Catching up with Wanderlust and Lipstick!

I Caught up with Beth and her friends on the last leg of their India experience. As twelve excited women recounted their experiences over a sumptuous meal at Karim’s I experienced a moment of revelation and bonding. Their program included the India essentials- Golden Trangle with Varanasi in tow. The women, from all over the United States, enjoyed their trip tremendously. They loved the boat rides in Varanasi, riding into the sunset on a camel in Jaisalmer, the camel race in Pushkar, the unparalleled Taj Mahal, the opium ceremony in Bishnoi village and the lanes of Chandni Chowk.

Varanasi was the biggest hit as the women got a chance to explore the city on foot and the high point was a local musical performance that they chanced upon in one of the lanes. The boat ride on the Ganga had its fans too but they were divided over the sunrise ride versus the sunset one. The boat ride at sunrise offered them a glimpse of devotees offering their morning prayers and a serene atmosphere.Though for most the frenzy of the evening prayers seemed awesome and something almost unreal. Pushkar was the shopper’s paradise. A football match between the locals and the tourists was something they found quite adorable. The Opium ceremony at Bishnoi village was an interesting experience too. They noted how the men had glazed expressions of addicts while the women were the ones who did all the work. When they mentioned the black buck I told the girls about Salman Khan’s misadventures in Bishnoi. Well the group had many Bollywood fans! Quite a surprise for me!

In all these adventures, an interesting bit was their unanimous appreciation for their female guide in Varanasi. A girl doing her PhD in bio chemistry conducted them through this mysterious and holy city. Apart from partaking of her repository of information, the women really enjoyed the chance of getting the female perspective on things. The chance to share experiences and swap stories with a woman from a very different world was part of their India experience. Later they enjoyed talking to the girls from WOW who went with them to explore Old Delhi. For instance the perennial problem of the staring Indian male, boy friends, marriage and the changing facets of femininity world over, were all discussed. This is when I realized that even though we all belonged to different continents, there were essentially female experiences that bound us together allowing us to instantly connect. This is not to say that they did not have a blast with their male guide in Delhi whom they all fondly called GK!The whole experience got them excited about India and they are planning another trip here.

Next year they will head to the South of India for some sun, fun and avial! I do hope WOW continues to help in making all-women-travel an international phenomenon, and women from all over the world continue to bond, connect and share their experiences. For I do firmly believe that the most interesting part about travelling is the new people you interact with and the experiences you gain and share!