It has been a week since we came back from our wonderful trip to India and Nepal.
As agreed, Avtar (our driver) was waiting for us at the airport of Delhi. After such a long journey, it was very nice to relax on the backseat of a car and let someone else drive you to your hotel.
This was in fact the way things went throughout the whole journey. Avtar was ready and willing to help us at any moment. If for example we went to take a look at a temple, Avtar gave us advice in advance how best to do so (take a guide with us, do not take a guide with us, etc.). If we were done sight-seeing or relaxing, we would only have to get back to the taxi and Avtar was ready to drive us to our next destination.
On days we wanted to bike around a bit, Avtar would sometimes feel guilty about not having to drive us anywhere. He was very surprised that we had rented bikes, when he had a taxi “at our disposal?!”. Sometimes we simply wanted to travel by bike in the afternoon (this was in Kajuraho).
At one point we were getting a bit sick and again Avtar was there to help us. He was willing to arrange a visit to a doctor/ hospital, but fortunately it did not have to come to that. A tip for everyone: Do not visit India in June. It is extremely hot during the day, which means that you have only the early mornings and the evenings to do some sight-seeing. In our last week (third week of June) we visited Nepal, which was much more pleasant this time of year.
India has made a great impression on us. The crowds, the noise, the stench, the poverty, but also the lovely scent of incense, the beautiful colors of womens saree, the friendliness of the people, the faith with all its ceremonies, temples, places of prayer and cremation, the liveliness of it all, day and night . it often contradictory, but really nice to experience.
In the last week of our vacation we visited Nepal, where we hiked towards the Himalayas. This was also a beautiful experience. There are big differences: in comparison with India, Nepal is much more focused on the Western world. This is what makes India so very beautiful, it is very pure .
All in all we will never forget this experience.
Due to the help we received from Rob, who was ready to answer any of questions, and the good care of Avtar (with his funny humor, which takes some time to get used to) we had a wonderful vacation. We recommend this way of visiting this impressive country to everyone.
