India - The Land of Inspiration

India is a destination which has been on my ‘wish list’ for some time as everyone who visits, returns with a certain sparkle in their eye. Recently, I finally had the opportunity to visit with 5 of my Designer Travel colleagues, hosted by the wonderful Inspiring Travel Company (ITC). We were in for a real treat! We travelled with Virgin Atlantic on their direct overnight flight from Heathrow to Delhi. Arriving in the morning, Delhi and the whole arrival experience was much calmer than I expected; immigration was easy (once we’d sorted the biometrics machines!) and so too was baggage reclaim. And then our adventures began.

My experience of India was overwhelming in so many ways, but the main element which struck all of us in unison is that what makes India so special, is the people. Everywhere we went we were greeted with smiles. This was not just in the hotels we stayed in and visited, this was in the temples, the food kitchen, the Tuk Tuks, the Rickshaws and the markets. The sense of community was evident everywhere. The colours, the smells and the continuous sound of the traffic are brilliant with there always being something to see, at every turn! How anyone gets anywhere, is a mystery, but despite the need to navigate, cows, camels, goats, pigs, pedestrians tuk tuks and mopeds (to name a few obstacles) in general it seems to work. That said, it’s not a place to self-drive, so the driver is crucial in ensuring a successful trip. Our itinerary, in brief, was 2 nights in Delhi, 1 night in Agra, 2 nights in Jaipur and 2 nights in Delwara, which is a rural location on the outskirts of Udaipur. We covered a lot during our relatively short visit, including Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the primary Sikh temple in Delhi where we also witnessed the workings of the food kitchen. This feeds at least 30,000 to 40,000 people every day (on holy days this number is higher) for free. To see this in operation was truly inspiring. People waiting, people eating and people working! Everyone was smiling. The scale on which this functions is phenomenal and all run by volunteers. This was an amazing sight and we were still only on our day of arrival!

Moving on, we visited Jama Masjid, the principal mosque of Delhi, we took Rickshaws into Old Delhi, walked through the spice markets of Old Delhi and drove by the sights of New Delhi. We visited the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Amber Fort, which we reached by jeep; we took tuk tuks through Jaipur; we visited markets in Jaipur and Udaipur, the Palace of Winds in Jaipur, City Palace in Udaipur and complete our visit we took the boat from Udaipur across Lake Pichola to have a delightful evening meal at the Leela Palace Udaipur. Of the sights we visited, seeing the Taj Mahal for the first time in all its glory was magnificent and a real highlight. We’ve seen so many photos, so to take that first glimpse into reality is very special.

Throughout our journey, we stayed in and visited some amazing Heritage properties, The Imperial in New Delhi, Samode Haveli in Jaipur, a stunning boutique property and then just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, the RAAS Devigarh in Delwara. There isn’t space to discuss each property individually, but the RAAS Devigarh is a stunning property in an equally stunning rural location. With a strong focus on sustainability, the environment and supporting the local community in which it exists, it’s so much more than just a hotel. Their foundation which provides support to the local community including the school in Delwara is truly inspirational and also assisted us in funding the installation of a water filtration unit for the children, in memory of our dear friend and colleague who passed away earlier this year. A little piece of her and a little piece of us all will forever remain with the children of Delwara school and their smiling faces, and they too will always remain with us.

Namaste Properties we stayed in:

The Imperial Delhi – We dined at Spice Route Tajview Agra Samode Haveli, Jaipur RAAS Devigarh, Delwara – We dined on the rooftop terrace! Properties where we dined/visited: The Oberoi New Delhi - dined at 360 The Leela Palace - dined at Megu The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra Rambagh Palace, Jaipur - dined at Suvarna Muhal The Leela Palace, Jaipur The Oberoi Rajvilas Fateh Prakesh Palace The Leela Palace Udaipur Trident Gurgaon – We dined at Cilantro