Price List 2007/08:

Price Per Person $ 2625.00 Single $ 525.00 Or $ 125.00 per day.

For 21 days

*India (January 2004). Starting from Dehli, we will travel to Bodh Gaya, Varanasi, Kushinager, Lumbini, and Sikem-Gangtok.

All trips are three weeks in length.

Reservations

Space is limited to 15 participants for each trip. A deposit of $500 and a completed registration form will reserve your space. The full balance is due one month prior to departure. Once your reservation is confirmed, we will provide you with a detailed itinerary and suggestions for preparing for your pilgrimage trip.

Travel Costs

Price includes all ground and air transportation within the country of destination, hotel transfers, all accommodations, most meals, all excursions and special events mentioned on the itinerary, entrance fees and permits. Expertise of Western leaders and English-speaking guides and full services of cooks, porters, and drivers during excursions and treks on the itinerary are also included.

Travel costs are based on double occupancy of all accommodation. Single-occupancy is available for an additional charge.

Travel costs do not include round-trip international airfare except as noted, passport or visa fees, excess baggage fees, airport taxes, insurance, medical expenses, alcoholic beverages, laundry, and other personal expenses.

Payment

Payment by check, money order, or major credit card accepted. An initial deposit of $500 is required to reserve your space. Half of the balance is due three months before departure. The full balance is due one month before departure.

TOILET PAPER You will hardly...

TOILET PAPER You will hardly find any toilet paper in an indian WC. They use a little plastic jar with water to clean up after you make use of the WC.So, don't forget to put a toilet paper when you pack. By the way, in the most basic guest houses, you won't find WC bowls, just a hole on the ground. If you are used to washbasin's drag plugs, bring your own universal one, because there aren't here.

FIRST48.COM I made a booking...

FIRST48.COM I made a booking through this internet-based agency to be picked up at the airport of Bombay and taken to a hotel for the first night. It seemed to me quite relaxing not to rush for a taxi at night (1:00 AM) in a strange city. The pick-up was OK, but the 'hotel' they took me too was a rat nest in a 4th floor at the end of a dirty alley. At 2:00 AM I couldn't change, so I spent a dreadful night. They charged me 45$ for that. Considering a taxi from the airport to Colaba would cost you no more than 300 Rs (7$) and a night in that 'place' couldn't be more then other 300 Rs, think of the price difference!! Now I know and wouldn't repeat that mistake...

MONSOON Monsoon is an...

MONSOON Monsoon is an atmosferical phenomenon that determines life and tourism in India. Roughly they have 6 months of rainy season (May-October) and 6 months of dry season (November-April). High season is the dry season. Peak season is end of december. Monsoon season (May - October) is traditionally a low season for tourism in India. It doesn't rain all the time, but a few rainy episodes occur every day, so you have to live with a pocket umbrella. Nevertheless, if you don´t come exclusively for the beaches, is a comfortable period to travel through India. You will find few tourists in the main monuments, no train / hotel reservation problems, rates half price almost everywhere, you can bargain harder... Technical info at:

What would you do?


A STORY FROM VARANASI As we passed by the burning Ghat and headed through the wood store, we were approached by a young boy who was dressed very smartly all in white. The boy who looked like an alter boy serving in a church was standing next to a very old lady who was resting on a pile of logs. The boy explained to us that the old lady had travelled from the countryside to Varanasi in the hope she might be cremated at the holy waters. He also explained that he worked in the local hospice where the old and sick were fed and sheltered until their passing away. Then he told us that this particular old woman was very close to her death and had come to the Ghat in the hope of begging some money so as that she could afford to pay for the wood that would be used on her pyre. And would we care to give anything towards helping her achieve this. Furthermore he then went on to say if we did help out this old lady, we would surely receive good Karma for the good we had shown in our hearts. In all honesty this old lady looked as though she was ready to die at any moment, and a bit of good karma would not go amiss on us two, that was for sure. Nick and I looked at each other knowing that this would be a good thing to do. We gave her 250 rupees, which would at least buy her a few kilos of wood for her fire.

The Boy and old women were very convincing and we felt that they were genuine! We then read a poster in a restaraunt that warned tourists of this very ploy. Advising them that this was indeed a scam.

But what i say is this. : Yes we were conned and yes this practice is immoral and in very bad taste, but the truth is these people were trying to make some money to keep themselves alive, rather than pay for their death. So in this respect i don't feel too bad about the whole situation.

SHOESHINE BOYS - DELHI


Shoeshine Boys in Delhi are to be found whereever tourists go. Be wary that even if your shoes are not dirty, they will insist on cleaning them. They may even make them dirty while you are not looking by throwing stuf on them. To be fair to the Shoeshine boys they made a good job of getting his shoes to look a little more respectable, and when it came to payment they said that Bobby Davro had given them ten pounds for cleaning his shoes, Nick told them he was not as rich as Bobby Davro and gave them 25 rupees! Talking to the boys they told us that they had come to Delhi from Khajuraho to work, and that it had been a good move for them as they were earning more that they ever could there. Let's hope they ran into a few more Bobby Davro's. I would have thought they could have earned money in Khajuraho, as this is a popular tourist destination in it's own right, but then again, not being a big city maybe not as many people wear covered shoes. Not that this would stop them trying to clean your footwear, as I was wearing plastic sandals which they insisted should be polished and not washed.

As always you have got to be firm and say no if you don't want this service. Remember to always be polite, no matter how hard the situation is, as these people are only trying to earn a living and you are their only likely customer...

Talking to people is a fun way to interact and can lead to a wealth of information becomming available to you. Treat people with respect and you will be treated the same, especially in India where good manners and civility are common place.

BEACH VENDORS

Beach Vendors can be found on all the beaches in South India where Tourists are likely to congrgate. They will try to sell you drinks and fruit and at times can become a little persistent. If you don't want any, be polite but firm when you tell them no. Also be aware that you will more than likely be overcharged, so try to be awre of roughly how much you should pay.

You can get a feel for what is a reasonable price by simply asking those who have been there for a while. Other than that you can guage the cost by watching what others pay before you.

The alternative is to bring your own refreshment to the beach, but mostly this is not required so long as you are happy with the price you are asked to pay. Even slightly expensive is quite cheap to most tourists, but I don't really advocate paying over the top as this then encourages price rises for everyone.

The Sri Meenakshi Temple - Ariel Views.

Across the road from the Sri Meenakshi Temple are a few emporiums that rely on trade from tourists. They have a great way of getting you into their shops. Read the excerpt from my travelogue below.

He asked us if we would like to view the Temple complex from above, "yeah sure" we said, knowing exactly what was coming next. We had read about this scam to get people into an emporium in the Guidebook, but we wanted to see the aerial view and did not mind this man getting his commission for taking us there. The Emporium was just across the road from the Temple entrance, and we were shown into the lift to take us to the roof. Once on the roof there was another short flight of steps that took us to the viewing platform, where we took a few pictures, but it really needed to be a lot higher to get a good overall view of the Temple complex. Now this is where the scam kicks in, because you can't use the lift to return to the ground floor, instead you are obliged to use the stairs which just happen to take you through four floors of carpets, silks, furniture, Indian handicrafts, e.t.c. It's the price you pay for a free Ariel view of the Temple. They would be better off charging people to use this facility, as they certainly got nothing from us in the way of sales, but we would probably have paid for the elevated views. We had our usual complimentary cup of tea as we looked around for twenty minutes or so trying to look interested, without being over interested, then said our thanks before getting out sharpish.

I don't mind looking around shops sometimes and know that most shopkeepers are only trying to make a living. S o what I suggest is that you are polite and understanding of these little tricks they employ to get you into the shop. If you really are not interested in their goods, then say so in the good mannered way that all travellers should adopt.

Tip Rating:

Snake Charmers and dancing monkeys

You will find a lot of snake charmers in the more touristy spots along with dancing monkeys and bears e.t.c. Snake charming has been a part of India's folklore for as long as time itself, but the capturing of monkeys and bears is something I do not approve off.

I don't know about you but I don't agree with capturing animals and making them perform for money.. The animals are treated badly and kept half starved to encourage them to perform. Don't encourage this kind of behaviour by giving money.

If you like animals and want to give some money, then wht not make a donation to the World Wildlife Federation.

Learn the Tricks of India Rail.

One time we had to get a train to Tundlar Station from Mughal Serai Station. Now where is Tundlar? Where is Mughal Serai? Good Questions. Tundlar Station is a small town 50km south of Agra. Mughal Serai is a small town 10km south of the Ganges from Varanasi's Kashi Train Station. We went this way because getting a seat on a Train from Varanasi to Agra (two huge destinations in India) can take weeks. I met many tourists who had been trying for days. The staff won't help you set your route. Not at all. They require you to fill out a reservation form, and queue up and present it to the clerk. If that reservation is not available then you have to try and make another one for another day or time and get back in queue. To the busy tourist thisis preposterous! What should you do?

Consult your 'Trains at a Glance' think laterally, and fill out a number of reservation forms. Starting of course with your preferred train first, your second choice reservation and so on. Remarkably the Indian rail clerks didn't mind this. In fact I think they respected our use of their system. It worked well. We always got a seat. Even if our journey waqsn't as direct as it could have been. Taxi's are cheap aren't they in India. 
 

The Taj Mahal is probably the most famous building in the world. Its picture has covered many magazines and travel brochures, and everyone has probably seen a picture of it, but nothing really Taj Mahalcompares like the real thing - the Taj Mahal looks a lot better in reality than on a picture. Even those who come to see the Taj with high expectations never fail to be overwhelmed by its beauty. The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan to enshrine the body of his wife, Arjumand Bann Begum (Mumtaz Mahal) after she died in 1630 at Burhanpur in South India. The construction started in 1632 and was completed in 1653. The workforce of some 20,000 included craftsmen from Italy, Persia and Turkey. It is built by the bank of the Yamuna river not very far from the Agra Fort.

However the Taj is Popular, so popular. And at 750 (~$20)rupees, people usually go once. If you go in the afternoon or the evening its going to be crawling with people, which is normal its a tourist attraction. But to insure you get the most for your money go EARLY in the morning for two reasons. (1) to get good pictures with few people in them and time to set up. and (2) so that you have time to see the other sites listed on your Taj Mahal ticket. With the 750 rupees you are entitled to see Agra Fort, Fatepur Sikri, and Akbar's Mausuleum and others. So going to see the best first ensures you have time to travel about Agra for the others.

Yes The Taj is a bit of a tourist trap, but there is no alternative for the Taj. It is a must see.

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