Having travelled to more than 80 countries in his lifetime, Doug Daniels of Canora said a two-week trip to India at the end of February was likely one the most fulfilling travel adventures he had ever experienced.
With 1.2 billion people, the second most-populated country in the world is known for its rich history, its architecture, its art, and a mosaic of cultures loosely tied to the four main religions being practiced: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. These are the aspects of travel which attract Daniels the most, as he was a professor of sociology at the University of Regina for about 30 years.
India has been on this life-long traveller’s radar for many years, and though he has been putting it off, he felt the country’s call to him more loudly each winter. More than a decade ago, his friend Pastor Greg Bright of Canora took his whole family to India for a year-long adventure. Involved in ministering and teaching, it was an opportunity to learn about the country’s rich heritage while visiting the country which was home to his wife, Carolyn, during her childhood. Bright’s experiences have been a source of inspiration to Daniels for a decade.
Before going to a new country, Daniels likes to prepare himself with as much research as possible. He finds that visiting a piece, or a place, of history provides a much greater appreciation if he already has been acquainted through research.
In his late teens when bitten by the travel bug, he had learned how to see and experience a country “on the cheap.” This is the first time that he treated himself to a deluxe experience and he quickly discovered that retiring for the night to a five-star hotel is a lifestyle to which he could easily become accustomed. Another prime difference to this travel experience was joining a group of mature, well-traveled individuals each of whom shared similar experiences in their younger years. The only difference was that he likely was the only one in the group who had experienced “travel on the cheap.”
The tour was booked through Insight Vacations. Included in the group were three American couples, two Canadian couples, a single Australian woman and a single American woman. He never met any of his new friends-to-be until landing in Delhi. To get there, he flew from Regina to Toronto and then took a non-stop flight to Delhi. It wasn’t lost on him that the flight path took him over Eastern Ukraine and Afghanistan.
At the Indira Ghandi International Airport, he and other members of the tour group became acquainted at a five-star hotel. The tour really began the next morning with a rickshaw ride through the Chandi Chowk bazaar in Old Delhi.
Having been greeted to India by an ultra-modern city, it was an opportunity to quickly see the contrast with the country’s heritage, Daniels said.
History quickly came alive just observing the magnificent architecture common to the whole country, he said. In Delhi, there were quick visits to destination places such as the Red Fort, the Mahatma Ghandi memorial, Jama Masjid (India’s largest mosque), the Qutub Minar, and seeing the India Gate and Parliament House while on a drive to the Tomb of Humayun.
The next day, the group boarded a flight to Nepal, identified by the tour guide as a “mystical country nestled in the folds of the Himalayas.”
Day 5 provided the opportunity to explore Durbar Square and the ancient royal palace complex – an area laced with a myriad of temples, courtyards, statues and the “home of Kumari” who is the “living goddess.” At stop after stop, the group visited historic shrines, temples, statues and even a Tibetan handicraft centre. While visiting other historic spots in the area, Daniels said it was nice seeing the Himalayan mountain range on the horizon.
There was so much history at every turn, it was easy to experience overload, said Daniels. There was the Pashupatinath Temple on the banks of the Bagmati, one of the Hindu’s holiest shrines. Then there was Bodhnath, a colossal stupa and Nepal’s most important Buddhist Site. That day ended with a visit to the ancient capital of Bhadgaon, the main square containing innumerable temples and architectural showpieces.
Day 7 took the tour group to a new leg of the journey, which was to Varanasi, “the oldest living city in the world.”
The main attraction to Varanasi, was witnessing and having a special spiritual experience at the holy Hindu Aarti ceremony on the riverside steps of the Ganges River, said Daniels. It is mainly this area that makes the Ganges a holy site and an attraction to people around the world. It can be considered the main promoter of the teachings of re-incarnation doctrine. A part of this belief system involves the cremation of the deceased on the banks of the Ganges. Each day, there is an elaborate Sundown Ceremony, followed the next morning by a Sunrise Ceremony. For the morning ceremony, tourists from around the world can be seen on boats in the Ganges River to get a better view.
There was a visit to the Sarnath, which is a park where the Buddha was to have preached his first sermon.
One of the most memorable experiences was at Khajurano, a temple complex that is considered one of “India’s seven wonders.” Originally built on a 20-sq./km. site, there were 85 temples constructed in a project that began in 950 and was completed in the 12th century. Time has taken its toll and there are only about 20 temples left and the complex area was reduced to about six sq./kms.
The majesty of the temples is so fantastic that it has to be seen and experienced to be understood, said Daniels. The Hindu and Jain temples are celebrated worldwide for their intricate and erotic carvings.
Day 10 took the group to Jhandi and a visit to the citadel at Orchha, which contains grand 16th century palaces and temples.
It was finally on Day 11, that the members of the tour group visited the Taj Mahal, a site about which everyone knew at least something, Daniels said. It is these world-famous sites that often can be the most anti-climatic but that was definitely not the case here.
He went to India to experience the architecture and the Taj Mahal exceeded anything he imagined and he now feels it was the most impressive site he has ever seen in his life. In flawless marble symmetry, the memorial utilized design, architecture, colour and the use of space is used to produce an atmosphere that he had never experienced before.
In the final days of the tour, the group visited Fatehpur Sikri, a deserted city full of architectural wonder and then the City of Jaipur, which is known as the “Pink City” because it was constructed largely from pink sandstone. The final major stop was at Amber Fort, a royal palace decorated with intricate ivory carvings, mother of pearl, mirrors, glass and exquisite paintings.
Following a very long flight back to Canada, Daniels arrived home on February 28.
Why travel?
When asked why he loves to travel, Daniels spoke about a sentiment raised by Rick Steeves, a PBS TV travel blogger, who says travel can be described as the best way to broaden one’s mind and appreciate other people.
In 1962, while in Grade 12 with the air cadet program, he was selected for an exchange visit to England.
Daniels said that’s when he caught the travel bug and he wanted to travel every year since. Shortly after he had earned his bachelor of arts degree, he spent much of 1966 and 1967 working his way and hitchhiking across Europe and North Africa. Using youth hostels, he learned to live on less than $3 per day while seeing sites around the world. He traveled through much of the Middle East and Southern Africa. He has visited Australia in the south and Siberia in the north as well as many countries in the Far East. Having visited more than 80 countries, Daniels said he has really seen most of the world.
After returning from India, Daniels says he has no real urge to see any other countries in the near future, but he doesn’t doubt that the time will come when the travel bug will again direct him to other destinations around the world.
