On the Ganges River in Varanasi, India
The 7 Links Project
I was one of the many travel bloggers nominated to share 7 special links. The goal of this project, started by Tripbase, is to ‘unite bloggers in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.’ Though I am not a “rules person” (to say the least!), I will follow the rules on this one, which are:
1) Blogger is nominated to take part
2) Blogger publishes his/her 7 links on his/her blog – 1 link for each category.
3) Blogger Nominates 5 More Bloggers
Arrggghhh, already stumped. I write about India because I feel it is beautiful, but I don’t really have the photographic skills to capture it. (However, hopefully all that will change with my evolving partnership with photographer Andrew Adams of Katha Images). I will have to nominate Aurovalley Ashram: A haven of peace and conscious living because it is about such a beautiful place — “my” ashram in northern India.
Hmmmm, I would say it’s a tie between The top 5 things I’ve learned after traveling a year in India and The top 5 myths about India. (I’m not including the Eat, Pray, Love film ticket contest or a couple of Bollywood-themed posts.) I guess it’s true, those “top 5″ or “top 10″ posts do get a lot of mileage. Personally, I don’t do these posts lightly, even if the titles sound a bit trite. I spent a good deal of thinking and writing time on both of them, and I am glad they have been so widely read. I have learned a lot about life, and about myself, in India. It is, I always maintain, one of the most potentially “transformative” places you can visit, perhaps especially if you are from western society. (more…)
Lake Palace Hotel, Udaipur, Rajasthan
The Consulate General of India in Canada (CGI) has introduced a new Visa application form. People in Canada desiring to apply for Visa to travel to India are required to go to Indian Visa Online or to the website of the outsourcing agency VFS Global and register their applications online. After registering online, the applicants must take a print out of their application and submit the application along with valid passport and other documents at one of the VFS Global offices. Their office addresses, timings, telephone numbers etc. can be found at their website, VFS Global.
They will continue to accept the old Visa form for the time being. The new form becomes compulsory from July 25, 2011. Any queries regarding online submission of visa applications may be addressed to VFS Global offices.
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India is a teacher; travelers are studentsPeople often ask me why I am so interested in India, why I like traveling there so much. There are lots of reasons, of course — from the warmth of the people, to the taste of the food; from the adventure of travel to the colourful festivals; from the flowing, feminine clothes to the sunny skies. The single most compelling reason, however, is probably the attitude towards god and spirituality — and how that attitude affects almost everything about the culture and atmosphere of India.
And what does that difference mean for me (and other spiritual seekers from the west)? It means that when I am in India, not only do I feel more alive than anywhere else (for the reasons listed above), but I learn a lot. I learn a lot about myself, about the world, and about spiritual truths. Travel in India is adventure travel in every sense of the word. Here are the top five things I’ve learned in India. (more…)
Photograph of Patnem Beach, Goa, India
How to get started as a travel blogger
Blogging while you travel can enrich your journey in more ways than one. It helps keep your friends and family back home informed, creates a permanent record of your trip and gives you the opportunity to take time to reflect on your experiences. Following are my top tips for getting started as a travel blogger.
First things first – you need to decide where to set up your blog. There are three main options: (more…)
How to not get sick in India and other tipsThese are my top tips for how to not get sick in India, how to avoid bed bugs and how to protect yourself from theft and other problems. Travel in India, and in so many other places, definitely has its challenges. But that’s no reason not to go. In fact, it often seems the greater the challenge, the greater the reward! The three biggest fears a lot of people have about traveling in a ‘developing’ nation seem to be bed bugs, bacteria and bad guys. (The other fear is confronting scenes of poverty, which I wrote about in Top 5 myths of India and India, poverty and the fear of traveling to poor places.) My own experience is that there’s usually nothing to fear but fear itself. A positive attitude, a healthy immune system, and liberal doses of resilience, resourcefulness, caution and common sense are usually enough to get most travelers through most situations. But here are some tips that I’ve discovered for dealing with the Big Three fears of insect, microbe and human kind. (more…)
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, India
Many of the 66 hotels, palaces and resorts owned and managed by The Taj Group hold a special place in India’s cities. In some cases, they are linked with the city’s, and even the country’s, history. I don’t usually stay in the Taj Group hotels when I travel, but I often visit them for tea or lunch or just to have a few minutes of luxurious calm. I also have an interest in their historical and social significance, and their business practices. I have learned from interviewing staff members at several of their properties that Taj Group has one of the best training programs in the hospitality industry in India; and my experience is that the staff seem like extremely dedicated professionals. It is not only the buildings and decor that are stupendous — the service and food is excellent too.
Read on to find out about the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, Taj West End Hotel in Bangalore, Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur and the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi — and to see some glorious photos of these incredible places. (more…)
Taj Mahal, Agra, India 2006
[Note: Originally published on Bootsnall as 10 Reasons to visit India now.]
1. The Taj Mahal. Yup, it is. The world’s most beautiful building. This is one of those rare times in life when all of your expectations will be blown away, no matter how much hyperbole you’ve been exposed to about it; no matter how many pictures you’ve seen; no matter how much poetry you’ve read. Tagore had it right when he wrote the Taj Mahal is, “a teardrop on the face of eternity.” See it at sunrise, put up with Agra, do whatever you can, but make sure the Taj Mahal is on your itinerary or you will kick yourself for eternity. (more…)
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Women in Rajasthan, India
India is still largely a traditional country, and knowing how to dress can mean the difference between a pleasant journey and many wonderful moments of contact with some of the warmest people on earth — or a sea of hassles.
In spite of what you see in Bollywood movies, most Indians still favour modest, traditional clothing – and you may find that you enjoy your time in India more if you do too. This is especially true once you leave inner city Delhi and Mumbai, or if you go to any social occasions (such as weddings), festivals (such as Diwali or Holi) or to religious gatherings, temples, gurdwaras and mosques. And it’s true in places frequented by lots of tourists.
Though Rajasthan is the Indian state most visited by tourists, it is still one of the most traditional and conservative – and this is amply evident by the way people dress, work and live. Personally, I think it is wise when in Rajasthan to do as the Rajasthanis do. Read on for tips on how to dress for social success in India. (more…)
snake charmers in Jaipur, India
Before I went to India for the first time, I was warned to my teeth about how dirty and dangerous India is, especially by the doctor at the travel medical clinic. She really tried to put the fear of disease into me, and I went to India the first time loaded with precautionary supplies, pills and additional health insurance. Then I landed in Delhi at the very civilized home of my friend Ajay, who lives with his family in the Delhi equivalent of Forest Hill (one of the most upscale neighbourhoods in Toronto), and they laughed at all my stuff. When I did get sick I went to the local Max Medical Centre and after waiting about 10 or 15 minutes I got to see the British-trained head of internal medicine. The medical centre was spotlessly clean, modern and efficient, better than almost anything I’ve seen in Canada, and the visit cost 500 rupees or about $10.
At this point in my journey, about 10 days in, something began to dawn on me. I realized that many people in Canada, including me, were of the idea that India is a barbaric place. In fact, I found it to be very civilized. I no longer carry all those supplies and pills, I no longer buy extra health insurance. I practice caution, but I don’t assume the worst, I assume the best. And guess what? (more…)
On the morning of April 14 approximately 10 million people streamed into the sacred town of Haridwar in north India to bathe in the Ganga on the most auspicious day during the 2010 Kumbh Mela. I was one of them. Find out how I found myself alone, and at home, at the world’s largest spiritual gathering.
In Varanasi, where the veil between life and death seems very thin, a boat ride on the river can become a journey to the other side. Come along with me on a boat ride on the Ganges River in India’s oldest, holiest city and pierce the veil.
The Ganges / Ganga River is the Mother of India. The River speaks in many voices as she travels from the high Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. At the source, her song is joyous, full of the the jubilance of youth, the rush of fresh mountain streams, the sincere chanting of pilgrims and the excitement of the onward journey.
