Having sent Jean, Lady Poppy of Prescot as the advance party last November, Wanda Queen Opal and Liver Bird Sue visited Northern India in March 2012. We went with Exodus Travel who specialise in responsible tourism for small groups (maximum number 16).
The people in our group ranged in age from mid 20s to nearly 70 and were very pleasant and friendly without being too overwhelming. There were 3 couples, and all the rest were singles: a judge; the deputy political editor from a big daily paper; some former teachers; a couple of Scouse scallies, and finally - a pop star! (Does this count? She was on Top of the Pops singing "Grandma we love you" with St. Winifred's School Choir in 1980 aged about 10.)
The trip was a dream come true. Whirlwhind to say the least and not for the faint-hearted! Having said that, it was everything we had hoped for and a lot more!
For me, probably the most inspirational moments of our trip was the welcome we got in the little village we visited; the first view of the Taj Mahal; "Main Street" Jaipur; watching the sunrise on the Ganges in Varanasi; Mahatma Gandhi museum; seeing a tiger up close!
Our advice for potential travellers: Ladies should wear sports bras - especially if sitting on the back seat of the bus! Jean did warn us, but did we remember? In a word - no.
Despite following all the safeguards closely, almost everyone developed one form of Delhi Belly or another. Locally bought medication was very effective and cheap as chips! The local "dioralite" equivalent is vile so bring your own. We had excellent advice from Pravar (tour leader) to drink loads of water right from the start and so drink it whether you feel like it or not. You will be surprise how little you pee!
Sue and I travelled from Manchester - arrival at aiport 3 hours before flight, 8 hour flight to Dubai, then a 3 hour wait at Dubai for the connection to Delhi (feet up on luggage trolleys as all the recliner seats had been nabbed), then another 3-4 hours. The long drive from Delhi airport to our first night-stop (Jaipur) on top of everything was a killer. I would certainly recommend getting to Delhi the day before and getting a decent night's sleep ahead of the bone-shaker bus ride to Jaipur!
The people in our group ranged in age from mid 20s to nearly 70 and were very pleasant and friendly without being too overwhelming. There were 3 couples, and all the rest were singles: a judge; the deputy political editor from a big daily paper; some former teachers; a couple of Scouse scallies, and finally - a pop star! (Does this count? She was on Top of the Pops singing "Grandma we love you" with St. Winifred's School Choir in 1980 aged about 10.)
The trip was a dream come true. Whirlwhind to say the least and not for the faint-hearted! Having said that, it was everything we had hoped for and a lot more!
For me, probably the most inspirational moments of our trip was the welcome we got in the little village we visited; the first view of the Taj Mahal; "Main Street" Jaipur; watching the sunrise on the Ganges in Varanasi; Mahatma Gandhi museum; seeing a tiger up close!
Our advice for potential travellers: Ladies should wear sports bras - especially if sitting on the back seat of the bus! Jean did warn us, but did we remember? In a word - no.
Despite following all the safeguards closely, almost everyone developed one form of Delhi Belly or another. Locally bought medication was very effective and cheap as chips! The local "dioralite" equivalent is vile so bring your own. We had excellent advice from Pravar (tour leader) to drink loads of water right from the start and so drink it whether you feel like it or not. You will be surprise how little you pee!
Sue and I travelled from Manchester - arrival at aiport 3 hours before flight, 8 hour flight to Dubai, then a 3 hour wait at Dubai for the connection to Delhi (feet up on luggage trolleys as all the recliner seats had been nabbed), then another 3-4 hours. The long drive from Delhi airport to our first night-stop (Jaipur) on top of everything was a killer. I would certainly recommend getting to Delhi the day before and getting a decent night's sleep ahead of the bone-shaker bus ride to Jaipur!
You can imagine what we thought when we saw the entrance to our room at our first hotel. But we needn't have worried. The interior was palatial! Honest!
We chose the evening flight to return to the UK so it meant we had a full day in Delhi - ideal for hiring a taxi from the hotel (1700 rupees for 8 hours or 80km) for sightseeing. There were 6 of us sharing and we paid 300 rupees each (just over £4!)
Our final tip would be don't bring too many clothes! You can rinse through at night and it will be dry by morning.
Enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the Indian people!
We chose the evening flight to return to the UK so it meant we had a full day in Delhi - ideal for hiring a taxi from the hotel (1700 rupees for 8 hours or 80km) for sightseeing. There were 6 of us sharing and we paid 300 rupees each (just over £4!)
Our final tip would be don't bring too many clothes! You can rinse through at night and it will be dry by morning.
Enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the Indian people!