Portrait of India Overview
We recently returned from the Portrait of India trip. I thought I'd give a quick information set as we found the entries here fairly limited when we looked. First, the trip is excellent and we don't think anyone should be hesitant about India. It was fascinating. The food is not U.S. food and one should be prepared to enjoy new experiences if you are not used to Indian food. The travel arrangements require being able to 'go with the flow', Indian roads and other travel are not like the U.S. and schedules are iffy at best. We found the Indian people to be very friendly and welcoming. We did not feel threatened at any point in the trip. Obtaining currency was no problem. The Tour Director is a wealth of information and paying attention to what the TD talks about is more than worthwhile. The hotels were more than adequate at all venues and the Oberoi hotels were beyond first rate. Most of the service at these places far exceeds US standards. Vehicles used on the trip were excellent. We would recommend good and supportive walking shoes. Because walking in some cities can include dodging or stepping on 'cow pies', sandals could present problems. Some of the streets and steps are also slippery so traction soles are also important. When in venues where one has to take off your shoes, risks of foot trauma or other lower extremity problems are real so one needs to be careful. There are many of these places in India. Rest room facilities can vary in quality but we never had a problem with them. We went in January and insects were not a big problem. Other times of the year could be however when its warm and the insects are thriving. Our friend was bitten by mosquitos in Kerala on our first day there but was well protected afterwards with deep woods off(DEET).
The trip was highly educational and fun. Service was uniformly excellent from Tauck and the hotels and city guides. The food was first rate I don't believe anyone who followed the 'don't eat it if it isn't cooked or peeled' got Delhi belly. As with most group tours an upper respiratory infection ran through our group. This has happened on virtually all of our group tours wherever and with whomever we went.
I hope this helps anyone looking here for information.
