escape from Delhi

volga_volga

I would like to get out of Delhi for the next weekend. I have not been to many places in India, not even Agra or Jaipur, so I was thinking of going to either one of them or both this Sat-Sun but then I read some recent posts about Agra...

also, is it possible/worthwhile to travel to both places in one weekend?

I really would like to get away from the big city life. I can leave on Saturday morning and I need to get back to Delhi in Sunday night. Any suggestions?

Alan D

I think you would be really pushing things to do these two cities in one weekend.

If you're going to be in Delhi for a while you could spend a weekend in each. There's certainly enough to see in both these places to keep you busy for the best part of two days.

For something different, another suggestion would be a weekend in Rishikesh, easily reached by early morning Shatabdi train from New Delhi Station.

volga_volga

is Rishikesh so close? i did not realise that. it was on my wish list... for the beads that they are selling there :-))

thanks!!

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radz

I suggest Agra,Jaipur must see places,yah it may be irrating street venders to touts approching tourits at Agra.

Its not adviseble combined both Agra&Jaipur in one weekend.Jaipur u need 2 days to see places.And i think this is good time too see Jaipur before summer startes.

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SHIMLA

You do not really have time to go long distance.

I suggest you try one of the places in Haryana, near Delhi, where you will spend less time in transit and more at the place :

1. Surajkund, where the annual crafts mela is held in the first fortnight of February.

2. Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.

3. Badhkal Lake.

4. Damdama Lake.

Haryana tourism runs resorts at all the above mentioned places and these should make for a nice week-end getaway.

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alfa

Agra and Jaipur is just right in one weekend.

Start early morning for jaipur from delhi. reach by ten. spend the whole day there. in the night stay at bharatpur wild life sanctuary. stroll around there early morning and then go to agra. spend the afternoon in agra. if you have juice stop over at mathura-vrindavan on the way back to delhi. go to disco in the night. sleep not to late. voila you are re-freshed and new for the next day morning.

try to buy out look week end travel book it has lot of options though some of them are really pusing it.

you can also try simla, mussorie, jim corbett, etc if you can travel nights then weekend can go a long long way. friday night to monday morning allows you to cover almost whole of india from delhi except deep south, kashmir and north east

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volga_volga

SHIMLA, our little treasure!! I am finally in a position to spend a weekend in Haryana... how do I go about booking it? shall I contact Haryana Tourism in Delhi? my wish list:

as few foreigners as possible
easily accessible from Delhi, by bus (max 4 hr)
lake would be nice

I will be looking forward for your recommendation!

Volga

SHIMLA

Hello volga!

My suggestion for Haryana was made in February.I'm afraid this is not the correct season to spend a week-end in Haryana. It'll be as hot as Delhi is now( of course you know better as you're the person on the spot, at the moment).

If you can stretch your travel time a little, I suggest Nainital in Uttaranchal.

If you do not mind the climate in the North Indian plains, then you may of course spend a quiet weekend at Badhkal or Damdama. Please do contact Haryana Tourism in New Delhi. Their office is at Chandralok Building, 36, Janpath.

Check the following link:
http://htc.nic.in/fbd.htm

volga_volga

yeah, I think you are right... about the heat. I was thinking to stay in Delhi for the next two weekends and relax nr swimming pool. I suddenly missed bathing in a swimming suit as every woman here in Rishikesh bathes in saries.

there are loads of things I have not seen in Delhi, however much I am tired of it

thanks

Volga

claudiareim

Hello,

My name is Claudia, and I'm from Holland. While I was looking on this site about India I saw you talking about beads.

Me and a friend of mine are making a lot of necklesses for friends and people we know. Now we are thinking of going to India to buy the beads there, because here in Holland it is very expensive.

Can you please tell me what beads cost in Dehli? And if it is usefull to go to India and get them there?

Thank you very much!

Claudia

volga_volga

Claudia, welcome to indiamike.com!!

it would be helpful if you specified what kind of beads you are talking about... a web link to a photo of a necklace would help!!

there are SO MANY varieties of beads on sale in India! at all sorts of prices. if you show what exactly you are looking for I am sure indiamikers will point you in the right direction.

for eg, the beads i was after lately were rudraksh... seeds from a tree that grows in Himalayas... these are expensive (although not as much as in Holland! i am sure)... i paid Rs 200 for a small bracelet, and it may not have been the real stuff, prices differ widely depending on the size, autenticity and number of faces...

i bought some stone beads from Rishikesh (they had all imaginable colours) and paid Rs 20... Rishikesh was FULL of beads, I think I have seen more beads on sale that I could ever imagine seeing, even in India

at the same time, when back in London I was after beads and found a "bead shop" in Covent Garden and went there it turned out it was a shop selling beads for bead work (as in crafts)

SO WHAT KIND OF BEADS ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

sciencewallah

Hi Shimla,

you recommended to visit Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.

I read in another thread in this forum that at Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary this year there is a shortness of water. So I am looking for alternatives to see water birds.

I also got the information that nearby the lake there is a HTC hotel and it is 15 km from Gurgaon. But still some questions are remaining?

1. In which direction is it from Gurgaon.
2. How to reach Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary?


I also read about Bhindawas Sanctuary (75 km west of Delhi, 15 km southwest of Jhajjar). I have also questions about that.

3. How to reach it?
4. Is it possible to find a <600 Rs accomodation nearby?

bye
sciencewallah

Dilliwala

Long time no post in this thread, but since the last one was unanswered, here's my info:

Sultanpur National Park
That's correct, it's 15 km from the centre of Gurgaon (Fountain Chauk). Leaving Gurgaon, one heads south to Pataudi Chauk, from where the left-hand road goes to Pataudi, the road ahead goes to Sultanpur. Coming from Delhi though, there is an easier, shorter and less congested way to get there via NH 8 (Jaipur Highway).
The Haryana Tourism hotel is right next to the lake area, separated by a fence.
HH (helpful hint): How to avoid parking charges at the Park complex - park in the hotel complex for free, and walk back 70 m to the Park entrance! The hotel is also a not-bad option for lunch/snacks before/after.
The Park has those stupid desi/foreigner entry fees, nominal for desis at Rs. 5, Rs. 40 for foreign-(looking people ). Movie cameras are charged for, but not digital cameras or mobile phones, which can also shoot movie clips. One more for the GIB.

Bhindawas
I had read great things about this many years ago on the web about how on any given day u cud spot over a 100 SPECIES, so decided to take a look - this was early 2002. What a MAJOR, MAJOR disappointment. When I got there, I didn't know I was there - let me explain. There were some Forest Dept guards sitting outside a hut. I asked them where the lake is, they pointed behind them. A LARGE water-hole (11 km circumference!) with 2 puddles of water (maybe 3), each about 10-foot by 10-foot at most. Oh well, since we'd come all this way (it's 90 km one-way from the centre of Delhi), might as well drive around. In all, we saw about a total of 150 birds, maybe 3 species. For that area, there shud have been thousands, if there had been water of course. Totally not worth the trip.
Anyway, the way to get there is - head to Najafgarh, from there take the road to Jhajjar in Haryana. From Jhajjar u can go 2 ways, either via Chhuchhakwas, or via Raiya. Ask for directions.
There is no accomodation at Bhindawas, in any case it's easily doable as a day-trip from Delhi.
Here's more info from the district administration: http://www.jhajjar.nic.in/tour.htm
That tourist complex is a joke, unless they've actually built something in the last 5 years. Maybe they mean the park in the first photo - I don't remember seeing it then. The 2nd photo shows the so-called 'entrance'- next to the jeep is the hut where I spoke to the guards. As u can see, more sign-boards than action.

Alohaguy

Dilliwala, We went to Bharatput Bird sanctuary in 2002. Same story there also. No water, no birds. Reason given was that there was little rain that year and therefore migratory birds did not have a place to make nests and lay eggs etc. Giving them benefit of doubt, it could be 2002 was a bad year for all bird sanctuaries.

Dilliwala

No doubt, but if u read the linked page, it will reveal that a major canal has a run off into Bhindawas, so the govt cud pump water in if they wanted to. Not enough to fill it up, but something wud be better than nothing. Actually, even in a good rain-year it wud be impossible for the lake-bed to fill up by itself.
Plus, I've read reports in recent years from serious birders which suggest that it's in as bad a shape as in '02, or even worse. A great pity, it wud have great potential if properly managed, it's a lot bigger than Sultanpur.