Can someone please review this itinerary for me?

nikhilsegel

Just saw this again. you are planning to see all that in one day?

Say you reach Gateway at 8 am, you can see the Taj (from outside) and Gateway and make the 9 Am departure To Elephanta

If you plan to see ALL the caves .. I think you should make it back by 1 PM and then about 7 hours to see the rest? Will be a tight squeeze.

A little lost on one factor oqhansoloqo are you planning on just reaching a place clicking a photograph and moving on? Sort of a Race around India with a prize if you manage to do all the places in a specific time?

Cheers

__________________
Click to View My Photographs on Flickr (updated 22nd Aug '09)

oqhansoloqo

Kind of... I think you got my logic down nikhilsegel

I see it this way: India is so large and there is so much to see. I've been on countless tours in the past to many other countries. Often times whatever tour group I was in might stay at a particular spot for longer than I wanted to be there and I'd get bored. Often times while waiting for the tour guides to collect everyone or themselves. Or waiting while some thickly accented guide explained the site, it's history, and how he feels about it. In most cases I almost fall asleep out of boredom. As far as learning the history and so forth - that does not have to be done while I'm there. I don't like going somewhere and just sitting around relaxing at a sight - I save that for eating my meals, sitting in transportation (mandatory), sleeping at night, or if I just happen to be exhausted at the time, or if I'm observing nature. In many of these cases, I can't see myself being at one of those sights for longer than 1/2 hr. Some I just stuck in there in case I happen to be moving along quickly. You know, last vacation I went on was poorly planned because the person I was visiting is not a planner. I sort of winged it. I felt I wasted a ton of time wandering around her way without a schedule and a plan. I really didn't learn anything from wandering without a plan, but rather felt resentment that my time was being poorly spent... the times I felt most satisfied was when I took control and got on the move and made stuff happen - she actually ended up enjoying that too. Other than that, I said to myself that next time I better plan the crap out of my schedule so I can feel satisfied that I made the best usage of my time.

So, I have a limited amount of time to spend on a vacation and I want to see a bunch of highlights. There's just no time for relaxing. Also, I'm not necessarily going to see all those sights that I listed, if I happen to be running short on time, I'll skip those that interest me less in order to have the time to see those that interest me more.. Unlike some people on here, I do not have months to wander around. I have a job that does not allow me that much time off - though I wish I could... Besides, there are so many other countries to visit as well, I can't spend too much vacation time in India alone either.

I love picture and 'interesting' souvenir trophies.

But since it sounds like you've been to all of those that I listed, could you give me a list, from 1-11 (1 being the best), of which sites are the most worth visiting? Then if it takes more time that I expect to get around and so forth, I'll be able to skip those less worth seeing.

Thanks again
Eric

camelgirl

Actually, the socks didn't get that bad BUT I threw them away when we got outside. I've NEVER thrown away a pair of perfectly good socks before, but the idea of rat pee & poo just freaked me out, I didn't want to wash them!! I definitely could not bring myself to go barefoot & step in that mess. I've been barefoot at dozens of temples over the years & your feet get dirty, no problem The combination of rat poo & the foul smells just made me want to leave!

Bring a pair of old socks that you won't mind throwing away!

I am very glad we went to this unique temple though. And the rats are cute

__________________
My selected India photos http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...r/7030/cat/500

camelgirl

I actually agree with you completely about the group tours & the problems you listed. Even though I'm not a great planner, like you, I cannot stand waiting for people who ask questions I don't care about & guides who kill me with boring facts.

We do sometimes take tours for convenience, but afterwards, I always say "never again." We had a 2 week Costa Rica tour & I thought I would have to jump ship, the guide tortured us with non-stop blabbing. He loved his country & wanted to tell us every single thing about every leaf, tree, bug, etc. I finally put earplugs in on the bus & wandered away at every opportunity. But I still enjoyed the trip, especially the zip line!

I think you've organized your trip very well, and if you can step back & not get frustrated when things start to go wrong or don't work out, you'll be fine. The one thing you need most in any kind of self-planned trip to India is patience & flexability!

A key thing to remember is you will likely get alot of misinformation. Indians are very friendly and helpful but occasionally, if they don't exactly know what you are asking, they will tell you something anyway. It's a social concept we don't have in the U.S. They just don't like to say they don't know! So, it's perceived as lying by us, but really, they just want to be "helpful." We've been sent in the wrong direction many times--you learn to smile after you get angry! Just my travel tip for today

So, good luck, have a great/interesting time & please come back & tell us how it went.

nikhilsegel

Well I am sure the mumbaikars will jump me on this.
Please remember that Mumbai like India is large. Luckily you have most places you would like to visit in one part of the city but they are still not quite next to each other. The roads are complex, some are one way, some are open or shut at specific times.

I think I would Club the places you want to see as follows

Group 1 : Colaba Zone (7:30 AM in order till 1 PM)

4. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (VT)
2. Taj Mahal Hotel (You can photograph the list of victims of 26/11 in the lobby court there.)
1. Gateway of India
3. Elephanta Caves


Group 2 : Malabar Hill Zone : 2 PM to 4:00 PM
6. Tower of Silence
7. Hanging Gardens
8. Babu Amichand Panalal Adishwarji (Jain Temple)

TAKE LOCAL TRAIN TO MAHALAXMI

Group 3 : Mahalaxmi Zone : 5 PM to 6:30 PM
10. Mahalaxmi Temple
11. Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat (hand laundry)

Group 4 : Chowpatty Zone : 7:30 PM Onwards
9. Chowpatty Beach
5. Mani Bhawan – Mahatma Gandhi’s Residence

This way you can lose Mani Bhavan if you run out of time but should be able to see the rest.


I am sure a Mumbaikar will provide validation / their opinion. The longest locked journey you take is to Elephanta, which does take an hour by ferry to reach and another hour to get back ..

Amalfi

Why is the No.1 on the World's best cities list for 2009 by Travel + leisure magazine missing from our itinerary ?

UDAIPUR !!

oqhansoloqo

Thank you nikhilsegel. I can see why you grouped it like that too for those time periods. Your advice on doing it that way is well taken.

Amalfi, yes I did consider it briefly. I guess I didn't see too much on sights in Udaipur when I did a quick look into it. I did notice that a lot of tours go there... somewhere I thought I read that there aren't really any noteworthy buildings/monuments/etc there. That's why I skipped it.

Hal

After a week in Rajasthan you may never want to see another noteworthy building or monument again. You can't spit without hitting something that would be a complete marvel in North America. That was my experience, anyway, so I tried to mix it up with some wildlife, markets and a bit of downtime.

Amalfi

Do you decide your destination based on merely the number of tourist spots and monuments to visit ,irrespective of the quality, beauty and general ambience ?

Well, if you do a poll amongst tourists who have toured Rajasthan , 95 % would say Udaipur is their favourite place. It's the most atmospheric and beautiful town in Rajasthan and possibly India.PERIOD. The road trip between Udaipur to Jodhpur via Ranakpur Jain Temples and Kumbhalgarh Fort is also an unmissable experience and is strongly recommended.

nikhilsegel

Amalfi,

See post 17. That is exactly what he is doing. Its a Rapid Fire. Stop Shoot Glimpse and MOVE trip that he has planned. No rest no smell the coffee.

Cheers

camelgirl

Amalfi, you are right BUT he has got his plans very tightly organized now, and I am very interested to hear how it goes. Everyone has a different style of traveling & I know people just like the OP who love it that way. Besides, if he likes his India trip, he may come back when he sees how much there is to actually see & do!

I hope the OP reports back to us on how success he is in his itinerary.

nikhilsegel

Camelgirl,

I agree with you totally. I do hope he starts a journal or something.

oqhansoloqo

We will see how the organization fares... Hopefully well.

If I am to make a list of 3-5 hotels/motels/homestays/inns/etc for each city/town I am going to visit, do you think it would be easy to call them in India a few days before to book a stay there in 1 of the 3-5 places that I researched ahead of time? Or do such places tend to get sold out well in advance?

- Eric

camelgirl

Yes, you can easily do that. It's how we booked. You do need a list or a guidebook, since small places might be full but we always got somewhere to stay after a couple of phone calls a few days ahead.

oqhansoloqo

Here is my Delhi Itinerary. Nikhilsil, how's this look? Do you have a better way to route this or should I remove any stops or add any? Can someone suggest a good idea as an easy and not too time sensitive filler for my last day at the end?

Delhi: Nov 19 (0950 arrival) – Nov 21 (2335 departure)

Nov 19

Delhi Airport: Auto-rickshaw [pay Rs 15 for first km, Rs 4.5 every extra km]; use of pre-paid auto stands is good idea.

Lodging options:

• Ginger [Rs 1000]
IRCTC – Rail Yatri Niwas, New Delhi Railway Station, Bhav Bhutti Marg,
Phone: 91-11-6663-3333
Email: reservations.delhi@gingerhotel s.com

• Ananda [Rs 1990]
8 / 41, WEA, Abdul Aziz Road, Near Jessa Ram Hospital, Karol Bagh, New Delhi
Phone: 91-11-28753181 / 91-11-28753183
Email: sales@hotelanandadelhi.com

• Hotel C Park [Rs 1569]
1042 / 15, Abdul Rahman Road, Naiwalan, Karol Bagh, New Delhi
Phone: 41557381, 41557382, 25741900
Email: hotelcparkinn@yahoo.co.in

• Hotel Tara Palace [Rs 1600-2000]
419 Esplande Road, Old Cycle Market, Opp. Red Fort, Chandri Chowk, New Delhi
Phone: 91-11-23276465 / 23276566 / 41569444
Cell: 09958397483
Email: tarapalace@gmail.com

• Hotel Royal Holidays [Rs 1700-2250]
17 A / 35, Opp. Jassa Ram Hospital,WEA, Saraswati Marg, Karol Bagh, New Delhi
Phone: 0091-11-28750345, 28750346
Email: hotelroyalholidays@gmal.com

1. Red Fort [Rs 250]
2. Jama Masjid [Rs 200 camera, Rs 20 minaret climb]
3. Memorial of Mahatma Gandhi (Rajghat)
4. Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Birla Temple)
5. Jantar Mantar
6. India Gate
7. Purana Qila

Nov 20

1. Swaminarayan Akshardham temple
2. Humayun’s Tomb [Rs 250]
3. Safdarjung’s Tomb
4. Qutub Complex [Rs 250]

Nov 21

Airport: get there before 2035 (3 hrs before for international flight).