Our Grand India Trip

I dropped of the face of the digital world for a while there because the hubs and I finally went for our Grand India Trip (yes, that’s what we’re calling it). We figured that we would leap at this opportunity of being stationed in India, to explore the country, based on the assumption that once we get posted out, we would no longer have to chance to return. So far, I’ve tagged along/extended his work trips to Mumbai and Calcutta, and we celebrated our first anniversary in Udaipur (in a palace, no less).

This latest trip, though, was a thing of if-this-was-your-only-trip-to-India and how-to-see-the-different-faces-of-India. So we extended the Public Holidays for Diwali, and set off!

Here’s what we picked:

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Jaipur to see the shimmering Diwali lights along the Bazaars in the ancient Pink City. It’s no wonder Jaipur’s usually included in the typical tourist itinerary of the Golden Triangle of India. It’s on the the few cities in Rajasthan that bore witness of the many kings that ruled. Grand palaces and forts are a facet of India that is a must-see, and Jaipur’s proximity to Delhi makes it an appealing destination. Above is the view from Amber Palace.

We then took a train to Delhi. Booking the train via the website required a bit of random clicking and figuring out at the start, but it was surprising convenient and easy after the initial confusion. Choosing Delhi was a no-brainer. Capital of India and possibly the most accurate glimpse of modern India? Yup, Delhi’s down next.

Of course, then, we couldn’t not include a day trip to Agra to take a peek at the legendary Taj Mahal, could we? We dutifully allocated one day to rub shoulders with the world famous tomb (along the the thousands of other people there).

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Last of all, we wanted to include something special and different. Somehow (I don’t remember how right now. Obviously, we’ve been planning this trip for ages.) we heard about Leh and the Ladakh region. Almost everyone said it was beautiful, and India couples often chose to spend their honeymoon in that part of the Himalayan range. Okay, the fact that it was in the Himalayan range was a major draw and definitely the something special we were looking for. It was also a short one plus hour flight away from Delhi. All the better.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Here’s a sneak peek at Nubra Valley in the Ladakh region, a part of the ancient Silk Route.

I’m definitely excited to share more, perhaps in the coming weeks, and I’m thankful that we got to see so much of India (despite still having a lot left unseen).