During our ten years of full-time travel, we kept putting off a trip to India. It was a country that required thoughtful, informed travel planning and at least a month-long stay. Truthfully, we weren’t even sure we wanted to make the effort. It seemed overwhelming, even for us. So we visited 93 other countries first. But last September, we decided to take the plunge.
Another catalyst was our long-standing desire to explore Turkmenistan - a secretive Central Asian country that has been notoriously difficult to enter - and impossible during Covid. Our trusty Uzbekistan travel agent, Mikhail Sterliko,v proprietor of Irene Plus Travel, provided a glimmer of hope by suggesting that we might secure Turkmenistan visas in the fall.
Thus began the planning of our most ambitious itinerary to date. We would visit Egypt, Dubai, Turkmenistan, Oman, and India. But where to start? First, we went to our Senior Nomads Facebook Group, a community of over 13,000 members who share their travel experiences. We asked our members about their experiences in these countries and got a lot of good advice. We had FaceTime calls with a few - and also reached out to friends. Then we binged on YouTube videos. Lots of them!
Michael did an incredible job planning the logistics for two months of travel in some challenging countries, including visa requirements, lodging, transportation options and expenses.
I’ve posted about our two weeks in Egypt, our visits to Oman and Dubai, and our Turkmenistan adventures. But it’s taken me a while to gather my thoughts on India. We had a wonderful time there, and we’d like to return. But there was so much to take in that it became sensory overload—in the best possible way. It was a kaleidoscope of vibrant color, fabulous food, stunning architecture, deep spirituality, sacred cows, and utter chaos!
The Taj Mahal doesn’t look real in this photo. But it is, and we were there! It’s as beautiful as you might imagine it.
So, to write this post, I delved into our daily journal to refresh my memory. Looking back on our sojourn to India, I was amazed by everything we did in just four weeks. We arrived in New Delhi on October 24th and ended the trip in Mumbai on November 18th. In between those two major cities, we spent time in Agra, Varanasi, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Jaipur—seven cities in total. And did something amazing every day.
Michael noted we took 19 different tours. Some were Airbnb Experiences, and others were independent tours recommended by friends. All of them were fascinating. Two of the more immersive ones were in Mumbai. The first was a Transportation Tour, which took us on every type of transport the city had to offer, and the Dharavi Slum Tour was eye-opening. And in Varanasi, we took a Photo Safari and witnessed fiery rituals and cremations at dawn.
We weren’t sure how we would get around that vast country. Trains sounded intriguing, but we read so many posts from other travelers who said they would never take a train in India again so we decided these Senior Nomads would opt for a driver from India by Car and Driver between some cities and two flights on IndiGo and one on Air India to reach others.
As for accommodations, veteran travelers highly recommended that we begin and end our trip in the nicest hotel we could afford. That would allow us to “ease in” at the beginning and “regroup” at the end. In between, we were encouraged to seek out affordable boutique hotels - like the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which we did. But we also stayed in two Airbnbs. Both were hosted by former Military Officers, so we knew they’d be in ship shape.
We attended a Cricket World Cup match in New Delhi. Indians are crazy about Cricket, and the atmosphere was wild. I also enjoyed a very hands-on cooking class in the countryside in Jodhpur, and spent an entire afternoon in the company of an elephant at the Elefantastic Sanctuary in Jaipur. There was so much to see and do that life became one big, colorful blur.
In fact, the more I poured over our journal, making notes on all the places we visited - the more I realized I needed a second post to do them justice. Each one had its own unique appeal. So, in my next post, I’ll share the highlights of the seven cities we visited, including how we celebrated Diwali ( a lot of fireworks were involved). For now, I’ll leave you with a few more of my favorite photos.
Thank you for following along,
Debbie and Michael Campbell
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