Day 23 & 24 – Jaipur – Dehli

Saturday 22nd August, 2026

Another late start today as some of our group were booked in for a balloon ride. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to high wind.

We left the hotel just after 10:30am for the long drive back to Dehli, estimated to be 6 hours, plus a stop for lunch and we arrived around 18:30. Back to the same hotel from where we started this leg of our tour. Of course that meant it was our final farewell dinner for this group, with only 8 of us going onto Nepal tomorrow.

Reflections of India

Generally happy people

Rubbish and litter is a real problem, but not much graffiti

Traffic - chaotic ! Continuous honking of horns - glad we didn't have to drive here, and crossing the road is absolutely crazy.

Big distances to travel between attractions

Impressed by the preserved monuments and buildings here with so many architectural influences - Hindu, Muslim, Moghuls, Maharajas, and British

Food - fantastic and cheap - have not been disappointed.

Lots of poverty and homeless on the streets. We were always advised never to give to the beggars as it just encourages them to keep begging.

There is an occasional sweeping of rubbish around businesses and then the cows are found eating the rubbish.

No western style supermarkets, only fruit and veg sold at separate stalls in a market, or on the roadside.

Street dogs everywhere and heard barking into the night.

Sunday 23rd August, 2026

Transit day today. Bus to airport at 7.00 am giving us plenty of time to check and for flight at 11:10.

Unfortunately, one of our group fainted and hit her mouth on the floor knocking one tooth out and dislodging two. She was taken off for medical treatment, but cleared to fly with us. She had been suffering from a fever and stomach upset for a couple days.

We were over eight in our check on luggage which was limited to 20kg per bag, just over 3 kilos over between us. We removed a couple of packing cells from Graeme's bag and took them with our carry on.

Smooth flight, clouded over so no view of the Himalayans as we passed. A few problems with our visas again but re-applied while there.

Checked in to a lovely hotel in Kathmandu, had a group meeting as we have a new tour leader and some new people joining our tour here. Went out for a local walk both in the afternoon and after dinner without new CEO.