India – Destination NOW

Mumbai/Bombay

Our trip ended with a three night stay in Mumbai, which up until 1995 was known as Bombay, the name the Portuguese gave it.

I always thought that Mumbai was the Indian pronunciation of Bombay. Shows what I know. In fact, the city was named for the Goddess Mumba Devi, whose image appears on the wall of Victoria Station.

Here are some other photos of Mumbai’s beautiful train station.

Our stay is at another Oberoi, and to tell the truth, I’ve gotten extremely spoiled. Although certainly more than adequate, this room isn’t over the top breathtaking, like the other hotels in the chain. It DID, however, have an amazing outdoor bar, from which we could watch the sun set over the ocean.

With Gloria, Sue and our fantastic trip leader, Jennifer

I hope that this blog helps dispel any preconceived notions about India. Yes, it can be crowded and dirty, and the traffic is CRAZY!

Our local guide (whose name I have forgotten) said that to drive in India you need three things:

“A good horn, good brakes and good luck”

India is also pretty damn magnificent. I am so very grateful that I was able to experience its wonder and grandeur. Take a look at how Mumbai’s airport puts many American airports to shame.

During our stay, we had a delicious lunch at the Taj hotel, which was one of the locations where the 2008 terrorist attack occurred.

The “new” Taj Hotel has a memorial in its lobby. Beside the waterfall are carved the names of everyone who lost their life at the Taj during the attack.

Our lunch was on the top floor of the new Taj, from which I was able to take this photo of the Arch (known as the Gateway of India) that was constructed for King George (whatever number he was—maybe George 5?) and Queen Mary’s visit.

Our boat ride to Elephanta Island gave us a a different view of the arch, plus the old and new Taj hotels.

Initially, what is now Mumbai was comprised of 7 islands, until the East India Company took possession, and decided to fill in the water between the islands, thus creating what has become today’s city. During our tour, our local guide pointed out areas that had been reclaimed from the sea.

Other interesting sights included the Dhobi Ghat, where laundry is done in the open air. Our guide told us the water is only changed at the end of the day. Yikes! These days, many Indians have washers and dryers, so commercial enterprises are the ghat’s chief customers. I suspect that the Oberoi’s linens are NOT laundered here.

Other sights included Jeff, Tom and Whitney all trying their hand at cricket.

Some of the pews in St Thomas Cathedral were adorned with metal plaques identifying famous butts that were placed upon them, such as Mother Theresa and King George & Queen Mary. Guest preachers, however did not get similar recognition. But they certainly SHOULD have.

One of the most fun activities was feeding the “good luck” cow. Supposedly Indians who did so, would be guaranteed good luck. Their next stop was to the nearby stock exchange.

OUR next stop was to this jazzed up Starbucks, where we tried our luck at finding a clean bathroom. We were successful, so maybe feeding the cow does work.

My final stop for the day was to watch the dabba wallahs decode which lunchbox gets delivered where. As you can see from the photo of one code, it is quite an elaborate system.

We asked why workers don’t simply take their lunchboxes with them when they leave for work.

The reason is the husband leaves work before his wife has cooked his lunch. It isn’t ready until around 10:30, which is when the dabba wallah picks it up. It gets delivered to the office before 1 PM. The dabba wallah returns later to bring the lunchbox back to the wife, arriving many hours before her husband returns home from work. That allows her to clean it so it is ready for the next day.

After lunch, most of the group visited the Dharavi slum. When in Nairobi during the summer of 2024, I had visited the Kibara Slum, which was a glorious experience, one that would have been difficult to replicate, in my opinion. I’ve also stayed in some rather humble lodgings while working on global volunteer projects. What I haven’t done is stay at many five star resorts, so I returned to the hotel to enjoy its rooftop pool.

Everyone who visited came back impressed by the work ethic of the residents of Dharavi.

I mentioned Elephanta Island earlier in this post. Only seven of us chose to spend our last morning in Mumbai visiting this temple dedicated to Shiva.

Although it looked like the temple was constructed in an existing cave, that was not the case. The temple was carved out of a huge block of basalt, working from the top down, and the outside in. The columns that you see in the photo above are purely decorative. They are not needed to support the temple. Check out the ceiling and floor of the temple.

The 10 members of our group that chose to forgo the excursion did so because they were concerned about making it up the 126 steps to the temple.

For about $35, you could make the trip the way royalty did in the past, by hiring four men to carry you in one of these chairs.

Good thing Allison is slim, because Tom depleted his cash buying a beautiful ring for his lovely wife earlier in the trip. Being creative, Tom came up with an alternative method.

Others were turned off by the thought of a one hour boat ride each way, preferring instead to shop. In India, there is always an abundance of shopping opportunities, some for articles whose purpose was a mystery, at least to me.

The train took us to from our boat to the start of the climb.

As with the other cities in the north, trash was everywhere. Despite the signs on receptacles exhorting people to “use me”, people obviously preferred to drop their garbage on the beaches where it was carried into the ocean.

I found the boat ride delightful, mainly because Joann and I chatted the entire way, which made the one hour journey whip by.

Tom, Allison, Jim, Sherrie, me, Joann and Don

Our guide did a terrific job explaining the meaning of the wall panels. We learned, for example, that before they were married, Pavarti was always depicted on Shiva’s right. After they wed, she moved to his left. Why? Our guide told us it was because Shiva kept his wallet on his left side. “No money, no honey”. Later she told us being on the left side made Pavarti closer to Shiva’s heart.

So can you tell who is married and who is still dating? Remember the photo is a mirror image. Hmmm, Joann is on MY left. In the photo atop this post’s heading, she got it right

The photo below is of the wall panel showing the combination of male and female aspects of Shiva. If I had been viewing this panel on my own, I never would have gotten the significance. On the photo’s right, the top hand of Shiva is holding a mirror, which symbolizes beauty and is the emblem for Pavarti. On the photo’s left you can see Shiva’s hand resting on his trusty steed, Nandi the bull. There was a whole lot more that our guide told us, but the jet lag induced brain fog has caused me to forget what it was.

Our farewell dinner produced mixed emotions for me. I was sad to say goodbye to my new friends, but I was also happy to have spent the past two and a half weeks enjoying their company. What a magical group!

I couldn’t fit everyone at the big table into one photo, so I took two from different vantage points. Clearly the waiter did a better job than I.

If I have the time and the energy before I depart on my next trip, I’ll talk about our experience flying from Delhi. It was an adventure! Fortunately I got to share it with Joann and Don, which made it memorable, and almost fun.

Next trip is to Costa Rica, with OAT, in the beginning of December.

Southern India — Kerala

Name changes confuse me. I find myself slipping and saying Bombay instead of Mumbai. Even after spending time in Southern India, I’m not sure whether I should be saying Cochin or Kochi. I heard both. Maybe it doesn’t matter.

What DOES matter is the dramatic contrast between northern and Southern India! In the north, horn honking is encouraged. MANY of the vehicles we passed had signs like the one below on the back of their vehicles.

In southern India it was blissfully quiet. Although traffic wasn’t AS bad as it as in the north, there still were some interesting moments. Just no horn honking.

The south is so CLEAN! In the north, people drop their trash wherever—in the street, along highways, in parks, on lawns, inside buildings. It’s EVERYWHERE.

In the state of Kerala, they have either mastered the art of trash collection, or their residents actually CARE about their cities, or it truly IS God’s Country. Take your pick.

Although the itinerary showed us spending four days in Kerala, our first day was spent almost entirely traveling from Udaipur to Kochi, including a stop in Bangalore to change planes, and grab some airport food for lunch. Colonel Sanders has made his way to India, but I discovered that Starbucks offered fantastic sandwiches—better than we get in the USA, and probably cheaper. ( I still haven’t quite mastered exchange rate math). Good thing I ate because our flight was delayed, and we didn’t get to our hotel in Kochi until almost 6:30 PM.

What was great was that Tauck got us rooms with access to the club room. What was not so great was that the club room closed at 7 PM. Despite that, I managed to consume two glasses of white wine and sufficient food to make dinner unnecessary. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you’re highly motivated.

This is the only American hotel we are frequenting during our trip— a Hyatt Regency overlooking the bay leading out to the Arabian Sea.

The curtains open automatically when you enter your room. I never bothered to learn how to close them, because I loved the magnificent view.

Of course, if you get tired of watching the river flow, you can always turn your head to look at the window into the bathroom. I wasn’t sharing a room, but those who were could watch their roommate do whatever they needed to do in the bathroom, without leaving the comfort of their bed.

Our second, and final day in Kochi, we were treated to a cooking demonstration by a woman who was discovered by The NY Times several years ago. Check out how her home is equipped, with tv screens, so you can watch while you theoretically master her technique. I imagine that before The NY Times discovered her, her kitchen looked very different.

In addition to her cooking commentary, Nimmy shared details about her marriage, including the fight she had with her husband that morning. She was QUITE entertaining!

Next up was a tour of a palace, synagogue and church, plus an opportunity to shop a bit.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride back, just in time to catch this spectacular sunset by the fishing nets.

Because we had a reasonable departure time (9AM the next morning), Gloria, Sue and I decided to try the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel.

Our final two days in the south were spent at the Kumarakom Resort. We drove about 2.5 hours to get to the houseboats that took us the final three hours of our journey.

Although we didn’t STAY on the houseboat, we certainly COULD have. Take a look at this luxurious bedroom. Instead, our houseboat experience included a delicious lunch on board.

Jennifer, our trip leader was on the second houseboat, but somehow she managed to convince the crew to pick up speed. It felt like we were on the Amazing Race. When her boat passed us, we decided that she and Whitney had complementary strengths that would have undoubtedly made them a winning team!

The Kumarakom resort was exactly what I needed at this point in the trip. I thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to slow down and completely relax for two days.

Once again, I had a magnificent room. But this time it was adjacent to what was called a meandering pool. I could meander across the way to visit with fellow travelers, so I did.

I loved the outdoor bathroom with the open air shower. I’d had one in Nepal and one in Colombia when traveling with OAT, so was used to showering in the open air.

Both nights, we were treated to outdoor cultural shows before dinner. This lovely young lady did a traditional dance,

The young men demonstrated martial arts, kicking and twirling swords and spears at each other. One segment of the show reminded me of majorettes performing in one of those old talent shows ( was it Ted Mack’s amateur hour?) See what you think.

Before the performances began, we got to drink wine and watch the sky change colors.

Pretty magnificent, wouldn’t you say?

On our last day, our group visited two villages alongside the river, waving to villagers along the way.

The experience was similar to what OAT calls “A Day in the Life”, where we visited two farming families, viewed their home and were invited to participate in activities. Gloria climbed for coconuts,

Susie made coir rope from coconut fiber

Some of us got to play “dress up”

Pam and Jeff were dressed as a farming couple, Pat, Bill and I were getting married. Hey, back in the day, men could have multiple wives. At least Pat and I get along well!

Only three days left on the trip, all of which will be spent in Mumbai/Bombay, before our long flight home.

Udaipur

What an incredible hotel! I know, I know, I have been saying that about every hotel on this trip, but every time I say it, it’s the TRUTH and I have photos to prove it.

I’m running out of adjectives to describe how grand the Oberoi hotels are, so you’ll just have to see for yourself.

I’m so glad we are staying here for three nights because that gives us the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful pool area,

fully appreciate the interior of the hotel,

and stroll along the magnificent grounds by the lake.

We had fantastic outdoor dining at the hotel two of our three nights in Udaipur.

Dinner on our last night in Udaipur was at the home of the grandson of a former prime minister. The grandson is a chef, who prepared a selection of wonderful Indian foods, mostly vegetarian, but including mutton and chicken dishes.

Prior to dinner, we were dressed in saris and turbans. Yes, we HAD to be dressed by an expert, because none of us would have been able to master the tucks and twirls on our own.

These are my new friends from Naples, Florida. You can see we each have been wrapped differently.

When we arrived in Udaipur, we immediately headed for lunch at the Lily Court, which was also an art gallery and sculpture garden. This was my favorite piece.

Next stop was the Nagda Temple, which was constructed in the 11th century, and partially destroyed by Muslims who objected to the erotic wall decorations.

This complex, dedicated to Vishnu, is known as the Sas-Bahu Temple.

On our second day, we strolled through the market, then headed for the garden constructed for the king’s harem.

We were so very lucky that the rain held off until we were back in our rickshaws. I shared my rickshaw with Jennifer, our trip leader, so I heard her talking to our local guide as they tried to figure out whether the downpour would continue, requiring them to cancel our walk through the garden.

Magically, the rain stopped, so we were able to enjoy the gardens with their beautiful fountains.

Each couple got their own rickshaw, so as a single, I got my own. The driver would take us wherever we wanted to go. We could choose to shop for jewelry, textiles, cashmere, or go to lunch, to an ATM, or back to the hotel.

Believe it or not, I was able to do all of the above, probably because I had zero interest in fine gems. I DID find a cashmere wrap that was different from anything I’d ever seen.

While in Udaipur, we enjoyed a cruise on Lake Pichola. It has some naturally occurring “islands” that are now sites for incredibly gorgeous hotels. Doesn’t it appear to float on the water?

After our boat ride, a tourist train took us to the city palace entrance.

Of course, the palace was richly decorated, with mosaics covering the walls.

The rooms were interconnected by very narrow winding passages, with head smashing doorways for the taller people in the group. (Bet you’ve figured out how I know that!)

What struck me was the distance between the Kings and the queen’s bedrooms.

I had assumed that the KING was making the journey along the dark passages to get to the Queen. Wrong. When I asked, our guide told me the king would SUMMON the Queen, and SHE would have to find her way along the dark, narrow passages.

In my defense, I thought the queen’s bedroom was far more interesting. I had no trouble imagining the king taking full advantage of that swing. Sorry. That’s just how my mind works.

Elephants were an important part of defense. This statue commemorates how they “worked out” every day.

We leave this wonderful location for an all day journey to Cochin, also known as Kochi, which requires two flights connecting in Bangalore.

Jaipur

Just when I thought “this trip couldn’t POSSIBLY get any better”, it does!

Our hotel, the Oberoi Rajvillas is even more magnificent than the Leela Palace in Delhi. How is that even possible? Well, check out my room.

That’s nothing. The bathroom is even more spectacular.

I was the only woman who chose to return to the hotel rather than shop for jewelry during our free afternoon.

Display at our hotel—a bit too ornate for me

Why? So I’d have time to take a bath and use the pool.

Although it LOOKS like a maharajah’s palace, the Oberoi Rajvillas is actually a luxury hotel that was built to resemble a palace.

The Rambagh Palace, where we had dinner, was the REAL deal. Built in 1835, it became the principal residence of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and his wife, Maharani Gayatri Devi. After India became independent in 1947, the Maharaja converted Rambagh Palace into India’s first luxury “palace hotel”.

Check out how we were greeted and escorted in for dinner.

As one might expect, dinner was incredible. The wine flowed freely, so freely that when Jennifer asked for a volunteer to dance with the professionals, I rose to the occasion, thinking other members of the group would join in. They didn’t. Instead my friend Bill, took this video.

This style of dancing is called Kathak and it is extremely difficult to follow, because the foot stomping pattern changes unexpectedly. I gave up trying and instead decided to go “free style”. At least my travel companions were amused.

Jaipur was noisy, crowded, chaotic and beautiful.

Crossing the street was even more hair raising than crossing in Hanoi, because in Vietnam the streets are not as wide.

I’ll confess to being challenged to find just a few photos of the many incredible things we experienced. This is my attempt to give a feel for the wonder of Jaipur without posting so many photos that your eyes roll back into your head.

Before our dinner at the Rambagh Palace, we took a jeep to the Amber Fort.

Every time we went over a bump, Jeff and I hit our heads on the jeep’s ceiling. We were glad it was made of cloth instead of metal!

On our way, we visited this water source.

The Amber Fort is a popular site for wedding photos. This was actually a “practice shoot” pre-wedding, to make sure the real thing turns out perfectly.

The “fort” contains a gorgeous garden with fountains.

Check out the mirrored designs on the fort’s walls.

You could get a panoramic view of Jaipur from the fort.

We toured the Jantar Mantar Observatory and the City Palace Museum on our second day in Jaipur. The photo atop this post is of the throne room in the palace.

Our lunch at the Raj Palace was extraordinary. My only regret was that I didn’t know the names of these wonderful dishes so that I could order them again.

We ended the evening by visiting the 18th-century Shiva temple, where this group photo was taken.

Next stop, Udaipur.

Agra

By the time we arrived in Agra, it was after 8 PM, too dark for the promised view of the Taj Mahal from my hotel’s window. Instead, I enjoyed the night view of the hotel’s entrance and pool area.

Here’s what I was able to see during daylight. My eyes are far better than my iPhone’s camera, but you get the idea.

My room was exactly what I needed after a very long day,

especially since our scheduled departure was at 6:10 AM, so we could get to the Taj Mahal in time for sunrise. Once again, the weather didn’t cooperate; it was too cloudy to see the sun, but it was still rather wonderful.

Yes, we all have seen many photos of this gorgeous building. But none of the photos I’ve ever seen have been able to capture the fine detail. Take a look at the exquisite carvings,

the colors of the precious stones forming the inlaid designs,

then try to visualize the complexity of the designs covering the entire edifice.

The interior was equally breathtaking. Although we were able to enter the mausoleum, us “common folks” aren’t allowed to photograph the cenotaphs of Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz. Clearly someone was granted permission, because YouTube videos of the interior exist. If you want to sneak a peek, just do a google search.

When we arrived, we witnessed why we were told not to bring food into the grounds. This guy seemed to thoroughly enjoy his pilfered granola bar.

The red sandstone entrance housed a photographic history of the Taj Mahal.

I wasn’t aware that this wonder of the world had been abandoned during the late 1800’s. The vegetation that was growing wildly over the grounds almost obscured the mausoleum.

Sorry about the reflections on the photo

Next, we toured a very small percentage of the Agra Fort. That was where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his youngest son until his death. That son also knocked off his brothers so that he could seize power and rule as emperor.

Shah Jahan was able to view the distant Taj Mahal from the windows of his quarters at the Agra Fort. Not bad for a prison cell, wouldn’t you say? One of his daughters was allowed to stay in the adjoining room to take care of dad.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal were married for 20 years, during which she gave birth 14 times and had two miscarriages. Yikes! SIXTEEN pregnancies within 20 years! After she died giving birth to her 14th child, at age 39, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a reminder of the love they had shared.

Next stop, Jaipur, butts in the bus by 7:45 AM.

How lucky am I to be traveling with such a wonderful, interesting group! I’m thoroughly enjoying getting to know each one of them.

Varanasi

Initially I was NOT impressed with Varanasi, because of the crowds, traffic, trash in the streets, wandering cows and stray dogs. It was hard for me to believe that Varanasi is considered one of India’s most sacred cities. But after our evening and morning cruises on the Ganges, I changed my mind!

Hindus believe that if you are cremated on this special ghat ( the one with the “everlasting flame” ) by the Ganges, you are released from the cycle of death and rebirth, earning an “express pass” to nirvana. We witnessed the full cremation ceremony from our riverboat.

It reminded me of the Catholics’ belief in the 9 first Fridays. So, for those who didn’t go to Catholic school, here’s the scoop. If you go to mass and communion for the first Friday of the month, NINE times in a ROW, you are guaranteed that a priest would pop up just before you die to give you the last rites. That means you have the chance to confess your sins and be forgiven. You might have to spend a little time in Purgatory, but at least you won’t go to hell.

Varanasi is to devout Hindu what Mecca represents to Muslims, and Jerusalem to Jews. Supposedly, most Hindus want to make a pilgrimage to Varanasi, at least once in their lifetime, to take an early morning “dip” into the Ganges. For those unable to make the trip, perhaps they might persuade someone to do it for them; that person would have to go underwater multiple times to ensure their friends are completely purified.

After our flight from Delhi to Varanasi, and our evening cruise, I briefly considered skipping the sunrise rituals, which required getting up at 5 AM. I’m so glad that I didn’t!

Twenty five years ago my friend celebrated her birthday by submerging herself in the Ganges. Back then, the river was polluted with dead animals, ashes, and miscellaneous bacteria floating along among the multitudes of humans bathing there. Since then, treatment towers ( the yellow structures) have been built, so the water is much cleaner.

Good thing, because water from the Ganges is considered “purifying” and holy. Devout Hindus sprinkle Ganges water in their homes first thing in the morning and again before sunset, then blow a conch shell to banish negativity.

During our college years, my friend (the Ganges bather) celebrated St Patrick’s day by skinny dipping in Boston’s Charles River. Of course, that was after she consumed prodigious amounts of green beer. Sorry, no iPhones back then, so no video of Boston’s “ finest” plucking her from the river.

But I digress. Let’s get back to Varanasi. Not only is the city sacred to Hindus, it is also important to Buddhists because Buddha gave his first sermon in Varanasi, at Sarnath.

The following photos are of a Bodhi tree, which can be identified by its heart shaped leaves. When the Buddha stood underneath the Bodhi tree, he achieved enlightenment. Sadly, when I planted myself firmly under that same tree, no such thing happened to me. Maybe I needed to stand there longer?

The on site museum at Sarnath houses finds from Archaeological digs, including this statue of four lions.

Anyone who has visited the Alhambra in Granada, Spain might be reminded of the Lion Court which has similar statuary.

On the way to the sunrise ceremony, our guide warned us to be on the lookout for cow dung. He explained that the cows we have seen roaming the streets all have owners. The owners allow the cows to roam freely during the day, after they have been fed and milked. In the evening, the cows return home and are sheltered overnight.

Our guide told us the cows are fed during the day by some of the locals. If the cows are fed two or three times, they return to that house regularly, at the same time every day. If the residents aren’t waiting, with food, the cow uses its horns to knock on the door.

Sadly, it was a cloudy morning, so we didn’t get to see the sunrise. What I did get was a photo of the hotel where George Harrison stayed. He was there long enough to experience a gorgeous sunrise which inspired him to compose the song “ here comes the sun”. It was in Varanasi that Harrison met and collaborated with Ravi Shankar.

Our early morning walk through the center of Varanasi was a visual feast. The statues on the buildings presented opportunities for our guide to educate us about the three main Hindu gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu, the maintainer and Shiva, the destroyer of evil.

After returning to the hotel for breakfast, we departed to visit a silk production center where we were able to view looms and engage in retail therapy. We then headed to the airport for a return flight to Delhi, and a long drive to Agra. We arrived at our beautiful hotel around 8 PM, with barely enough energy to have dinner, and go to bed.

We saw and experienced a lot during our less than 24 hour stay in Varanasi!

The Tauck Trip Commences!

After a quick lunch (I discovered that room service is the only way to get just a bowl of soup here!) I met up with the group and was pleased to learn that instead of the anticipated 25, there are only 17 of us.

Two couples are from Australia (Jeff & Pam, Dave & Dee) . Unlike my past OAT trips, I am the only solo traveler. I guess Tauck’s hefty single supplement encourages solo travelers to look elsewhere. There are two female friends traveling together ( Gloria and Sue from Naples, FL) and a mother/ daughter duo (Suzy and Whitney from Vail, CO).

Gloria, Sue and I enjoyed a fantastic welcome dinner at the hotel’s Indian restaurant. We shared the table with Jim & Sherrie and Tom & Alison, 2 couples from the greater Washington DC area, who travel together.

The menu. I wanted to remember the names of the food we had, because everything was delicious. I’d have it again!

The remaining couples are Joann & Don from Racine, WI and Pat & Bill from Brookline, MA.

Pat and Bill are a “ new” couple who got together after Pat’s husband died.

Yesterday afternoon, we toured the place where Gandhi was assassinated. By then, the morning’s Bollywood session and lack of sleep had caught up with me. I was exhausted, so instead of touring the site, I watched the monkeys, including this fine fellow.

Luckily, I got my second wind in time for the evening’s cocktail hour, and the aforementioned dinner, during which the wine flowed freely. So freely, that when I awoke at 11PM, I thought it was morning. It took me a while to realize the room was bright, not from the sun, but because I fell asleep ( passed out?) with the lights on. Fortunately, I was able to go right back to sleep. This time, with the lights out.

Our day was spent touring the cities that comprised old and new Delhi. Our guide explained about the 10 cities of Delhi, but it was confusing and frankly not all that interesting to me, so I didn’t pay attention. I was too busy being wowed by all the lush greenery, the gardens and the fabulous murals lining the roadway. It was NOT what I expected!

Our first stop was the UNESCO World Heritage site, Humayun’s Tomb. It dates back to the late 1500’s. The photo heading this post is of the tomb.

Here’s another view of this spectacular sandstone and marble building. Our guide told us it inspired the Taj Mahal.

The tomb contains 100 bodies, and since it was Muslim, the bodies were buried, not cremated.

Our next site visit was to the 18-story stone Qutub Minar Victory Tower. This minaret was built more than eight centuries ago, and is located in one of the earliest surviving mosque complexes in India.

By then, we had all worked up quite an appetite, so we were delighted by the feast at the Olive Restaurant. We all had slices of the wonderful thin crust pizza and tomato soup, but then we were able to choose our own entrees. I selected the roasted butternut squash, with Kalamata olives. It was so great, eating it was almost a religious experience! Everyone else was equally enthusiastic about their choices. By the time we had finished dessert, we were so full, ( and it was so late in the day) dinner seemed excessive. Sorry, no food photos. My phone’s battery was almost as exhausted as I was yesterday!

Tomorrow we fly to Varanasi, so had to separate our belongings, taking enough for an overnight, with the rest of our luggage being driven to Agra.

Bollywood!

Ten years ago, when I stopped in Delhi on my way to Bhutan, I took a Bollywood class. It was so much fun, I decided to repeat the experience.

Because this visit I was staying in a different part of town, I had the concierge find the studio and make the transportation arrangements.

My private lesson was at “Moving Souls”, with an instructor who trained in NYC. Thanks to my fantastic Zumba instructors at the Y, (Uma, Kamila, Nancy and Daysi) I was able to learn TWO routines during my hour there. I also amazed my instructor who was surprised I learned so quickly and wasn’t exhausted after an hour of bouncing around. (Thanks again, ladies—you’re the best!)

So, for those of you who had no idea what Bollywood IS and those who requested video, here ya go. They are now on YouTube as 2 shorts. Why? Because I wasn’t able to upload the full video remotely. I wasn’t even able to upload a partial video, but breaking it into two short segments worked. That’s okay, because you probably wouldn’t want to watch almost 3 minutes of me prancing around.

If you are interested, here are the links:

I can’t check to make sure these work, because the internet here is slow and kludgy with videos.

On the way back to the hotel, my driver took me to Khan’s market. It reminded me a little of Marrakesh—a maze of streets packed with little shops and food places. Given my legendary sense of direction, I was afraid I’d never find my way out of there, or my driver, so I didn’t stay long. Just long enough to determine I didn’t want to ever go back!

The tour officially starts in a half an hour, with an information session, followed by a tour of Delhi and a welcome dinner, so it’s time to sign off.

Delhi On My Own

Oh my God! Or should I say “Oh my Buddha”? I think I just stumbled into Paradise.

For the price of a mediocre hotel room in New York I got all this:

PLUS an included breakfast! And what a breakfast it IS!

That is just a small sample of the delights offered at the buffet.

I’ll be lucky if I only gain my usual 5 trip pounds!

My Indian friends have introduced me to their wonderful cuisine, but I can’t remember the names of my favorite foods. The dish on the right is called Doha—at least that’s what I THINK it’s called. Here’s my problem: The Indians here are all very soft spoken. Throw in their accent and my piss poor hearing, and I’m challenged to understand what I’m being told.

The service is truly amazing. I’ve been “namasted” countless times since arrival. When you ask for directions, the staff doesn’t just point, they ESCORT you to wherever you want to go. Good thing, because I never, ever would have found the ATM. It’s in the basement, down three flights, and behind an unmarked door.

I’ve toured the spa and used the exercise facility, and enjoyed the infinity pool on the 11th floor. I figure I should take advantage of the pool while I can still fit into my bathing suit!

Never before have I been given a cooler with cold cloths and drinks. In fact, at some hotels in my past, I was lucky to get a chair and a towel.

The bathrobe and the covered chair were not made for jumbo sized Americans, but I’ve learned to scrunch.

TWO photos of me in this post. (You happy, Jean? These are for you. You see, I DO take requests).

I have NO desire to leave this heaven on earth today. Tomorrow, I have a Bollywood class before the official start of the tour. That’s why I needed to go to the ATM. The 1 hour Bollywood class is 3,800 rupees, or about $44, and they wanted cash.

The concierge wasn’t able to hide his surprise when I told him that’s what I wanted to do. I guess they don’t get many requests for Bollywood classes. At least not from someone my age.

I loved the breakfast buffet so much, I decided to return to the same restaurant for lunch. The food was so beautifully presented, I wanted to sample EVERYTHING, which meant I made a colossal pig of myself. So much so, that I was really not in the mood for a big dinner. Although Le Cirque’s menu shows only prix fixe options, I inquired, and I was allowed to order only the soup of the day and a glass of wine. I didn’t even have a reservation! Good thing they aim to please at this hotel.

Tomorrow I hope to complete my transition to India time. I leave for my Bollywood class at 9:30 AM returning in time for lunch and to meet my new travel buddies at 1:30 PM.

India with Tauck

I know, i know. I was supposed to finish writing about August’s fantastic trip to Canada, and maybe at some point, I’ll attempt to do justice to that wonderful country, terrific itinerary, amazing tour guide and congenial companions. Somehow time managed to slip away and sadly, inspiration never hit during that slippery time.

So here I am, at Newark airport, with an hour and a half until I board my United flight to Delhi, India.

This will be my first trip with Tauck. It is significantly more expensive than my usual travel company, OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). However, the Tauck trip has a more expansive itinerary , made possible because travel between cities is mainly via air.

Just in case you can’t see the map atop this post, these are the areas we will be visiting over the next three weeks.

I’m lucky to have two good friends who were born in India. I asked both to review the itinerary and both gave it two thumbs up. They also informed me that traveling with a company known for luxury was the best way to experience India.

Our United flight departs at 9:20 PM and is supposed to land in Delhi at 9:30 PM tomorrow. No, I’m not flying for 24 hours (thank God!) It’s a 14 hour flight, with a nine and a half hour time difference.

Because I wouldn’t want to spend my arrival night sitting in the lobby waiting to check in the following day, I booked into the Tauck hotel two nights before the trip officially starts. I’m guessing I’ll need at least that amount of time to recover from the flight and time difference.

Almost ten years ago, I stopped in Delhi on my way to Bhutan just long enough to take a Bollywood class. I’m hoping to do that again and will compare the videos to see what the ravages of time have done to my body and my ability to shake, shake, shake.

Although I had hoped to use points to upgrade to business, that didn’t work out, so no lay flat seat for me. At least I was able to get into economy plus. I TRIED to get into Newark’s Polaris lounge, because it is so very nice. I thought that with gold status and an international destination, it was worth a shot. But without my boarding pass identifying me as a business passenger, I was sent to the domestic lounge. However, I learned something: passengers with gold status don’t need to pay or use United passes to get into the lounge. Your boarding pass is all you need.

Newsflash! I was standing in line, waiting to board and I happened to look up at the upgrade screen. Yes, Mol.S is ME! Yippee! Yes, it WAS at the very last minute, but I’ll take it.

Okay, so I missed out on the Polaris lounge, and my luggage may not be tagged as priority, but at least I got wonderful food and a comfortable flight. This trip is off to a GREAT start.

I hope you’ll spend the next three weeks traveling along with me! I may run out of blogging steam along the way, ( I usually do) but at least I’m starting out with good intentions.

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