As someone who practiced yoga for over a decade and then taught for several years, I always felt like I would go to India at some point. Sometimes I felt like India was calling me. However, about midway through my yoga teaching career, it felt more like I “should” go at some point because I’m a yoga teacher and that’s just what yoga teacher’s do. So, I dropped the idea finding other areas and practices that felt more like home.
More recently though, I started to feel a call again. Yet, despite the many places I’ve travelled (many times solo) there was something about India that had me on edge. I think it was largely because of stories from friends or people that I know who are very well travelled who have had a lot of challenges there or who felt India “chewed ’em up & spit ’em out”
With my big 5-0 coming up, I was on the lookout for something epic when I came across one of my former yoga teachers leading a group around various parts of India. She has travelled to India several times over the past 18 years, the tour would be during my birthday, and it was a super small group of women she was planning on taking. I decided it would be the perfect intro to the country to see if it is a place I would eventually like to explore more, and it seemed epic enough to classify as 5-0 celebration worthy!!
We ended up as a group of 4 women (including the teacher) who interestingly all come from BC in Canada! Though we got along, for the most part, it ended up being some of the group dynamics and reactions that were sometimes REALLY challenging along with the fact that I had very little to no time to myself (which as an introvert is super important!) Luckily, I connected well with my roomie who, because we always shared the same room, I spent the majority of time with. It was so interesting how I expected India to be the challenging part (and it was at points), but it wasn’t THE most challenging for me. Maybe that’s just how it always is?! Maybe it’s just me?! I haven’t done a group tour type thing in so long . . . . I don’t know!
There were definitely lessons along the way, one of which is I’ve come to recognize . . . . this isn’t my fav type of or way to travel. We moved A LOT! I’ve realized that I like to go to fewer places and stay there a bit longer. As it was, it felt like I would just get familiar with an area, and then we were off again. There wasn’t a lot of down time or time to ourselves, so a lot of my time was spent trying to manage my energy without getting a top up. This is largely why these India posts have taken so long to come together, why they are being posted a significant time after the fact and why it’s more of a snapshot of areas as opposed to more details.
Either way, I am grateful for the experiences and things I have been able to see and do and the fact that this experience finally got me here. So . . . . finally . . . . here is part 1 of a snapshot of part of the beauty and interesting things I have seen and experienced in Northern India.
Northern India Part 1: Delhi -> Pushkar -> Jaipur -> Agra
Delhi
- Delhi contains New Delhi (1 of 11 districts in Delhi) with New Delhi being the capital of India. (I wrote this out and it still confuses me! 😆)
- as of 2023, the metro area population of Delhi is 32,941,000
- Delhi is the 2nd largest city (by population) in the world after Tokyo, Japan
Delhi definitely brought me immediately into the Indian chaos! It’s loud, colourful, interesting, disorienting . . . . What I had the hardest time dealing with (which actually surprised me) was the pollution. I expected the sounds, or the smells, or the overcrowding to be what pushed me past my comfort. But, it ended up being the inability to see blue skies most of the time that got to me. I was told that it was partly from haze at this time of year, and it isn’t always like this, but there’s no denying how polluted the city is!
The second thing was the NOISE. India is a very LOUD and overstimulating country, and after a while horns honking in your ears constantly has a way of wearing down your nervous system.
Still, there’s a sense of accomplishment that comes with saying . . . . I wandered in Delhi and not only did it not completely destroy me, I was able to see some of the good and exciting things about it!
I arrived a few days before the tour started as did the women I would eventually end up rooming with during our time together, so we set out one day on a tour of Delhi to see some of the interesting sights.
Transport in Delhi
Shopping in Delhi
Sacred Sites in Delhi
When our tour officially started, we began the morning by going to Lodhi Garden to do some yoga.
Pushkar
- home of the Puskhar fair which is one of India’s largest camel, horse and cattle fairs. It was taking place on November 20, so we were there just as people were starting to arrive
- the Lake at Pushkar is considered to be one of the most sacred lakes in Hinduism and is said to have healing powers.
- Pushkar is known as “The Lotus Flower” and is one of the oldest cities in India
This part of the north was my fav!! We rode camels, stayed in a desert camp and got to see dancing and music by gypsies of the region, and our accommodation at Kothi Pushkar was definitely a highlight (wish we had more than one night to really enjoy it). It was nice to see blue skies after Delhi, Pushkar definitely felt more laid back and even though I am a water person . . . . this is something about the desert that often gets me!
We got to ride one, and ride in the caravan behind one.
One night glamping in the desert and one night in a super cool place in town.
Pushkar Lake was so peaceful and a great reprieve from what at the beginning had been somewhat overwhelming and sometimes an assault on the senses!
The Savitri Temple was also quite peaceful (except for the monkeys . . . . which always make me nervous . . . . and grabbed the scarf of a girl in front of us!) We took the cable car up and walked down.
On the streets of Pushkar
Jaipur
- known as “The Pink City” because most of the buildings in the old city are painted this colour (this happened in 1876 to welcome Edward, the Prince of Wales)
- home of Jal Mahal of Jaipur, a palace more than half submerged in water (only 1 of the 5 floors can be seen above the water)
- the first planned city in India which was constructed with precise planning and architectural layouts over 4 years starting in 1726
Looking back, Jaipur was a super interesting place, but it was one of the places that we stayed for one night, and then we were gone. I loved the architecture and feel of the place, and we had an extra special experience at the Amber Fort. We were wandering around when a “janitor” who turned out to be a guide (so of course wanted money at the end . . . . that tends to happen A LOT in India) took us to quiet areas where there was no one else around AND he fought back the monkeys when they threatened to come too close. He helped us get great pics, so in the end . . . . his tactics could be forgiven (that’s not always the case), and we had a great afternoon.
On the streets of Jaipur
Most of our time was spent at the Amber Fort.
The day ended at the mostly submerged Jal Mahal of Jaipur Palace
Agra
- home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites – the Taj Mahal, The Red Fort and Fatehpur Sikri
- The Yumina river flows through the city and was formerly called the Blue River because it used to be very pure
- Agra is the largest manufacturer of shoes in the India and is the second largest exporter in the world after China
I’m going to guess most people only come to Agra for the Taj Mahal . . . . . which is mostly what we did too with the addition of the Agra Fort. The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan to commemorate his favourite wife after she passed. Construction started in 1632 and finished in 1648.
I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to see the Taj in person. However, I won’t lie . . . . the crowds of people ruined it a bit for me. Maybe if I was on my own and I could explore at my own pace and find some quiet spots to take it in, it would have been better. But, I didn’t have that opportunity. So, in some ways, my experience felt a bit like simply checking a box off a list.
We also went to the Agra Fort (aka Agra’s Red Fort). 10 years after the Taj Mahal was built, In 1658, Shah Jahan became sick, and his three sons started making plays to gain power. The son who gained control of the Agra Fort was successful and jailed his father here for 8 years. From his holding space he could see the Taj Mahal, and it is said that Shah Jahan spent time simply looking at the Taj Mahal until his final breath. Agra’s Red Fort was a lot quieter and there was more room to roam. But, the haze or pollution or a combination of the two was pretty bad that day, so we couldn’t see the Taj from there. It was still pretty though.
So . . . . all of this was done in the span of SIX DAYS!! It was a lot of activity!!. AND . . . this wasn’t all we did in the north!! Stay tuned for Part II with more from Northern India.