A Window to the Kaleidoscope

Namaste!

Welcome to our travel blog to magical country - India.
Those are things you need to know before going there.

First of all, you, as Canadian, must have those documentations to enter the country.

• Passport: Valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit India. The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of your expected departure from India.
• Visa: All travelers with visas valid for more than 180 days must register, within 14 days of arrival, with the local office of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) in Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, or Chennai, and with the Superintendent of Police in all other districts. Holders of tourist visas can only stay in India for up to 180 consecutive days, even when the vailidity of the visa exceeds 180 days. After this period, it is mandatory to exit the country and respect a 2 month waiting period before re-entering.

For more information, Visit here

When arriving at airport in India, you will want to exchange some money to Indian Rupee (RS) which is the currency of India. The exchange rate from the Indian Rupee and the Canadian dollar is 1 Indian Rupee = $0.02 Canadian.

There are two official languages in India; Hindi and English. So you will not have much difficulty to talk to local people, maybe when beating the price at the market?

Want some uniqueness of India? Here you go!
For accommodation, you might want to try those.

• Tree House accommodation in Bandhargarh
• Jungle lodge located in Satpura tiger reserve
• Ecotourism homestay accommodations in Nilgri hills

For transportation, those are what bring more than 1 billion of people in India.

• Auto rickshaw: Asmall three wheeled taxi.
• Rail/Trams: Very popular way to travel through all of India. Trains transport about 18 million passengers daily.
• Horse pulled buggie (“Victorian”): Afancy carriage pulled by horses

The transport system in India is doing a great job by easing the pain of covering vast expanse of land.

Auto rickshaw:

india-train

Now we provide some local etiquette and customs which are important to know when visiting the country.

• You should avoid your left hand coming into contact with food or any objects that you pass to people. The left hand is considered to be unclean in India as it's used to perform matters associated with going to the bathroom.
• Make sure to remove your footwear when visiting a place of worship or mausoleum. Some temples in India will not even allow you to carry leather articles inside. You can deposit them in the temple cloakroom and collect it on your way out.

If you want to learn more about etiquettes and customs of India, have a look at this website.

India is a paradise for all shoppers! They have everything you want, with cheap price. – At the end, the problem is how you bring them all back home!
One of the shopping districts in India is Dilli Haat, in Delhi. You will be able to find Handicrafts and Jewelry/clothes as popular souvenirs from India. The major material of clothes is silk.

Indian Handcrafts

Indian Jewelry

Indian Shawls

During your stay in India, you should try bunch of Indian foods and beverages. Indian food is a perfect blend of various culture and ages. They have vegetarian cuisine as well.

• Indian Curry: A stew made with a variety of spices, usually eaten with rice. It is popular in many Asian countries.
• Malai Kofta: A vege-balls in a thick sauce, made with naan or rice.
• Lassi: A yogurt-based drink with milk or water and spices.

Indian curry

Malai Kofta

Lassi

If you want to try cooking Indian foods, this website might help you.

This is map of region. India is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories as shown.

India region map

This is a map of how our jorney will go through India.

Our Journey

A – New Delhi
B – Jaipur
C – Agra
D – Lucknow
E – Varanasi
F – Mumbai

The Baha’i House of Worship

Lotus Temple1

Also known as the Lotus Temple, it is a public worship temple for all religions and was completed in 1986. Not only is it the most visited places on earth it also stands for a positive message. The Bahai’i Faith is a world religion whose purpose is to unite all races and people together with one universal Cause and one common Faith. The temple has received many internationally recognized awards throughout the world.