Abandoned home along the highway

Interesting Sights on a Road Trip in India

Culture, Places, TrafficLeave a comment

Last weekend we headed out on another road trip, this time to Jim Corbett National Park, which is located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. The park was established in the year 1936 and is India’s oldest National Park.They have a wildlife and tiger reserve there and I’m still on a quest to see a tiger in the wild before I leave India. As is the case with life, the journey was every bit as interesting as the destination.

 

Getting there

The park is located at the foothills of the Himalayas and It took us about 7 hours by car to travel the 250 kilometers. We drove through a number of small villages and towns, including Ramnagar and Muradabad. I’ve been in India for 6 months now but the things I see on the roads still fascinate me!

Beautiful Udaipur India

The Ups and Downs of Travel and Tourism in India

Culture, Lifestyle & Hobby, Places, Safety & HealthLeave a comment

I’ve been in India for four months now and so far I’ve visited Agra, Jaipur, Udaipiur and Rieshikesh. Booking reservations and traveling around India is quite different from how we do things in the USA.

Your passport

First of all, all reservations, even domestically require a copy of your passport. They want a hard copy and copy machines are not readily available, so someone is always taking your passport from you and then heading into the back room with it. The first time that happened I about had a panic attack. I’ve heard stories about travelers getting their passports taken away only to find they have to buy it back. Fortunately that’s not the case here!

Middle men

Another thing that annoys me is that you can’t call any resort or tourist activity directly to book a reservation. You have to call a tourist service. There are so many middle men, each getting a piece of the pie, that it drives the price way up. Sometimes these middle men are just scammers that take your money and run, so you have to be very careful. Taxes are also very high, 20 to 30 percent in many areas!

The temple at HKV

My Date to Hauz Khas Villiage in Delhi India

Culture, Lifestyle, Places2 Comments

I am writing this during my 24 hour trip home. Our airplane is somewhere over Iceland and the view of the icy mountains below is really amazing.

Just a couple of night ago I had a very fun date with a young Indian man who works in the hotel where I am staying. He suggested we go to Hauz Khas Village. I had no idea what to expect. Turns out Hauz Khas Village is a very unique and fun experience. Picture downtown New Orleans meets The Alamo and Central Park!  It is a contemporary shopping center with hip bars and restaurants on the upper floors where you can stare down at the young hip crowd below.  Right outside is a huge park surrounding a lake, an ancient fort and an Indian Temple.