India. From North to South

We covered A LOT of grounds in India – too much and not enough time! Total time we spent in India was exactly 27 days. I know this sounds like a lot of time, but not enough time for such a large country. This is the recap of what we covered:

• Delhi – 3 nights. We took a flight into Delhi after having a relaxing 9 days in the Philippines by the beach. Delhi is a very busy and bad ass city. Personally, I really enjoyed Delhi as it has both old and new parts. We were able to see the huge contrast between the two areas. I would recommend 4 nights as it will allow you more time to cover all the sites without rushing. Top things we did were:
  • Humayuns Tomb 
  • Qutb complex
  • Red Fort
  • Old Delhi *MUST visit* – take the rickshaw and stop at Kanari Bazaar and Chandni Chowk
  • India Gate- and take a walk down Rajpath towards Raisina Hill
  • Gandhi’s Smriti
  • Akshardham Light Show
  • Connaught Place – shopping and bars (great Shisha and drinks at Hot Mess)
  • Hauz Khas Social– Dinner and drinks (curry was fantastic!)

• Rishikesh, Uttarakhand –4 nights. Located on the foothills of the Himalayas known for its spirituality, yoga, meditation and to experience their holistic approach to life. (more details on Rishikesh in future blog post) Top things we did:
  • Attended the Ganga Arti Ceremony
  • Soaked our feet into Ganges River. YES it’s polluted, NO we didn’t get any foot disease.
  • Yoga, yoga and more yoga
  • Meditation – from certified Guru following Osho’s
  • Journaling /Reading
  • Relaxing 😊
  • The 60s Cafe Beatles Cafe or Shambala Cafe (if Beatles cafe is closed)

• Agra, Uttar Pradesh – 2 nights. We saw the Taj Mahal and were blown away! It is definitely worth the trip here! We stayed overnight which I am happy we did since the drive here is very long and would be too much to drive back and forth. It was supposed to be 1 night but I got a 24 hour bug (from water) so we ended up having to book a second night so I could recover.
• Jaipur, Rajasthan –2 nights. ( we were supposed to stay here 3 nights but because I got sick earlier, it was cut short 1 night) Because of this it felt too short and rushed.  We covered the following:
  • Amber Fort – palace located high on a hill, constructed of red sandstone and marble built in 1592
  • Jewelry shops – visit to get your own custom jewelry. I got a gorgeous custom gem stone ring at Ratnavali Arts
  • Spice Shops – bought some Curry powder, ginger and tea for the road

• Rathambore, Rajasthan – 1 night. We specifically came here to visit a safari which is known for Bengal Tigers. We were lucky enough to spot leopards, tigers, monkeys, foxes and much more in the wild! It was quite incredible and lots of fun 😊

• Udaipur, Rajasthan- 3 nights. Also known as the ‘City of Lakes’. It is much slower paced from the first half of our trip, which was really needed! We saw the following:
  • Saheliyon ki Bari– 18^th century garden in the city showcasing fountains, marble art and plush greenery
  • The Lake Palace – take a boat out on Lake Pichola to get the best view
  • Monsoon Palace
  • Jagdish Temple
  • City Palace – Walked the grounds , this one is stunning!
  • Animal Aid -visit to injured/sick animals for the afternoon
  • Shopping in the Old Town–precious stones, colorful textiles, sculptures, paintings and much more

• Kochi – 1 night. We stopped over for a night before travelling to Munnar. It was short but very sweet. The highlight was the cooking class we did with Cooking2gether I always wanted to learn traditional South Indian cooking within a local home and this was truly an authentic experience.

 

• Munnar – 2 nights. This was one of the best hotel views we ever had! Located smack within the tea fields overlooking the endless hills. Highly recommend –Parakkat Nature Hotel & Resorts. We also took the afternoon to wander through the plush tea fields – not one single person around us! We also did a quick stop to visit the elephants. I do recommend to stay longer than 2 nights since its quite the trek to get here, 3 nights would be ideal.

• Alleppey, Kerala – we came here specifically to stay overnight on a house boat on the stunning back waters. Alleppey is a watery heaven of interlinking canals, endless paddy fields, and coconut trees. We had our own private boat and there was a crew taking such good care of us. They cooked us a delicious meal also where we enjoyed the sunset from our very own boat, so romantic.  I HIGHLY recommend doing this!

• Goa – I completed a 5 night Ayurevidic retreat, focusing on yoga, meditation and detoxification. They used mainly ayurvedic practices and therapies (Will have more details on this experience in a separate blog) Make sure you go into the Arabian sea while in Goa– it is literally like a bath tub!

 

• Mumbai –2 nights. We stayed in the GORGEOUS -Taj Lands Ends Hotel. We covered a lot in the 3 days including:
  • Dharavi slum tour
  • Train ride /Bus Ride with locals
  • City walking tour, make sure you stop in at Swati Snacks for lunch!
  • Ghandis house
  • Bhaji Galli – Vegetable and Fruit Market
  • Gateway of India
  • Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station
  • Taj Palace Hotel
  • Leopold Café

*We were also lucky enough to connect with some family of friends of ours who gave us a  great local experience!

This is a very high level itinerary, if you have any questions of where we went, stayed, ate, please do not hesitate to ask! mellyfitcanada@gmail.com

Up next on the blog:

•  The spiritual city of RISHIKESH
• Recipes of Southern Indian Cuisine
• Goa Retreat