what to wear Part 2- recommended shopping spots..

There a couple places in Noida which serves as a one stop for everything you'd require for a Bollywood wedding event.

Google the following websites for more info:
-The Great India Place
-Shipra Mall (also known as Shipra World. The Noida branch is known as Centrestage Mall)

There is another place in the heart of Delhi. If you are a fan of markets, extremely crowded places and bargaining as a sport, Connaught Place is recommended.

That's all ! :) We are about to catch our flight to India in an an hour. Bon voyage and safe journey ahead to everyone traveling. And to those still waiting for their visa we also hope you receive it in time. See you all very soon!

P/S: by the way, Mehndi (henna) will not be applied on the 8th December, but we will organize for someone (or a few) to do this on the afternoon-early evening on the 7th December at the Orange Pie Hotel. We will communicate more details via hotel reception regarding this.

If you can't be bothered with getting a local sim card, you can now book car rentals via hotel reception at the Orange Pie Hotel :)

a story on taj mahal...and agra trip details!

If you still have time to pick this up from the local book store and looking to squeeze in a bit of bed time (or upcoming plane ride) reading, I highly recommend A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time by Diana and Michael Preston. This book not only portrays an immense love story(and loss) that gave rise to the mesmerizing Taj Mahal, but it also provides a multi-faceted view of the rise and fall of the Mughal (Moghul) empire. It is definitely one of the more engrossing history books I have ever read. The authors have beautifully woven first-hand accounts in to a series of captivating chronicles. At the same time, it gives the reader the ability from their own perspectives of the different tales presented. Or if you prefer to be creative, it gives the readers plenty of room to use their imagination to envision what may have taken place based on the time.

I have once visited the Taj Mahal before reading this book, my memory has preserved it to be the breathtaking masterpiece. I wonder if it will still remain as beguiling as it is on postcards and as when I saw it for the first time. I also wonder if the comprehension of my newly acquired knowledge would have changed my impression of the monument if I were to visit it again. My admiration towards Shah Jahan's expression of love for Mumtaz Mahal has certainly grown. He was one of the only emperors that has depicted marriage as something more meaningful than simply a social obligation of the time. I agreed with the way he chose to overcome his loss with his indulgence in grand architecture but not so sure about the exhibition of his excessive behaviour that had increasingly magnified after the loss of his true love.

I believe perhaps the grotesque combination of it all had led to an abhorrent tragedy that had sparked from an unrequited love of Shah Jahan's son (Aurangzeb) for his father, eventually leading to the fall of the empire that was once dominant in India, with Aurangzeb as the last Mughal emperor.

That’s just my take on the book. I won't reveal any further so you can curl up with this book and form your own views about the stories presented. In fact I am somewhat more inclined to paying another visit to the Taj Mahal as it would now be more interesting to imagine the prominent characters that have once graced the site and its great surroundings.

I hope you are all looking forward to the upcoming Taj Mahal trip.

Event: Taj Mahal (Agra) Trip

Date: 8^th December, 2012 (early morning start) – same day as Sangeet

Details about the trip:

We have now organized a tour bus for about 35 people (pick up from Orange Pie Hotel in Noida). The journey to Agra will take approximately two hours one-way (perhaps a great time to read this book too). And possibly squeeze in the Red Fort since it is nearby.

Entrance fees for Taj Mahal: approximately 750 INR (about 15 AUD or USD)

Entrance fees for Red Fort (if time permits): 250 INR(about 5 AUD or USD) per person.

The fees go to the Archaelogical Society of India and the Agra Development Authority for maintenance of the monuments.

Lunch Stop: There will also be a stop at a nearby hotel to break for a lunch buffet.This will cost approximately 500 INR(10 AUD or USD) per person. All you can eat!

Clean food and water guaranteed here, I highly recommend the overseas guests to avoid getting a Delhi Belly by refraining street food indulgences, no matter how tempting they may appear…

Start time of the trip will be provided when the date draws nearer. We will most likely be communicating this through the Orange Pie hotel reception.

Thanks to all for your understanding regarding the date change of the trip(due to closure on Taj Mahal on the 7^th which had been the original date) to the same day as our Sangeet event. We wished (as some of you) we could have scheduled it earlier to the 6th instead but this would have affected a few keen Taj Mahal visitors who wouldn't have arrived in Delhi yet. We will be postponing the Sangeet by an hour anyway so there will be ample time to get ready for the event after returning from the Taj Mahal trip. It will be a jam-packed day but it will be possible and the sights will be worth it. Abhishek and I regret that we won't be joining the Taj Mahal trip as we will be busy with wedding preparations. 

I’ll stop right here to give you all a bit of time to sink in all of this information if you’ve made it this far in to the blog post… before I return with a shopping post shortly. We hope that preparations for your upcoming trip are going smoothly.

hailing a taxi in delhi...

...that's one way of getting around Delhi, but Abhishek's dad has come back with a more convenient and comfortable suggestion. Now that Abhishek's previous blog post has perhaps sparked your interests in exploring Delhi, you are probably wondering what the best way is to get around all the different hot spots.

The taxi charges for the day will work out as follows:

1. Indigo Car - 4 passengers with driver

80 km for 8 hrs, Price: 1350 INR

additional KM are charged @13.5 km and additional time @60/hr

A rough estimate for a day's travel is about 120 km for 12 hrs. Accordingly estimated outgo can be worked out.

2. INNOVA Car - 5-6 passengers with driver

80 km for 8 hrs, Price: 1850 INR

additional KM are charged @18.5 km and additional time @70/hr

Feel free to use the Currency Converter by clicking here if you wish to convert the price to your local currency. 

In a nutshell, it's an awesome deal and I think it's one of the more comfortable ways of exploring Delhi.

Abhishek's dad will come back with a contact number for these cabs which you can call while you are in India.

Also for the technology savvy people who can't live without their mobile phones but wish to minimize expensive global roaming costs, getting a local sim card in India may be a viable option. Click the following link from TripAdvisor it will take you to a forum with FAQ regarding sim cards in India. Apparently these are readily available to at the international airport upon arrival. Otherwise you should also be able to purchase these in shopping malls and convenient stores.

Back to transportation, the best way to get from the airport to your hotel in Noida (i.e. Orange Pie or Radisson) is to use the Meru Cab service. Meru Cabs is a privately operated pre-paid taxi company, there should be a booth at the airport where you can book your taxi upon arrival. 

Click on the following link from Meru Cabs website to check out what the fare structure would look like. It would cost approximately 1000-1500 INR from the Delhi airport to your hotel in Noida, it varies depending on whether you are travelling during the day or night. You can read more about the company on the given link, but you do not have to book online. It should be easy enough to obtain a Meru cab from the airport booth.

Will be back shortly with the contact numbers for the rental car options above. And a shopping blog post by Abhishek too...this weekend, we hope. Not long to go now :)  we are amazed at a couple of people who is also able to attend at the last minute. Please let us know if you have any questions about anything. We are excitedly counting down the days till we see all of our wedding attendees :)