December 6, 2018

Travel stories: A Trip to India with Greaves Tours

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Karen Ensign

Karen-Ensign-Montecito-Village-Travel-Travel-Agent   Karen Ensign is a luxury travel advisor with over 33 years of experience and an endless list of industry contacts. Because of the relationships she has nurtured throughout the years, she can make sure you are well taken care of from the time you arrive so that you can travel with peace of mind.

The Story of the Taj Mahal

Legend (or truth?) has it that Shah Jahan's hair turned white overnight, such was his grief at the death of his wife. Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child, but before her death she asked Shah Jahan to promise that he would not marry again, and that he would build the most beautiful mausoleum the world had ever seen. He fulfilled his promise on the former and, in my opinion, he more than exceeded his promise on the latter.

The Taj Mahal is indeed the most beautiful building I have ever seen.  I knew the history and was expecting to be wowed, but with reservations: in late 2017 I had read an article about the top 10 places NOT to go in 2018 – the Taj Mahal was second on that list.

Apparently, the building was not being preserved properly and had a problem with insects ... ahem ... pooping on the white marble, leaving it discolored.  The plan was to cover the building with scaffolding and to give the mausoleum a "mud facial" to return it to its former glory.  The article encouraged travelers to give Agra a miss in 2018 and to return in 2019. 

You have to be here to know just how gracefully the white marble dome and turrets appear against a bright blue sky.

  Taj Mahal Man

We were scheduled to visit in October 2018 and all of us were hoping for the best.  Imagine our "traveler's high" when we were told that the scaffolding had come down three days before we arrived!  The day we visited was hot, humid, bustling with thousands of people ... and fantastic.  Just as photos of the world's iconic places don't do them justice, you have to be here to know just how gracefully the white marble dome and turrets appear against a bright blue sky. 

I've been fortunate to have seen some world-famous buildings: the Eiffel Tower, Sydney's Opera House, Colosseum, Parthenon and the Hagia Sofia among them. The Taj Mahal, this "teardrop on the face of eternity", is the fairest of them all.  

Now, let’s start at the beginning!


New Delhi Birds

Day 1 - Arrive at Delhi International Airport 

We arrive at Indira Ghandi International Airport at 9:30PM and transfer to the Oberoi, New Delhi, about a 30-minute drive at this time of night.  We are warmly greeted by our hosts from Greaves Tours, Rose Thomas from Chicago and Saurabh Gupta from Delhi, given a welcome glass of champagne, and escorted to our rooms. 

The Oberoi Delhi is both the oldest and newest hotel in New Delhi, having been built in 1965 and refurbished for a grand-reopening in 2018.  The rooms are spacious and luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Delhi Golf Course or Humayun’s Tomb, walk-in closets, deep soaking tubs and marble-and-glass showers.  Modern amenities include a state-of-the art air purification system and iPads in every room that control TV, A/C, etc. 

The bathroom mirror displayed an electronic welcome message from the manager when we arrived.  The hotel offers a full-service spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, 24-hour fitness center, multiple restaurants, the fantastic Cirrus9 Sky Bar (open until 3 or 4AM in high season!), conference facilities and a ballroom.  We were treated to the sight of guests arriving for a wedding reception, with the female guests wearing gorgeous saris in every color imaginable.  The hotel is located in a residential / consulate area of New Delhi which is quieter that the hustle-bustle of Old Delhi.  

India FAM MVT Photo Horse

Day 2 - Old & New Delhi 

After a buffet breakfast (varied, generous and delicious offerings at the buffet) we leave to meet our guide Neelam for a sightseeing tour of Old Delhi.  Our first stop is Humayun’s Tomb, built in the 16th century by Humayun’s first wife.  The red sandstone building is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the Mughal architecture a precursor of the Taj Mahal (the domes look remarkably similar).  There was a political demonstration going on when we arrived and a group of school children arrived as we were leaving. 

A brief stop at an orphanage founded by Mother Teresa.  We donate various items brought from the US, the best of which are cozy fleece blankets trimmed with crochet from Jules.  The children, most of whom are girls and all of whom have a disability, seem very well-cared for by the nuns and young female assistants.  

Our next visit is to Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India.  Before entering, we all remove our shoes and socks and the ladies don robes provided by the staff.  The red sandstone and marble building, built by Shah Jahan (of Taj Mahal fame) in the 17th century, sits on an elevated platform accessible on three sides by gates, and faces west toward the Mecca.  The courtyard, which can accommodate 25,000 people, features a hauz, or washing pool, in the center where worshippers can wash hands, face and feet before entering the main building for prayers.  

Before entering, we all remove our shoes and socks and the ladies don robes provided by the staff. 

Upon leaving Jama Masjid, we descend the stairs to a waiting group of rickshaw drivers, who drive us in pairs along the main drag and through smaller streets.  Cars, trucks, tuk-tuks (essentially, motorized rickshaws), and bicycles all traveling in organized, horn-honking chaos.  Our destination: Chandni Chowk, a bustling market area where you will find anything and everything: spice shops, street food vendors, jewelers, barber shops, auto parts and repair shops, stationers, wedding dresses … you want it, you’ll find it here.  We visit a spice store and are given a crash course on the different sweet and savory items available and how to cook with them, and of course we have to buy a few items to bring back to the US.  

Next up was lunch at Haveli Dharampura.  Delicious food and attentive service in a distinctive setting.

After lunch we enjoy a visit to Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple that serves more than 10,000 free meals every day.  Anyone can come and have a meal, and our guide Neelam tells us that she often comes with her family.  Before entering we cover our heads with scarves (it’s wise to carry one with you at all times – just in case) and remove our shoes. 

We visit the central shrine where a group of musicians is playing devotional music and worshippers are kneeling on three sides, praying and singing.  We take a quick tour of the kitchen and see men stirring huge pots of daal and groups of people making Chapatis (Indian flat bread).  The activity is constant but relaxed.  We peek into a storage room that is stacked wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with bags of flour.  As we exit, one group of diners is finishing their meal and another group is waiting patiently outside.  It’s a massive undertaking but seems very orderly and efficient.  

Back to the Oberoi Delhi for a welcome dinner (we had arrived too late the night before).  

India Bangladesh Streets

Day 3 - Delhi & Agra

The staff at the Oberoi Delhi hands all of us a packed breakfast and we are off to the rail station.  We board the Gatimaan Express at 8:10AM for the 1.40 hour journey to Agra.  The First Class rail car is dated but comfortable, the staff very attentive and complimentary breakfast with tea or coffee is included.

A quick stop at Oberoi Amarvilas to meet the manager and enjoy a glass of punch on the balcony while gazing across the sunken grounds, over the pool and, off in the distance, to the Taj Mahal.  

But first, a visit to Agra Fort, a massive red sandstone fort built by Emperor Akbar, the grandfather of Shah Jahan.  Our guide Rishi tells us that construction began in 1565 and it was the main residence of the Mughal emperors until 1638, when the capital was moved from Agra to Delhi. 

Trident is part of the Oberoi Group of hotels and is a great option for travelers who want to spend less on accommodations while still experiencing the highlights of the most popular cities

This UNESCO World Heritage site boasts 65-foot walls that measure more than a mile and a half in circumference.  The complex has numerous buildings, courtyards, and ceremonial halls where the emperor would hold private (Diwan-i-Khas) or public (Diwan-i-Am) meetings.  The fort now houses the Indian Military and much of it is off-limits to the general public.

Agra Fort is an interesting mix of strength and beauty; the sandstone is inlaid with marble or carved with flowers, the hallways have scalloped arches, and the grounds are lush with green grass and trees.  We saw monkeys walking along the top of the walls and chipmunks (small squirrels?) scampering on the grass.  

Within the walls of Agra Fort is the Khas Mahal, where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb for 8 years until he died in 1666.  From the Khas Mahal, Shah Jahan could look across the Yamuna River at the Taj Mahal, and to his wife’s burial place. 

We take a break from exploring to have a site inspection and lunch at the Trident Hotel in Agra.  Trident is part of the Oberoi Group of hotels and is a great option for travelers who want to spend less on accommodations while still experiencing the highlights of the most popular cities (locations include Agra, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Udaipur). 

After our visit to the Taj Mahal (described above) we return to the hotel for a swim in the pool (after a brief but torrential rain shower), a shared bottle of wine, and then dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Taj Mahal Agra

Woke up early to join Jules, Julie, Robin and Shelley for yoga in a small ballroom area off the main lobby of the hotel.  It was a nice way to start the day but the yogi’s phone kept pinging and buzzing…and he kept looking at his phone throughout the practice.  A bit jarring and unexpected for a yoga session.

This morning we check out the Kohinoor Suite at Oberoi Amarvilas.  This suite is usually the top suite at Oberoi Hotels. Kohinoor is named after the 105-carat diamond that originally belonged to an Indian dynasty but now is part of the British Crown Jewels and sits in the Tower of London.  Gorgeous and spacious, the suite has a living room, a dining room, a master bedroom with a king bed, and a rain shower that opens out onto the terrace.  The Taj Mahal can be seen from every room.

The Oberoi Amervilas was voted Best Resort Hotel in India by readers of Travel and Leisure in 2018.  This hotel is old-world luxury, with silk-embroidered pillows, plush velvet chairs and teak wooden floors.  All rooms have a view of the Taj Mahal, which is less than a half-mile away and can be accessed by way of private golf carts.

We meet our guide Rishi and head to a marble handicraft store where we are shown how the artisans cut and inlay pieces of semi-precious stones into marble. The painstaking work that goes into each piece makes them worth the price...which is why several of our group bought something to bring home.

A 2-hour drive brings us to Fatehpur Sikri, built by Emperor Akbar in the 16th century.  The red sandstone complex includes a mosque and three palaces, one for each of Akbar’s favorite wives (a Hindu, a Muslim and a Christian, according to lore).  It was abandoned after Akbar’s death.

Lunch at The Bagh Hotel, Bharatpur.  A modest hotel set in grounds that used to be (still are?) a bird sanctuary.  Modest hotel … but fabulous lunch.  We have not had a bad meal since we arrived.

…then a 3-hour drive to Jaipur – we all sleep on the bus!  We arrive at Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur in the early evening.

Each Oberoi hotel appears more beautiful than the previous one.  The reality is, we are on a journey that offers superlative hotels at every stop.  The Oberoi Rajvilas was rated the #2 Best Resort Hotel in India (after Agra’s Amarvilas) by readers of Travel and Leisure.  The grounds are gorgeous, with an 18th-century Hindu temple (guests can offer prayers by fire at a tradition “aarti”, daily at 6:30PM), lily-ponds, lush lawns and a pool surrounded by trees.  The rooms are uber-comfortable; cottage-style with 4-poster beds, bay-windows, and spacious bathrooms with sunken tubs that look out onto a private garden.

Dinner and site inspection at Oberoi Rajvilas, followed by a soak in the huge tub – my second-such indulgence on this trip. 

oberoi rajvilas jaipur india hotel

Day 5 - Jaipur

We meet our guide Mahendra (Mahi) and proceed to Amber Fort. We wait in line to board the elephants that will take us up the hill to this impressive hill-top fort.  While waiting we are besieged by determined hawkers but are advised to simply turn our backs and ignore them.  Ambling up the cobblestone pathway on the back of an elephant and entering through the enormous gate is a fun way to start the visit.  We are told that the government limits the number of rides each elephant does each day, so as not to overwork them.  The ride is about 500 rupees per person (approx. $7-8 USD).

The construction of Amber Fort (sometimes called Amer Fort, or Amber/Amer Palace) was started in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I.  Like Agra Fort, it has public and private meeting spaces, courtyards, and huge gates.  It also has the beautiful Sheesh Mahal, or Mirror Palace, and a commanding location high on a hill overlooking the town.  Amber Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site – one of 37 in India.

We depart Amber Fort by way of jeep and stop for a visit at Panna Meena, a “step well” constructed in the 16th century as a way of storing water.  It fills up during the monsoon season but it was pretty empty when we visited.  In fact, a lone turtle was struggling to get out of the water and rest on one of the many staircases (it looks like a multi-level maze) but the water level was so low that he couldn’t quite reach the stairs.  

This evening we head out to Dera Amer Camp, a wilderness camp located in the hills behind Amber Fort and about a 30-minute drive from Jaipur.  We arrive in style by way of a camel cart and proceed to enjoy this “glamping” opportunity.  We have our hands painted with traditional henna and watch a turban-wrapping demonstration, followed by dinner under the stars.  Guests can feed elephants, do some bird watching, walk to local villages and sleep in one of six comfortable tents complete with en-suite bathrooms. 

Oberoi Udaivilas India

Day 6 Jaipur – Udaipur

Our morning excursion brings us to the City Palace, actually a complex of palaces, other buildings and the Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum. The Chandra Mahal is still the residence of the royal family of Jaipur. The museum collection includes ancient weaponry, royal carriages, paintings and photographs of the royal family, furniture, clothing, and other royal artifacts.

We say goodbye to the Pink City of Jaipur and fly to Udaipur on a 50-minute flight aboard Indigo Airlines.

Guests at the Oberoi Udaivilas can arrive by car or, if they’re lucky, by boat. As we motor across Lake Pichola we can see the 50-acre hotel off in the distance.Upon disembarking, we hop on carts that take us up to the entrance courtyard where we are greeted by camels draped in colorful blankets and welcomed by dancers and drummers. The property on which the hotel sits once belonged to the Maharana of Mewar…and you’ll feel like royalty yourself when you stay here.

The sprawling hotel is a warm ivory color with golden domes and interconnecting corridors. It has 82 rooms and suites (some with a shared plunge pool), two large pools, indoor and al fresco dining, a bar and a spa. Peacocks stroll the grounds surrounding the hotel and views of Lake Pichola are everywhere.

Site inspection followed by dinner at the hotel.

Oberoi Udaipur

Day 7 - UDAIPUR

The morning begins with another yoga session, this one taking place on the roof at the back corner of the hotel. It’s an unusual spot for a yoga class, but somehow it works. The young female yogi has a serene voice and leads our group of a dozen guests (male and female) in an easy and relaxing session.

Our guide today is Kamal, who escorts us to the City Palace of Udaipur, which overlooks Lake Pichola. Like its counterpart in Jaipur, this is a complex of palaces and galleries containing royal artifacts. A towering gate has lethal-looking spikes which are thankfully too high to touch, but in times past extended to the bottom to help repel enemy warriors astride elephants. The Mor Chowk (Peacock Courtyard) displays gorgeous mosaics of peacocks made of 5000 pieces of glass. We visit Fateh Prakash Palace and its Crystal Gallery which houses the largest private collection of crystal in the world. Maharana Sajjan Singh ordered the crystal from a company in London but he died before the collection arrived. The trunks thus remained unopened for over 100 years, as they were considered bad luck!

Visit to Mewar Art Gallery where miniature paintings are made and sold. The paints are derived from dried fruits, flowers and stones – and we are told that the color yellow used to be made from the dried urine of dehydrated cows! The resulting colors are mixed with water and gum to make the paint. The “brushes” used to make these paintings are squirrel tails or camel eyelashes.The work is so meticulous you can see every single leaf on a tree and distinct facial features of every person in a crowd.

Lunch and site inspection at Trident Hotel, after which most people went shopping and three of us returned to the hotel for a spa treatment.

Dinner at Oberoi Udaivilas

India FAM MVT Photo

day 8 udaipur - mumbai

We check out of the hotel and drive about 45 minutes to Eklingji, a complex of over 100 temples, the first of which was built in 734 AD. Intricate carvings in sandstone and marble include some pretty racy Kama Sutra designs. Nagda, about a mile north of Eklingji, is not as large or as well-preserved but features the ruins of Saas Bahu, the “mother-in-law / daughter-in-law” temple.

Lunch and site inspection at Raas Devigarh. This very unique property was originally an 18th century palace and was converted to a hotel in 1999. It’s a 30-40 minute drive from Udaipur and only 15 minutes from Eklingji...and a good option for travelers who want quiet “country” alternative to Udaipur. The rooms are contemporary with clean lines and a neutral palate. The hotel has indoor/outdoor dining, a pool, a spa and some cool lounges and bar areas. This hotel is NOT for people with mobility issues, as there are a lot of stairs, although elevators are available.

A 45-minute drive takes us to Udaipur Airport, where we board a 1.30 hour flight to Mumbai. Upon arrival we are met by our Greaves representative Tony and taken by bus to the Oberoi Mumbai. What should take about 1 hour takes twice that long due to major traffic congestion. Dinner at hotel.

girgaum chowpatty beach

Day 10 - Mumbai

The Oberoi Mumbai is ranked the #2 Best City Hotel in Asia by Travel and Leisure. Its 337 rooms and suites surround an atrium lobby. The lobby itself is flanked by restaurants (Indian, Italian, International), lounges and bars, a 24-hour spa, and floor-to-ceiling windows. A bright red piano adds a stylish touch. Rooms are large, modern and equipped with all the mod-cons. It’s nice for this native Santa Barbara girl to see the ocean again…and I’ve never been on the Arabian Sea!

Many cow owners bring their animals into the city and ask tourists to pay for the privilege of feeding them.

This morning Robin, Julie and I head out for a walk along the waterfront.  We have a lot of company, with families out strolling and individuals jogging and working out on the wide sea wall.  This is the only place in India where I see people walking dogs; in every other city the dogs we saw were feral.  They are not abused so much as ignored and neglected – a sad thing to see for all of us dog lovers.  In contrast, cows are sacred in India and well-taken care of.  Many cow owners bring their animals into the city and ask tourists to pay for the privilege of feeding them.   

Jasmine is our guide in our final city and escorts us on a walking tour of Mumbai’s British Heritage District.  This area does look more European than Asian and also boasts the second-largest Art Deco architecture in the world after Miami Beach.  In fact, the Victorian and Art Deco architecture in this area, along with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Rail Station which we see next, are both UNESCO World Heritage site, one of 3 in Mumbai (we will see #3 tomorrow).  We stroll by the dilapidated (and unoccupied) Watson’s Hotel, built in the 1860s and which once sported a sign stating “no Indians or dogs allowed”.  This prompted a notable Indian gentleman named J.N. Tata to build the Taj Hotel Bombay, which is now part of a luxury world-wide chain.  

The city government is working on improving and enlarging the subway system, a massive undertaking in this city of 23 million people.  Jasmine tells us that 8 million commuters ride the subway daily – a third of the city’s population and equal to the population of Austria.  

As we wander through Mumbai, we see street food vendors dishing up delicious-smelling meals, cricket players practicing in fields and people enjoying the start of the weekend.  We pass two young ladies on their way to a birthday party, dressed in beautiful saris.  I ask if I can take their picture and they graciously agree, then ask if they can have their picture taken with us.  This has happened in many places we’ve visited (the Taj Mahal, the Amber Fort, etc); the local people are so friendly and welcoming, and they seem as interested in us as we are in them.

We stop to observe and learn about the Dabbawalas, which is a lunchbox delivery service team that has been in operation for over 100 years.  Lunches are picked up at private homes and delivered to offices in the city.  The cost for the service is 2000 rupees per month, about $30.00 USD, and the service employs about 5000 men.  The lunchboxes (traditionally multi-layered round tins but now a hodge-podge of containers) are delivered via bicycle or train by one group to a central location, then picked up by another group and taken to offices.  The lunchboxes are picked up at the offices after lunch and returned to the respective homes.  All of this works without the aid of computers or iPhones; all lunches are marked by color and number and the system works with uber efficiency.  

I ask if I can take their picture and they graciously agree, then ask if they can have their picture taken with us.

Our next visit is to the Malabar Hill, with its Hanging Gardens and Towers of Silence.  The latter are burial chambers where the local Parsi population bring their dead.  The towers are deep within a 54-acre forest and the bodies of the dead are placed there and exposed to the open air and to vultures.  The Parsi believe this is the most sacred way to dispose of their loved ones.

Mani Bhavan, situated on a quiet residential street, was where Mahatma Ghandi stayed when he visited Mumbai.  During his 17 years here, Ghandi started many of the movements (including the non-violent civil disobedience that inspired Martin Luther King Jr) that led to India’s independence from British rule.  This memorial to India’s great leader includes photos documenting his life from childhood to his assassination in 1948, letters to world leaders (including Hitler), a diorama showing major scenes from his life, and the simple room (separated from visitors by a glass wall) where he slept.  This visit was, to me, the most moving of our entire trip.

We make a brief stop at an open-air laundry that has been operating for many years.  Denim jeans lined up to dry on a concrete slab and sheets and towels hanging on lines surround a big courtyard of cement squares filled with water and soap where men (I didn’t see any women) slap the clothing against the wall and scrub vigorously.  Frankly, it didn’t look very sanitary and or smell very good – but I took a whiff of one of the sheets hanging on the line and it smelled nice and clean.

Lunch and site inspection at Trident Hotel Nariman Point, which is connected to the Oberoi Mumbai.  The buffet is amazing, with so many different options.  And may I add that the dessert area was, for this serious sweet-tooth, off the charts.

Time for shopping, followed by a farewell dinner at Oberoi Hotel.  Rose and I check out the Eau Bar and listen to some jazz – a nice way to end our last night in India.

India FAM Group

DAY 11 Last Day/h3>

This morning we start out with a quick drive along the waterfront to the Gateway of India, where we catch a ferry to Elephanta Island, the 3rd UNESCO World Heritage site in Mumbai.  The ferry takes a little less than an hour and upon arrival we board a tram that takes us to the bottom of a 120-step stairway that leads up to the caves.  We climb the stairs in the very oppressive heat and humidity, but thankfully under the shade of canvas tarps.  The stairway is lined with stalls selling a little bit of everything, and also patrolled by monkeys who will steal your bottle of water or anything else they can get their hands on.  For visitors who can’t handle all of those stairs, men can be hired to carry them up on a chair.  Indians pay 40 rupees (about 60 cents USD) and foreigners pay 600 rupees (about $8.00 USD). 

The stairway is lined with stalls selling a little bit of everything, and also patrolled by monkeys who will steal your bottle of water or anything else they can get their hands on. 

There were never any elephants on the island; the Portuguese gave the name to the island after finding a large stone elephant near the entrance to the caves.  Sadly, the Portuguese also used the statues in the caves as target practice, so many of them are badly damaged.  The series of cave temples are primarily devoted to the god Shiva and the many carvings show him in all of his moods – angry, contemplative and beneficent.  A 20-foot tall, three-faced statue depicts Lord Shiva in his roles as Creator, Preserver and Destroyer.  Another statue shows Shiva with his bride, Parvati.  Though many of the statues are not in perfect condition, they are nonetheless impressive. Less impressive is the trash lining the tide line and, again, the many neglected dogs wandering the site. 

We get back on the ferry to return to the mainland and as we approach we get a good view of the Gateway of India and the adjacent Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Taj Mahal Tower.  The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.  However, construction didn’t begin until 1915 and the gateway wasn’t completed until 1924.  It was then used to welcome British dignitaries, and it was also the place from which the last British troops left in 1948, after India’s independence.  Our guide Jasmine tells us that it is thus “the first place the British arrived, and the last place they left”.  

And…after a late check-out from the Oberoi Mumbai, a site inspection and dinner at the Trident Bandra Kurla near Mumbai Airport, our group also takes our leave.  This has been a very special and memorable trip for all of us.  We connected with good friends and made new ones. We stayed in truly fabulous hotels and explored world-famous sites.  Best of all, we met friendly and welcoming locals at every spot, whose smiles and warmth were the best part of our trip.  

Namaste.

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