Five Things we Liked in India
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We spent just shy of three months in India and while it wasn’t our favorite place that we have visited on the planet, there were some bright moments during our time on the subcontinent. We made some great new friends, met some inspiring people and saw some amazing sites.
Here are the 5 things that we enjoyed in India in order of when they occurred.
Yoga in Goa - Who would have thought that we would find a genuine Swami in Patnem Beach Goa. Swami Shiva Nand Jee taught us the way of the yogi while whipping our bodies into shape. We listened to his wisdom and enjoyed our hour long talks after class. He made us a believer. There is something greater out there and with discipline and focus, we can all tap into a higher power and meaning of the universe.
Exploring Hampi - The ruins of Hampi exceed our expectations. Not only were the ruins a display of well preserved temples sprawled over acres of land. People actually still live, breathe and work among them as they have done for centuries. The landscape is littered with large rocky formations intermingled with jungle, rolling hills and farmland. It is simply beautiful.
We Liked witnessing the ruins of Hampi
Chilling out in Udaipur - The most beautiful city in India. Settling into our guesthouse on the lake Ghats, we were overwhelmed with the city that was used as the setting for 1983’s Octopussy. White palaces grace the lakes centre with the city built up beautifully on either side. We had a front row seat to the view of the Udaipur. Ghats (spiritual steps) leap out of the water filled with women in colourful saris washing their daily laundry. The city is surrounded by rolling mountains and lush jungle. The people are friendly and we made great friends.
We liked Udaipur City, India
Golden Temple of Amritsar - After an amazing month in Sri Lanka, we weren’t sure if we wanted to face India again. But our return flight was paid for and luckily India let us back in even after changing their Visa Rules. We made our way immediately to Amritsar. It was the only place that Dave really wanted to see and it was completely worth the effort. Sikhism’s holiest site, The Golden Temple is simply stunning. A shining golden temple guilded with 750 kg of pure gold stands proudly within the centre of a holy tank. Milky white building surround it on either side protecting its beauty and serenity. Pilgrims walk along the marble walkway to pay homage to the divine one and while they are at it, they stop for a scrumptious free dinner in the dining hall that feeds 80,000 people per day every day of the week! It was the highlight of India for us and we will never forget the people we met and the experience we had at the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
Golden Temple of Amritsar in Punjab, India
Holi Festival – We had been growing weary of India when we hooked up with our friends Julian and Becca. A couple of great people that split their time between New York and Toronto, they were really digging India. They told us that they were going to Mathura to celebrate Holi at the birthplace of Lord Krishna. We were itching for some company and made the two day train journey to meet them. We are glad that we did. We stumbled upon a Holi Celebration in a temple and were invited in to take part. The people were thrilled to have some Canadians and Americans as the guest of honour and placed us all front and centre to take part. Women twirled Becca and I and men danced with Julian and Dave, they fed us and they loved to throw colours over our heads and smear it on our face. The four of us were interviewed by several T.V stations, standing in front of the cameras covered in the colourful Holi powders of this great festival that celebrates the beginning of Spring in India.
We loved taking part in Holi Festival
16 Responses to Five Things we Liked in India
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India has been on the top of my ‘must visit’ list for as long as I’ve had a list I think. Your travels and photos make me itch to go there even more. Best wishes on the next phase of your travels.
.-= Alison´s last blog ..Computer Shopping in Belgium =-.
Thanks Alison, India was tough, but there were bright moments like these.
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I love the focus on the positive in this post…..I must admit I’ve had my doubts about visiting India, but I see that if you pick and choose very carefully where to go, one could have a very positive experience. So I agree with Alison – I’m leaving it on my list of “must visit” places too.
.-= Trisha Miller´s last blog ..If You’re Going Up The Creek, Take a Paddle =-.
I’ve not been to India so I can’t comment on the rest of these, but the yoga I definitely can. I’ve had some pretty surreal experiences in yoga (in the comfort of my living room, LOL), and absolutely believe it is a gateway to something bigger.
Great list! It didn’t help quench my wanderlust for India, though
.-= Andy Hayes | Sharing Travel Experiences´s last blog ..Unique Movie Theaters: Best Places in the World to Watch a Film =-.
Some inspirational ideas for me since India is my first stop. And solo. Yoga is #1 since I do it at home already. Ironically, Goa is my first stop. Thanks for this!
.-= Nomadic Chick´s last blog ..Shameless Promotion? Nah =-.
How about the food?
I was happy to see Hampi on the list! And along with Udaipur and the Golden Temple, you’ve basically summed up what have been some of the most magical places for me as well over there. Excellent list!
.-= Earl´s last blog ..3 Best Kept Travel Secrets =-.
We have travelled a lot and India is still our favourite country (Sri Lanka is a close second though). Hampi was a definite highlight for us too, as was the vegetarian food, the peaceful Keralan backwaters, the textile villages near Bhuj, Gujurat, the Andaman Islands and just the general craziness of the place!
Great post and awesome pictures as well! Traveling to India is indeed one of the best options to spend a vacation and the Holidays. There are beautiful spots to explore just like what you have posted here, very interesting and wonderful places to visit. Looking forward to be there…
more places to visit if you wish to visit next time specially Uttarakhand
Yamunotri
Gangotri
Kedarnath
Badrinath
.-= Appu´s last blog ..Chapora Fort- Vagator- Bardez =-.
You may also visit
Valley of flowers, Hemkund sahib, Roopkund, Pushkar
Thanks for the recommendations. We are heading back to India in January, we will have to check them out.
All the destinations listed by Appu and Keenu in Uttarakhand are best visited in the spring or summer, maybe early fall as most of the mountain treks are closed in the winter and it’ll be too cold or snowy anyway. Also, the himalayan states provide a great escape from the heat of the plains during the rest of the year. Neighbouring Himachal also has some great places like the colonial capital Shimla, Dharamsala(tibetan gov in exile), Manali/rohatng, Dalhousie/Chamba etc.
May i also suggest destinations in the Eastern Himalayas…Darjeeling and sandakhpu where you get the most spectacular views of Kanchenjunga; weather permitting of course, Sikkim(especially Yumthang valley) and maybe Tawang and some destinations in eastern Arunachal since its in the region and not many foreigners visit the North east as it is considered remote. Everyone needs a permit to visit much of Arunachal though(except for some southern or eastern areas i think) which is easier now. Staying in the Himalayas Ladakh is the ultimate destination that represents the incredible diversity of India.
Most foreign tourists tend to visit the poorest parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar….maybe after waching all those programs on Varanasi and Bodh gaya but there is a bit more to India as you guys found out, surprisingly Golden Temple is never talked about as a destination in most official Indian tourism brochures, seems like they want to promote tourism in the poorest places. Interestingly Varanasi is not the holiest place in hinduism. Its Haridwar(the door to Lord’s…) in Uttarakhand where the Ganges leaves the Himalayas. Hindus believe Har ki Pauri(Lord’s stairs) there is the place where souls climb up to heaven. Most Indian pilgrims go to Haridwar to submerge the ashes of the deceased. The water of the river is pristine(especially at Rishikesh) compared to Varanasi. Also, this area is located in a relatively more prosperous part of the North as compared to Agra or Varanasi.
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