Good news for all those interested in travel to Tibet!

According to the local government, foreigners are once again able to apply for Tibetan travel permits as of today, March 30th, 2012!

So to travelers and adventurous spirits:  what are you waiting for?  Get moving on your travel plans to this beautiful region!

If anything, the yak will be glad to see you :)

--From the Red.travel team

 

Heading to Tibet?  You know the Red.travel team has your back!  Check out our "Kailash Mountain Trek," "Tibet 8 Days tour," and "Chengdu & Tibet:  Shades of China" tours!

Riding in a tuk-tuk in New Delhi.  Visible in the left mirror, me taking a picture with my red camera; on the right, one of my friends takes in the scenery. 

Hello all!

AT last, the thrilling conclusion to this three-part, Indian adventure!

So far, we've marveled at the ever-beautiful Taj Mahal, fixed tires on dusty roads, and ascended to a Maharaja's fort on elephant's back.

At this point in the trip, we were all having a hard time imagining just what else could be in store for us as we traveled to the nation's capital, New Delhi...

 

On the road, again

Never a dull moment:  two colorfully-dressed women catch a ride on a jeep... and can you spot the woman working in the field?

While transits between cities can sometimes be tedious, the landscape between Jaipur and Delhi never ceases to offer up beautiful and interesting scenes...

 

Welcome to New Delhi!

Hundreds and hundreds of cars, seemingly coming out of nowhere, wait in crazy long lines to pay their way into the capital.  

Arriving in Delhi was an unforgettable experience.  While we'd pretty much always been surrounded by people, the traffic at the toll plaza into Delhi was still an overwhelming sight--and that's coming from a native New Yorker!  

 

Sights and sounds 

Beauty and Silence:  The Lotus Temple

Left:  The Lotus Temple up close, with it's reflecting pool;  Top Right:  Two families take in the sunlight on the steps facing the temple and pool;  Bottom Right:  A woman adjusts her sari as she exits the Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple is one of New Delhi's most famous sights.  Completed in 1986, the building--actually a Baha'i House of Worship--attracts an estimated 4.5 million visitors a year!  It's architecture is based on the lotus, India's national flower.

Three of us decided to make our way up to the temple, in what would prove to be one of the most interesting experiences of the trip.  Entering the building, we were confronted with total and complete silence.

Silence?  In India?  The contrast was surprising, to say the least!

Other Delhi Scenes...

A passerby find himself accidentally in front of my lens in Old Delhi, also known as Shahjahanabad.  Built by Shah Jahan (the man who commissioned the Taj Mahal), Old Delhi is home to many small shops and a large spice market, where you can find just about every delicious flavor Indian cooking has to offer.

Left:  An exhibition showcasing the life and achievements of Mahatma Gandhi, written using both Devanagari (the written system used for Hindi) and English.  The comprehensive display is located in the gardens of his last residence--which, sadly, was also the place of his assassination on January 30, 1947.

Right:  The colorful Laxminarayan Hindu Temple, inaugurated by Gandhi in 1939 in honor of Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of wealth, and her consort Narayana (the Sanskrit name for Vishnu).  No cameras (or shoes!) allowed inside.

The tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun is one of Delhi's most famous attractions.  The beautifully crafted main structure and its surrounding complex--a UNESCO World Heritage site built in 1547--contain around 150 graves of ruling family members.

 

Tastes and Aromas:  Sugar and Spice, and Everything Nice

Here's something I forgot to mention-- I developed a very fat personality in India.  I'm talking capital F to the A to the T.

But it wasn't my fault!  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Simply put, Indian food is too delicious!  So what little self control I had built upon in previous months just fell to pieces in front of these amazing dishes: 

Savory...

Paneer Tikka at Khan Cha Cha, a hip, reasonably-priced eatery located at Khan Market, New Delhi.  Just order and pay, then grab your ticket and (im)patiently wait for your delicious order to be up!  

Cutlet, mango punch, whole wheat toast and butter on the train...on the train!

Delicious tandoori chicken, a veggie curry, and naan bread at a bar/restaurant near our hotel.

Lachha Tokri--I don't remember exactly what's in it, but it was super good!

 

Different nuts and spices being sold in Old Delhi... and, being American, we just couldn't resist India's answer to the Big Mac.  Since beef is banned in India, we were able to try this unique chicken "Maharaja Burger" at McDonald's, seasoned with Indian spices!

...and Sweet!

Gulab Jamun--this is something like fried doughnut holes soaked in a fragrant rose-infused honey syrup

 

Assorted sweets and goodies, topped with some sort of edible metallic-looking icing. On the right, kulfi!  Kulfi is a type of really thick and creamy ice cream--this one tasted like coconut and vanilla!

This is what really became my obsession:  Ras Malai!!!

Is that orange-flavored ice cream?  Nope--try saffron (yes, saffron!) ice cream with pistachios, probably one of the most delicious treats of the entire trip!

Snacks for everyone!  A rhesus macaque nibbles some peanuts on a sidewalk in Old Delhi.

 

Reluctantly, Time to Head Home

Sunset, January 27th, 2012, New Delhi = time for us to head on out!

All too quickly, it was time to head to the airport for our flight back:  back to Beijing, back to work, and back to our "regular" lives (as regular as life gets in China, anyway!).

It was a little bit sad to leave, but we knew we brought with us once-in-a-lifetime memories that we will carry for a long time.

This Golden Triangle tour through Agra, Jaipur, and New Delhi is really the perfect introduction for first-timers to India--from the breathtaking Taj Mahal, to the romantic, ochre landscapes of Rajasthan, and the hustle and bustle of the capital, New Delhi, we got to see it all.  Still, India is so huge and so varied that it seems like a place that you just need to keep coming back to in order to truly appreciate and understand it.

So as for my travels to India, I guess it's "namaste" for now... 

 

...but, like Mr. Schwarzenegger, I'll be back!

Want to start your discovery of the Indian Subcontinent?  E-mail us at booking@red.travel and we'll get you on your way!

 

<3<3  Hello all, and Happy Valentine's Day! 

As nice as it can be, there's something about February 14th that can feel a lot more like April 15th, America's dreaded yearly tax deadline.  I have known many friends (usually my guy friends) to completely forget about Valentine's Day, then break out in a cold sweat over what they could possibly organize at the last minute!

For those of you in a similar position out there, not to worry.

Red.Travel would like to propose a definitely decadent, ridiculously romantic getaway idea, right here in Beijing!:  spending a night at one of Beijing's most luxurious hotels, the Aman Resort at the Summer Palace.

What better gift than to escape together to a place where visitors to the Empress Dowager Cixi would patiently await their turn for an audience?

And the best part?  This 2-day, 1-night package is available until the end of March.

So, no need to rush!  When both of your schedules free up, plan a nice mini-break at the summer retreat of China's royal families past.

To learn more about this trip (and to see some more beautiful pictures of the resort), please see the Aman Resort Summer Palace Getaway on our website, Red.Travel.

And whatever you do, wherever you are, have a wonderful Valentine's Day! <3<3<3

On my way to sampling the culinary stylings of Beijing's Korean expat community, I came across this all-too-familiar scene:

At all times of day, lines stretch for the train ticketing offices across the city...

It's that time of year again: the Spring Festival travel rush!!!

Train ticketing agents are overloaded, handling holiday requests for what officials estimate may be over 200 million rail passengers! 

But it's not just the trains...

Beijing Capital International Airport saw 108,000 passengers--only on Sunday, that is.  According to a press release made by the airport, they are expecting a passenger volume exceeding 8.7 million people within the next 40 days!

Across the web, news agencies are hailing the Chinese New Year travel rush as 'the world's largest [yearly] human migration,' and rightfully so.  By some estimates, China will see upwards of 3.2 billion (yes, that's billion with a "b"!) passenger trips by air, land, rail, and water.

That's kind of a lot of people, even by China standards...

But it's no surprise:  Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, falls this year on January 23rd and is China's biggest and most important holiday of the year.  For many Chinese, it's the only time they return to their hometowns all year;  for many migrant workers, it can even be the only time they get to see their children.

For many others, it's all about leisure travel, both in and out of China.

With all of this movement, it's definitely a good idea to get your holiday 'ducks in a row,' so to speak, and finalize your travel plans as soon as you can.

So what will you do to mark this auspicious Year of the Dragon?  A trip to the Land of the Thunder Dragon, perhaps?  [you've got to admit, that would be oh-so-fitting :)  ]

Whatever your plans, Red.Travel will help you get going--and avoid the crazy lines!

Let's face it.  While necessary for international travel, passports and visas can be a major pain. With different countries having different rules for different nationalities--well, you can see how it can all seem confusing at times.

Here two important things to keep in mind when planning your next trip:

1.  Your passport's validity

Does it expire in 1 year?  5 years?  3 months?  This is important because most countries will deny you entry if your passport has less than 6 months validity.  

Countries that require 6 months validity include Brazil, Malaysia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Israel, Paraguay, Romania, and Singapore, among many others.

Headed to Cambodia, Denmark, Fiji, or Switzerland?  You may be in luck, as these countries only require that your passport be valid for 3 months.

2.  Blank pages in your passport

Typically, most countries will not issue a visa or grant entry to a person whose passport has 2 or less blank visa pages.  While some countries--such as Australia, Canada, India, and the UK--require that you apply for a brand new passport, US passport holders can simply go to their local American Embassy or Consulate and have extra pages added to their current passport (free of charge!).  

To know the exact rules for your passport, check your country's local passport issuing office.

--

So please, before you book the flight, plan your itinerary, and get excited for your next adventure,  avoid yourself some unnecessary hair-pulling and check your passport!  

Just a friendly reminder from your friends at Red.Travel!

( Want some more information about visas for citizens from your country?  Check out Wikipedia's database of visa-related information.)