

just looked at DG on TA - a "little" out of our price-range sadly, but I suppose i can dream!

Annihig, not far from DG is Heritage Hotel in Nagda, Eklingi (which crosscheck mentions ).
1/3 the price of Devi Garh, which indeed sounds fantastic. Thank you for the wonderful trip report, CC.

I don't think you have to be staying aAT Devi Garh to visit the village.

Re prices at DG not going thru the roof.... Alas, the current $400/night is already though the roof for me unfortunately.

Thanks, calinurse - I did see that there were other options on TA that wouldn't break the budget [which for me is approx £100 per night per room].

Wow - I guess off-season IS the way to go. The rates have indeed gone through the roof, but you're looking at high season. When is your trip, annhig?

Wish I had a screen shot of all the deals and offers that were available for September. On the Preferred Resorts site, the garden suites were $163 (4 nights for the price of 3 package).

http://preferredhotelgroup.com/preferred-boutique/destinations/udaipur/devi-garh/

Palace suites which was slightly more (I think about around $220 as part of the same package). That's what we ultimately booked through Louise's people. Definitely worth it for the views, Other guests we met had been upgraded from palace to araveli, not sure if they routinely upgrade from garden to palace.

Yes, of course anyone can visit the village of Delwara. Just ask for Aktar (Mr. C says I've been spelling his name incorrectly) and he will take you around. Part of the appeal, though, was to be right there and pop in and out.

Wow - I guess off-season IS the way to go. The rates have indeed gone through the roof, but you're looking at high season. When is your trip, annhig?>>

in my dreams as yet, cc! The dates i was looking at are in the next few days - obviously no late minute deals! How far in advance did you book, CC? for our September/october trip to SL we booked in March and the impression I got is that i got some good deals, but I'm not sure as i didn't follow the costs thereafter.

thanks for the link - looks as if it might come in useful!

Kathie - We heard about several other magical rural Rajasthan heritage palaces with village interaction: Rohet Garh (sister hotel of Mihir Garh) and Rawla Narlai, near Ranakpur, favorite of the literary crowd.

But Devi Garh has the added bonus of being close to Udaipur.

Also, not in Rajasthan, but still very much on our list is Ahilya Fort on the sacred Narmada river in Maheshwar near Indore. Beloved by both dogster and Louise, who knows the owner. One of our guides, who takes people all over India, said it was his favorite destination.

And, not a heritage place, but MANY people we met were headed to Ananda in the Himalayas, a destination spa next to Rishikesh (which also had phenomenal off-season rates). One couple from Spain was going for their third visit, said it was life-changing.

Thanks, crosscheck. The off-season rates are irresistible! India has so many wonderful heritage properties. We stayed in lovely former royal guesthouses when we were in Sikkim. Nowhere near as luxe as DG, but lovely and atmospheric. We are starting to think about where to go next year and India is high on our list (as is Sri Lanka). We got 10 year visas, now I just have to get mine transferred into my new passport.

Awaiting your report on Varanasi.

annhig, We had lots of scheduling issues and work situations that kept changing - booked our intl flights in late May for September, but didn't finalize hotels until late June/early July.

Other than DG and Amarvilas (our big splurge, but worth it), our hotels all showed rates of under $150 a night.

The only hotel that I was concerned about booking early was Suryauday Haveli, the guest house in Varanasi because I wanted a particular room there.

We usually don't have a third party book for us, but I think Louise's people got some us good deals plus VIP treatment and bonuses like late checkouts and spa discounts. They presented us with just one price for the whole trip which seemed quite reasonable at the time, and extraordinary now considering the level of service we had.

It sounds like a magical trip and I am keeping Louise's info for future use(I hope!) and look forward to the next installment.

cc - i've started a new "bookmark" folder for india and louise's details are at the top!

DAY 6

EASY JET
It was an emotional farewell at DG. I was truly sorry to move on. We hadn't climbed the mountain to the mother temple...or flown kites....or consulted with the village astrologer....or tasted the customized breakfast dosas....Seriously considering a return visit, adding Jodpur and some of the other rural heritage places.

5:45 departure for 8am flight on Jet Airways from Udaipur to Delhi, then Delhi to Varanasi, arriving at noon. Flights were brief and punctual. Airports were modern. Security was efficient but complex (separate genders, inspection tags for carry-ons, re-screening before second flight). Otherwise, not a lot different than flying on two short flights in the US, i.e. from Phoenix to San Francisco, connecting in LA. When we arrived in Delhi, to our surprise a handler was waiting to provide support during our 60-minute layover. The kind soul escorted us to our new gate area and made sure we got new tags for our carry-ons before we went through security.

A smooth, worry-free trip before all hell broke loose.

GANGES: CLOSED FOR BUSINESS
On the plane we sat next to a curator from the Getty Museum who lives just blocks away from us. He and some British museum people were on their way to consult at Sarnath. He broke the news that because of high water levels, the Indian government had just that morning banned boat traffic indefinitely on the Ganges. And the river walkway connecting the ghats was under water, big time.

Mr. C was unfazed because he had done no research and didn’t realize that the whole deal in Varanasi is going on a sunrise boat ride and then on a sunset boat ride. I, on the other hand, was not a happy camper. We had abandoned our original idea of Ahilya Fort, whose river was not flooded, so we could see Varanasi…how could we miss the iconic cruise and stroll along the ghats?

CRUMBLING IN VARANASI
We were met by a driver and an extremely personable local rep who confirmed the terrible news in the most upbeat way possible: Indeed all boats were banned because of a huge storm, he said, but he assured us that our amazing guide would make up for it.

The rep was so entertaining that we forgot our worries and took in the vibe of Varanasi, which didn’t appear as smelly or crowded or morbid or even as chaotic as expected.

Yes, it is loud hornwise...very loud. Yes, there are serious waste management issues. Yes, there are herds of wandering beasts that are far from potty trained. But something about the energy draws you in immediately and soon you realize you’re in for the ultimate travel high. Far from depressing, it’s a sacred, colorful, ancient Busytown with surprises around every corner. It's still civilization, just a different realm, like a vivid dream. Probably the wackiest, most fascinating city I’ve ever visited.

SURYAUDAY HAVELI – WHERE THE WATER BUFFALO ROAM
To get to our guesthouse you have to park on the main drag, then stroll through the serpentine alleys for five minutes until you reach a herd of water buffalo and their naked rustler. Then turn right – the haveli is directly on....make that in....the river. It didn’t take a naval expert to verify that the Ganges was very, very high. The ghats seemed to be about half as tall as they look in photos, and the water was the shade of a café con leche.

The rooms at Suryauday are arranged around a charming courtyard. The reception staff greeted us with beverages (different and delicious at all hotels), a Bindi ceremony, and gifts of silk scarves. After rejecting one river view room which had been occupied by smokers, we fell in love with 103 – a corner room with a terrace and windows windows on both sides, providing views of Ganges, the water buffalo....and the empty boats.

This room could probably have fit into our bathroom at Devi Garh, but it was so cozy and welcoming that it should win feng schwei awards. Who said 48 hours was enough? I would return in a heartbeat (with a better zoom lens) and spend a month. (Make sure you ask for a first floor river view…second floor windows are tiny, like submarine windows).

LUNCH WITH A VIEW
Assi Ghat was like going back in time to my backpacker days. Market stalls with hippie hobo bags, falafel places, yoga schools, hennaed Dutch people reading Lonely Planet guides. Ended up ordering thalis (regular portion size) on a terrace at the Hotel Ganges View (which had some charm and some decent rooms, but without the authentic ambience of our ghat). Here there were even more docked boats, making the river seemed even more deserted. After lunch we returned to our room and napped soundly, overwhelmed by the turn of events.

KING OF GUIDES
When we woke up (were we really awake?), our guide was waiting for us and started off with these words of wisdom: “Rajasthan is for the eyes, Varanasi is for the soul.” The coolest character ever. Scholarly, charismatic…and oh so well connected. Deserves to be written about by dogster. For starters he has a PhD in archeology. He’s also a priest, an astrologer, a palm reader and a big shot on the tourist board. Plus he was the tour guide for a US president, the silk consultant to an Oscar winner, and performed a Hindu marriage ceremony for a major international celebrity couple (treated us to photos in his phone). Quite the powerful dude, but he couldn't say for sure that we'd get to go for a ride on Mother Ganga.

AARTI
We were whisked off by foot and Innova to the evening prayer ceremony at Dashashwamedh ghat. The viewing platform was ridiculously crowded, probably because half the audience is usually in boats on the river. There were no extra chairs, just throngs of people on tip toes trying to get a glimpse of the enchanting fire worship ritual. We, however, didn't have to deal with the crowds. Instead our guide led us into the musicians’ cage where we were seated inches away from the tabla player, as close as you could get to the intensity of the fire, bells, incense and wondrous melodic chanting and dancing by the talented priests.

We later asked our guide how he had arranged our VIP seating and he responded with the universal answer: “I’m on the Committee.”

Returned via bicycle rickshaw and a several other methods of transportation. Downtown Varanasi was hopping - should have spent more time there. Had a light dinner (great soup) at our hotel. Were joined by some French travelers whose guide had said there was zero chance that the water would go down within the next two days.

Would take nothing short of a miracle. But luckily we were in a sacred place, so there was hope.

NEXT: DOWN THE GANGES OR NOT

Who is this amazing guide? We want him in February!!!! Please share!

I just have a feeling a Varanasi miracle is about to happen...love, love, love your report.

I'm loving this report!

Wonderful! Wish you had been entrusted to scatter dogster on the Ganges. I know he would prefer that to being held captive in a box in Australia.

me too [loving it that is].

I'm agog to see if you get your miracle.....

So true, Marija...

Great point Marija, exactly the right place. Well, maybe you could make a case for sending some to Kolkata.

Great report - so glad you're falling for Varanasi.

Marija, I had the same thought when I saw that silver box. (I did float a candle for him, more about that later.)

There is only one solution: a GTG/pilgrimage from Melbourne to Varanasi...Just imagine the trip report!

Remember all the problems we encountered when planning dogster's Love Boat cruise?

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/the-love-boat-175072-2.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/the-all-new-love-boat-thread.cfm

Knowing what we do now, we can understand his sense of urgency. I keep waiting for him to post some witty, sarcastic comment to put us in our place...

Thanks, crosscheck. Still following along - awesome report and only reinforces my commitment and desire to visit India. SOON. However, it's probably going to be another year until we can go. Update: just as were about to finalize our booking plans, our friends had to back out for February. DH and I were still strongly considering going ahead, but he found out the next day that he has some training for work he must attend out of town, shrinking the time he has to be away to a max of about 9-10 nights. That seemed too short to make the trip we want in India possible (even 13-14 nights felt tight). And we really want to go with these friends. Sooo, we made a crazy last-minute turn around. In about 48 hours we changed our plans and booked a trip to Tanzania! It's our 25th wedding anniversary year (I plan to milk that for at least a couple of trips) and while I've been to South Africa twice, DH has never been to Africa at all. We've both wanted to go to East Africa and when I asked for his first choice (he rarely expreses a preference and is happy to go pretty much anywhere I pick), he said he wanted to go on safari.

So...India will likely be next year. And now, thanks to you, I have even more details and information...it's really not that crazy that we came up with similar itineraries, you know. I had prioritized my interests/musts (Varanasi, Udaipur, Agra) and then saw your plan. I simply "borrowed" (ie. stole) some of your flow/ideas/itinerary as it seemed to work perfectly for us. I hope you don't mind. Thanks!

Sigh...yes, I am slowly ajusting to the "empty nest." The boys are both so happy (and we have gotten to see them a couple of times) that it is hard to be too sad, but I do miss them. Travel helps. I hope your college kids are doing great, and that you're adjusting to your new life as well.

CC, add me as another who's loving your report!

Ditto Elainee's question: name/contact for your Varanasi guide?

Great report Crosscheck, am waiting with baited breath ...

Also, I would love to know who this guide is too.

Thanks for all the kind words and sorry for my tardiness - I do realize that I have left off with a cliffhanger, but I've been swamped with real life projects this week. Gpanda would definitely give me a penalty.

marija, I saw those Love Boat posts back in the day, but never realized that dogster originated them. What a trip that would have been.

fun4all4, Congrats on your anniversary AND the safari plus India voucher for next year. You're getting your cake and eating it too. Lucky that you've been able to see your kids...ours are far away We're at parents weekend now though, so all's good (except laundry situation).

Elaine, Cali, violet: The guide can be booked through Louise Nicholson, indianicholson@nyc.rr.com. Same with our incredible Udaipur guide.

Will be back with the report on Sunday or Monday.

DAY 7

THANKS, GANESH
If you’ve come halfway around the world to go on a boat ride and the government has closed the river because of high water levels, it doesn’t hurt to place a little bronze Ganesh (remover of all obstacles) next to your bed before going to sleep, even if you’re the type who celebrates Rosh Hashanah.

To cover all bases, I had told the hotel people to wake us up at 4:45am (the normal morning boat wake up time) if the Ganges happened to open. No such luck. But at 5:41am I heard sounds coming from the river. I peeked outside, saw a moving boat or two in the mist and sprang into action.

After a week of being pampered, it felt great to be out on the ghats using my own negotiating skills, arranging a 45-minute cruise that would keep us a few feet from shore. By 6am we were on the river, chugging along inches from the quintessential vista. The 45-minute excursion, normally complimentary through the hotel or Rs 150 ($3) if you arrange it yourself, ended up costing Rs 1000 ($18) each, but oh so worth it. Mr. C thought it was non-sanctioned, but I think that it was okay because some local boat traffic was necessary to get to the flooded ghats.

At first our boatman wanted to navigate the currents in a rowboat, but I insisted on a motorboat. And we had the finest one to ourselves and the boatman – a craft that probably usually crams in twenty tourists.

ROLLING DOWN THE RIVER
There was no real sunrise, just a slow clearing of the mist, revealing the classic Benares cityscape. We didn’t cover the whole shoreline, so missed some of the famous ghats. But because the river was eerily empty of traffic we had a very intimate experience, with vivid extreme close ups of bathers, teeth brushers, clothes washers, chanters, etc. When it came time to float candles and flowers for loved ones, we included dogster, of course...then immediately heard Bruno barking from a nearby alley.

SARNATH
With the drama of whether we'd get onto the river out of the way, we had a day to just live in the moment. At Sarnarth, we visited our sole museum of the trip...a must-see (especially with an archeologist), full of treasures, though updating and better chronicling is indeed needed. Then over to the spot of Buddha’s enlightenment. No wonder he chose that setting...it was so quiet and peaceful that anyone would feel enlightened after the chaos of Varanasi. To continue with the spirituality theme, as we went headed back to the car, Mr C found some vendors with a good-quality singing bowl, probably his favorite souvenir (albeit Tibetan).

SILK STOP – MEHTA SILK WEAVERS
Purchasing not necessary. Go just to see the weavers - Indeed an ancient art. On the way we mentioned that we craved South Indian food. Someone ordered takeout for us and soon we were treated to dosas in the conference room.

Why didn’t I buy a saree? Maybe because the one I craved was Rs 37,000 ($687). But I did get a small high quality frameable weaving. My textile-collector friend back home approved, said she had never seen one like it.

MUSIC
One thing leads to another in Varanasi. Somehow we ended up at a place where Mr C, normally a western musician, skillfully played the sitar to the amazement of all in the room. I was reminded why I originally fell for him.

KITES
Back at the hotel for a siesta, the guy from the reception said there was a festival going on and invited me to join him flying kites on the roof deck. Wow! The skyline, the still waters of the Ganges, the golden hour light, plus scores of kites. The hotel guy seemed unfazed when, within minutes, I managed to get his stuck on a pole.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Goats, cows, water buffalo, adorable kids, gurus with turbans, festival carts, carved temples, wonders around every corner. Wander the lanes!

BURNING GHAT
I had attended a cremation years ago in Bali, a celebration. Like that one, what we witnessed in Varanasi was not a sad event. Mr C, normally squeamish, found it fascinating. A spectacle? You decide.

PALM READING
Our guide took us back to his house, disappeared for a moment and then returned in full priest garb. Can’t tell you what he told us, of course, would have to kill you. But the experience was pure Incredible India and we left with gifts and various follow up assignments.

A WALK!
Headed home by foot in the pleasant evening for several kilometers past Assi Ghat. Strolled along a road without guides, drivers or handlers, just like real travelers. No touts, no horrendous smells, even the sounds seemed not so loud anymore. Had the constant blowing of the horns put us into a trance? Probably...I think everybody is in a trance by Day 2. You don’t need the cannibus lassis to feel high in Varanasi. If you appreciate otherworldy places, this is where you want to be. But if you’re super type A, I would give it a pass.

A WARNING
We had planned on eating dinner at Bread of Life, as a nod to our hippie travel days. But we peeked in and it didn’t look very appetizing, and the menu seemed too western for us. So we ventured back to our hotel where we had an excellent light dinner with some multi-generational French travelers.

They had come from the direction where we were heading and warned us that the road between Khajuraho and Orchha was “long and terrible,” and that the Jhansi train station and train ride was “heartbreaking and filthy," with people doing their private business right there in public. What were we in for?

NEXT: TENTH CENTURY PORN

What a lovely Varanasi experience, crosscheck!

shame for using a motorized boat...

Elainee-when are you going to in Varanasi in February. Maybe we can share that wonderful guide. We are looking at February 13th through 15th.

We will be there Feb. 11 and 12. Our plans cannot be changed at this time. But if you could be there...great idea to share. I will post our full schedule later today.

GREAT descriotion of your Varanasi trip, CC. I loved so much of what you wrote: the joy /freedom of being just the two of you -no guides; hubby playing sitar; the amazing sghts and feelings; etc etc etc. So many wonderful and unique experiences.
I really MUST return, although the Varanasi i recall from decades ago was not as chaotic as what i read about nowadays.

The French visitors were shocked by people pissing and squatting by the train station? They sound very sheltered. That happens ALL over India.

Thanks, everyone.

rhk, The currents were way too strong for a rowboat - that was the whole point behind the closing of the river.

DAY 8 – VARANASI TO KHAJURAHO

LAPTOP AND iPHONE LEFT AT SECURITY
I’m not going to relay the embarrassing details of my flakiness, but let’s just say that the workers at Varanasi security are very honest and went to great lengths to track me down.

KHAJURAHO: NOT QUITE ANGKOR OR MACHHU PICHU, BUT SO WORTH A VISIT
Twenty minute flight on Jet. Our guide, a driver and a representative met us and we drove through the tranquil fields of green to the Lalit Temple View hotel. What a contrast to Varanasi - Only after you leave does the level of chaos register.

Our accommodations had a few eastern accents and lovely grounds adjoining the temple complex, but this felt like a western-style business hotel (with a full-on continental menu). A huge marble lobby with stylish, comfortable rooms, but somewhat soulless compared to other places we stayed. Fellow guests were scores of pharmaceutical reps attending a conference, which added to the business atmosphere. In fact, other than one Australian couple, we were the only travelers. (But the Lalit redeemed itself, read on.)

We were supposed to be guideless here – Louise had recommended a book and had suggested visiting the Western group of temples on our own. But the guide who was accompanying us to Orchha the next day showed up after lunch and insisted on escorting us to the temples, which turned out the right call because we got to visit the village.

SANDSTONE ORGIES
Although Khajuraho has gained fame for its ancient X-ratedness, this place is quite impressive on its own. If you are intrigued by ruins, you should go…there is much more here than eroticism. Serene setting with the temples rising from manicured lawns, most of the amazingly intricate carvings depict playful clean living. And really the tantric aspect is almost secondary - the whole deal is how well the temples were executed and preserved.

Our guide was not jokey like others we heard about – he spoke in earnest as he used a pocket mirror as a pointer and highlighted carvings while pontificating about the “achieving of pleasure” in the most serious, professorial way.

Why did nobody destroy these in 2000 years? It's uncertain, but fortunate. Fascinating to see the scope of this site - right up there with other World Heritage sites.

THE TOWN
Would have been fun to spend a little more time – lot of bicycles and a cool-looking market surrounded by lush countryside. Curiously all the touts thought we were from Spain, and were quite accomplished in Spanish.

OUR PRIVATE AARTI
We had read that our hotel offered an evening puja or aarti (anyone know the difference?) The folks at the desk said this would be at 7:30pm, but we had committed to go to a dance show at 7:00. The reception people asked what time we could make it…We said 6:15, so they rescheduled the whole ceremony for us. As the sun set (and the conference attendees romped in the pool), we assembled under our own ornate alter with our own Krishna priest, a flute player, a bell ringer and a helper who brought out the various offerings. For 30 minutes, the priest included us with fire swirling, Om chanting and other meditative activities, then gave us some raisins and nuts to distribute to the hungry. And we thought this was a business hotel.

DANCE
Our handler gave us the choice of a sound and light show, or two folk dance performances. The outdoor dance supposedly had “mosquitoes and spiders” so we opted for one inside a theater, which was not altogether bugless - halfway through the show, I found an enormous beetle crawling around under my shirt. Otherwise, a fine show - an hour of regional dances from all over the country. The music was preredorded, but the costumes were authentic and the dancers were attractive, talented professionals from Delhi. Fun to observe the Bollywood roots in Punjab traditional dance. (And later, the Aussie couple - both doctors - said the sound-light show had transpired within a cloud of pesticides.)

DINNER
The pharmaceutical workers had their own party outside, and our slightly over-attentive server kept bringing us tastes of their grilled treats, all much more authentic than what was offered on the hotel menu. All in all, a great 36-hour rural break in Khajuraho. Very relaxing and provocative, a visit that will stay with you. And your photos will delight your young adult kids.

NEXT: ROAD TO ORCHHA; TRAIN TO AGRA

I just keep thinking of the large beetle under the shirt and you sounding so calm about it!

I vaguely remember Khajuraho and the temples from our visit in the 80's and can't wait to take another look at the photos.

Glad your hotel turned out to be quite magical and that Varanasi lived up to its reputation as well.

Following along here. I can do without the beetle, but the rest sounds just great.

On the TMI front, the next day when I described the intruder to our guide, he said it probably was actually a cockroach. But it was so giant that I prefer to remember it as a beetle.

The French visitors were shocked by people pissing and squatting by the train station? They sound very sheltered. That happens ALL over India.>>

IME the pissing happens all over FRANCE and I've certainly seen squatting there too!

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.

Kathie - you really do need to see the Taj. It's one of those places that look better than the photographs. I had doubts too, but I was absolutely enchanted. You can't really see the pietra dura inlays in the photographs, and the way the marble changes color is fascinating. Then there's overall impression, the proportions, etc., etc.

Besides, you can also visit Fatehpur Sikri and the Bird Park.

What a wonderful, engaging report!

Kathie, Now that it's so easy to get to the Taj from Delhi, I would say it's a must do...You won't be sorry if you go, but might be sorry if you miss it.

thursdaysd is correct - no matter how many photos you've seen, no matter how jaded a traveler you are, you will be blown away at first sight. We also found the history fascinating (lots of myths covered in the audio tour).

However, going off season was the right call for us. A friend who was there in October reported that there were "thousands" of people in the entry line and that it was claustrophobic inside the mausoleum. In contrast, in late September there were only 15 or 20 people ahead of us at opening time and even fewer inside the monument.

violetm, Full moon, lucky you! A photographer friend of ours will be going for that in Feb as well. Your plan sounds perfect. Mehtabh Bagh was where our Udaipur guide urged us to go at sunset (phooey on the Amarvilas concierge for discouraging us!). For our sunrise visit, we arrived at 5:30 am, entered at 5:45 and stayed until about 9:00 or 9:15 - much longer than we intended. We loved wandering around the grounds - you don't hear much about the gardens, other buildings, great people watching, the bustling scene on the river below, etc., but all of that was fantastic.

No view from the Indian restaurant at the Amarvilas. But you'll get a great view from the terrace off the lobby (bring repellent!) You can have a drink there, then go to dinner. Worth seeing the Amarvilas just for the decor (and the employees' outfits) - the lobby is a sight to behold and the restaurant is lined in Mogul-inspired fabrics, lots of candles, delicious food from many regions served on silver platters, plus live exotic background music.

We are borderline foodies, and our server tweaked our order both nights to give us tastes of dishes he thought we would like. The first night we originally ordered just two appetizers, and he said this would be too much food and arranged a special thali (not on the menu) for us to share instead.

Another off-season perk: The hotel is supposed to be very strict about their two seatings - this was not enforced when we were there.

Thanks, Fra, for the kind words!

Wonderful report and I have to add also that the Taj is a must see! It is such a feminine and romantic structure and the inlaid work can only be appreciated in person. I treasure the small, marble inlaid box that I purchased while there as it reminds me of that monument.

bookmarking

Thanks so much for all the info Crosscheck, looking forward to the next instalment

With both thursdays and crosscheck saying we have to see the Taj, we will take that into consideration in our planning.

CC, great report. Thank you!

Sorry ;i thought you went to Masai Mara via road while in Kenya. No driving to MM? No wonder you didnt mind the roads!!

VioletM, be aware that in winter especially you may well encounter fog/smog early a.m. in Agra, which give a rather different "sunrise" effect. Even in summer when i was there (and supposedly less am. fog) it was a hazy, muted color.

The sunset is often better and clearer, and your idea, to go to the Moonlight Garden (Methtab Bagh)across the river fro the TM, is an excellent one.

CC, strange your hotel recommended dyou not going there . Local traffic in India is a reason to not do something? You might as well avoid the country entirely then Besides the view is from the hotel. since the Oberoi is on the same side o the river as the Taj , whereas Mehtab Bagh is on the opposite side.

Although i dont think every guide is (in my experience) worth the time or money, I daresay had you had one booked for Agra, they would have picked you up at the hotel and got you there your first evening...at least, ours did.

ps. CC, just realized you arrived late ito Agra. Still, Moonlight Garden would've been nice the next evening. BUT i wouldn't recommend another trip to Agra just for that!! And as I said above, the sunrises and sunsets are too unpredictable.

Why would a concierge think any guest at Amarvilas is "cheap" ? My goodness, one night 's tariff there is probably what the concierge earns in a month or two (or more?)

Violet, ITC Mughal is lovely. It's not the ultimate in Agra...but it costs lots less than the Oberoi.
At first the brick exterior seemed out of place, but the bricks actually match lots of local buildings. Check out he inlaid marble , even in the lobby bathroom's floor. I was there 2.5 yrs ago, and they have done a bunch of remodeling since. Breakfast buffet was delicious, the room bright with lots of windows.Their downstairs restaurant dinner (lots of kebabs and interestig naans) was yummy.

And while I didn't get a chance to go, their huge spa is considered one of the best in the world.

When we visited the Taj in Jan., our sunrise entrance was cancelled as it was so misty the visibility was almost non existant. Instead, we went in at 9am and were lucky that 1-there were no crowds and 2-the photos we got of the Taj were good/excellent IMO. Kathie, I agree that the Taj should be included in your trip. It was not the most memorable place we visited, but was definately worth seeing. And the other sites in Agra-baby Taj, the Fort, etc. made for a very interesting day.

Bookmarking......

Thanks, Cali for your input. I feel pretty happy with our plan now. I've wanted to see the Taj since I was a little girl, so I'd hate to get it wrong. At least this way we have a few opportunities to see it in different light (smog/mist included!).

I think we will probably skip Amarvilas for dinner, as we are doing quite a lot that evening and it would probably make more sense to eat at our hotel so we can go to our room and change if we need to.

Any idea how long it takes to get from ITC Mughtal to the Taj and also to Mehtab Bagh?

Of course they didn't really think we were cheap - that was an attempt at humor, but they (correctly) might have thought we were lazy. There also could have been a festival clogging the streets (we did hear lots of music on loudspeakers)...or whatever.

Yes, a guide would have taken us to the park. but there was also something great about seeing the Taj and then slowing down and chilling at a world-class hotel for the rest of the day.

DAY 11 – SMELLY DEHLI

THE YAMUNA EXPRESSWAY
At the last minute, our tour people suggested substituting our scheduled train ride with the convenience and thrill of a 6-lane super highway. The brand new road had been freshly inaugurated but we seemed to be the only ones who had come to the party, zipping along at 100k an hour with zero other traffic. Not in the least bit scenic, but we got a glimpse of Agra on the way out of town, including the Red Fort, a smiling monkey and, sadly, a shanty town that stretched on for miles and miles.

B-19
Our guest house was no Amarvilas, but a fun oasis in a pleasant leafy subdivision. The mid-century six-room structure was renovated by an American architect and his Indian wife. Not as "architectural" as the photos suggest, but has hip accents and a tranquil, relaxed vibe, unlike the remainder of the city. Our room was spotless, comfy and spacious with local fabrics and a lovely terrace. No official room service, but there is a very talented cook who will prepare whatever you'd like and serve you on the terrace (while there we had two kinds of killer dal, served with way too much rice, prepared fresh - allow at least an hour). We loved the manager, but often couldn’t find her...Like staying at a friend’s house, if the friend wasn’t home.

Big bonus: spectacular view of Humayun’s tomb (same architect as Taj Mahal) from the rooftop, and a small shopping street with local life - and an Anokhi outlet - a few blocks away. Would highly recommend for an extended stay – we met a British publisher who was there for a month.

NEW DELHI
Wide tree-lined boulevards and magnificent government buildings reminded us of Mexico City, which we adore.

OLD DELHI
After lunch we had a driver but no guide. Headed to Old Delhi, which turned out to be our least favorite excursion of the trip. First we experienced the earsplitting, insane traffic you hear about, with neighboring vehicles ½ inch away. Then we parked near the Red Fort and our driver found us a bicycle rickshaw. Our new driver turned out to be a passive aggressive psycho. We told him we wanted to buy beads (for one of Mr. C’s friends who makes jewelry). Took over 30 minutes to move just one block…this is when I tragically lost my Ray Bans while getting a shot of an oxcart. When we reached the supposed bead street, our rickshaw guy kept telling us all the beads we liked were fake and insisted that we visit his friend’s shop instead. The whole area was so claustrophobic that we requested to leave after about ten minutes without buying anything. I’m sure there’s a better way to see this place with a guide, but after Varanasi, where we embraced the chaos, Old Delhi lacked charm, and was just annoying.

RED FORT: SOUVENIR PARADISE
The tunnel of shops (Meena Bazaar) near the entrance turned out to be THE place to buy last-minute souvenirs. Louise later told us it’s the oldest tourist market in the world. We found little brass Ganeshes at great price, fabulous shawls, beads and more beads, basically everything we needed for small gifts. And we loved the shopkeepers.

THE FORT
Very impressive. We had left our guidebook in the car, so had no idea what we were seeing, but at this point it didn’t matter. We were happy that it had cooled off and that we had escaped Old Delhi. Excellent people watching (no western tourists) and marvelous geometric pillars and patterns, very photogenic in the golden hour. Then, a wonderful walk back to where our driver was waiting (probably about a mile), grateful for the chance to walk...India needs more of this.

DINNER AT THE PALACE....AGAIN
We wanted a cool and funky restaurant. Our driver recommended an intriguing South Indian place, but someone on Tripadvisor had gotten food poisoning there. So in a moment of paranoia, we decided to go to the Indian resaturant at the Leela Palace, where Louise had told us about a tasting menu. The meal was indeed delicious (we ordered a la carte) and the surroundings palatial, but we would have preferred more of a glimpse of local life. The next morning we found a Time Out Delhi magazine – turned out there was an artwalk that night with studio visits and food…wish we had known about that.

BARFI AT THE ODEOUS ODEON
All of our guides, hotel managers, shopkeepers and the local press had raved about the film Barfi, a romantic comedy about a deaf and mute guy from Darjeeling who has relationships with both a beautiful neighbor and an autistic woman (top Bollywood star). We just couldn’t leave India without seeing it, so while dining at the Leela Palace we asked the concierge to find a showing for us. Most theaters were sold out, but we snagged premium seats (on sofas) at Connaught Place for a 10:30pm show. The film was gorgeous cinematically and somewhat understandable since the protagonists could hardly talk to each other. Could end up becoming a festival favorite, but lacked the kitschy Bollywood production numbers we craved. The name, of course, will not cut it for English-speaking audiences, but was spot on for the odor in the theatre…after an hour we could no longer stand the aroma and had to leave without finding out who Barfi ended up with.

Louise later scolded us for not setting up the dinner and movie through her people, who would have found us a less barfy venue. After years of traveling independently we had screwed up our one free date night on the town!

NEXT: THE DAY OF MANY SHOPPING MISTAKES…THEN HOME

So sorry you didn't enjoy Old Delhi. We didn't get out of our rickshaw and just soaked up the insanity of it all.

A small correction: the Taj Mahal was completed almost a century after Humayun's tomb and is thought to have been designed by a collection of architects. Humayun's tomb certainly influenced the design of the Taj Mahal.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/232

Waiting for more!

Still following along, crosscheck. I'm now looking at everything about India though the lens of "Is that where we want to go next year?" I have to get my 10 year India visa put into my new passport.

bring on the shopping

Unfortunate about the theater aroma and the film title...great report though.

Still following...

Barfi is a wonderful Indian sweet. Yummmyy..although I agree the name could be offputting!

Actual spelling is --- burfee--- pronounced "burr fee". It' s a generic name for Indian sweets made with milk and sugar and all sort of add on's like pistachios , almonds, saffron, rose water etc.

The name is probably still off putting -- oh well.

I am really enjoying the read! Please keep going. We will spend time in Delhi and ,while I don't plan to buy too much, I have certainly been guilty of thinking something was too expensive, or I really didn't need it only to regret it later.

Crosscheck, thanks for continuing with your saga!!

We really appreciate this report as India is definitely on our minds as a place we have not explored.

Thanks, everyone, for sticking with this and for all the kind comments.

Marija, I appreciate the HT correction - By the time we got to Delhi, I was no longer reading my guidebook and I must have misunderstood what the hotel manager told me. Please forgive me for not fact checking. More about my misadventures at the tomb in the final installment.

Cali and Magical, I just read in the Hollywood Reporter (which gave the film a positive review and said it will be India's Oscar contender) that the character's name was actually "Murphy." But as a kid, he had pronounced it "Barfi" (presumably before he was mute - must have missed this backstory). The review says "Barfi" is the word for ice cream, so I think it does have something to do with those sweets.

Kathie, Go for the 10-year visa! As a temple/ruins/photography fanatics, I think you and Cheryl will adore our itinerary. We have Temple ADD, but spent much longer than planned everywhere - particularly Sarnath, Orchha's ruins, the Taj, Eglingi and The Red Fort. Khajuraho was much more significant than I expected, and we didn't even get to the Eastern group of structures. Would not have enjoyed these places as much with crowds, though...Maybe the south is for you, more off the beaten path with even more temples...especially because you've already visited Kolkata. (Offtopic: I saw on another thread that you had not been to South America - you must put Macchu Pichu on your list.)

Final installment coming soon, along with photos if I can get them organized.

Crosscheck, I already have the 10 year visa - but I have a new passport. AFter the holidays, I'm going to mail it to Travisa to transfer the 10 year visa into my new passport. (Macchu Pichu has been on my list for decades, but Asia keeps calling me back.)

Happy Holidays, everyone. My goal was to finish this trip report before embarking on my next vacation, but I didn't quite make it. Posting from paradise right now - Tulum, Mexico

DAY 12 – A BRUSH WITH RETAIL NIRVANA, SOME SHOULD HAVES, THEN HOMEWARD BOUND

After a lovely breakfast on our balcony, our driver arrived. The weather was glorious and at the top of our to-do list was the Toilet Museum (see discussion of Mr. C’s obsession in previous SE Asia trip report), but the manager said it was very, very far and there would be tons of traffic.

So instead of sightseeing, we decided to hit a few local stores and the “upscale” Khan market, reputed to be the favorite of the diplomats, but I doubt that this is the choice of the ambassador from France. We also had planned to go to the Hauz Khas market to check out the antiques, but that was also deemed as too distant. In retrospect, we probably could have ventured across town because it was a Saturday and the streets did not seem too congested, at least by LA standards. But now we have an excuse to return to India.

BOTTOM LINE:
Purchasing mementos and gifts with a ticking clock was nerve racking, especially when the whole time a little voice was telling me that I should have just bought every fabric in the store in Udaipur. Or one killer piece of jewelry in Gem Palace at the Amarvilas. Then we would have been out of money in Delhi and could have seen the toilets.

Here is where we went:
ANOKHI OUTLET (Nizamudden East) – a few blocks from our hotel. Could have done all our Delhi shopping here. They had hand-blocked soft cotton quilts for around $30, which I later saw at the Anokhi store for $60, and then here in LA for $300. Sadly, the folks in the shop (which doesn’t feel like an outlet, just like a small cute neighborhood store) convinced me that all the items had too may imperfections to buy as gifts. We bought just one tablecloth for ourselves, which was a megahit on Thanksgiving, and have yet to find the imperfection.

Then it was off to Khan Market – A slightly run-down bazaar/mini-mall with a little bit of local color and a few decent shops, including:
FAB INDIA – A little of everything clothing and costume jewelry-wise, sort of Urban Outfitters meets Target. Mr. C got a cool shirt and I bought a black silk kurti that I thought would work for a black tie event – wrong! (but nice).
REGULAR ANOKHI – Overwhelming, wanted many items in the store, but settled for some scarves and pillow covers.

Next stop, a nearby strip mall
FAB INDIA HOME – We had admired some dhurrie runners in our guest house and tried to buy them from the manager the way we had bought the silk fabric on our bed in Varanasi. But the manager instead directed us Anokhi Home, which is more or less the Ikea of India. Bought the only runners in the store, not as cool as the ones in the hotel, slightly too tribal. Now slightly sorry I didn’t find jewelry for the same price instead (detecting a theme?)
SOMA - Not much here, but found some fantastic sparkly cloth purses for gifts.

Then, headed back to Nizamuddin East
KASHMIR LOOM HOUSE – A truly amazing shop in a private home run by a British woman who doesn’t like to bargain. I think it’s illegal to say the word “pashmina” in the sub-continent; it is unclear whether this came to pass because consumers cried “Acrylic!” when their wraps did not pass the wedding ring test. But here you will find the best of the best of what we call pashmina - unbelievably fine shawls made from the belly of some very elite goats. The real deal. I bought three as gifts and ended up keeping two for myself. Still craving one I saw for $3500.

LUGGAGE STAND NEXT DOOR TO ANOHKI OUTLET
The only reason I was able to splurge on the above was because Mr. C went off on his own to buy a duffel bag – no carry-on for us on the return flight!

MY ENCOUNTER WITH THE ONLY RICKSHAW DRIVER IN DELHI WHO FAILED ENGLISH
Mr. C always gets anxious before traveling, so we went back to our hotel with three hours to spare before our pick-up (Thanks, Louise and B19 for the late check-out). After a shower, I decided to go to Humayun's Tomb on my own, despite the manager’s pleas to take a bicycle rickshaw.

Although the tomb looked as if it’s right next door to our hotel, the entrance was actually at least a mile or two away. When I arrived, Mr C called to say that the hotel had prepared some farewell dal for us. I rushed through the tomb’s greatest hits (wow!), then got into an autorickshaw and realized I had no business card or address for the hotel, but I called the hotel for the name of our development and mangaged to direct the driver. Apparently the manager was concerned about me and sent her own rickshaw, but I made it back with no problem, directing my guy Barfi style.

RIDE TO AIRPORT
Louise’s incredible man on the ground showed up to accompany us to the airport. He charmingly collected our feedback about the trip; the only slight negative was the Odeon experience. The rest was beyond perfect.

FLIGHT HOME: THAI TIME TRAVELING
We are usually fortunate to secure business seats with miles, but for this trip we actually purchased two one-way business tickets during a 12-hour Thai Air flash sale ($1300pp DEL-BKK-LAX, with a stop in Seoul) found via a Kayak alert; rationalized this because our BA segment had been an award ticket. This meant that we both traveled completely around the world for $2600 and we somewhat conquered jetlag by gaining back more time than we lost.

Serious trek from our arrival gate in BKK to our Royal Silk lounge, not as royal as expected. Seats on all legs of the flight were not 100% flat. But, except for our brief stop (no plane change) in Seoul and a personal screening of Brave, we both slept soundly all the way home, dreaming of our next off-season trip of a lifetime.

NEXT: WRAP UP/PHOTOS

What a lovely Christmas gift - more of your trip report! Many thanks... I may need a shopping consultation before our trip.

(I have to admit that I have been so busy since we returned from Java that I have not yet done any research on our proposed India trip. I think I probably won't get to it until we are in Kauai in March.)

Thanks for continuing. I wonder if you were admiring shahtoosh (ring) shawls which are sold to unsuspecting tourists (like we were) who don't know that possessing them is illegal in many countries, including India and the USA. The antelopes from which they are made are endangered.

Just found your shopping report. Now I can go to India.
I looked at Best Exotic Marigold Hotel again to see Judi Dench clothes. They are just what I want to buy. I hope Anokhi will supply or maybe street market. We have 4 nights Delhi at beginning of trip so should have shopping time.
We, too, loved our time in Mexico. Could not see ruins in Tulum since the crowds were too great on Dec. 30. But got a peek going up the hill marked "No trespassing". Held a giant lizard and saw the dancers on the giant pole. Loved Chichen Itza, Uximal and Coba. Now have reasons to go back.

Warm greetings crosscheck (love that aviation handle; warms this forever SIA loyalist's heart) and a belated thank you for your wondrous writing. Have spent this early Saturday Seoul morning catching up on your adventures; well done.

If I may be so bold, your writing is right up there with dogster's inimitable posts and the spirit he brought to Fodors. Just know he's proud of you. Can't tell you and all, how much I miss him; thought of the gentleman two weekends back, inside a rather busy and festive Mandarin Oriental lobby in beloved Bangkok. What a spectrum of people, one moment on one particular evening; from the few exquisite, petite and beautifully dressed women, all the way up to some questionably attired holiday makers of size. Suspect dogster would have had a succinct comment or two.

Keep up the brilliant writing crosscheck, and should you ever desire lodging/restaurant suggestions in our fine home of Singapore, would be my honour to assist. And, in keeping with your handle, suspect you already know of Singapore Airlines' cherished (and to be retired, later '13) all business class, non-stop service from your area of LAX, all the way to SIN and back: SQ 37/38. I've flown those sectors on only a few occasions for work (SFO is my main N.A. business port), and they are most efficient. I plan on one last sentimental business trip with those flights and fine crews and friends.

Other ex-LAX SIA options, you have SQ11, via those serene A380s. Can assure you, have savoured some fine SIA A380 business class flights for work on SIN-NRT and SIN-HKG sectors. (If you haven't detected my usual Singapore Airlines love by now, well, later today I have the privilege of flying SQ16 J to SFO, and after ~ five days of meetings, get to fly SQ1 J back to Hong Kong via an A380. Can't wait to fly SQ and those wondrous crews, as always.)

My very best to you, crosscheck, and all. Signing off from a sweet Saturday morning in Seoul,

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Girl, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

Thanks so much for kind words about my writing. Never again will we be treated to the level of charisma, creativity or snarkiness that dogster brought to this forum, but we all can infuse our travels with a little of his spirit, style and serendipity.

Would love to visit Singapore (Mr. Crosscheck goes there fairly often) - and if so, will definitely hit you up for places to eat, sleep and wander.

WRAP-UP
Sorry that I abandoned this report so near the end. Now, five months after our journey, it's time to finish.

LEGAL SHAWLS
Yes, the super-high quality pashminas I brought home seem as if they could indeed fit through a wedding ring. But they come with bios of the goats who contributed, and the owner is a 'textile historian' Brit, so I'm assuming she's abiding by the law and protecting the antelope.

MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS
About a week after our return (and after we bragged to everyone about how we didn't get sick), Mr. C developed a high (103F+) fever with no other symptoms. He was tested for malaria, dengue, etc. etc. The tests were negative, and our doctor theorized that Mr. C had probably contracted a flu or virus, something that wasn't going around here. The doc prescribed Tamiflu and before I had a chance to worry excessively about hantavirus or avian mutations, Mr. C recovered.

Since then, when we gush about the trip, we don't mention how healthy we were.

CREATIVITY/SPIRITUALITY/THE DARK SIDE
Just the way the fever was a reality check of sorts, so was Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, the non-fiction book about the Mumbai slums, that I finished upon my return. Then came the gang rape in Delhi, which made me very angry at a country with all those 'nice' people - How can such misogyny, violence and classicism exist in a such an extraordinary place?

But India has stayed with me and helped me see the world in a new way. It wasn't just a vacation, it was a foray into a different dimension and I feel as if I must go back to see and discover more.

--

I'm about to go on a tamer (Parisian) trip, but will link to photos when I return.

Thanks for finishing, crosscheck. This was a wonderful read! Enjoy Paris.

"But India has stayed with me and helped me see the world in a new way. It wasn't just a vacation, it was a foray into a different dimension and I feel as if I must go back to see and discover more."

I feel exactly the same way. Thank you for writing such a wonderful trip report!

Paule