Discover Rajasthan
*All content, including descriptions and photos, are the property of Grace in Nature Unlimited, LLC and may not be copied or shared without the express permission of Grace in Nature Unlimited, LLC.
Ride the Sands of Time
January 2020
with Karen Score & Keli Lalita
This trip was planned with the "India Beginner" in mind, and brought us to the vibrant region of Rajasthan ("The Land of Kings"), India's quintessential land of Maharajas and Medieval Forts and Palaces.
Our 13 day journey began with two nights in Delhi, followed by a short flight to Udaipur, located on beautiful Lake Pichola, where we spent the next two nights. Following that, we traveled to the "Blue City" of Jodhpur and explored the massive Mehrangarh Fort. Then, we ventured onward to Jaipur, the "Pink City" and Capital of Rajasthan, where we spent the next three nights. Highlights of Jaipur include the Amber Fortress and Hawa Mahal (Palace of Wind). From Jaipur we headed to Agra, home of the blindingly beautiful, white marble Taj Mahal (one of the 7 Wonders of the World and most extravagant expressions of love) for two nights. Our trip came to an end as we circled back to Delhi, celebrating new friendships and life changing experiences, and savoring a special farewell dinner at one of the most renowned restaurants in all of India!
We traveled from place to place in our cool and comfortable luxury van, and each night we rested comfortably in the finest, most exquisite hotels (even palaces!). Our knowledgeable guides proudly shared the richness of India's history, traditions, culture, and spiritual practices with us. We came to witness the majestic forts, lavish palaces, and famous temples that the Indian State of Rajasthan is known for, along with visit to see the best craftspeople and artisans at work.
India is mystical, spiritual, chaotic and confounding. It's a land of contrasts—extreme poverty along with abundant wealth, crowded cities and vast open landscapes, and a palpable feeling of calm within the chaos. You will meet the warmest, friendliest and most welcoming people on this planet, and you will be astounded in a delightful way every day of this journey — that we can promise!
This trip is designed as a special experience for those who may have "VISIT INDIA" written on their bucket-list but haven't gone because of the distance or a feeling of intimidation or fear, etc. Karen & Keli are there to help every single step of the way—offering information about recommended vaccines, answering questions about accommodations, food, wardrobe, etiquette, what to pack, figuring out your flights to/from India, and assisting you in obtaining your Visa!
We hope to be able to offer this trip again in January 2022. For more details on that, please click here!
Testimonial:
“When I first saw this trip to India come up I thought, well, I’ve never been to India and it wasn’t really someplace that I would get to on my own so I simply decided, I’m there! I’ve been on several retreats with Grace in Nature and there’s something about these trips that seems to bring together a great group of people (explorers!).
Arriving in Delhi was just the beginning, finding that we would be traveling to several cities in different regions of India added to the adventure. We visited many beautiful sites from the Jama Masjid (largest mosque in India) and The City Palace and Palace Museum in Udaipur to the Monkey Temple and the Taj Mahal, one of the 7 Wonders of the World! All were spellbinding. Especially the Taj Mahal, how many times have you seen pictures of the Taj Mahal and then to be standing in front of it! I had to touch it just to make sure I was really there!!
We also visited the Sandipani School for Girls in Vrindavan. The girls were beautiful, all dressed in their school uniforms and after they got comfortable with us it was great to get so many hugs from them! It was sad to hear that when they returned home at the end of their day they would be going back to very poor neighborhoods. That is something that has really stayed with me; how we could be going through some very beautiful, opulent neighborhoods and a little later be going through some very poor neighborhoods where we were being asked for 10 Rupees (14 cents) by children on the street.
At the beginning of this trip we were all asked to pick a word that we would take with us on this trip; mine was “Learn.” Having never been to India, I thought it would be interesting to keep that word on my mind. Well, I learned about the wealth and poverty, about the many beautiful cities and sites that we visited, about some of the wonderful people we met, and I learned how to ride a camel and an elephant!! (Well, maybe learned is not the right word, I guess I really just learned how not to fall off of them!) It was great!!!”
— Mark Nagelsmith