I arrived in India for the first time, then realised my packing mistake
She's travelled the world but this globetrotter had never been to India - until now. Here she shares her whirlwind tour highlights, and the packing lesson she learnt on day one.
Lifestyle
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My travel wardrobe is almost exclusively black. It’s a utilitarian choice for city sightseeing, but one that makes me seem like a sulky teenage goth when it comes to Holi, the Hindu Festival of Colour celebrating the start of spring.
Thankfully, Ajay and Kamal, the Abercrombie & Kent guides leading my tour of India, immediately find a solution to my packing fail. A pristine white kurta and churidar – the traditional knee-length cotton tunic and close-fitting pants worn by the locals – arrive at my hotel room just in time for me to dress for the festivities.
Locals celebrate, or “play Holi”, in their own homes and neighbourhoods, but the event I attend is in the garden of the Leela Palace hotel in New Delhi. It’s easier to spot the other first-timers as, like me, they’re curious and cautious, unsure of what to do and exactly how the festivities take shape.
As soon as the veterans throw the first handfuls of gulal – a fine powder the consistency of talc found in bowls around the venue – every inhibition evaporates. In seconds there’s a rainbow explosion as the crowd starts hurling fluorescent colour-bombs at one another, instantly turning us from a blank canvas to Jackson Pollock masterpiece.
Mix food, drinks and loud, raucous music and the occasional water balloon or super-soaker into the equation and Holi just seems like an excuse to have a party. But with its origins in a story of the triumph of good over evil, the spiritual benefits are genuine. What looks like cartoon fireworks is a playful interaction for families, an exuberant way to release stress, or a path to truce for quarrelsome friends or neighbours.
It’s the most bonkers and exhilarating first day in a country I’ve ever had and a prelude to the beautiful chaos that’s to come.
The dream: Visit India
It seems to me there are travellers who went to India during their intrepid, backpacking 20s, those with zero interest, and others, myself included, on the other side of middle age (just!) who dream of visiting but have no clue where to begin in a country so big, diverse and populous.
Abercrombie & Kent has tackled the too-hard basket by including me on a taster trip designed to show off a handful of highlights of the country and the essence of the 63-year-old luxury travel brand. My stay is five nights only, with additional nights on the A&K-owned Crystal Symphony from Mumbai to Colombo in Sri Lanka, but longer options can be tailor-made.
Stay: The Leela Palace, New Delhi
First, some clarity on the word “palace”. In India, it’s not just a royal residence but a large, opulent house akin to a mansion, or the name of a purpose-built hotel. To confuse things a little more, the word mahal also means palace or mansion.
The Leela Palace New Delhi is in the lavish hotel category designed in the Indian-Neoclassical fusion style of Edwin Lutyens. The English architect stamped his style on the city in the early 20th century, the time of the British Raj, designing multiple landmarks including the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the president, and the India Gate war memorial.
My suite is both decadent and cosy, glowing with bronze brocade soft furnishings, gilded frames, and copious marble. The public spaces are extravagantly decorated with a mix of antique and modern mirrors, sculptures and paintings of Indian deities and royalty. Colour pops from every surface with vase after vase of fresh flowers, all of which are recycled to create Tishya, the Leela’s signature toiletries and incense fragrance.
Tour note: The food-obsessive in me is excited to eat all the curry, dahl, breads, chutney, dosa, bhaji, raita and so forth that India has to offer, but with my appetite to taste the local cuisine/spices comes the spectre of Delhi belly. A&K’s choice of high-end hotels and restaurants, plus our general diligence with handwashing and bottled water, mean no one succumbs.
Marvel: The Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Legend has it that when Mumtaz Mahal (another mahal!) died giving birth to her 14th child, her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, was so devastated his beard went white overnight. He dealt with his heartbreak by commissioning the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum so meticulously executed it took 22 years to build; close to four centuries later more than seven million people visit each year.
The monument is based on Indo-Islamic architecture, its dome and minarets, and the surrounding arched gates and charbagh garden, engineered with such mathematical precision that from whatever angle you view it, it is perfectly symmetrical.
A&K caters to our awe of the Taj Mahal by customising the schedule to include both sunrise and sunset visits. The changing light reveals different characteristics of the marble and the precious and semi-precious gem inlays. In the evening it has a golden shimmer; come morning it’s pretty shades of pastel blue.
Professional photographers roam the 17 ha area touting to take souvenir portraits of visitors. Your instinct may be to say no, but this is a legit service worth engaging. They really do know where to get the best pics of you and the monument from the optimum angles. Ajay, our guide, facilitates the process and I end up with three prints for a grand total of $10; the money only changed hands when I chose my prints.
The Taj Mahal is the prime reason to visit Agra, which along with New Delhi and Jaipur is part of India’s golden triangle of tourism, but make time to see the Red Fort, another fine example of Mughal architecture and history.
Tour note: The most illustrious trait of the Oberoi Amarvilas hotel in Agra is every single room has a view of the Taj Mahal (albeit in the distance), but based on a brief hotel tour, everything about this A&K-preferred property is superb. The maximalist decor has its roots in traditional Indian folk art and craft with bright colours, Islamic girih patterns on tiles and furniture, and lush tiered garden and pool with jewel-coloured umbrellas.
Discover: The landmarks of Jaipur, Rajasthan
A day in Jaipur and it’s all about palaces, this time of the actual royal variety. We start with a tour of the Amber Palace (a hotspot for wedding photographs), then to the City Palace’s Diwan-e-Khas Hall of Private Audience (a hotspot for Insta posts), a blushing beauty of a structure fit for a maharani. The Rajput architecture at each features elaborate arched arcades, ornamental lattice jalis, and domed pavilions known as chhatris. We see the famed honeycomb Hawa Mahal, its exterior the exemplar of the city’s signature pink hue, but the clock is ticking so we skip the visit and save it for next time.
Next there’s the Jantar Mantar, a centuries-old open-air observatory, which looks like a modern sculpture garden but is an astronomical wonder with massive sundials telling the time as accurately as a modern watch. In between we eat a thali platter of local dishes at RajRasa restaurant, have our horoscopes read by Astro Nancha, and make a mad dash through the markets where I load up on textiles and jewellery.
Tour note: The A&K team takes us through Jaipur from hotel to coach to jeep, on foot through the streets, shops and monuments and back again. We’re expertly passed like batons in an Olympic relay, a seamlessness that would be near impossible for a DIY traveller to execute.
Stay: The Leela Palace Jaipur
The stay at magical Leela Palace Jaipur begins with a shower of red rose petals, a chorus of “namaste” and a marigold haar, a flower garland similar to a lei and concludes with the Leela Jaipur skyrocketing to my top 10 hotels of the world.
My villa is a confection of plum, peach and apricot hues layered with silk and velvet soft furnishings embroidered with glass beads and metallic threads. The private courtyard has a cooling plunge pool and tented superking-size daybed. The grounds are a maze of lush gardens, ornate arches and a pavilion adorned with pretty Rajput patterns. The interior bars and lounges are OTT lavish, with entertainment by bejewelled dancers in colourful ghagra choli accompanied by sitar, sarangi and tabla music.
The jewel in the crown is the Mohan Mahal specialty Indian restaurant. Inspired by the mirrored mosaicked rooms of Mohgul palaces, the space is lit entirely by candles, the flickering flames reflected on the silver tiles like diamonds.
Tour note: The Leela exemplifies India’s renown for ultra-luxury hotels and A&K’s planning, and following a heady, hectic day of touring it’s the perfect balm.
Conclusion: I’ll be back
My Indian adventure is brief but captivating, and I’m especially tickled by Jaipur’s blushing beauty, but beyond the star attractions, a desire to return is mostly piqued by observing everyday life. Herds of motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, packed buses, and fearless pedestrians share the city with street-food vendors, barbers cutting hair on the roadside, and people – so many people. Add cows, monkeys and stray dogs to the mix and the streetscape is a never-ending documentary.
One moment I’m struck by the frequently rundown buildings and casually discarded rubbish, then the kaleidoscope image of a woman in a vibrant saris flutters past. I see a rich country one second, a poor one the next; fascinating examples of ancient history, art, religion, and culture followed by immense social and political tension or commercial development in the modern day. It’s the kind of thought-provoking, sensory experience that travel is all about.
The whirlwind trip only skims the surface, but it’s enough to make me want to come back to India again and again.
The writer was a guest of Abercrombie & Kent. The eight-day Taj Mahal and the Palaces of Rajasthan tour starts from $6695 per person twin share.
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