India

Upon hearing of the Indian subcontinent ‘s wonders from trusted friends while playing a round of golf together, our client approached Nomads Secrets for advice.

As many would-be travellers to India, John voiced his apprehensions, fearing illness, culture shock, safety, and the uncertainty of enjoying the local cuisine. These natural trepidations were all very familiar to us. We gently coaxed him and his wife out of their fears by sharing details of how they would travel, who they would meet, and where they would stay. As their confidence grew, they invited selected friends to travel with them, but also requested for our founder Lucia, and photographer Tony Sernack, to lead their journey.

Our micro-group met in the historically rich surrounds of our hotel in Kolkata, a fitting prelude to our 20-day adventure. For the next 2½ weeks, our historian Sanik helped us trace the course of British colonial history, architect Sanjay showed us the secrets behind elegant Mughal architecture and Hindu priest Chandra guided us through complex rituals during our pre-arranged private poojas (purification rituals).

All the while we enjoyed many fun-filled moments. We ventured deep into Mukesh”s cavernous rooms filled with towering mounds of  tribal textiles, silver jewellery, dusty old  bronze and wrought-iron sculptures. We watched intricate folk dances in the halls of forts, enjoyed, tuk-tuk rides through the lanes of centuries-old towns and villages and chased tigers  across the jungles of Rajasthan. In the evening, we relaxed tasting the dishes of India’s culinary masters.

On our last night together, our final toast was to the real India we had just experienced vs the imagined one, conscious of how personal experience is so much more important than a vicarious one.