INDIA: GUJARAT & RAJASTHAN INCLUDING PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR
AND VARANASI EXTENSION
with Lisl and Landt Dennis
October 28 - November 13, 2008

Varanasi extension: November 14-16, 2008

(B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
(Meals will be a la carte when possible.)

Day 1
Tuesday Oct. 28

DEPARTURE FROM U.S.
Independent airline arrangements from U.S. to Mumbai (Bombay).

Day 2 / Day 3
Wednesday October 29 & Thursday October 30
MUMBAI (BOMBAY)

Cross International Date Line. Depending on flight – Delta and Continental fly non-stop from NYC, you arrive in Mumbai just before midnight on Wednesday October 29 or shortly after midnight on Thursday October 30. You will be met by a driver who will take you to the Hotel Trident. Lunch on your own. On Oct. 30th, meet in hotel lobby at 2 p.m. to begin city sightseeing. Here in a teeming city of l5 million people - many of whom are very rich, many of whom are very poor, an international financial hub, and home to India’s thriving film industry, you will visit the enormous Crawford Market, a riot of exotic fruits and vegetables, the Chor Bazaar, and Banganga, a pilgrimage site, on Malabar Hill. Before returning to hotel, we will walk through the old part of town with its narrow streets, temples, and ancient buildings. Evening briefing and group photography discussion led by Lisl. Afterwards, drive in horse drawn carriages past floodlit buildings built during the Raj to dinner at Indigo, one of the city's most popular gourmet rendezvous.

HOTEL TRIDENT (D)

Day 4
Friday October 31
AHMEDABAD

Early flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat bordering the Arabian Sea. After checking into hotel, we take a walking tour of the Old City with its mosques and minarets, tombs and temples. After lunch, we visit the Shreyas Folk Museum which displays rural textiles and to the Sabarmati Ashram. It was from here that Gandhi led his famous Dandi March to the sea in 1930 to protest the levy of salt tax by the British and which launched the civil disobedience movement which led to Indian Independence in l947. Special Thali dinner tonight at House of Magaldas Giridhardas.

HOTEL LE MERIDIEN (B,L,D)

Day 5
Saturday November 1
AHMEDABAD

Today we leave early to drive north to Modhera, site of the Sun Temple built in 1026 by King Ghima 1 of the Solanki dynasty. A forerunner of the Egyptian Sun Temple of Konarak built 200 years later, Modhera, one of India's greatest temples, is precisely laid out so that the sun's rays strike the inner sanctum at high noon. Phases of the sun in each month of the year are carved on the walls of this enormous complex. Later, we will visit Patan site of the impressive Rani ni Vav step well. Here we will be guests of a family, which continues the art of patola silk weaving. Late afternoon return to hotel. Evening photo discussion led by Lisl. Dinner on your own.

HOTEL LE MERIDIEN (B,L)

Day 6
Sunday November 2
AHMEDABAD

Known as the "Manchester of India" because of its textile mills which produced goods for the East India Company and Portuguese colonial markets, Ahmedabad boasts the famed Calico Museum, which we visit this morning with the museum curator. Here, you will see exhibits of India's finest brocades, embroideries, saris, carpets, turbans and royal tents. Continue to the Capitol Complex built by famed French architect Le Cobusier and the Indian Institute of Management designed by American architect Louis Kahn. Afternoon free to return on your own to the Old City for shopping. Dinner in hotel.

HOTEL LE MERIDIEN (B,L,D)

Day 7
Monday November 3
UDAIPUR

Driving north into Rajasthan, we stop for lunch at the Udai Bilas Palace in Dungapur built in the mid-l9th century by Maharawal Udai Singhji II on Lake Gaibsagar in the Aravali Hills. By mid afternoon, we arrive in Udaipur on Lake Pichola, "The City of Dreams," one of the most romantic places in India if not the world. Part of the dream is where we stay, the superb Trident Hotel. Dinner on your own.

TRIDENT HOTEL (B, L)

Day 8
Tuesday November 4
UDAIPUR

This morning, we enter the dream world of the City Palace home of the Maharajas of Udaipur. With its exquisite collection of miniature paintings, ivory doors and inlaid marble zbalconies and the Jagdish Temple. Lunch today will be at the Shivnivas Palace Hotel, overlooking the lake. Afterwards, we visit one of the city's miniature painting studios. Before returning to the hotel, you may wish to wander through the market in the old town on your own. Or relax by the hotel pool. Tonight, drinks and dinner will be on the hotel roof terrace overlooking the lake, whose shoreline is dappled with the lights from the many royal palaces along its shoreline.

TRIDENT HOTEL (B, L, D)

Day 9
Wednesday November 5
SADARGARH

Driving through the Aravali Hills, we stop to photograph people and villages along the way. After lunch at Maharani Bagh, the former hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, we drive to Fort Kumbhalgarh, truly one of India's great sights. Constructed in the l5th century, its perimeter walls are over 30 miles in length; its walls are 20 feet thick! Inside are numerous temples and palaces. Mid-afternoon we arrive at Sardargarh, one of Rajasthan’s most magnificent forts and now one of India’s famed Heritage Hotels. Following a village excursion into countryside, there will be an evening photo discussion led by Lisl. Special dinner on the ramparts.

RAJMAHAL PALACE (B,L,D)

Day 10
Thursday November 6
JODHPUR

Today, we begin by our visit to the astonishing Jain Temple at Ranakpur. Built in l439, the temple has 29 great halls supported by l144 marble pillars, each one of which is different After lunch at Fatehbagh Palace, we continue through the Rajasthan countryside to the ancient stronghold of Jodhpur, established by the Rathore Dynasty in l459. Built on a high rocky cliff, it is a city of astonishing gardens and monumental palaces. Surrounded by a six-mile long wall punctuated by eight gates, the city dates to when its strategic location on the trade route between Europe and the Far East gave it great importance. In the late afternoon, we visit the dazzling Sardar to buy handcrafted textiles and exotic spices. Time permitting; we will visit the hidden source of many Indian garments for sale at Hermes and Gucci before we enter the 15th century Fort Meherangarh. Entering through one of the fort’s seven fortified gateways, we see a royal collection, which includes ancient palanquins and elephant howdahs, Mogul miniature paintings, folk art, and impressive armory. Dinner on your own.

TAJ HARI MAHAL HOTEL (B, L)

Day 11
Friday November 7
PUSHKAR CAMEL FAIR

This morning we rise early to photograph Brahmpuri, a Brahman neighborhood where the ancient buildings are painted a luminescent blue. We then motor into the heart of Rajasthan to join thousands of Rajput pilgrims on their way to the annual Pushkar Fair, which coincides with the full moon. Enroute, we lunch at the Chatrasagar encampment, an updated version of the fabulous l920s tented hunting safaris organized by the maharajas. After a stop at Adjer, the most sacred of all Sufi pilgrimage sites in India, we arrive at Pushkar where we spend two nights in deluxe royal tents supervised by the Maharaja of Jaipur. Complete with showers and bathrooms, they are centrally located to allow you to walk directly into the fair grounds. Wandering over the massive sand dunes, we join jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, magicians, and musicians who mix and mingle among the turbaned Rajputs and their brilliantly bejeweled wives. Their tents cover the dunes as far as the eye can see. Dancing and singing around campfires each night, Rajputs spend their days haggling over the price of a camel. Evening photo discussion led by Lisl.

PUSHKAR ROYAL TENTS (B, L, D)

Day 12
Saturday November 8
PUSHKAR

Full day to photograph the pilgrimage town of Pushkar with its sacred lake, 400 Brahma temples, 52 Hindu bathing ghats and teeming bazaar. Hundreds and hundreds of decorated camels and their colorfully turbaned Rajput owners are tethered and camped out everywhere in the surrounding Thar Desert. Be sure to join carnival crowds to cheer at the camel, horse and donkey races.

PUSHKAR ROYAL TENTS (B, L, D)

Day 13
Sunday November 9
JAIPUR

We leave early in order to arrive before noon in the fortified "Pink City" of Jaipur with its surrounding walls and massive gates. Check into the enchanting, Mogul-style, Jai Mahal Hotel. Following lunch, we visit the City Palace with its phenomenal collection of royal family treasures, then Jantar Mantar, the Royal Observatory with its huge sundials built by Maharaja Jai Singh. Dinner tonight is on your own. Some may choose to dine at Rambagh Palace - former home of the Maharaja of Jaipur - with its famous Polo Lounge. Be sure to look at the many photos of the Maharaja playing polo at Windsor Castle.

JAIMAHAL HOTEL (B, L)

Day 14
Monday November 10
JAIPUR

This morning, we photograph the Hawa Mahal, the Palace of the Wind before visiting the great Amber Fort, a stronghold since the l2th century. Inside, ornate public and private rooms evidence the splendor of the Rajput rulers. Lunch is on your own, perhaps at our hotel's new Italian restaurant. This afternoon is free and an opportunity to explore Jaipur and to photograph on your own. Tonight we are dinner guests in a private residence.

JAI MAHAL PALACE HOTEL (B,D)

Day 15
Tuesday November 11
AGRA

Stopping for lunch at Laxmi Vilas Palace, we photograph the deserted l6th century Mogul city / fort of Fatehpur Sikri, a masterpiece of Muslim architecture built by Emperor Akbar. Afterwards we continue to Agra, arriving in time to photograph the world famous Taj Mahal at sunset. The world’s most perfectly proportioned monument, it was built by Shah Jahan in the l7th century in memory of his wife Queen Mumtaz Mahl, and took 2l-years to build by over 20,000 workmen! Pay special attention to the monument’s mosaic of semi-precious stones and Persian calligraphy recreating verses from the Koran. Evening photo discussion. Dinner on your own.

HOTEL HILTON TRIDENT (B, L)

Day 16
Wednesday November 12
NEW DELHI

After photographing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, we return to the hotel for breakfast, and then go to the l7th century tomb of Prime Minister Itimad-ud-Daula. Built of marble and a predecessor of the Taj, it is inlaid with vines and flowers with each leaf and petal a separate piece of colored semi-precious stone. Time permitting, we continue to the Agra Fort. Built by three generations of Mogul emperors, it was begun by Akbar the Great in l564 and continued by his successors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. After lunch in hotel, we drive to New Delhi – former Imperial capital of the Mughal emperor - where we stay in the famous, old world, four-star Imperial Hotel. Take plenty of time to enjoy all the vintage photographs of the Raj. Dinner on your own.

IMPERIAL HOTEL (B, L)

Day 17
Thursday November 13
NEW DELHI

On this final day for those flying home tonight, we explore New Delhi, the capital of India. Founded under the Mughuls in the l6th century, the city’s population today is 10 million. With wide, tree-lined boulevards and numerous traffic roundabouts, the city's famous Raj era began when the British deemed Delhi their imperial capital in the 1930's. After visiting and photographing the historic 17th century Red Fort, then Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, both built by Emperor Shah Jahan in l7th century, we pay homage to Gandhi at his tomb before continuing to see Delhi's imposing government buildings. Designed by Sir Edward Lutyens, they are monuments to the era of the Raj, - British Viceroys and Imperial India. Lunch today is on your own. You may wish to go to Punjabi By Nature. It is known for its fusion cuisine and great fun. Afternoon free to pack. Others may prefer to go on their own to the National Museum and the Folk Art Museum. Tonight, our Final Dinner is in our hotel’s world-renowned Spice Route restaurant, one of the finest Indian restaurants in the world. Afterwards, no sooner will you be in bed before you receive a wake-up call to for individual airport transfers to catch homeward bound flights, most of which leave shortly after 11 p.m. on Thursday November l3th…. or shortly after 12 midnight on Friday Nov. l4. Arrive in USA on the same day.

IMPERIAL HOTEL (B, D)

VARANASI EXTENSION:

Day 18
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14
VARANASI

Boarding a mid-morning flight, we fly to Varanasi, formerly known as Benarares, the holiest city in the world for Hindus. Check into the Taj Ganges Hotel where we relax by the pool. After lunch, we climb into rickshaws to ride through the city's bumper-to-bumper traffic past hundreds of temples dedicated to the god Shiva. We enter the Old City to begin a leisurely, albeit crowded stroll along the medieval, narrow lanes lined with myriad shops and sidewalk stalls. Be certain to stay together. No one wants to get lost! At sunset, we visit to the holy Ganges to join hundreds of pilgrims from throughout India who have come to Varanasi both for self-purification and to cremate their dead and scatter their ashes in the holy waters. Evening photo discussion led by Lisl. Dinner on your own.

TAJ GANGES HOTEL (B,L)

Day 19
Saturday November 15
VARANASI

Today we return to the Ganges to have an experience of a lifetime. Before dawn, we board our own private boat to float past and to photograph the famous ghats, wide steps leading down to the river's edge, where thousands of Hindus pray and bathe in the sacred waters. Remember, no photography is allowed at the actual burning ghats, where the bodies of the dead are brought for cremation! After a visit to the city's Weaving Center, one of the finest in India, we return to hotel for lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the ancient ruins of Sarnath where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon in 590 BC. It was from a monastery founded here that Buddhism spread throughout the world. Mid-afternoon, we fly back to New Delhi. Dinner on your own.

HOTEL AIRPORT RADISSON (B,L)

Day 20
Sunday November 16
Departure New Delhi / USA

Today is a totally free day to relax, pack for your return home, and to explore New Delhi on your own. Unquestionably the shopping center of India, New Delhi offers infinite shopping opportunities to return home with some of India’s finest fabrics, handicrafts, and home accessories. Be sure to visit Fabindia specializing in hand loomed textiles and Santushti, a very up-market complex of specialty boutiques. After dinner in the hotel together, there will be individual transfers to the airport where flights home leave shortly before 11 p.m on Sunday November l6th or shortly after 12 midnight on Monday November l7th. Arrive in USA the same day.

Click Here to download a detailed India: Gujarat & Rajasthan Incl. Pushkar Camel Fair 2008 Tour Itinerary and Registration Form.