uNForgETTAblETrIpToThEsubcoNTINENT R iding through the crowded on location: south asia O randy mink 14August 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com water buffalo (prized for their milk). And you want to get a picture of every woman gracefully draped in a turquoise, chartreuse, magenta or saf- fron sari—exclamation points in the stream of pedestrians spilling onto Leisure Group Travel’s Randy Mink visits the Taj Mahal in Agra. Michael Lundquist
R iding through the crowded streets of Jaipur in our air-condi- tioned minibus, the jaw-dropping scenes unfolded one after another. One that really caught our collective eye was a dilapidated bus with about 30 people sprawled across the roof, nearly every square inch occupied. Inside was jam- packed, too, on this 115-degree day. We took pictures of the roof riders as they waved and smiled. For them, it was all part of daily life in India. For our Globus FAM group, the spectacle was one of the bewildering sights that kept us on the edge of our seats. It was a slice of the real India, the India that stays with you, the India you tell others about after a mesmerizing trip to the subcontinent of Asia. On the six-hour drive from Agra to Jaipur, one of my favorite experiences, I kept my nose glued to the window, not wanting to miss a moment of the pass- ing parade—camel carts and oxcarts, mango and banana vendors, stuffed-to- the-gills Jeeps with boys hanging off the back, rickshaw drivers pedaling through impossible traffic. Stray cows and dogs wander the streets, monkeys scamper across rooftops and boys herd water buffalo (prized for their milk). And you want to get a picture of every woman gracefully draped in a turquoise, chartreuse, magenta or saf- fron sari—exclamation points in the stream of pedestrians spilling onto 14 August 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com on location: south asia ❖ randy mink A kAlEIDoscopE oF ImprEssIoNs colors AN uNForgETTAblE TrIp To ThE subcoNTINENT Leisure Group Travel’s Randy Mink visits the Taj Mahal in Agra. NFINITE NDIA I Michael Lundquist
Transcript
Riding through the crowdedstreets of Jaipur in our air-condi-
tioned minibus, the jaw-droppingscenes unfolded one after another. Onethat really caught our collective eye wasa dilapidated bus with about 30 peoplesprawled across the roof, nearly everysquare inch occupied. Inside was jam-packed, too, on this 115-degree day.We took pictures of the roof riders
as they waved and smiled. For them, itwas all part of daily life in India. Forour Globus FAM group, the spectaclewas one of the bewildering sights thatkept us on the edge of our seats. It wasa slice of the real India, the India thatstays with you, the India you tell othersabout after a mesmerizing trip to thesubcontinent of Asia.On the six-hour drive from Agra to
Jaipur, one of my favorite experiences, Ikept my nose glued to the window, notwanting to miss a moment of the pass-ing parade—camel carts and oxcarts,
mango and banana vendors, stuffed-to-the-gills Jeeps with boys hanging offthe back, rickshaw drivers pedalingthrough impossible traffic. Stray cowsand dogs wander the streets, monkeysscamper across rooftops and boys herd
water buffalo (prized for their milk).And you want to get a picture of every woman gracefully draped in aturquoise, chartreuse, magenta or saf-fron sari—exclamation points in thestream of pedestrians spilling onto
14 August 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: south asia � randy mink
A kAlEIDoscopE oF ImprEssIoNs colors AN
uNForgETTAblE TrIp To ThE subcoNTINENT
Leisure Group Travel’s Randy Mink visits the Taj Mahal in Agra.
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NDIAIM
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roadways. As for the men napping ontheir parked handcarts, you wonderhow they can sleep amid the constanthorn-honking and near-miss accidents.
With so much going on, there wasno way I was going to nod off on thebus. A nap could wait until I got home.I’m in India! I told myself. If ever therewas a place to gape and gawk, this is it.
Though India is packed with tradi-tional sights—temples, mosques, forts,the Taj Mahal—it’s far from a conven-tional destination. A journey to theworld’s largest democracy is moreabout lifestyles.
Tour director Anil Bahal of DistantFrontiers, Globus’ ground operator, toldus, “You never go to India for a vaca-tion. You go for the experience. Whenyou get home, you’ll need a holiday.”
The FAM trip for tour planners andtrade press was an abbreviated version
of Globus’ 14-day “Secrets of India,”using the same hotels and incorporat-ing the same activities. We did theGolden Triangle portion—Delhi, Agra
and Jaipur—taking the Shatabdi Express train from Delhi to Agra.Michael Lundquist, Globus’ nationalgroup sales manager, accompanied us.
Though we suffered through triple-digit heat in early June, travelers in falland winter can expect more pleasantweather in North India. Temperaturesin October reach into the high 80s,while highs in February are around 75.
The daily schedule for Globusgroups includes welcome leisure time.It’s not just go-go-go every minute.India can get too rich for the blood, andyou need time to recharge and absorbwhat you’ve seen. Everyone appreciatesa break from the high-intensity experi-ence and welcomes the chance to nap,go to the pool or get a massage.
One afternoon before dinner Iwalked across the street from my NewDelhi hotel and watched boys play a
LeisureGroupTravel.com August 2011 15
Most visitors to Jaipur trek north to the hilltop Amber Fort, where an elephant ride is de rigueur. In the city proper, they can
prowl souvenir markets offering puppets and other crafts, photograph fruit vendors and ride a camel.
Agra’s Itimad-ud-Daulah Tomb has
been called a “jewel box in marble.”Rand
y Min
k Ph
otos
pick-up game of cricket in the park.Then I went over to the pedestrianshopping area where cooks weregrilling kebabs at little restaurants withoutdoor tables. Standing cheek-by-jowl on one block were McDonald’s,Pizza Hut and Domino’s. (Burgers inIndia are lamb, chicken or vegetarian as the cow is sacred to Hindus. Anyonefor a Chicken Maharajah Mac?)
Here are some only-in-India expe-riences that Globus travelers can expectand that really brought the countryalive for me:
• Thrust yourself into the chaoticstreet life of Old Delhi on a 30-minuterickshaw ride for two through theteeming wholesale bazaars of the mostdensely packed quarter in India’s capitalcity. Weaving between bikes, handcarts,motorcycles and motorized rickshaws,your driver pedals through a labyrinthof narrow lanes covered in canopies oftangled electrical wires. At some pointsyou almost can stretch out and touchthe hole-in-the-wall stalls. Especially
gawk-worthy: the color-splashed fabricmarkets and grisly butcher shops.
• Another Old Delhi highlight isJami Masjid, India’s largest mosque. Seton a mound above the fray, the redsandstone building topped by threemarble domes is a beehive of activity.Our visit coincided with a Muslim pil-grimage. We had a field day taking pic-
tures of people milling about the court-yard and washing in the ablution tank.They were in a festive mood and glad topose for us. In fact, some had their owncameras and wanted to include us intheir group photos—we were exotic tothem. Before entering the mosque, wehad to remove our shoes and cover our-selves in a sarong or robe.
16 August 2011 LeisureGroupTravel.com
on location: south asia �
Best known for its European and NorthAmerican tours, Globus has always
been strong in Asia and now is “looking fora much more prominent slice of the pie,and India fits into that as a unique and ex-otic touring destination,” said Mike A.Schields, Globus’ managing director,groups and emerging markets.
India “certainly stands apart from allother destinations in the world,” he said. “Itis a chance to get completely outside ofyour current world and comfort zone.Everything is so different and unique vs.our lives here that it makes you both ap-preciative and awestruck at how we live andhow they live.
“India appeals to a certain type of trav-eler so the qualification process and targetmarketing have to be very selective,”Schields said. “Groups that have doneChina, Southeast Asia, Russia and South
America would be appropriate for India.”Globus’ 14-day “Secrets of India”
(priced from $2,929, plus air) includes thewell-traveled Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra,Jaipur) circuit. The North India itineraryalso features Varanasi, the holiest of Hindupilgrimage cities; Khajuraho temples;Udaipur; and Ranthambore National Park,famed for its tigers. Ten departures in2011-12 are scheduled from Sept. 24 toMarch 10. Groups are limited to 20 in a full-size motorcoach, and there are a few flightsas well. A four-day South India extension isavailable.
India is a “natural group market as fewpeople would just wing it individually,”Schields commented. “Our goal is to growthe destination slowly and carefully via thegroup markets, targeting those groups thatare looking for lifetime experiences.
“We also want to push our extension
programs in the south of India, as the coun-try is very large and diverse, and regionaldifferences are significant,” he continued.
Globus’ Monograms division, geared totravelers who want more independence,also offers India options.
For details on Globus programs in India,visit globusfamilygroups.com.
Globus ProGrams In Ind Ia
Globus’ Michael Lundquist tests his snake-charming skills at the Amber Fort.
• The Taj Mahal, one of the mostfamous buildings in the world, is thevery symbol of India and more thanworth the crack-of-dawn wakeup call.To beat the heat and the crowds,Globus groups make a sunrise visit tothis world wonder, making their way intwo-person tongas (horse carriages) tothe outer gates. The clip-clopping ridethrough the quiet streets of Agra is thelull before the storm of vendors hawk-ing postcards and snow globes depict-ing the marble masterpiece.
No matter how many times you’veseen pictures of this ethereal monu-ment to love—designed by EmperorShah Jahan as a monument to his wife,who died in childbirth—there’s noth-ing like feasting your eyes on it the firsttime. For even the most jaded traveler,it’s a great travel moment.
• Another classic experience is theelephant ride up the ramparts of theAmber Fort, high on a hill north ofJaipur. The 20-minute ride in a two-passenger metal basket (howdah) se-cured on the back of an Asian elephantis a standard activity at the fort, asprawling complex of palace apart-ments, gardens and courtyards. As your beast of burden trudges uphill,you’ll have lots of photographers snap-ping your picture and they will houndyou afterwards to buy.
• A special Globus feature is a pri-vate-home dinner in Jaipur, the “Pink
City.” Just steps from the rough-and-tumble streets, groups enjoy a home-cooked meal at Sankotra Haveli. (Ahaveli, traditionally for merchants ornoblemen, is a multi-story mansionbuilt around courtyards.) The familyhas lived there since the 1720s.
Our group was greeted with flowernecklaces and led into an open-air sit-ting room where hors d’oeuvres werepassed around and conversationflowed. Next came a tour of the home.On the upper terrace, Padmini Singh,our hostess, told us not to provoke themonkeys on the adjacent buildings. Inthe dining room we had sari-wearingand turban-wrapping demonstrationsbefore the meal. I sat next to Mrs. Singhand had a chance to ask all kinds ofquestions about food and life in India.
Later we encountered a torchlightwedding procession right outside ourhotel. A marching band played as thegroom rode a white horse and peopledanced in the street with the bride.When the revelers noticed us takingpictures, they invited us to join in.
To say that India provides sensoryoverload would be an understatement.It makes other destinations pale incomparison. We barely skimmed thesurface in five full days, but even a life-time would be insufficient to experi-ence the rich tapestry of India, a landinfinite in its splendor and passion forliving. LGT
• The population of India is 1.2 billion, making it the second mostpopulous nation on earth (afterChina). With 28 people born everyminute, India grows by 18 millionannually. A third of the population isunder 15 years of age.
• India, a third the size of the U.S., isthe world’s seventh largest country.It is bordered by China, Nepal andPakistan.
• For North American travelers, Indiais halfway around the world. Ourgroup’s nonstop Continental Airlinesflight from Newark to Delhi covered7,702 miles in 13 hours, 28 minutes.
• Indian Railways, with more thanone million employees, is the largestemployer in the world.
• Hinduism, practiced by 80 percentof the population, is India’s mostprominent religion, yet it has moreMuslims than any country but Indonesia.
• Besides Hindi and English, 16 official languages (and over 800 dialects) are spoken.
Resplendent in saris, Amber Fort groundskeepers gladly pose for tips. Stunning tablecloths tempt shoppers in Jaipur.
