Halfway (2 weeks) through first trip to India

Sharonov · Jan 30th, 2005, 19:21

The two weeks have flown by. After much deliberation, husband and I decided to pre-plan by having an agency arrange our hotels and provide a driver. The driver is an absolute dream. He's a young (young to us anyway, at 32, as we are in our early 60's) very serious and an excellent, careful driver with a workable command of English. We just love him (Krishna Singh out of Jaipur). So far our accomodations have been exactly what we wanted, namely a mixture of heritage properties with a 4 star every 5-6 days. I highly recommend two spots: Chandelao Garh, which is a tiny unspoiled village about 50 ks from Jodhpur with one compound owned by the only nobility in town. If anyone's interested, I'll provide the complete address. The owner eats dinner with you and walks you around the village and was very firm in asking us not to give anyone money, pens or candy as he said it would spoil the culture. The culture is truly unspoiled. We were the only guests, as he is not terribly aggressive in promoting his place. We loved it.

We also loved another place where we were the only guests: Ghanerao Castle. It's a heritage property, but is very special because they haven't renovated the charm out of it. The Rani, who is still in residence, said that she and her children have promised the Rajah not to change anything until he dies. A guide (a young Muslim man) took us on a trip into the hills, where we visited tribal villages where life hasn't changed for centuries and again it is totally unspoiled. Not one person asked us for anything or tried to sell us something. Oh--Ghanerao is between Jodhpur and Udaipur and it, too, is off the beaten path enough to be deemed unspoiled.

Bad decisions: we asked our tour company to arrange for guides in many of the towns. Sometimes a guide was needed, to show us places we wouldn't have found, but I think with a better guidebook (all we have is Frommers) we could have arranged for a guide only when needed. I find the guides terribly annoying-they rush you through places, rarely speak decent English, and want desperately to take you shopping so that they can get their commission. Since we are middle-aged Americans, everyone thinks we have big bucks and bargaining is just too annoying. I think we can buy most things cheaper at Cost Plus or Pier One!

Bad Decision 2: Camel Safari and tent in Jaisalmer. We should have backed out-it was freezing last week in the desert, the sun set early and behind a cloud so it wasn't even pretty, and we had nothing to do but go into our tent (we were alone with our camel man) and wait to fall asleep. A bad night. A bad decision.

But--we love the people, we love India, and are beginning to understand the mentality behind Indiamike addiction.

Bad decision 3: I really didn't question the tour group's new price after they added the guides and monument entrance prices. When I finally looked at it closely (after paying the deposit and agreeing) I realized I had been over-charged by almost $300. This is a group based in Jaipur, Rex Tours. I haven't paid the full price yet--if I can't get them to agree to what it should really cost, I'll post the warning loud and clear.

slfcre8 · Jan 31st, 2005, 01:05

I would love to know the exact information on the two places you recommend. I am planning a trip to India in April and I can use all the advise I can get.

Lily · Feb 7th, 2005, 20:41

I don't have the info with me right now, but will get it within a couple of days. By the way, we used Rex Tours, and they did provide a great trip. If you decide to contact them, please let me know so I can tell you what to watch out for. Caveat Emptor.

lyndy · Feb 8th, 2005, 07:44

Great to hear from you! The places you've discovered sound wonderful!

Yep- India is addictive-wait until you get home! You'll be planning the next trip soon!

Thanks for posting and let us know how the "Rex Tours rip-off" pans out! You can organise it all yourself next time (with a little help from your friends here) and save LOTS of those lovely greenbacks! Are you enjoying the Indian food?

Stay cool & be FIRM with all those "pains in the neck" you'll encounter. I thought many of the guides were far more aggressive than the autorickshaw drivers, who work very hard for little money. For next trip buy a FOOTPRINT guide. They are very informative & have maps & histories of all the sights.

Have fun & stay safe!

Jan 30th, 2005, 19:21	#1
Sharonov Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Chicago, Il Posts: 60	Halfway (2 weeks) through first trip to India The two weeks have flown by. After much deliberation, husband and I decided to pre-plan by having an agency arrange our hotels and provide a driver. The driver is an absolute dream. He's a young (young to us anyway, at 32, as we are in our early 60's) very serious and an excellent, careful driver with a workable command of English. We just love him (Krishna Singh out of Jaipur). So far our accomodations have been exactly what we wanted, namely a mixture of heritage properties with a 4 star every 5-6 days. I highly recommend two spots: Chandelao Garh, which is a tiny unspoiled village about 50 ks from Jodhpur with one compound owned by the only nobility in town. If anyone's interested, I'll provide the complete address. The owner eats dinner with you and walks you around the village and was very firm in asking us not to give anyone money, pens or candy as he said it would spoil the culture. The culture is truly unspoiled. We were the only guests, as he is not terribly aggressive in promoting his place. We loved it. We also loved another place where we were the only guests: Ghanerao Castle. It's a heritage property, but is very special because they haven't renovated the charm out of it. The Rani, who is still in residence, said that she and her children have promised the Rajah not to change anything until he dies. A guide (a young Muslim man) took us on a trip into the hills, where we visited tribal villages where life hasn't changed for centuries and again it is totally unspoiled. Not one person asked us for anything or tried to sell us something. Oh--Ghanerao is between Jodhpur and Udaipur and it, too, is off the beaten path enough to be deemed unspoiled. Bad decisions: we asked our tour company to arrange for guides in many of the towns. Sometimes a guide was needed, to show us places we wouldn't have found, but I think with a better guidebook (all we have is Frommers) we could have arranged for a guide only when needed. I find the guides terribly annoying-they rush you through places, rarely speak decent English, and want desperately to take you shopping so that they can get their commission. Since we are middle-aged Americans, everyone thinks we have big bucks and bargaining is just too annoying. I think we can buy most things cheaper at Cost Plus or Pier One! Bad Decision 2: Camel Safari and tent in Jaisalmer. We should have backed out-it was freezing last week in the desert, the sun set early and behind a cloud so it wasn't even pretty, and we had nothing to do but go into our tent (we were alone with our camel man) and wait to fall asleep. A bad night. A bad decision. But--we love the people, we love India, and are beginning to understand the mentality behind Indiamike addiction. Bad decision 3: I really didn't question the tour group's new price after they added the guides and monument entrance prices. When I finally looked at it closely (after paying the deposit and agreeing) I realized I had been over-charged by almost $300. This is a group based in Jaipur, Rex Tours. I haven't paid the full price yet--if I can't get them to agree to what it should really cost, I'll post the warning loud and clear.

Feb 7th, 2005, 20:41	#3
Lily Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Jaipur, India Posts: 342	I don't have the info with me right now, but will get it within a couple of days. By the way, we used Rex Tours, and they did provide a great trip. If you decide to contact them, please let me know so I can tell you what to watch out for. Caveat Emptor. __________________ Lily

Feb 8th, 2005, 07:44	#4
lyndy Gypsy at heart Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 344	Hi Sharonov Great to hear from you! The places you've discovered sound wonderful! Yep- India is addictive-wait until you get home! You'll be planning the next trip soon! Thanks for posting and let us know how the "Rex Tours rip-off" pans out! You can organise it all yourself next time (with a little help from your friends here) and save LOTS of those lovely greenbacks! Are you enjoying the Indian food? Stay cool & be FIRM with all those "pains in the neck" you'll encounter. I thought many of the guides were far more aggressive than the autorickshaw drivers, who work very hard for little money. For next trip buy a FOOTPRINT guide. They are very informative & have maps & histories of all the sights. Have fun & stay safe!

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Jan 31st, 2005, 01:05	#2
slfcre8 Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada USA Posts: 15	I would love to know the exact information on the two places you recommend. I am planning a trip to India in April and I can use all the advise I can get.