India 2019 (Part 1)

If you follow my travels, you will notice that Mrs H and I love to have an adventure; travelling to all parts of the world in different ways. India was next on our list and after the usual initial research of all the highlights and "must-sees" on offer that we all do when starting to plan a holiday, I contacted the Travel Counsellors India Specialist Destination Management Company Trail Blazer. They helped me plan the perfect itinerary and timescale, offering ideas and suggestions and most importantly putting it in a logical order. Specialist advice, usually direct from locations, is a unique and superb resource I have for all destinations and means I can always get any client exactly what they want from their travels. Travel Counsellors have very high standards for all partners such as Trail Blazers and it shows; all the guides were local with exceptional knowledge and they even provided us with a local mobile phone and SIM. We flew out with Qatar Airways, changing in Doha and arriving at Delhi. We had a 30 minute private transfer to the Hotel Lalit in New Delhi. I am so glad we had this transfer as the roads are very chaotic with little control and hundreds of bikes, tut tuts and cows everywhere! Much better to be a spectator than a participant.

The next day we took our first trip on a Rickshaw Tour of Old Delhi. It was lots of fun zipping in and out of all the traffic. We stopped at the Spice Market and did a food tasting which featured local samosas, curries and rice for lunch. In the afternoon, we toured some of the sights including Humayan's Tomb, Qutub Minar the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Rhashtrapati Bhaven (where the President lives). I even got to see some local sport. Have you heard of Kabaddi? It's a really intensive contact team sport for 2 teams of 7 players and bonkers to watch. There's even a Kabaddi World Cup. It's well worth a search on YouTube.

The next day we moved from Delhi To Agra by train. I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about train travel in India, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be! The train was clean and spacious, set off on time and having booked first class, we got a reserved seats and a breakfast included. Certainly not like first class at home, but definitely acceptable. We were met by a driver and guide when we arrived at the station who transferred us to the Hilton and later that afternoon took us to see some of the sights. We saw the Red Fort Walled City, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, followed by a visit to the Tomb of Itimad-Ud-Dylan (known as Baby Taj). Both very interesting and well worth a visit. Then we went to the Taj Mahal. Wow. No wonder this is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was absolutely breath-taking. As a person who is not really into temples, tombs or monuments this was seriously one of the most magnificent things I have ever seen on my travels. It has to be seen to be believed. Mrs H did the obligatory Princess Diana photograph on the bench in front of the Taj and, might I say, looked very beautiful indeed. The next day, we left Agra and the beautiful Taj Mahal and travelled to Rathambore to go on safari. On the way we stopped off at the Marble Factory which, many many years ago, provided the marble for the Taj Mahal. It was amazing to see how they hand grind different coloured stones and insert them into the marble. And such a long process; we purchased some marble coasters to take home which had taken one man a month to make. We also called at the ancient city of Fatenpur Sikri, home of the Mughal Empire.

After approximately 3 hours, we arrived in Rathambore and checked in at The Tigeress Hotel. It was very nice indeed, and unusually luxurious for a safari hotel. First class service and excellent amenities. I would highly recommend. Then onto the safari! If you haven't been on a safari, the normal practice is two game drives a day - early morning and late afternoon. We booked an open top Jeep that would take between 2-6 people, with each game drive lasting around 3 hours. On this particular safari, the main attraction was tigers and leopards, plus other native animals and birds including sloths, deer, peacocks, wild boar and mongoose. As we went in early October, after the monsoons, there was still plenty of water and high grass so it is a little trickier to spot the well-camouflaged tigers. I have been on a few safaris now and have always been lucky enough to see everything I wanted to see but on this occasion no tigers. The mantra stands true: You can book a safari, but you can’t book the animals. Before leaving, we attempted one last game drive in the hope of seeing the elusive tigers, but sadly they must have been out to tea elsewhere. The best times to catch them are between November and February.