North India Highlights - for Laurie 21 Jan

Hello Laurie,
Thanks for the email,

There were a couple of things I wish I brought with me - more warm clothes for the evenings and mornings. I was happy I brought a little fleece blanket, as it came in really handy as extra warmth at night or a pillow.

Out of 12 of us, about 5 got sick. 4 of them got it from something they ate or drank, the other got motion sick alot as there are some long driving days over very bumpy roads. I took a gravol pill before we started out and I was fine. I did notice the people who got sick were drinking a lot of fruit juice, so I'm not sure if maybe the juice gets watered down, but I steered clear of it and was fine (except for my hangover in Ranthambore!)

For me, the highlights of the trip were the people. If you have time in Jaipur, ask your tour leader about visiting an orphanage for girls. It's actually a charity that Imtrav supports. I can look up the name if your interested. I donated some money, then spent the afternoon playing with the girls. It felt good to give something back, as you see so much poverty that you can do nothing about.

I loved the fort at Ranthambore. It's an old ruin, but you can wander around with hardley any other tourists. The Palace you stay at in Karauli is great, and wandering around all the little towns shopping was fun.

Varanasi was a trip! Oh, another note- on the train, make a curtain out of sheets to give yourself some privacy, as the bunks are just open to the aisle. We had a lot of unwanted admirers through the night.

I actually loved everyday there, as each day was so different.

Hope you enjoy it too - If you think of anymore questions let me know!

JVfan