Review of India
Well, we're finally in Mumbai and about to wrap up our Indian adventure. We are leaving very early on Monday morning to fly to Bangkok where we'll be staying with Karen's cousin Irma and her husband Art. In a way, this sort of ends our "adventure" portion of our trip for now. Tibet, Nepal, and India were all new adventures for us and provided us with some culture shocks. Whereas we've been to Thailand only 5 years ago and we'll be staying with people, which is always nice. We've booked a flight to Chiang Mai in the north where we should hopefully be able to chill out a bit. And then we're on to the Philippines, which is full of home comforts for Karen and where we'll also hit the beach for a bit. So, we're looking forward to the next couple of weeks. After the Philippines, it's onto Australia and New Zealand which, even though they're new to me, is also sort of a home culture - no language barriers, knowing the ways of doing things, knowing the food, seeing friends from England in Oz and also staying with and meeting up with other people we know. The second leg of our "adventure" begins anew when we get to Rio for Carnival in mid-February.
As we're finishing up, I figured I'd give a bit of a review of the last few weeks. First off, we have had another great tour with Imaginative Traveller, who we also used for Egypt 4 years ago. We definitely recommend them. Our tour guide, Bishal, was very good. It's always very helpful to have someone who speaks the local languages and knows the local customs. Our tour group was also very good, with very friendly people who were great to spend the last 2-3 weeks with (and I'm not just saying that because they now have our blog address and might be checking what we write about them!) :)
So, the review of our trip:
Kathmandu - a nice city that also prepares you well for India without being as overwhelming. It has a great vibe and I really liked Nepal as a whole. Kathmandu is probably not a must-see city in the grand scheme of things, but I recommend a trip to Nepal at some point.
Varanasi - a good example of a typical Indian city. Very hectic, but has a good life to it. Some interesting things to see there, both in and slightly outside the city. It's not near much else, so probably not worth a major detour, but if it's on your way anywhere, it's definitely worth stopping for at least a day to see it.
Delhi - definitely disappointing. Karen and I are on the 3 week tour from Kathmandu to Mumbai, but for 2 weeks in the middle we were combined with another group that did a Delhi to Delhi circle. I can tell you that not one of the 11 people going back to Delhi yesterday while we continued on to Mumbai was psyched by the prospect. Many were trying to get earlier flights back home, as they didn't want to spend more time there. There are a few things to see there (Humayun's Tomb is excellent, for example), but it disappoints.
Agra - unfortunately our train from Delhi to Agra was almost 2 hours late, so we didn't get to see much of the city besides the Taj Mahal. Of course the Taj is one of the world's "must-sees" but I would have liked to have seen more of Agra itself. The beggars in Agra are a bit more persistent than elsewhere, which is a drag.
Fatehpur Sikri - this is an old abandoned Mughal city that is amazingly well-preserved. Most tourists hit it on the road from Agra to Jaipur. It's no Pompeii, but it's still pretty interesting nonetheless.
Jaipur - the Pink City. The lovely color of the buildings give this city a good feel. But it's the most crowded in Rajasthan and has the pollution and other problems that go with it. Has a few good sights to see both in and out of the city. If you go to north India, you should go see it.
Pushkar - no major sights to see, but a very laid back town. It's full of hippies, Israelis, and Israeli hippies. Funny to see every sign in town written in either Hindi, English, or Hebrew or a combination of the three. We climbed the hill outside town that gave a wonderful view of the city and the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately we missed the world-famous (or so they say - I had never heard of it either) Pushkar Camel Fair by a few weeks. The Fair attracts tens of thousands of camels and other livestock in October/November every year.
Chandelao - this was a small little town off the tourist path, but we stayed at a nice heritage hotel here. There are no sights, but when we walked around the town, the kids went absolutely nuts, jumping everywhere and everyone wanting to have their picture taken. That was a fun experience. Sad to see, though, that like in a lot of places in India, the "untouchables" aren't able to use the same water well as the other people and must find other sources for their water.
Camel safari - this was a great experience. Although I must say I was a bit worried when my camel tried to buck me off as soon as I got on and then actually bit one of the handlers after we stopped at another point. The camp we stayed in was very good and seeing the stars at night in the desert is excellent.
Jaisalmer - probably Karen's and my favorite city we visited. It's relatively far away, being only 100 kms from the Pakistan border. Named the Golden City due to its sandstone buildings, it has an excellent citadel at the center of the city. The citadel is still a living city, with many people still living there. If only they cleaned up all the rubbish that completely envelops the city walls, it would be more amazing. Nonetheless, it has a great chilled-out vibe and we really enjoyed ourselves here.
Jodhpur - we only spent an afternoon in the Blue City. The blue color used on many of the buildings is stunning in the right light. The Meherangarh Fort that towers above the city is pretty amazing as well, and is fairly well organized as well. The city suffers from terrible pollution, though.
Ranakpur - this was a brief stopping point, but it was one of the highlights. We saw probably the best Jain temple in all of India. The intricacy of the carvings in marble are amazing and the lightness of the marble in the complex gives one a clear sense of peace.
Udaipur - I thought the city itself was supposed to be more beautiful, so was a bit disappointed, but there is no denying the beauty of the lake the city is set on. If you've ever seen the Bond film "Octopussy", you'll know Udaipur. The Lake Palace in the middle of the lake really does look like it's floating on water. Although the City Palace is big, big, big, it's not the best palace you'll ever see. Overall, though, Udaipur has a good vibe.
Ahmedabad - well, even the guidebooks essentially tell you not to bother, but it was the stopping point for the night between Udaipur and Mumbai. The capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad is one of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. We went to see Gandhi's ashram in town, which was informative, if a bit disjointed. Ahmedabad has supposedly India's best museum with the Textile Museum. Unfortunately, though, it has pretty much the stupidest opening hours I have ever seen, where you have to be there at 10:30 in the morning (and only then) to see one wing of the museum and then come back at 2:45 p.m. (and only then) to see the other wing. So, great museum to see, if only you can co-ordinate properly. We were only in Ahmedabad for the afternoon so missed this museum. I think Karen will also be telling you about the friendly tuk-tuk drivers in this town as well!
Mumbai - has a better vibe than Delhi. No major must-see sights in the city, but it has a good feel. Has a lot of the same problems as other Indian cities, especially the overcrowding. We will explore the city a bit more tomorrow so we'll see how we like it then. I will point out, though, that Mumbai has some of the fattest dogs I've ever seen!
Unfortunately the computer I'm on doesn't have a USB connection, so I can't upload any pics with this post, but hopefully will be able to add some once we get to Thailand.
As we're finishing up, I figured I'd give a bit of a review of the last few weeks. First off, we have had another great tour with Imaginative Traveller, who we also used for Egypt 4 years ago. We definitely recommend them. Our tour guide, Bishal, was very good. It's always very helpful to have someone who speaks the local languages and knows the local customs. Our tour group was also very good, with very friendly people who were great to spend the last 2-3 weeks with (and I'm not just saying that because they now have our blog address and might be checking what we write about them!) :)
So, the review of our trip:
Kathmandu - a nice city that also prepares you well for India without being as overwhelming. It has a great vibe and I really liked Nepal as a whole. Kathmandu is probably not a must-see city in the grand scheme of things, but I recommend a trip to Nepal at some point.
Varanasi - a good example of a typical Indian city. Very hectic, but has a good life to it. Some interesting things to see there, both in and slightly outside the city. It's not near much else, so probably not worth a major detour, but if it's on your way anywhere, it's definitely worth stopping for at least a day to see it.
Delhi - definitely disappointing. Karen and I are on the 3 week tour from Kathmandu to Mumbai, but for 2 weeks in the middle we were combined with another group that did a Delhi to Delhi circle. I can tell you that not one of the 11 people going back to Delhi yesterday while we continued on to Mumbai was psyched by the prospect. Many were trying to get earlier flights back home, as they didn't want to spend more time there. There are a few things to see there (Humayun's Tomb is excellent, for example), but it disappoints.
Agra - unfortunately our train from Delhi to Agra was almost 2 hours late, so we didn't get to see much of the city besides the Taj Mahal. Of course the Taj is one of the world's "must-sees" but I would have liked to have seen more of Agra itself. The beggars in Agra are a bit more persistent than elsewhere, which is a drag.
Fatehpur Sikri - this is an old abandoned Mughal city that is amazingly well-preserved. Most tourists hit it on the road from Agra to Jaipur. It's no Pompeii, but it's still pretty interesting nonetheless.
Jaipur - the Pink City. The lovely color of the buildings give this city a good feel. But it's the most crowded in Rajasthan and has the pollution and other problems that go with it. Has a few good sights to see both in and out of the city. If you go to north India, you should go see it.
Pushkar - no major sights to see, but a very laid back town. It's full of hippies, Israelis, and Israeli hippies. Funny to see every sign in town written in either Hindi, English, or Hebrew or a combination of the three. We climbed the hill outside town that gave a wonderful view of the city and the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately we missed the world-famous (or so they say - I had never heard of it either) Pushkar Camel Fair by a few weeks. The Fair attracts tens of thousands of camels and other livestock in October/November every year.
Chandelao - this was a small little town off the tourist path, but we stayed at a nice heritage hotel here. There are no sights, but when we walked around the town, the kids went absolutely nuts, jumping everywhere and everyone wanting to have their picture taken. That was a fun experience. Sad to see, though, that like in a lot of places in India, the "untouchables" aren't able to use the same water well as the other people and must find other sources for their water.
Camel safari - this was a great experience. Although I must say I was a bit worried when my camel tried to buck me off as soon as I got on and then actually bit one of the handlers after we stopped at another point. The camp we stayed in was very good and seeing the stars at night in the desert is excellent.
Jaisalmer - probably Karen's and my favorite city we visited. It's relatively far away, being only 100 kms from the Pakistan border. Named the Golden City due to its sandstone buildings, it has an excellent citadel at the center of the city. The citadel is still a living city, with many people still living there. If only they cleaned up all the rubbish that completely envelops the city walls, it would be more amazing. Nonetheless, it has a great chilled-out vibe and we really enjoyed ourselves here.
Jodhpur - we only spent an afternoon in the Blue City. The blue color used on many of the buildings is stunning in the right light. The Meherangarh Fort that towers above the city is pretty amazing as well, and is fairly well organized as well. The city suffers from terrible pollution, though.
Ranakpur - this was a brief stopping point, but it was one of the highlights. We saw probably the best Jain temple in all of India. The intricacy of the carvings in marble are amazing and the lightness of the marble in the complex gives one a clear sense of peace.
Udaipur - I thought the city itself was supposed to be more beautiful, so was a bit disappointed, but there is no denying the beauty of the lake the city is set on. If you've ever seen the Bond film "Octopussy", you'll know Udaipur. The Lake Palace in the middle of the lake really does look like it's floating on water. Although the City Palace is big, big, big, it's not the best palace you'll ever see. Overall, though, Udaipur has a good vibe.
Ahmedabad - well, even the guidebooks essentially tell you not to bother, but it was the stopping point for the night between Udaipur and Mumbai. The capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad is one of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. We went to see Gandhi's ashram in town, which was informative, if a bit disjointed. Ahmedabad has supposedly India's best museum with the Textile Museum. Unfortunately, though, it has pretty much the stupidest opening hours I have ever seen, where you have to be there at 10:30 in the morning (and only then) to see one wing of the museum and then come back at 2:45 p.m. (and only then) to see the other wing. So, great museum to see, if only you can co-ordinate properly. We were only in Ahmedabad for the afternoon so missed this museum. I think Karen will also be telling you about the friendly tuk-tuk drivers in this town as well!
Mumbai - has a better vibe than Delhi. No major must-see sights in the city, but it has a good feel. Has a lot of the same problems as other Indian cities, especially the overcrowding. We will explore the city a bit more tomorrow so we'll see how we like it then. I will point out, though, that Mumbai has some of the fattest dogs I've ever seen!
Unfortunately the computer I'm on doesn't have a USB connection, so I can't upload any pics with this post, but hopefully will be able to add some once we get to Thailand.
posted by Kevin at 12/02/2006 03:32:00 PM
1 Comments:
Kev - I definitely don't think you used the word "definitely" enough in this post.
But seriously, glad to see you are having great adventures!
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