Travel Wishlist for First-time Travelers to India

Many Indian Americans have already circled the dates of important festivals and business events on the calendar to fly to India on, in 2014. Indian Eagle got in touch with some of them in the USA and Canada to know their New Year wishlists of travel in India. Karthik Naidu, one of our NRI customers in Miami, shares his wishlist with us.

Shopping for pearls in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is popularly nicknamed the “City of Pearls” in India and abroad. If Biriyani is a must taste, pearl is a must buy in the capital of the bygone Sultani era. Pearl is an integral part of the semi-precious jewellery that steals the show with travelers in the city. The Hyderabadi pearl is the purest find in the whole country. “I can’t afford to miss buying a pair of pearl earrings or pearl bangles in the City of Nawabs.”

Playing Holi in Shantiniketan

The Holi Festival is a colorful extravaganza celebrated with unlimited fun and frenzy the country over. Holi festival celebration is a distinct cultural statement in Shantiniketan, home to Visva Bharati University that the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had established in West Bengal. Girls dressed in yellow saris with green border, and boys dressed in yellow or white kurtas celebrate the festival of colors through folk music (mainly Rabindrasangeet, the songs composed by the Bard of Bengal) and dance. Mr. Naidu wishes to make Holi 2014 in India an experience to be cherished forever.

Having parathas & lassi in Amritsar

“Relishing the flavors of Punjab through bites of delectable parathas and sips of lip-smacking lassi in Amritsar is on my India travel wishlist 2014,” shares Mr. Naidu uninhibitedly. The mouthwatering taste of makki di roti (flat breads made from popcorn flour), aloo parathas (pan-fried flat breads stuffed with spiced potato mash), and lassi with cream (a curd special drink) makes travel to Amritsar a foodie’s delight.

Traveling by train in Konkan Region

The Konkan Railway is the lifeline of travel and transport in Konkan Region spreading over Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra states in India. The Konkan is a coastal stretch of land with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Sahyadri Hills to the east. The railway track, an engineering excellence in the face of geographical odds, runs through rolling valleys and soaring mountains of the region. A train journey in the Konkan region is like a flight to the Paradise. “Traveling on the Konkan Railway is a long-cherished wish of mine on the list of things to do in India.”

Listening to the Rajput stories in Rajasthan

“Since childhood I have been wishing to leaf through the history of Rajputs in Rajasthan. I am looking to fulfill this wish of mine in 2014,” says Mr. Naidu to Indian Eagle. Dotted with historic forts and palaces, the state of Rajasthan is a book of stories related to the Rajput kings of Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Mewar, Amer, Bikaner and Chittorgarh. The history of Rajasthan is a compilation of Rajput stories of bravery and chivalry, royalty and gallantry.

Strolling on the beaches of the Andamans

The Andaman and Nicobar, an archipelago of islands with pristine beaches, coral reefs, dense rainforests and mirror like waters, is the best of all seaside destinations in India. To be precise, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a paradise of natural beauty in the Bay of Bengal. Unlike the crowded beaches of India, the beaches of the Andamans retain purity and virginity. Of the things to do in the Andamans, strolling on the beaches in the solitude of peace during sunrise and sunset is a soulful delight. “I want to feel the warmth of sands and waters beneath my feet in the Andamans,” expresses Mr. Naidu eloquently.

Visiting the temples of Tamil Nadu

The history of Tamil Nadu ranging from the royal era to the Sultani age to the British period is treasured in the temples of the state. Dotted with temples of different times across Madurai, Mahabalipuram, Kanchi, Tanjore, Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu is righty nicknamed the state of temples in India. Built in such different empires as the Chola, the Chera, the Pallav, the Pandya and the Vijaynagar, the Shore Temple, the Meenakshi Temple, and the Brihadishwara Temple are a few eminent names. “I wish to visit the temples of Tamil Nadu and write a travelogue based on it,” Mr. Naidu brims with delight.

Exploring the Himalayan region of Leh

Leh is the largest town in Ladakh, a Himalayan region of mystic wonders including flora and fauna, folk music and dance, fairs and festivals in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakh is the highest plateau in this northernmost state of India, spanning from the Karakoram Range of mountains to the Himalayas. The Pangong Lake in the solitude of snow is a beautiful manifestation of nature in Leh. Another attraction of this place at the altitude of around 6,000 meters is the Ladakh Festival. “The thrill of exploring the unexplored always fascinates me. Therefore, my travel wishlist 2014 includes a visit to Leh in India,” says Mr. Naidu with exuberance.

Wandering in the tea estates of Assam

“I have watched the videos of a few Bollywood songs filmed in the sprawling tea estates and gardens of Assam at the Himalayan foothills in east India. Hope, 2014 will come with an opportunity for me to take a tea tour of Assam,” Mr. Naidu bares his mind to Indian Eagle. With most of the tea estates and gardens in the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam is the largest producer of tea in India. The flavor of Assam tea has traveled far away outside of India.

Booking the cheapest flight to India

“My New Year travel wishlist will meet with reality if IndianEagle.com offers me the lowest airfare to India. Booking the cheapest flight for my India tour is the first wish of mine that Indian Eagle fulfills every year. I am looking forward to having the same favor in 2014 too.”

We wish all the best to Karthik Naidu and our other NRI customers for their New Year travel wishlists.