Not Your Usual Holiday

By Submitted Article

    -by Jami Witso

Looking for a different type of holiday, take a holiday away from the usual.

I just got back from an adventure tour called the Road to Kathmandu.  This type of travel is not for the feint of heart.

The adventure started in Vancouver, travelling on Singapore airlines from Vancouver to Mumbai with a 2 night stopover in Singapore.  This is a nice way to break up the long plane ride.  I decided not to waste time and see as much as I could in the short period of time that I had.  So I left the hotel at 9:00 am and didn’t return until 11:00 pm.  The first thing I did was take a city tour of Singapore after quick lunch it was off to Sentosa Island.

Sentosa is Singapore’s premier island resort getaway with multi-faceted appeal, teeming with events all year round. Just 15 minutes from the city, it is a unique blend of leisure and recreational facilities including family attractions.  We first toured the aquarium.  At the aquarium you can have hands on experience with stingrays and sharks.  You can actually put your hand in the water and touch them; of course they are babies and not really frightened of visitors.  It is a fascinating place to visit.  From here we toured the gardens and then went to the museum to learn the history of Singapore. 

The highlight of the day was the Night Safari.  You board a train at night and you get to see lions, tigers, rhinos and other animals.  This is about a 20 minute train ride.  After that you are free to explore the different activities or sit and eat and enjoy the shows.

From Singapore to Mumbai was the beginning of a new adventure.  Here everyone meets the rest of the travelers on the trip.  This trip had 8 people plus a local guide.  There were 4 from Britain, 2 from Australia and 2 from Canada. 

An adventure tours means that your hotels and transportation are included in your price.  You are responsible for meals and entrance fees.  You are given a guide so that you can budget for the trip.  The guide is very accurate in what you will be spending.  Also an adventure tour means you stay in hotels that are in areas where you actually get to meet people and you have free time to explore the cities yourself.  This trip is also a cultural trip to understand India and its people.

Our trip included trains, private coach, public bus, camel, internal flight and 17 nights simple hotels, 2 nights heritage hotels, 1 night sleeper train, 1 night tented camp.

After a brief stay in Mumbai it was off by train to Ahmedabad for 1 night.  Here we were able to see Gandhi’s Ashram then off to Udaipur for 2 nights by local bus.  I am not sure who was more interested in the bus ride us or the local people.  Set around the vast Pichola Lake and dominated by dramatic palaces, Udaipur is surely Rajasthan’s most picturesque city. High whitewashed houses and narrow, winding alleys lend it an almost medieval charm.

On to Jodhpur for a day and then to Jaisalmer to see the Meherangarh Fort.  This is an amazing fort and while worth the visit.  Past the gates, the fort palace has huge courtyards surrounded by wings of palatial buildings, part of which is now turned into a fabulous museum.   From the ramparts of Meherangarh there is a superb view over the houses of the Old City, many of which are painted blue.  We were told that the reason for the blue houses is that it helps with keeping insects away and it keeps the houses cooler.

From Jaisalmer was the next adventure and it truly was an adventure. 

We were going on a camel safari.  Everyone gets their own camel to ride with a guide.  We travel from a small town for about an hour.  Riding a camel is nothing like riding a horse and I never did get the hang of it.  I have to say that after an hour on the camel my poor bottom had had enough.  We had a rest stop so that you can walk up the dunes and really see the desert, from there it off to our tents in the desert.  I am not sure what I expected to see but the tents were amazing.  Not only were the beds nice but there was an actual western toilet.  Now don’t get me wrong I don’t mind the small discomforts of not being at home but believe me seeing a western toilet is like heaven. 

Chandelao was one of my favourite places to stay.  Chandelao Garh is a medieval fortress, built by the landlords of the area. The present owner (who is from the nobility of the past) is a gracious host who has renovated his home to turn it into a small hotel furnished with beautifully restored furniture. The red sand stone buildings form a pleasant courtyard where guests can enjoy the sun and the peaceful surroundings. A terrace on the second level offers nice views of the rural countryside.  Here I also learned a little about cricket as the English and the Aussies had a fun game. 

We took a jeep safari to visit a few villages.  Here the people are friendly and very interested in showing you what they do.  Everyone wanted their picture taken and because I have a digital camera I was able to show them the pictures.  I am sending the pictures I took to the hotel that I stayed at and they will distribute the pictures for me.

From there is was onto to Pushkar and then off to the pink city of Jaipur to see the Amber Fort.  Known as the Pink City for the colour of these city walls, the street life has to be seen to be believed. A chaotic mix of pedestrians, bicycles, cars, buses, trucks, camels and everything else besides - best experienced by taking a ride on a cycle rickshaw.

Then off to Agra to see the seventh wonder of the world.  Agra is famous for the Taj Mahal.  This is an amazing site to see and well worth going.  The Taj Mahal was built as a memorial and tomb to the wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.  It is hard to describe the beauty and the wonder of the Taj. 

After staying in Agra for 2 days it was off to Varanasi., to see the Ganges and possible the oldest city in the world.  We took a sunrise cruise on the river and also a sunset cruise.  The principal attraction of Varanasi is the long string of bathing ghats, which line the west bank of the Ganges. Ghats are the steps which lead down to the river from which pilgrims make their sin cleansing dip in the holy river and on which bodies are cremated. 

This was a tour not to forget.  It is hard to describe everything that I saw in India.  This was a tour for the adventurous.  Don’t think that you have to young to take this trip all you need is to young at heart.  There are people of all ages taking this trip.  It is a way to really get to see and understand the people of India.  I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a something different.  You do need to be reasonable fit as there is lots of walking.  You also need to know that everything runs on Indian time which means 5 minutes could be 15 but as long as you know there is no real set schedule you will you enjoy yourself.  All you need to do is relax and go with the flow.

Next installment is on Nepal.

Jamie Witso is  part owner of Japatedon Travel in Prince George    

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