2021 December – Northern India (Family Trip)
Published Friday, December 31st 2021 - Updated Sunday, January 16th 2022Day 1:
Arrival in India
Even after all the technology inclusions in flights, additional comforts provided, etc., USA to India is still one long-haul flight! After having traveled for almost 28 hours (including a 12-hour layover in Toronto Airport), we reached India around 9 PM, local time. We had a variety of passengers in our group, from US citizens to Visa holders to Green Card bearers. Luckily the immigration was very smooth, mostly because we had filled out the ‘Air Suvidha’ form in advance providing all our visa and Covid vaccine status.
Pre-paid Taxis are easily available outside the airport – better to pay for them inside at properly marked counters before you get out of the airport. They turn out to be relatively cheap when converted to USD. It took us just about 30 minutes to reach our family destination in Gurgaon, despite the heavy traffic – not too far from the airport.
Day 2/3:
New Delhi
With almost a 12-hour time difference, we would have been mighty jet-lagged the next morning, but we were so tired from the trip that we had a good night’s sleep and set off early morning for our adventures.
We visited India (home) after 11 long years so it was just good to wander around the neighborhood and re-connect with the local culture. First, we did that in the Gurgaon area, then uber-ed from there to ‘Chitra Vihar’ and gallivanted a bit more in the local market, sweet shops, little restaurants for lunch, etc. By afternoon, jet lag was beginning to set in so after taking a short (?) nap, we spent the evening at our relatives’ place in the Noida area.
The next day too we followed the same routine by visiting some more relatives in the morning/evening time and visiting the famed Connaught Place area in between. One of the highlights (besides the several eateries and shopping) was the Jantar-Mantar observatory. Meaning “instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens”, It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site is built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur and the purpose is to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon, and planets. Quite fascinating!
Day 3:
Allahabad, U.P.
After a whirlwind trip in New Delhi, we continued the momentum and took an early morning flight to Allahabad. After a brief inconvenience at the airport (they decided to change planes since it had a technical problem – took us only 4 hours to accomplish that!!) – we reached Allahabad (now known as Prayagraj. Allahabad lies close to Triveni Sangam, the "three-river confluence" of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati rivers. It plays a central role in Hindu scriptures.
While the bulk of the time that afternoon and evening was spent at our relatives’ humongous mansion, we did get a chance to visit the Sangam in the evening. The main ‘Ghat’ (set of stairs from 3 sides descending to the green water of the Yamuna) is named after Saraswati. Above it is a park which is always covered with green grass. There are also facilities for boating here. Wish we had time to take a boat ride there!! But did get a chance to visit the famous temple with the lying on the ground status of Hanuman Ji!
Day 4:
Srinagar, Uttarakhand
By Day 4 our jetlag was almost all gone – making us all fresh and ready for the next leg of our trip, flight to Dehradun. It was a short 1-hr flight that took us over the majestic Himalayas (Nanda Devi peak). As soon as we landed at Dehradun (and did our mandatory Covid test there), we were whisked away by family on to a 4-hr drive to Srinagar, Uttarakhand (Garhwal).
The journey was quite pleasant especially after we started navigating the curvy roads of the mountains after Rishikesh, where we stopped to have a fabulous lunch at a local ‘Dhaba’. The picturesque roads led up to the Srinagar area, reaching us there just at nightfall. The hotel and the whole area were magnificent – much better than what we had expected it to be. We would have gone for an evening walk in the wooded area but were warned by the hotel staff that there had been tiger sightings in the area!?! Needless to say, we preferred staying indoors. After a sumptuous dinner at the local restaurant, we decided to call it a night!
Day 5 (Dec-21, 2021):
Dehradun, Uttarakhand
We had some important (and very personal) family business to take care of this morning. After a rough and emotional morning, we bid adieu to the Srinagar area with a very heavy heart!
The drive back to Dehradun was the same as the previous day but we decided to make a trip out of it. 2 hours from the Srinagar area is the breathtaking Devprayag area – famous for the confluence of the calm Alaknanda River and the playful Bhagirathi, both tributaries and the beginning of the main stem of the holy river Ganga. It is believed that a third river, the mythical Saraswati river is underground and meets these two rivers at the confluence. The place is replete with holy temples, surrounded by the wonderful Himalaya peaks – absolutely a delight!
Another hour down from there was the famous Laxman Jhoola (the swinging bridge) in Rishikesh – we had plans to visit that too but it was getting late and we had prior appointments with our relatives in Dehradun. So we saw it from a distance, collected some Ganga-Jal (Holy Water from the Ganges), and proceeded on to Dehradun for a sumptuous meal with our relatives.
Day 6:
Chandigarh, Haryana
Dehradun is the city where I was born and I have several childhood memories associated with it. We spent the larger part of the day visiting our relatives, eating (a lot!!), and then started our drive back to Chandigarh, our parents’ home. We reached there quite late in the evening..it was good to hang out at home after years – and to have (more) food!! :)
Day 7/8:
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan
This was a program that was made on a whim! Our original plan was to stay a couple of days in Chandigarh but the mention of tigers in Srinagar vetted our curiosity to see them in person. We flew to Jaipur early in the morning from Chandigarh where we met with some more relatives. They were gracious enough to book a taxi for us which then drove us 3 hours south to Sawai Madhopur – the gateway to Ranthambore, bounded to the north by the Banas River and the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies within the park.
The hotel ‘Dev Vilas’ – the closest to the Ranthambore Tiger park was gorgeous! Now that is the Indian service I am talking about!! They treated us like royals, the food and drinks were outstanding and the treatment exemplary! Highly recommended!!
We woke up early early in the morning and did 2 safaris that day in open Canter vehicles. It was chilly but the hotel supplied us with nice clean blankets. Because the hotel is the closest one to the entrance of the park, we got there in less than 10 minutes. The park is divided into various zones (they say Zone 3 is the most active for tigers but apparently it changes from day to day). We saw a variety of birds and animals – the sambhar, barasingha, nilgai, langurs, peacocks – but alas! No tiger sighting!! However, all was not lost – in the evening safari, some of us managed to barely spot a pair in the bushes. We hung around for almost an hour waiting for them to emerge amidst the rustling of the bushes – but no full sighting. However, we were rewarded with a couple of life-sized ROARS which made our day, and was likely better than the sighting I think (a case of sour grapes maybe? J) I am going to include a ‘fake’ picture below anyway! (Sighting by a different tour group)
Day 9:
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Took the early morning drive from Ranthambore to Jaipur (~3 hours) and got there in time just for lunch. Jaipur was founded in 1727 by the Rajput ruler Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amer. It is one of the more popular tourist destinations in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra. Dubbed as the ‘Pink City’, it is home to several magnificent forts and places and home to the current Royalty in Jaipur too!
Not wasting any time (since we had an international flight to catch from Delhi that evening – yeah! We are crazy travelers!), we set off on our fort quest right around noon. Our first stop was a fleeting one at the gorgeous Hawa Mahal – its five-floor exterior is akin to honeycomb with its 953 small windows called Jharokhas decorated with intricate latticework, whose main purpose was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life and festivals celebrated in the street below without being seen since they had to obey the strict rules of "purdah", which forbade them from appearing in public without a face covering.
Next we stopped at and spent plenty of time at the beautiful Amer Fort – located high on a hill, it is Jaipur’s principal tourist attraction and is known for its artistic style elements and large ramparts and series of gates and cobbled paths. The guide walked us through the Diwan-e-Aam, or "Hall of Public Audience", the Diwan-e-Khas, or "Hall of Private Audience", the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace), or Jai Mandir, and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate is artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade within the palace. All in all, this was absolutely the highlight. Fun fact – this is the paternal home of Jodhaa Bai (of Jodhaa-Akbar fame)! An afternoon well spent!
Around 3 PM, we finished our tour, did some window shopping, had lunch at a restaurant that took credit cards (we were running out of cash), and then set off in our taxi for the 5-hour onward journey to New Delhi Airport.
The airport, unfortunately, was a different story! All my re-found love for India from the last few days slowly evaporated as we encountered the long lines, no system for security check-in – but we kept thinking of the wonderful days we had spent in India and took off on the next leg of our flight!
Didn’t Do (these items come recommended):
- Several historical sites in New Delhi like the Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Hauz Khas, etc.
- Take a boat ride in the Sangam (confluence) area of Ganga and Yamuna.
- Walking on the Laxman Jhoola (Swinging bridge) in Rishikesh
- See the ‘Hawa Mahal’ from inside
Dos and Don’ts:
- Read up regarding the forms needed at the arrival airport at the official websites. There is a slew of forms to be filled out, especially in the pandemic era.
- Keep a lot of cash at hand. Tips are very common and very expected.
- If you visit Ranthambore, stay at Dev Vilas! And do at least 2-3 safaris. Will increase your chances of tiger sightings. A personal jeep may be better – fewer people to make noise!! J
- Definitely hire a guide in the Amer Fort area, so much worth the Rs 500, we paid him.
Top 5:
- Amer Fort, Jaipur
- Rishikesh, Devprayag – that whole area!
- Ranthambore National Tiger Park – mostly for the hospitality of the hotel!
- Allahabad Ganga-Yamuna confluence
- The whole India shopping/gallivanting/walking experience
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