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Mughal India: its massive stone Red Fort, mosque, Sikh temple and marble memorial to Ghandi. Later, the night sky lit up with Diwali. Nov 04 - Tour New Delhi, once Britain's imperial capital: Humayun's Tomb and the 12th century 73m brick tower, Qutub Minar. Bus through farming countryside to Jaipur. Nov 05 - Elephant-back uphill to the opulent, Rajput styled Amber Fort. The Pink City boasts gem and jewellery artisans, also an ancient astronomy (and astrology) observatory. Nov 06 - To Abhaneri's 20m deep stepwell, a walk-down rain reservoir, and the village's typical absence of personal privacy. Rickshaw ride to Bharatpur bird sanctuary. Nov 07 - Bus to red sandstone ruins at Fatehpur Sikri, then on to Agra and the sublime white- marbled Taj Mahal. |
Nov 08 - Visit Agra Fort and a marble inlay workshop. Return by bus to Delhi to end the Golden triangle tour. Nov 09 - 3 hour flight to Kochi, a large southern port city. Attend a performance of Kathakali, Kerala's traditional stylized dance-drama. Nov 10 - Tour Fort Kochi (the historic old city) and visit Chinese fishing nets, Vasco da Gama's tomb, Cochin synagogue, a Dutch palace. Tortuous bus ascent of the Western Ghats, via spice gardens, to Munnar. Nov 11 - Munnar is a cool-climate hill station. See tea plantations and forest elephants. Attend a performance of fierce traditional martial arts. Nov 12 - Bus descent of the Ghats to Alleppey, board a 'converted' rice boat and cruise the Kerala Backwaters, sleeping afloat overnight. Nov 13 - Disembark the houseboat at Kumarakom, a lush canal-crossed village of rice fields and coconut palms fringing the vast Vembanad Lake. Nov 14 - Auto rickshaw into Kottayam, trading centre for rubber, spices. Later, a sunset cruise. Nov 15 - Bus to Kochi. Souvenir shopping - lungis, sarees, batiks ... Nov 16 - Flight out of Kochi, and India. Next travel leg: Muscat in Oman, across the Arabian Sea. |
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