We were lucky enough to spend a few weeks in India with Sarah (Rachel’s sister) and Kevin (Rachel’s cousin) and we couldn’t have had better company. Anyone who can handle 18+ hours of riding on a train in a cramped compartment is OK by me. While this is a little late (we blame what we imagine must have been non-stop Christmas cookie eating), we hope you enjoy our best’s and worst’s of India! Note: This is the definitely a PG version of the worst’s (see Nick’s post on WTFI if you would like a more colorful take on the wonderful world of India).
By the numbers
Days in India: 18
National Parks/Natural Areas Visited: 0
World Heritage Sites Visited: 3 (many of the sites we visited should be on the list, but aren’t)
Stomach Illnesses: 1 (Delhi Belly tracked Sarah down, I am not sure how the rest of us were unscathed)
Flights: 0
Train Rides: 5
Time spent on trains: 42 hours (nearly 2 days!)
Crazy Car Rides: 1 (One is enough)
Numbers of Lassies (yogurt drink) and Pounds of Paneer Cheese Consumed: Too many to count
Forts Visited: 4
Photos Taken By Nick: 2290 (an average of 127/day-this average seems to be increasing…)
Photos Taken By Kevin: 2976 (including my stops in London)
Best’s
Best Day
Nick: Waking up at sunrise to see the Taj Mahal, then going to see the Baby Taj at sundown, then having a great Thanksgiving meal overlooking the Taj
Rachel: the day we went to see Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur (minus the awful car ride)
Sarah: The day of the Taj Mahal as well. We had fun driving around in that auto-richshaw with our driver Lucky, and the dinner that night was amazing!!
Kevin: Running around Kumbhalgarh fort…seriously cool place you can get lost in!
Best City/Town
Nick: Jaisalmer
Rachel: Jaisalmer
Sarah: Jaisalmer – but I did like Udaipur a lot, too!
Kevin:Jaisalmer
Best Meal
Nick: Our rooftop Thanksgiving feast in Agra
Rachel: Anytime I was eating Palak Paneer
Sarah: The night we were. . .Or I would say the Thanksgiving dinner, too.
Kevin: Taj Thanks Giving – Good food, good people, King Fisher, AND the Taj!
Best View
Nick: The views of and from Kumbhalgarh Fort
Rachel: ditto to Nick
Sarah: Agree with Nick and Rachel, and the view from our Thanksgiving dinner of the Taj
Kevin: My fort bedroom in Jaisalmer!
Best Surprise
Nick: Amber Fort (I was awed by the whole place)
Rachel: how scary riding a camel was…like a rollercoaster (ok, not really)
Sarah: How beautiful Jaisalmer was and how freakin’ amazing our Haveli/hotel was!! (Worst Surprise: THE DELHI BELLY!!)
Kevin: When Nick and I actually got our money back after not entering the Udaipur City Palace…without a fight!
Best Hotel/Hostel
Nick: Suraj Hotel in Jaisalmer
Rachel:Suraj Hotel in Jaisalmer
Sarah: Suraj Hotel/Haveli!
Kevin: Suraj Hotel - Jaisalmer
Place to which we’d most like to return
Nick: The Taj Mahal
Rachel: Maybe one day we can go somewhere else in India…otherwise- Jaisalmer
Sarah: Eh… Jaisalmer – But if I ever return to India, I won’t be returning to the North, because I never need to fly through Delhi again. So – none, I’d go to the South.
Kevin: Jaisalmer
Favorite Train Ride
Nick: From Agra to Jaipur (beautiful sunrise and scenery)
Rachel: From Delhi to Agra. They served us breakfast with a nice view.
Sarah: Delhi to Agra – painless, breakfast & the infamous views of morning activities on the railroad tracks J
Kevin: Agra to Jaipur – not just the trains use the tracks…the people do too!
Most Fun
Nick: Riding a camel
Rachel: riding a camel
Sarah: Eating (when I wasn’t sick) and seeing that wedding parade in Udaipur!
Kevin: Not to go with the crowd, but camel riding!
Funniest Moment
Nick: How obsessed Indian men were with my “Ali Baba” beard. On numerous occasions I was asked “How much did it cost?” or “Can I touch it?” or “Where did you get it?”
Rachel: The crowd of 30 or so men that were captivated by Kevin while we waited for a train at 11pm in Jaipur (this was more seriously amusing than funny)
Sarah: Rachel’s camel’s gas problem. Or one of Nick’s “that’s what she said” remarks.
Kevin: Watching literally all of India wake up and perform the morning ritual from the train to Jaipur.
Worst’s
Worst City/Town
Nick: Delhi, Delhi, Delhi (Is there a worse city in the world?)
Rachel: Jaipur…the honking made me crazy (Delhi is a given)
Sarah: Agreed with Delhi. Second worse = Jaipur.
Kevin: There can be only one…Delhi
Worst Meal
Nick: Golden Peacock beer (not exactly a meal, but it was horrible)
Rachel: anytime we skipped lunch
Sarah: Food was usually awesome. The feeling of being sick when looking/smelling Indian food while I was ill. Tragic.
Kevin: Breakfast on the flight to Delhi…Indian food we had was always good!
Biggest Waste of Money
Nick: The City Palace in Jaipur (300 rupees for nothing)
Rachel: being overcharged for absolutely EVERYTHING
Sarah: CITY PALACE of Jaipur! F that.
Kevin:Jaipur City Palace, although I did get pictures of a cute little Indian girl!
Most Disappointing Moment
Nick: Arriving in Delhi after the long train ride from Jaisalmer
Rachel: being kicked out of a store for haggling too much…
Sarah: Agreed with both of Nick and Rachel’s statements. I forgot how awful Delhi was by the time we returned. But I was so pissed off/disappointed with that man for not selling us his block stamps!!
Kevin: Finding out dust in a train can wake you up…there’s no escape!
Worst Hotel/Hostel:
Nick: The Taj Plaza in Agra (actually this place is not bad, but it was the worst place we stayed)
Rachel: Ditto to Nick, however some of the staff were super nice
Sarah: Taj Plaza/Agra and the danky bathroom!!!!
Kevin:Taj Plaza with by far the worst bathroom!
Saddest Moment
Nick: Watching 8-year-olds do drugs (presumably heroin) on the street in Delhi
Rachel: Watching as bodies were being burned across the river in Agra
Sarah: Delhi. Everything about Delhi.
Kevin: Leaving everyone, I had a great time in India and it’s all due to the company!
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