India

Whenever I travel I try to stay in local places, or fun places… Here is a list of places I stayed in India:

• Delhi : Palace Heights-  a nice hotel in Delhi.  the rooms are small but nice and the breakfast is good with great service.  The hotel is located downtown above other businesses so it can be quite noisy at times.
• Udaipur: Mewar Haveli – A small hotel in the heart of Udaipur.  Rooms are run down, showers need work but the hotel is clean, the staff is friendly and helpful and the location is very good.
• Luni: Fort Chanwa – I completely enjoyed every moment of staying here.  The rooms are large, new, and bathrooms very nice.  WiFi is available all over.  The head guard is awesome, he showed me around his small town of Luni and it was one of the most memorable things I did.  Indian buffet isn’t the best that I’ve had but it was ok.
• Jodhpur:  K.P. Heritage – K.P. Heritage  was super fun to stay in.  I had the whole top floor as my room with double opening doors and a very large balcony out front.  From my balcony i could see the massive fort above and was able to sit out and listen to the call to prayer as the sun set.
• Jaipur:  Shahpura House – I really enjoyed this Heritage hotel.  From the guard out front to the tradition decorations around the building staying here makes you feel like you are royalty from a bygone era.  The restaurant is good if not a little bland for tourists.
• Ranthambhore:  The Pugmark Resort – what a fun place to stay.  There are many little huts that are rented as rooms.   The staff was very attentive and really went out of their way to make sure I was having a nice time.  The Indian buffet was acceptable but the breakfast was quite good.
• Agra:  Crystal Sarovar Resort – By far the nicest place I stayed.  My room had a view of the Taj Mahal and i was able to watch the sun rise over it.  The roof top pool is a nice addition far above the noisy and bustling streets.  The rooftop restaurant was quite good with attentive service.  They also had fruit and chocolates in the room which were a nice addition.

I had so much fun in India.  Here is a brief rundown of the things I did:

• Participate in Holi – the celebration of colors!
• Visit amazing historical sites
• Zip Line at the Red Fort
• Stay in an amazing Fort
• Horseback ride on national Polo team horses
• Visit several small villages and interact with local Indians
• Ride and Elephant to Amber Fort
• Visit the haunted for of Bhangarh
• See a wild tiger in Ranthambhore
• Visit the fabled Taj Mahal

There are so many amazing places to visit in India.  Here are a few of the ones i saw:

• India Gate
• Taj Mahal
• Amber Fort
• Agra Fort
• Jantar Mantar
• Mehrangarh Fort
• Udaipur City Palace and Water Palace

India has so much to offer it is tough to narrow down the things that were amazing.  Here is a short list of things I think you should see while in India:

• Taj Mahal – Lets start with the obvious.  This place is amazing and pictures will never do it justice.  I would recommend having a guide help you learn about all the amazing facts about this incredible place.  It truly is breath-taking.
• Tiger Safari – Before you go make sure you are booked in a jeep for your tiger safari.  There isn’t a great chance that you will see a tiger so you need to check ahead of time which areas you are booked to see.  Ask the guides which areas tigers have been in recently and try to book those areas.  Do not use the canter safari unless you have no choice.  You will be in with 20 other people if you do.  Also book at least 3 safari trips.
• Holi celebration – This is an amazing experience.  Everyone involved is happy and having fun.  They throw colored chalk and smear it on your face.  Kids shoot you with water to make the chalk stick better.  Be careful which colors you get as some are dye and not chalk.  The dye doesn’t wash off like the chalk does… word to the wise.  The one thing I’d tell you most is don’t be shy.  Be a participant and not an observer.  Oh and wear a hat to keep the dye from staining your hair.
• Bhangarh Fort – This ruined fort is so far off the beaten path that my driver didn’t even want to go there!  Well partially because it was far off, also because the locals believe it to be one of the most haunted places in Asia.  It took a lot of convincing to get him to take me to the fort, and he wouldn’t even go in.  It was amazing though, and very non touristy.  Only a few local Indians were in the fort which is extensive and very large.  Certainly worth the time to get there.

As with every trip there are always things you wish you hadn’t wasted your time doing.  Here are a few:

• Jeep Safari to Bishnoi Village –  It just wasn’t worth my time.  Seeing how they lived long ago was interesting for a few minutes, but it just didn’t hold my attention.  And at the end they expect you to pay for an experience that you had already paid for by booking the trip.  Overall it wasn’t worth it.
• If i could change something I would have done 4 safaris looking for Tigers.. I only saw one, the first day.  I would have increased my chances and done 4 instead of 3 safari trips.
• The elephant ride to Amber fort is fun.  However if i could change it there is an opportunity to feed, and paint the elephants before or after the ride.  That would have been really fun.

A few parting thoughts:

• Get your Indian visa early.  If you plan to get a multiple entry visa it takes some time but it is good for 10 years.  Fill out all the paper work, use your tour company or a hotel as your contact information, and DOUBLE CHECK YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE SUBMITTING!  Unfortunately you are forced to use a third party company so do a little research to see which company works directly with the government.  Here is a link to the visa application to get you started on the Indian Government Website.
• Tipping in India is a pain.  Ask you guide or a concierge at the hotel for advice.  Some places it is expected, some not.  If you have a driver there is a good chance they aren’t being paid well enough to cover their lodging.  Pay attention to how much the trip is costing them and be kind when tipping.  BUT DO NOT OVER TIP!
• Do not be guilted into buying something just because your driver took you to a specific place.  You are never under any obligation to buy anything, even if they give you a demonstration of how it is made or provide you with drinks or snacks.  If the price isn’t good then don’t buy it.
• Many places in India do not allow leather.  As Hindus believe the cow to be sacred they do not allow cow products in many of their temples.  You should take that into consideration when packing and planning your trip.  Even wallets, belts, and shoes are frowned upon when made of cow hide.