India Diwali Festival - November 2023 - Hostess RoundUp - Denise Moore

Oh Wow! Nothing prepares you for the assault on the senses! The colours, flavours, sounds and smells are all there, all the time. Indian women are full of colour, Indian streets full of sounds and smells and Indian food - absolutely delicious. Our Magical Trip exceeded all expectations and the girls embraced every monument, mosque, temple, fort and long drive with such enthusiasm and positivity - it made my heart sing. Our travels took us to The Holy City of Varanasi where we observed people bathing in The Ganges and we witnessed the daily Hindu Ceremonies as well as the daily cremations. From there we travelled to Agra, where we marvelled in total awe at The Taj Mahal, only to be seen to be believed - it exudes love, perfection and tranquility. Onwards we travelled in our bus to Ranthanbhore National Park where two tigers were spotted in close proximity as well as other fabulous wildlife species and we luxuriated in our fabulous accommodation. From here , we arrived in Jaipur, The Pink City. and enjoyed a sumptuous High Tea ( Indian Style and had a ball Sari shopping in preparation for our Diwali Celebrations. We interacted with elephants and learned how they are well looked after in their retirement.

The family who hosted us for Diwali could not have been more welcoming and we all felt very much part of their bubbly and engaging family and we even did a bit of Bollywood! Jaipur was so interesting and so pretty and we threw ourselves into its ancient history and culture. Our travels took us to Jodhpur where we shopped like locals in the chaotic markets and dodged tuk tuks and motorbikes and TJ, our guide, bought us all Royal Samosas, allegedly the best in all of Rajasthan - we agreed wholeheartedly! From here we went to peaceful and beautiful Narlai where our accommodation was luxury with a capital L and here we saw 3 magnificent leopards - we were so excited. Our final stop was Udaipur where we really enjoyed the peaceful lakes of this beautiful city. We dodged Delhi Belly, shopped liked locals, ate with gusto and all fell totally head over heels in love with India. What a group of amazing, adventurous and supportive women - I can't thank you enough for being so open-minded, fun-loving and supportive of each other.

Namaste! 

Denise - Hostess