Exploring New Delhi

Posted on October 11, 2014 by herktrav

New Delhi, India

Today would be our first full day in India.

I guess we were both still tired as we fell asleep pretty quickly last night. Maybe it was the jet lag or maybe it was the wine. Whichever, we both slept until about 6:30. We got up and showered before checking to see if our friends had arrived at the hotel.

Since I’m a rank amateur at using my phone internationally, I finally figured out how to get calls without roaming data. Once I figured it out, we saw that we had a message – thinking our friends were still in Dubai. We headed down to the restaurant and had a wonderful breakfast. It is an international buffet with foods from India, Asia, Britain and then some continental items. Just like the evening before, the staff were great. Seeing to our needs, describing the various foods and chatting a little bit about our trip and things to see.

After we were both full, our server pushed us to try a dosa – he promised it would be a small one. It was and it was delicious. It’s a very thin, steamed dough (made from lentils and chick peas) that you dip in a semi spicy vegetable stew. You can add various chutneys to it for a very flavorful treat. Enough – we’ll burst. :-)

Walking out of the restaurant, we came across our friends in the lobby. Seems that their messages were not sent this morning, but rather they just came through this morning when I adjusted my phone settings. It was a happy re-acquaintance and made even better by the addition of our friend’s sister and brother-in-law. It looks like it should be a good traveling group for the week ahead.

They had made arrangements for a van to take us into some of the shopping markets for the day starting at 11:00 am. It arrived on time so off we went. The ride over was a real eye-opener. Traffic was heavy with cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks, rickshaws, bicycles and trucks all vying for the same space. Horns were beeping constantly with people cutting into and out of traffic, zig zagging their way down the roads.

We arrived at the market and came upon a hectic scene. Lots of people, lots of stores and street stalls and vendors walking down the street persistently pushing their wares. If you wanted it, you could find it. The women were geared up for shopping, with Sue only slightly interested. Again, it was a real eye-opener. It is probably like that in many places, but we tend not to visit them when we travel unless we need something – like pastries or wine!

After some shopping, we stopped for something cool to drink. The place we stopped had sweets, light food and ice cream. Sue and I were still digesting that big breakfast so we just grabbed some soda pop to drink. Our friends indulged in some sweets besides beverages.Afterwards, we were headed to another market, but instead our friends had the driver go to the Lotus Temple. It was one of the places I had mentioned that I wanted to see. Despite us saying we would go when we returned from the train trip, they insisted that we go. It was very nice of them.

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The Lotus Temple is a structure built by the Baha’i Faith as a place for meditation and prayer. It’s called the lotus temple because of its architecture. As with all temples in India, we were required to remove our shoes before going to the temple. There is a shoe check spot along the way to the temple. The temple was quite large with rows of benches for you to sit and pray. It really was a beautiful structure – one of many that we will see along our journey.

After the temple, we headed back to the hotel. Lots of traffic, but we returned safely to relax and rest up before dinner. When we arrived back, my new friend from the night before Aradhna was there and waved as we arrived. We thanked her for the wine and told her how much we enjoyed it. She is just so nice. I’m going to see if she will take a picture with me before we leave.

Up to the room for a little rest before dinner. We’ll be eating in the hotel restaurant this evening. Much like breakfast, they have an international dinner buffet. The selections included Indian, English, Asian and Italian food. Everything was delicious and we all were full from the meal.

My friend Aradhna gave us another gift, a 25% food discount coupon that the restaurant used for all six of our meals. We made sure to stop by the lobby and thank her again and to say good bye until we return next Sunday.

Upstairs to get some rest. We meet for breakfast in the morning before the start of our train journey.

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Traveling and arriving in India

Posted on October 10, 2014 by herktrav

New Delhi, India

So we’re sitting here enjoying a glass of Indian wine in a beautiful hotel in New Delhi. Needless to say, we’ve made it here safe and sound. It was a long day of travel, but we’ll get a good night’s rest and be ready in the morning.

We started off by leaving Buffalo an hour late. We gave ourselves plenty of time, so it really was just an annoyance rather than a problem. While waiting for the plane, we met two women who were also making international connections, one was actually on our flights straight through to New Delhi. The other was going to Hong Kong and then on to Melbourne, Australia. Flight to Newark was uneventful and no problems.

Our flight to New Delhi was on time and we were ready to go. For the first time, we actually booked first class since it was such a long flight. I have to say, the amenities that go along with the seat are nice. In particular, boarding separately without the crush. Once on board, it was cool to see how the other half lives. The seats were large and very comfortable, reclining within themselves to turn into a flat bed for sleeping. The flight attendants were all very friendly and most helpful. Especially the one who brought over the starting glass of wine. :-)

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The meals were delicious. Sue and I both had the lamb chops with Indian spices as our entree. They start you out with a cup of warmed nuts and a beverage. Next, they brought around a chilled appetizer of smoked salmon. Next was a salad of mozzarella, greens and tomatoes, then the entrees, cheese platter and ice cream sundaes for dessert. Add in wine with dinner and a choice of after dinner drinks and wow… we we’re full. (For the record, we both skipped the cheese plate and sundaes).

After a little conversation, we both settled in for a little snooze. Pillows out, blankets out and seats reclined – see you in the morning. We were even able to plug in my cpap machine for a very restful night’s sleep.

Woke up with just about two hours to go until New Delhi. It’s funny, since we left Newark at 8:40 pm and with the travel and time change, we’re arriving in New Delhi at 7:30 pm. Lose a whole day, but we’ll get it back on the way home. Breakfast is served after an offering of coffee or tea. We both had the cheese and broccoli omelets, with fresh fruit and yoghurt, plus a croissant. That will be dinner, so we make it disappear. :-)

Seats up, gadgets stowed – we’re ready to land! The lights of Delhi are visible out of the windows. It looks like such a huge city. I suppose with 25 million people it is a huge city. Great landing and we’re here!!!

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Thank you’s to the crew and then out into the airport. You can feel the heat of the night air. It’s about 84 degrees when we arrive. We make our way down to passport control and it’s empty. We get to go through the first class line but it really wouldn’t have mattered. Passports good, visas good – we’re in! Now down to baggage claim, again no trouble getting our bags. We head over to the currency exchange to get some rupees before heading out into what we’ve heard is a chaotic scene.

Through the doors and… nothing. There is a guy with a sign that says Susan Herkey and Thomas Herkey – how cool. I always wanted to be one of the people with someone waiting.

We get his attention and off we go. The ride was set up by the folks from the Train Tour, so we didn’t have to worry about going to the hotel via Istanbul. The driver was very nice and told us about some things to see during our short stay in New Delhi. He was really nice. When we arrived at the hotel, we had to pass through a security checkpoint and pass through metal detectors to enter the hotel. This after the terrorist problems they had in Mumbai in 2008.

Once we passed through, we were greeted by Aradhna and led beneath a canopy of orange to wish us happiness and good luck. The hotel lobby is gorgeous. What a great choice of hotels by Seema. After our greeting, we were led to our room. Aradhna would check us in there and said she would have a surprise for us.

When we arrived in the room, we were told to make ourselves comfortable and she poured us both glasses of water. She was able to check us in right in our room. A hand scanner to gather the paperwork and a quick phone call and we were done. The surprise was a welcoming bottle of wine. It was an Indian wine – a merlot and was very good.

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Even more of a surprise, for Aradhna anyway, was when I said ‘thank you’ in Hindi. I was telling her that we try to prepare and she actually was quite taken that we would try Hindi. She was just the cutest and nicest person. She said she felt all “googly-woogly” inside when I was talking to her. Connecting with people half a world away is really what travel is all about. :-)

After she left, they delivered our luggage and we settled in to relax for the evening. This is a perfect way to start a vacation.Seema and Prem and their in-laws arrive in the morning. Until then, we’re gonna rest and catch a little more shut eye.

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Preparations for our India journey

Posted on October 9, 2014 by herktrav

Buffalo, NY

Saturday, July 5, 2014

We get a call from a friend of my wife. She remembers my wife saying “if you ever go back to India, we’d love to go with you”. So roll the clock forward eight years and they are going back to India. She asks if we would like to go along.  They are planning to do a luxury train tour through Rajasthan.

Sunday, July 6, 2014
After some discussion, we decide to go along. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that we can’t pass up. Especially traveling with friends who are originally from India, who can enhance the trip experience with home town knowledge.

Monday, July 7, 2014
Forty-eight hours later, we are making a deposit on train reservations.

We will be flying to New Delhi and then touring by luxury train for seven nights and eight days. The “Royal Rajasthan on Wheels” is like the Orient Express was in its day. Luxury accommodations, gourmet meals, fabulous destinations and first class service. For first-timers to India, how could we go wrong.

To travel to India from the USA, you not only need a passport, but also a Tourist Visa. Once we get our passports, we can apply for Visas. The process isn’t difficult, the wait will be the worst part.

In the meantime, we start looking at flights. From Buffalo to New Delhi the travel times vary from 17 hours to 33 hours depending on where you fly through and how long of a layover you are willing to tolerate. We have our eyes on a flight from Buffalo to Newark, NJ and then direct from Newark to New Delhi.

Saturday, July 12, 2014
Our flights are booked. Buffalo to Newark, then Newark direct to New Delhi. Reverse for the return trip. Glad we didn’t have to pick flights that would add additional stops along the way. While we’re at it, we also secured hotel reservations. We’ll stay at the JW Marriott for the two days before we board the train and for two days after. The hotel was just completed in 2013, so it should be a good choice.

Sunday, July 13, 2014
All of our confirmations have been received. We still have to wait for the passports and visas, but we are essentially ready to go. Just waiting for October to roll around. Have to start researching customs, locations and language. Things to buy, things to research and things to get before the big day arrives.

Well, the news of our trip has led to mixed reactions from our friends. Some think it is a great opportunity and a chance to stretch our comfort zone a little farther. On the other hand, many aren’t as excited for us and think we’re nuts..

We had great news yesterday – our passports arrived. Took just ten days to process and receive them by mail. We did pay to have them expedited, but we were expecting to wait at least a couple more weeks. Kudos to the passport folks! Next up is to apply for our tourist Visas. We’ll be getting the applications in the mail this week.

The area we will be visiting, Rajasthan, is in the northern plains area of India. It was known for its forts and palaces dating way back. Reading through the itinerary from the train, we will be seeing many historic sites, religious sites and the coup de grace will be the Taj Mahal. The more I am reading, the more excited I am getting.

What I’ve determined so far: monsoon season will be over, it will average about 93 degrees (hopefully a dry heat) and there will be a lot of people everywhere. I believe I read that Delhi is now the second most populous city in the world with 25 million people.

I picked up an iPad app to learn basic Hindi. I want to be able to speak a few basic phrases, even if the majority of the people speak English. We’ve always thought it was important to know a little bit when we travel – even if just to get a smile out of the people while we mangle their language.

Namaste.. (that would be a greeting similar to saying Hello)

Hard to believe that two months from today we will be heading off to India. The time is going fast. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous, but at the same time I’m really excited.

We’ve had a nerve-wracking stretch, but the good news is the Fedex truck pulled up and brought us our Visas. We are now officially able to go. The process of getting a Visa is both easy and difficult. You basically go online, fill out the application, send the application, your passport and a check and then wait for the Visa to be returned. The difficult part is the web site closes down in the middle of your entry, if you don’t finish the application – you MUST make sure you write down your temporary id and finally, you need to fill in the Fedex return address info in one try. (The pin number is our Zip Code)

All that said, we completed the paperwork, sent it on its way and had them in our hands within 10 days. From everything we’ve read – that’s amazing turnaround.

Many people have asked about the train trip we’re taking, so here is the website for some of the details: http://www.royalsrajasthanonwheels.com/

For the time being, we will be watching YouTube videos about Rajasthan and New Delhi and reading up about customs and sites to see. Doctor appointments have been made to discuss anti-malarial meds. Next stop – India.

Time is sure moving fast, just five weeks until we leave. Monsoon season is in full swing in India though I have read that so far it has been lighter than usual.

Since the last update, we went to the doctor to talk about the need for malaria medication and ended up having to get vaccinated against Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever. We were also given prescriptions for anti-malarial medication and an antibiotic – just in case.

Maybe Italy would have been the place to go. The only shots we ever talk about there is Grappa!

If you didn’t know, there is a travel clinic located at ECMC Hospital in Buffalo where you will likely be referred. Most cities will have one and it really is a good thing to check with them before traveling.

That should be it for now. No other prep besides packing and charging camera batteries. We’ve been reading quite a bit about India and the State of Rajasthan in particular. It would appear that most of the people who visit India are Brits or Australians. Given that India was formally under British rule, that would seem to make sense. I still find it hard to believe that India only receives about 7 million tourists a year.

Waiting for some of you to stop laughing – there are so many wonderful things to see and quite a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Ok, so back to the reading. Based on what I’ve read, I’m hoping to share some truly wonderful words and pictures, and maybe a few things you’ve never thought about.

Here’s the lightning round answers. You’ll surely be able to guess what the questions were.

1. We will be staying at the newly built JW Marriot Hotel.
2. I have my own hat, no turban required.
3. Elephants are not used like taxis, they are only at a few tourist locations. They have Tuk Tuks which are bicycle or motorcycle rickshaws to transport people.
4. No pictures. David Letterman lived in Indiana.

So the next update will likely be from the airplane or in India. Blog at you soon!

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Retirement Trip to France – 2014

Posted on June 28, 2014 by herktrav

This is a repost of a previous trip.

To celebrate my retirement, in May 2014, we enjoyed a month long holiday in France.  We started with friends in Paris and the Dordogne for a couple weeks before heading on to the Loire.

via Retirement Trip To France

Just linking it here so I don’t lose the memories and photos when the other site shuts down.

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