Agnes and Harry with Raj / Rattan / Bhaskar, October 2013
We went to India again for the third time now, via Rob and Rattan, in October.
Amritsar and Wagah Border
Our tour started in Amritsar, with driver Raj Kumar, who we already met last time. The golden temple is magnificent indeed, the free meal in the Guru Ka Langar an unique experience, the Jallianwala Bagh, where hundreds of unarmed demonstrators were killed by the English in 1919, was impressive. The warm-heartedness and hospitality of the Sikhs made an impression on us. The ceremony at the Pakistani border is an event not to be missed!
Himachal Pradesh
We found McLeodganj rather disappointing, but then again Baijnath and surroundings turned out better than expected. There are some very beautiful temples, you can make a nice, nostalgic train ride, and high up in the mountains you can find the best site in the world for paragliding (the annual world championships take place there). We went to Raj's home where we were made very welcome. It was his daughter's birthday and we were invited to her birthday party.
Shimla
Through quiet Kota we travelled to Shimla, HP's charming capital. We haven't seen the snow-capped Himalaya, but nature or weather cannot be forced.
Chandigarh
In Chandigarh a visit to Rock Garden with thousands of works of art by the highly gifted artist Nick Chand is an absolute must. We made a journey on the lake and enjoyed a street art festival with music, songs, dance and graffiti artists…
Delhi
In Delhi we met Rattan and his family. He has a spotless guestroom where you can spend the night if desired (we spend the night there four times) and everything is being done to make things just the way you want them. Rattan's wife is an excellent cook and the children are really nice.
Driver Bashkar shepherded us excellently through Delhi's hectic traffic to the temple of Akshardam, to the Qutb minar site, to the mosque (unfortunately closed for tourists because of the evening prayer) and to the Rail Museum.
After an enjoyable massage we were all ready for the flight back, after a beautiful journey through incredible India. The country keeps fascinating us, and we will probably return once more, again via Rob and Rattan. After all, we find this travel format perfect and we can warmly recommend it to everyone!
In the unlikely event of something going wrong during the tour, you can always fall back on their support, Rob from The Netherlands and Rattan in India, and that is actually service which should not be underrated.
