Sameer - Wanderlust Guide of the Year Award Tonight! - by the Blog Travel Mole

Submitted by Imaginative Traveller on Thu, 02/10/2008 - 09:25

So tonight’s the night when we find out if Sameer Rathore has won the Wanderlust Paul Morrison Guide of the Year Award 2008. In the hallowed rooms of the Royal Geographical Society, the winner will be announced and suffice to say, we hope that this makes it third time lucky for Sameer.

Even after the closing date we were still getting incredible feedback from clients who had been on tour with ‘Sam’ and a contingency of loyal followers have actually flown over from North America to attend the award ceremony with him. We have also had very positive response to his new tour ‘Sameer’s Rajasthan’ which Sameer designed in conjunction with our local office in India. What started out as a 15 day trip increased very rapidly to three weeks when Sameer decided that there were just too many places and things he wanted to include in the itinerary. So if you fancy being entertained in Sameer’s family home and burning the midnight oil with his very lively grandmother who delights in regaling stories to visitors then book now!

Sameer is also busy training other tour leaders in India so if you cannot make his special tour you can be safe in the knowledge that your tour leader was probably trained by the best in the business! Check out all our India trips here. Sameer will be in the Imaginative Traveller’s offices Monday-Wednesday 6-8 October so if you want to have a chat with him about India please do call us then. Alternatively he will be broadcasting a live Webcast on Wednesday 8 October at 4pm so make sure you tune into that. He will also be appearing on the Radio 4 ‘Excess Baggage’ programme with John McCarthy this Saturday morning at 10am.

Amusing Indian anecdote from Sameer

Apparently a common ploy amongst greedy tuk-tuk drivers in Delhi is to claim that certain famous sites are shut so that they can then take you to their uncle’s carpet shop instead. Sameer was once sitting in on a journey with some clients when the driver claimed that the Red Fort in Delhi was indeed shut and they would just have to go shopping instead. Sameer ‘innocently’ replied “This is perfect then! When the Red Fort is shut it is far more peaceful and we will be able to get much better photos of the outside without the crowds so please continue”. After much hesitation the driver drove on but then discovered his tuk tuk had developed a fascinating engine problem and the group would have to swop to another one. Odd that.

Amusing English anecdote from Sameer

London – Wednesday 1 October at midday. The heavens open on yet another gloomy autumnal day in the UK. Imaginative Traveller UK office staff: "Miserable weather, what kind of summer was that? It’s wet, windy and dismal. And I forgot my umbrella. I really hate this climate". Sameer:"This is fantastic! We never get rain in Rajasthan. The skies are beautiful here, I hope it stays wet like this whilst I’m here. I just LOVE this weather!"