On November 14, we had breakfast then met at 9 in the lobby for our tour of Mumbai. We had lunch at the Taj. We came back to the Oberoi to prepare for our flight home. At 6, we met at the EAU bar for the farewell cocktail party.
We left for the airport at 10 for our 2:10am flight to London. We flew home without incident.
I love your quote from your website: “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Travel as much as you can, as far as you can, as long as you can”.
Anna told our group, at the farewell gathering, that this trip will have more and more of an impact on us as time passes. I think that will be true for me. Like you, this was a trip I'll never forget.
Cathy - I have enjoyed and appreciated your reports. Were you and your fellow travelers able to eat safely? More than one person has told me that Delhi-belly is difficult to avoid.
cathyandsteve.....Welcome Home. I am overjoyed you enjoyed the tour and remained safe and healthy. I know you have memories that will last your lifetime.
Smog, stench, trash, cuisine, warm hospitality--all of it....India pulls you in--I guess that's the reason I am returning. I smiled at our differences in opinion. Your favorite hotel on this tour, Oberoi Mumbai, was my least favorite on the Portrait of India tour. I understand the tours are different and the accommodations are different. Perhaps the Oberoi Mumbai will be my favorite on the India/Nepal tour--I'll let you know in 396 days
I'm sure I'll have loads of questions which you will probably address here in the forum--if not, I'll PM you.
PureLuxury - I get your point about the Oberoi Mumbai, but I think you might be stretching it a bit if you had the same hotel we did in Varanasi. I enjoyed all the Oberoi Hotels and the Lela Palace.
Smiling Sam...good point as I forgot about the Varanasi hotel. Thankfully it was only one night. I enjoyed the experience at Varanasi but I NEVER need to witness those sites again. Just like the camel rides, It's a one and done for me. It was at the next stop at a Oberoi hotel that I had my clothes laundered---they reeked of the Varanasi aroma.
I am taking vitamins so I like to think they helped me avoid the sickness that plagued others.
cathyandsteve...I'm so happy you avoided "dehli belly". I also load up on the vitamins and probiotics before, during and after the trip. I think that helps a lot. Some folks may have been affected by the water - did they eat ice cream or have ice in their drinks--My doctor advised me to avoid all of that.
By the last safari on my tour here, we were down to 6 out of 12 going out. Everyone did the first safari, and then folks started dropping out. My wife and i did every safari, because TIGERS. Hah.
Hi Cathy, LOVED your pictures and all the comments. Thank you! I am considering India early 2024, specifically for the Taj Mahal and TIGERS!! The rest…no. Having been on three different safari trips in various parts of Africa, I know this will be different. Appreciate your comments in comparisons. I will be 71 by the time I actually get to India with a friend. We could never do Nepal the way you did….altitude! Bravo to you for your adventurous spirit and tenacity….it is inspiring!
JoWeber
Could u ride elephants anywhere on the tauck India/ Nepal tauck tour?
Our Northern India Nepal trip in 2017 had an elephant excursion. I did not partake in this but my wife did. She complained about a very uncomfortable ride. In my opinion elephants are best left in their natural environment and viewed from a distance.
I rode an Elephant on an excursion in 2004 with a different travel company, not Tauck. I am glad I had the experience, however, as others have mentioned it is not the most comfortable experience. I actually rather enjoyed it, but my previous husband found it extremely uncomfortable and did not enjoy the experience. I also experienced a sunrise camel ride in the desert on Tauck's Australian Tour in 2002 and loved it. It was so unique.
BKMD's post got me interested. I Googled 'riding elephants in Thailand' and got the following:
I know if you Google enough in enough different ways then you can probably find anything. I was just curious if anything would pop up about it being illegal in Thailand as stated in BKMD's post, per his TD. Nothing came up.
When I was on a trip to Chang Mai, in 2017, on my own prior to joining another tour company, my friend and I did ride elephants bareback! Only a rope behind us to hang on…..I had a head cold and the antihistamine I took right before kicked in, making me dizzy coming down a mountain. I literally screamed to get the elephant down as I fell off into a pile of mud!! No injuries, except to my pride. The next day I purchased a silver elephant locket to mark my crazy experience.
We rode elephants on the Tauck Laos trip. I had a naughty elephant and had to get off. I thought it was my nerves but it misbehaved with the next rider. Meanwhile my husband had a fantastic ride down into the river. I was able to take great pictures of home from the riverbank. Those elephants were rescued from logging and land mines but those rides have been stopped too as basically the elephants are still mistreated.
On a slight tangent, remember the walking with lions in Africa? I heard from a TD that some people were attacked on more than one occasion which is why that was stopped too
Comments
Cathy, it looks like you have had a wonderful time and your pictures are beautiful.
On November 14, we had breakfast then met at 9 in the lobby for our tour of Mumbai. We had lunch at the Taj. We came back to the Oberoi to prepare for our flight home. At 6, we met at the EAU bar for the farewell cocktail party.
We left for the airport at 10 for our 2:10am flight to London. We flew home without incident.
Cathy, glad you got back without any problems.
I love your quote from your website: “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Travel as much as you can, as far as you can, as long as you can”.
Anna told our group, at the farewell gathering, that this trip will have more and more of an impact on us as time passes. I think that will be true for me. Like you, this was a trip I'll never forget.
Cathy - I have enjoyed and appreciated your reports. Were you and your fellow travelers able to eat safely? More than one person has told me that Delhi-belly is difficult to avoid.
cathyandsteve.....Welcome Home. I am overjoyed you enjoyed the tour and remained safe and healthy. I know you have memories that will last your lifetime.
Smog, stench, trash, cuisine, warm hospitality--all of it....India pulls you in--I guess that's the reason I am returning. I smiled at our differences in opinion. Your favorite hotel on this tour, Oberoi Mumbai, was my least favorite on the Portrait of India tour. I understand the tours are different and the accommodations are different. Perhaps the Oberoi Mumbai will be my favorite on the India/Nepal tour--I'll let you know in 396 days
I'm sure I'll have loads of questions which you will probably address here in the forum--if not, I'll PM you.
Welcome Home & Catch up on your rest!
PureLuxury - I get your point about the Oberoi Mumbai, but I think you might be stretching it a bit if you had the same hotel we did in Varanasi. I enjoyed all the Oberoi Hotels and the Lela Palace.
Smiling Sam...good point as I forgot about the Varanasi hotel. Thankfully it was only one night. I enjoyed the experience at Varanasi but I NEVER need to witness those sites again. Just like the camel rides, It's a one and done for me. It was at the next stop at a Oberoi hotel that I had my clothes laundered---they reeked of the Varanasi aroma.
cathyandsteve,
Glad you are home. Thank you for sharing your adventures!
cathyandsteve...I'm so happy you avoided "dehli belly". I also load up on the vitamins and probiotics before, during and after the trip. I think that helps a lot. Some folks may have been affected by the water - did they eat ice cream or have ice in their drinks--My doctor advised me to avoid all of that.
By the last safari on my tour here, we were down to 6 out of 12 going out. Everyone did the first safari, and then folks started dropping out. My wife and i did every safari, because TIGERS. Hah.
Cathy - glad you are back home safely without problems. It sounds like a great tour.
Hi Cathy, loved your post! Great pictures! quick question--did you guys (or anyone else on the trip) take malaria pills?
Hi Cathy, LOVED your pictures and all the comments. Thank you! I am considering India early 2024, specifically for the Taj Mahal and TIGERS!! The rest…no. Having been on three different safari trips in various parts of Africa, I know this will be different. Appreciate your comments in comparisons. I will be 71 by the time I actually get to India with a friend. We could never do Nepal the way you did….altitude! Bravo to you for your adventurous spirit and tenacity….it is inspiring!
Could u ride elephants anywhere on the tauck India/ Nepal tauck tour?
I’m not exact sure, but I think most elephant rides have stopped around the world in the past couple of years.
Our Northern India Nepal trip in 2017 had an elephant excursion. I did not partake in this but my wife did. She complained about a very uncomfortable ride. In my opinion elephants are best left in their natural environment and viewed from a distance.
We rode elephants in Livingstone during B, SA, Z. While an interesting experience, it was not all that comfortable.
We rode elephants in Thailand. While not the most comfortable ride I think it was much better than camel rides that I have experienced.
We did NOT ride elephants in Thailand in Jan 2024. Per the TD, Thailand outlawed that a few years ago.
I rode an Elephant on an excursion in 2004 with a different travel company, not Tauck. I am glad I had the experience, however, as others have mentioned it is not the most comfortable experience. I actually rather enjoyed it, but my previous husband found it extremely uncomfortable and did not enjoy the experience. I also experienced a sunrise camel ride in the desert on Tauck's Australian Tour in 2002 and loved it. It was so unique.
BKMD's post got me interested. I Googled 'riding elephants in Thailand' and got the following:
I know if you Google enough in enough different ways then you can probably find anything. I was just curious if anything would pop up about it being illegal in Thailand as stated in BKMD's post, per his TD. Nothing came up.
I Googled a bit more and found this:
Thks for all ur input:). There in November 2024
When I was on a trip to Chang Mai, in 2017, on my own prior to joining another tour company, my friend and I did ride elephants bareback! Only a rope behind us to hang on…..I had a head cold and the antihistamine I took right before kicked in, making me dizzy coming down a mountain. I literally screamed to get the elephant down as I fell off into a pile of mud!! No injuries, except to my pride. The next day I purchased a silver elephant locket to mark my crazy experience.
We rode elephants on the Tauck Laos trip. I had a naughty elephant and had to get off. I thought it was my nerves but it misbehaved with the next rider. Meanwhile my husband had a fantastic ride down into the river. I was able to take great pictures of home from the riverbank. Those elephants were rescued from logging and land mines but those rides have been stopped too as basically the elephants are still mistreated.
On a slight tangent, remember the walking with lions in Africa? I heard from a TD that some people were attacked on more than one occasion which is why that was stopped too
Yes. They get sent to the places where you can pay to shoot them next.
Cathy what was ur weather like in November?
JoWeber
No...there was not an opportunity to ride elephants on the recent Northern India/Nepal tour (December 2023)
JoWeber
No...there was not an opportunity to ride elephants on the recent Northern India/Nepal tour (December 2023)
JoWeber
No...there was not an opportunity to ride elephants on the recent Northern India/Nepal tour (December 2023)