Namaste :-)

Yarita · Sep 27th, 2009, 23:19

Hi everyone! Nice to meet you all guys!

I'm Yara, from Spain, traveling to India with a friend next month. Still can't believe it!! Months ago India was just an exotic and colourful country for me, but for some circumstances now it has become a place that I absolutely have to visit, so special, meaningful and... well, I'll put the adjectives upon my return

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this; I apologise in advance also because I'm aware that lots of people ask for the same kind of advice, but me and my friend are really confused, since we are not very sure about what would be a "reasonable" itinerary.
I've been reading a lot over the internet and I feel really overwhelmed with information on India, so overwhelmed that I can't decide what itinerary would be feasable for us.

We'll arrive the 21th October to Delhi and we will leave the 8th November. We have thought of visiting the following cities:

Delhi
Agra
Khajuraho
Varanasi
Jaisalmer
Udaipur
Jaipur

According to you guys, how many days do you think is worth spending in each city?
And above all, is this itinerary feasable, in terms of time and train trips?

Your expert advice will be hugely appreciated, as we'd like to book the hotels asap but we can't until we decide the itinerary... I'm becoming a little anxious day by day as I feel quite unsure about everything

Thanks in advance!

delhiwala · Sep 28th, 2009, 00:09

Yes it's doable, may give 2 days to each city....

labrol · Sep 28th, 2009, 00:52

It is a good itinerary. You are either not confused or have great analytical ability. Or is it that you are in touch with a good guide.

You will need train bookings on most of these routes. These should be done quickly unless you are hiring a cab. So visit the rail forums here or search on www.irctc.co.in or www.erail.in

For each city you plan to visit, there is extensive information in the respective forums. These will help add more experience to your visit.
Welcome to India. For your future visits check the Himalayas, the South India, the North-east, the beaches and the wildlife. Each facet is as removed from the other as Africa is from Alaska.

And Namaste is the all round salutation in Sanskrit. Do you know what it means?

Yarita · Sep 28th, 2009, 04:05

"I bow to you", right?

I just know very few words of Hindi. This is the second one I learnt. The first one was "yar" (I deal with Indian people in my work and a colleague of mine told me that my name was very similar to the Hindi word for "friend").

Well, I have been looking at possible combinations for this trip and I have to say that I am more confused than before. I was keen of visiting Jaisalmer and Udaipur but as far as I have seen they are a bit tricky to get to in shuch a short trip.
I've read that Bundi is a charmful destination and it sounds really tempting the idea of visiting a non too touristised place. If I had to cut one place from the list I posted above, I think it would be Khajuraho.

I'll try to put a list with dates and trains and will post in the Itinerary forum. I desperately need some expert help but I'm aware that I have to be a bit more specific! Once I know where we are going and when it'll be easier to take advantage of all the advices that IM offers.

I'm so excited about this trip

labrol · Sep 29th, 2009, 00:32

You are right. 'I bow to thee' is indeed the meaning. The essence of 'Namaste' however goes further. 'I bow to the goodness in thee' or 'I bow to the God in you'. As we are composite forms made of good and evil, God and satan, I bow to the God or goodness in you, (not to the evil in you).

I would any day remove Jaipur from the list and alter nothing else. I would not remove Khajuraho because it is a dimension of Indian philosophy of the past and a paradox as compared to the social situation about kamasutra today, that you do not find anywhere else in your list.

For a non touristy experience, you could take a camel safari to a mud hut village and a stay on the dunes under the stars at Khuri near Jaisalmer. Look for Badal Singh in Lonely planet or search for him in the Jaisalmer forum on Indiamike. Even a walk to the fields and a stroll amongst lesser visited ruins in Khajuraho or a walk in the beautiful riverside town of Orchcha near Khajuraho.

You could remove either Udaipur or Jaisalmer instead but both are heavy weights in their own rights. Do not fret much. tke it easy. You will be coming to India every year for next several years, I can perceive that.

And By the way Yar is used in very informal situation with a friend who is very close. Used in another situation, it has a possibility of being embarassingly misunderstood. 'Dost' in Urdu and 'Mitra' in Hindi are better in most situations. Even 'friend' would pass equally well in Hindi!

labrol · Sep 29th, 2009, 00:33

Just a thought. Your query would have got better response in the Itinerary advice forum.

Jorge Reverter · Sep 29th, 2009, 00:50

Welcome to Indiamike Yarita. Is nice to see more spaniards moving around

.

Your itinerary should be something like that:
1 - Delhi. Overnight train to Jaisalmer
2 - Jaisalmer
3 - Jaisalmer
4 - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (night train)
5 - Jodhpur
6 - Jodhpur - Udaipur (by car visiting Kumbalgarh and Ranakpur)
7 - Udaipur
8 - Udaipur - Jaipur
9 - Jaipur - Agra (train at the evening)
10 - Agra (overnight train to Khajuraho)
11 - Khajuraho
12 - Khajuraho - Varanasi (bus, car or train via Satna)
13 - Varanasi
14 - Varanasi
15 - Varanasi - Delhi (overnight train or low cost fly)
16 - Delhi

Probably you'll be a bit in a hurry. If you remove Udaipur in the itinerary things will be easier and you´ll enjoy better the journey.

All the best

Jorge

Yarita · Sep 29th, 2009, 06:29

Thanks a lot, guys!

Labrol, I note down the words 'Dost' and 'Mitra', I didn't know these ones.

Jorge, a huge thanks for your advice. Trying to make a concrete schedule I have realised that you were right: it was better to cut a city, and it has been Udaipur. Which means that I definitely will have to return next year

I have posted a new thread in the Itinerary forum.

Again nice to meet you all and thanks for your help!

labrol · Sep 29th, 2009, 11:24

I second Jorge's suggestion. It is perfect.
I would have dropped Udaipur too, though Kumbalgarh fascinates me. The road trip from Ranakpur to Kumbalgarh too fascinates me, with its Langurs (Golden monkeys), forests and ox driven water wheels amidst low rolling hills and narrow green valleys. The description is meant to build appetite for your next visit.

Sep 27th, 2009, 23:19	#1
Yarita Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 14	Namaste :-) Hi everyone! Nice to meet you all guys! I'm Yara, from Spain, traveling to India with a friend next month. Still can't believe it!! Months ago India was just an exotic and colourful country for me, but for some circumstances now it has become a place that I absolutely have to visit, so special, meaningful and... well, I'll put the adjectives upon my return I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this; I apologise in advance also because I'm aware that lots of people ask for the same kind of advice, but me and my friend are really confused, since we are not very sure about what would be a "reasonable" itinerary. I've been reading a lot over the internet and I feel really overwhelmed with information on India, so overwhelmed that I can't decide what itinerary would be feasable for us. We'll arrive the 21th October to Delhi and we will leave the 8th November. We have thought of visiting the following cities: Delhi Agra Khajuraho Varanasi Jaisalmer Udaipur Jaipur According to you guys, how many days do you think is worth spending in each city? And above all, is this itinerary feasable, in terms of time and train trips? Your expert advice will be hugely appreciated, as we'd like to book the hotels asap but we can't until we decide the itinerary... I'm becoming a little anxious day by day as I feel quite unsure about everything Thanks in advance!

Sep 28th, 2009, 00:09	#2
delhiwala IM what IM Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Indeyah ! Posts: 4,817	Yes it's doable, may give 2 days to each city.... __________________ Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. - The Dhammapada

Sep 28th, 2009, 00:52	#3
labrol Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gurgaon, India Posts: 305	It is a good itinerary. You are either not confused or have great analytical ability. Or is it that you are in touch with a good guide. You will need train bookings on most of these routes. These should be done quickly unless you are hiring a cab. So visit the rail forums here or search on www.irctc.co.in or www.erail.in For each city you plan to visit, there is extensive information in the respective forums. These will help add more experience to your visit. Welcome to India. For your future visits check the Himalayas, the South India, the North-east, the beaches and the wildlife. Each facet is as removed from the other as Africa is from Alaska. And Namaste is the all round salutation in Sanskrit. Do you know what it means? __________________ Alone I walked. Strangers joined in. We became a caravan.

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Sep 28th, 2009, 04:05	#4
Yarita Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 14	"I bow to you", right? I just know very few words of Hindi. This is the second one I learnt. The first one was "yar" (I deal with Indian people in my work and a colleague of mine told me that my name was very similar to the Hindi word for "friend"). Well, I have been looking at possible combinations for this trip and I have to say that I am more confused than before. I was keen of visiting Jaisalmer and Udaipur but as far as I have seen they are a bit tricky to get to in shuch a short trip. I've read that Bundi is a charmful destination and it sounds really tempting the idea of visiting a non too touristised place. If I had to cut one place from the list I posted above, I think it would be Khajuraho. I'll try to put a list with dates and trains and will post in the Itinerary forum. I desperately need some expert help but I'm aware that I have to be a bit more specific! Once I know where we are going and when it'll be easier to take advantage of all the advices that IM offers. I'm so excited about this trip

Sep 29th, 2009, 00:32	#5
labrol Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gurgaon, India Posts: 305	You are right. 'I bow to thee' is indeed the meaning. The essence of 'Namaste' however goes further. 'I bow to the goodness in thee' or 'I bow to the God in you'. As we are composite forms made of good and evil, God and satan, I bow to the God or goodness in you, (not to the evil in you). I would any day remove Jaipur from the list and alter nothing else. I would not remove Khajuraho because it is a dimension of Indian philosophy of the past and a paradox as compared to the social situation about kamasutra today, that you do not find anywhere else in your list. For a non touristy experience, you could take a camel safari to a mud hut village and a stay on the dunes under the stars at Khuri near Jaisalmer. Look for Badal Singh in Lonely planet or search for him in the Jaisalmer forum on Indiamike. Even a walk to the fields and a stroll amongst lesser visited ruins in Khajuraho or a walk in the beautiful riverside town of Orchcha near Khajuraho. You could remove either Udaipur or Jaisalmer instead but both are heavy weights in their own rights. Do not fret much. tke it easy. You will be coming to India every year for next several years, I can perceive that. And By the way Yar is used in very informal situation with a friend who is very close. Used in another situation, it has a possibility of being embarassingly misunderstood. 'Dost' in Urdu and 'Mitra' in Hindi are better in most situations. Even 'friend' would pass equally well in Hindi!

Sep 29th, 2009, 00:33	#6
labrol Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gurgaon, India Posts: 305	Just a thought. Your query would have got better response in the Itinerary advice forum.

Sep 29th, 2009, 00:50	#7
Jorge Reverter Maha Guru Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Murcia - Spain Posts: 1,465	Welcome to Indiamike Yarita. Is nice to see more spaniards moving around . Your itinerary should be something like that: 1 - Delhi. Overnight train to Jaisalmer 2 - Jaisalmer 3 - Jaisalmer 4 - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur (night train) 5 - Jodhpur 6 - Jodhpur - Udaipur (by car visiting Kumbalgarh and Ranakpur) 7 - Udaipur 8 - Udaipur - Jaipur 9 - Jaipur - Agra (train at the evening) 10 - Agra (overnight train to Khajuraho) 11 - Khajuraho 12 - Khajuraho - Varanasi (bus, car or train via Satna) 13 - Varanasi 14 - Varanasi 15 - Varanasi - Delhi (overnight train or low cost fly) 16 - Delhi Probably you'll be a bit in a hurry. If you remove Udaipur in the itinerary things will be easier and you´ll enjoy better the journey. All the best Jorge

Sep 29th, 2009, 06:29	#8
Yarita Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Asturias, Spain Posts: 14	Thanks a lot, guys! Labrol, I note down the words 'Dost' and 'Mitra', I didn't know these ones. Jorge, a huge thanks for your advice. Trying to make a concrete schedule I have realised that you were right: it was better to cut a city, and it has been Udaipur. Which means that I definitely will have to return next year I have posted a new thread in the Itinerary forum. Again nice to meet you all and thanks for your help!

Sep 29th, 2009, 11:24	#9
labrol Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Gurgaon, India Posts: 305	I second Jorge's suggestion. It is perfect. I would have dropped Udaipur too, though Kumbalgarh fascinates me. The road trip from Ranakpur to Kumbalgarh too fascinates me, with its Langurs (Golden monkeys), forests and ox driven water wheels amidst low rolling hills and narrow green valleys. The description is meant to build appetite for your next visit.