Emma Turnbull, World Challenge's Expedition Planning Manager (EPM) for India and Nepal is busy preparing for her next trip to Rajasthan and the Himalayas. She leaves on Thursday 11th February and will be blogging whilst on the move! Come back soon to read her posts.
Find out about all our expeditions to India
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An early start on Saturday morning saw me get an auto rickshaw ride to the train station and the journey to Agra began! Because time was tight I didn't manage to reserve a seat in advance and had to stand in the 'general car' for the entire journey - which took longer than expected. It actually took 3 hours longer than expected and instead of arriving into Agra at 10.15 I arrived at 1.15pm! Top Tip: Book your tickets in advance or think about using a bus instead of the train!
In Agra my main aim was to visit accommodation and check out prices for activities the main one being the Taj Mahal. This monument, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal is truly impressive. The process involves queuing for tickets at the 'foreigner' booth where you get a complimentary bottle of water and shoe covers to wear inside the mausoleum. Then I queued to get in the west gate where airport style security is in place. It was here that I was parted with a dear friend, recce ted, as he was not allowed inside the grounds. I was told to take him to the locker room, down the road, past some camels, round the corner and on the left! I duly took ted and expected surprise to show on the locker room attendants face, but he did not flinch, as though many teddies have been refused entry to the Taj Mahal! I then rejoined the queue and got in successfully although poor ted missed out on the experience.
An early night was had due to another early start - this time on a bus, with a seat, all the way to Jaipur. The bus was said to take 6 hours, but in fact took 5. Much time was spent sleeping until the road started becoming busier. Jaipur is a busy city, although not as busy as Delhi. There is lots to see and some great markets to walk through; you really get a feel for India in this vibrant and colourful city. You need all your wits about you especially when taking a auto rickshaw ride.
Today, I went to visit some project sites and found some really interesting work for the World Challenge teams to carry out. There are so many opportunities in Rajasthan to help needy communities especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds and village communities that do not receive as much support from the government. At the project visits and in general I have been swamped by hoards of local children who love to have their photo taken!
One village came out in force to thank World Challenge for the good work we are doing in their school and made me extremely welcome. This was a true reflection of Indian hospitality and a reflection on our teams hard work and enthusiasm.
Food so far has been excellent and a meal can be bought for as little as 80p! Touch wood, I still haven't had Delhi belly but it's probably only a matter of time! Will post in a few days time...
-Emma T
Rajastahn sounds amazing Em! Great story about recce Ted! Mark x (no idea why it says Steve)
Sorry I haven't written for a while, I have been very busy travelling and visiting project sites! My time in India is nearly over - it sure has flown by.
So I returned to Delhi on an overnight bus which was surprisingly comfortable, I think I slept most of the way, despite the constant sound of the horns! I then had a night to rest here before heading north on another overnight bus to Himachal Pradesh. I was the only foreigner on the bus as tourist season doesn't start for another 2 months. I arrived in Manali and was picked up by Chris, one of our in country agents. He recognised me straight away as the only foreigner to get off the bus! After a rest I was ready to get down to some work of researching new projects. This took 3 days and a lot of driving to remote villages but some great projects exist in the Kullu valley. Again, like in Rajasthan, the children were all keen to get their photos taken! The views from this area are breathtaking with the mountains all topped in snow - I'd just missed the last snow fall by a couple of days.
The hospitality of our agents was excellent and I was made very welcome and got to sample the local cuisine which differs every 20km or so down the road! On my last night in Manali there was a power cut; luckily I managed to pack my bags using candlelight and set an alarm for 6am ready for the next bus journey. This journey took me from Manali to Dharamshala a distance of 235km which took 10 hours! The ride was extremely twisty going up and down the mountain roads but the views were fantastic. I made it to Dharamshala at 5pm and then had to get up the hill to McLeod Ganj. McLeod Ganj and Dharamshala are worth looking around and many Tibetan handicrafts can be bought here.
Meeting after meeting followed for the next few days and I was driven around many villages and project sites and of course I was treated to chai (really sweet milky tea) everywhere I went. The next part of my trip is a visit to Shimla and then return to Delhi to fly home. Shimla is the old summer capital of the British Raj and looks just like a seaside town perched on a hill side (except there's no sea!) Here there are many Indians on holiday and it seems that they all want to have their photo taken with me.... when is it rude to say no?! I will be featuring in some photo albums of families from all over India!
Thanks for joining me on my journey and hope you enjoy Ali's adventures next!
Emma T
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