India Trip Report – Imperial, Aman-i-Khas, Amanbagh, Oberoi Amarvilas
Northern India Trip Report – Imperial, Aman-i-Khas, Amanbagh, Oberoi Amarvilas
IMPRESSIONS OF INDIA
Let’s get the tough stuff out of the way.
India was not without its challenges. Travel was difficult and time consuming (trains were slow and driving was slower) but thankfully, we had decided to stay in the northern regions for this trip so our time in transit was limited.
We knew to expect the poverty, which is undeniably linked to the caste system. But ironically, the caste system also seems to make the poor, happy. They believe the Gods have chosen this life for them and that blessings come in the form of children. And yes, we saw people urinating and defecating in public, since more than 90% of the people in the countryside and 30% of the people in the cities do not have sewer. This is India. People wanting to travel there should carry their own toilet paper. You also have to watch your step as all manner of animals roam freely (cows, sheep, goats, dogs, camels, etc.) and they often leave “packages” behind.
And yet, we had a fabulous time. The people were incredibly friendly and we made loads of friends in the villages by taking along a Polaroid camera. The food was awesome! The countryside was beautiful. We didn’t even get TD. We managed to stay healthy by following the CDC recommended “Pepto plan”, eating (mostly) hot food, drinking and brushing with bottled water and avoiding ice except where we knew it was made with bottled. We also avoided already cut-up fruit and salads, and regularly doused with Purell.
GETTING THERE
We used Star Alliance miles to fly Lufthansa first class from BOS – FRA – DEL. The highlight of the trip was the 1st class terminal in Frankfurt (details on this experience can be found in our 2005 Africa trip report). Unfortunately, our FRA – DEL plane had come in from Bangalore and picked up hundreds of mosquitoes, so I arrived in Delhi with red splotches all over my face. It never occurred to me to pack mosquito repellant in my carry on, or that Indian mosquitoes would get me while I was technically still in Europe!
IMPERIAL – Delhi (Virtuoso), 1 night
The higher-end hotels in India have gotten incredibly expensive due to a shortage of rooms and, in our case, the weak US dollar. So while we hadn’t intended to stay in a posh hotel in Delhi (we were literally only there 5 hours) the difference in price between this hotel and others a step down was nominal. We really only stayed here because we trusted the car service (which was our first point of contact in India) and wanted to enjoy the nice breakfast. Our stay went very smoothly and we were upgraded to a suite though we can’t comment on the room. It was late, and we were incredibly jet-lagged. What we do remember, was a lovely jasmine fragrance in the public areas of the hotel, and friendly and efficient service.