If you ask Chad, he will tell you that one of my hobbies includes convincing him (well, he might say harassing him) to journey with me to what may be number one destination on my bucket list: INDIA! I’m not sure what it is, but something about India just captivates me. Maybe it’s the culture, the spiritualism, or all the vibrant colors. Or maybe it is that more so than any other location (at least in my experience), people seem to have two distinct opinions when it comes to traveling to India: 1) those that are just as enchanted by the place as I am or 2) those that don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would want to go there. The first group seems to be the minority and, in my experience, is made up mostly of people who have actually been to India. We will call them Camp One People. The second group is basically everyone else. We will call them Camp Two People.
When I tell people that India is at the top of my list, I usually am asked the following questions: “Why would you want to go there? It’s so dirty there.” “Aren’t you scared to get sick?” “Don’t you have to get shots to go there?” “Is it safe to go there?” These questions come from Camp Two People. It is as if I have to defend my desire to experience India. Safety, health, and cleanliness are factors that one must consider when traveling anywhere outside the U.S. (and sometimes even within the U.S.). It comes with the territory of exploring the world and immersing yourself in another country and culture. And, I am not at all downplaying these considerations. They are very important, personal considerations you have to make as a traveler. What I am saying is that these “What Ifs” shouldn’t be the reason you avoid an entire country! Just talk to the Camp One People. They usually tell you what an amazing experience they had in India. And, as Dave Matthews says “Through your window; Well that’s one way to see the world; Step outside and look back into; Look and listen…”. So, with that in mind, the following is my bucket list itinerary to the majestic land of India in no particular order:
2 days in Old and New Delhi: I like to start or end with the capital city to get a feel for modern day life. Some of the sites I’d like to visit include the India Gate, Qutb Minar Victory Tower, Humayun’s Tomb, Gandhi Smriti, the Lotus Temple, Jama Masjid, the Red Fort, and Raj Ghat.
2 days in Varansai: This is considered the spiritual capital of India. Here, some of the site I’d like to visit include the ruins and temples of Sarnath, the Golden Temple, and the sacred River Ganges to watch the pilgrims who gather to pray on the river.
2 days in Agra: Obviously, the reason to come here is the Taj Mahal. I would also like to visit the Agra Fort.
2 days in Jaipur: I’d like to visit the Amber Fort and the other palaces sites of this pink city! I would also like to have a painted elephant experience, but I am very sensitive to supporting attractions that exploit animals, and I have not yet thoroughly researched this activity. If I am not 100% comfortable that the organization is actually engaged in conservation and does not abuse or exploit the animals, I will not engage in this activity (I will dedicate a future blog post to this very topic).
2 days in Udaipur: This is considered India’s most romantic city. I would like to visit the temples and palaces here.
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2-3 days on a tiger safari: I would really like to go on a tiger safari (subject to confirmation that this is a conservation and not an exploitation activity) either in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan or Bandhavgarh National Park or Kanha Tiger Reserve in Pradesh.
2-3 days in Kerala, Goa or the Andaman Islands: This would be our R&R spot during our Indian journey. In the past, you could swim with Rajan, the elephant, in the Andaman Islands, but it appears that he has retired from swimming.
2 days in Mumbai (Bombay): In addition to the landmark sites, I’d like to visit the Gateway of India and cruise to Elephanta Island.
And, because they are so close and since I would already be there, I’d always thought that I would add a three-day extension to Bhutan and three days in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Yes, this is a very long trip– 24 total days to do it all. But, if you carefully plan this trip and maximize holidays (i.e, times that your office would be closed anyway), I think you can take this trip and only miss 14-15 working/business days, which is the (American) standard two-week vacation. I will dedicate a future blog post on the topic of strategically planning your travels and maximizing holidays. Because of the length of the itinerary, I would take this trip at the end of December and beginning of January for a few reasons. First, it is the best time to maximize holiday time as the Christmas and New Year holidays are so close to each other and typically work slows down during this time (extra bonus if these holidays fall on weekends as they do this year, meaning that your employer would likely close the office on the Friday before or the Monday after the weekend holiday). Second, it is cool weather time in India. I live in a sweat box, and I do not want to visit an even bigger sweat box in the dead of summer! Third, chances are that not as many people are traveling at this time to places like India, Nepal, and Bhutan because of the holidays.
So, that’s it! That is my dream trip to India! If you have been to any of these places and have recommendations on what to see in these cities (and what to miss), where to eat, tips for truly local/cultural/spiritual experiences, and maybe places that I have excluded but should visit, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me an email or comment below, and let me know what you think!
