[Idyllchat] Anyone here with some India experience?

[Amy Gillin]

Hello, Michelle, (and all the rest of you Idyllers,)
 
 
Thanks for your information; it sounds like you had a great trip!  I did look into the Rajasthan aspect, but as Nagercoil is a "must" of this trip (for business reasons) and Varanasi a "must" for cultural ones, I decided to keep that area for a return trip sometime when it won't be so incredibly hot.  I'll be visiting various villages in the South,out from Nagercoil, provided the monsoon doesn't wash out too many passages by that point, and I am really looking forward to seeing the smaller places.
 
I should have gone back in 1997 or so, from what I've been reading; it seems the explosion in hotel prices is a relatively recent phenomenon.  Many of the luxury hotels do look lovely, but I'll be seeking out the more, er, picturesque ones, I'm thinking...
 
I'm definitely hoping to be able to see the Taj in all its lightings, including moonlight; I think it's one of those places that have called to me since I was a little kid going through geography books for fun.
 
I'd love to hear any more India thoughts!
Cheers,
Amy


From: spannrm at northlink.comTo: missalg at hotmail.comSubject: Re: [Idyllchat] Anyone here with some India experience?Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:46:21 -0700



Hello Amy,
It sounds as if your plans are too complete for much suggestion, but we traveled to India for a month in 1997.  Our trip was concentrated on villages and in the Rajasthan, which is considered the "must see" of India because all the palaces and temples are there.  Jaipur and Jodphur are utterly fascinating. Our hotels were all converted Raj palaces with lovely gardens and often peacocks roaming the grounds.  The service people all dress in traditional costumes, as was the norm among all villagers in 1997. We are not familiar with Leh, but if your schedule is flexible enough to change to some of the Rajasthan cities you will have seen the real India, which the cities are not.
 
Our hotels were all of the Taj chain, an Indian hotel chain and all were beautifully situated and wonderfully comfortable.  I cannot imagine how much they cost now.  In Delhi you should see the memorial gardens of Mahatma Ghandi and Indira Ghandi.  In Agra you should see the Taj Mahal at dawn, in the late morning, at sunset and by moonlight.  It is riveting, ethereal and, to our minds, spiritual.  
 
We have traveled pretty much all over the world by now and the villages of India are among our paramount memories.  There is no other place like it.
 
Enjoy!
 
M. Spann  

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Amy Gillin 
To: Idyll Chat 
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 4:03 PM
Subject: [Idyllchat] Anyone here with some India experience?
I'm an Untour lover, and would love to see the same concept carried out on other continents.  (The Vietnam Untour was a wonderful way to visit that country, but I can understand how complex it would become for Untours to extend like this.)  Anyway, I'm planning to travel to India for three weeks in July (!) of this year, and I was hoping for some help/feedback from this experienced list of travelers.   My first question is about a hotel within reasonable distance of Delhi Airport that won't cost me, oh, $235 like the Radisson.  I'll be getting in late on a Friday evening and returning to the domestic airport Saturday morning (to go down to Nagercoil.)  Ashok Country Resort comes up on posts on IndiaMike.com, but that's looking a bit pricey too.  I'm hoping for maybe >$100, but I may just be being a little too optimistic! I've already booked the Delhi Bed and Breakfast for when I return there, and the Ganges View hotel in Varanasi, but I still have a night in Agra to plan for; I'd love to be very close to the Taj (and have tried to contact Hotel Sheela without success) as it's going to be a full moon when I'm there.  (Albeit probably rainy.)   Leh is going to be my last stop--my students voted on this one for me--and I'm still quite up in the air on accommodation there, so I'd love to hear from anyone who's been.   Any other random thoughts, advice, or comments are also welcome...Figured since the list hasn't been super busy, now might be a good time to ask!Amy G



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