Discover Yourself As You Discover India

November 11 – December 3, 2014

Below you will find:

A Message From Monique

A Message From Martin

A message from Monique:

The enigma that is India could pose challenges for the first time visitor unless under the care of expert guides. We have expert guides in Martin and Carol Noval. With plans to travel around the world, Martin and Carol both ended up in India at the same time. They fell in love with each other and with the country. Their hearts were captured and they never left. They have been exploring India for 40 years and together have used their Sacred Gifts to create customized, unique one of a kind magic carpet rides. I met Martin and Carol when I was in India in 2004 and I always felt safe, comfortable and lovingly looked after. They truly exemplify the Sacred Gifts of hospitality and cultural integration along with their other gifts of knowledge, teaching, organizing and planning.

When I travelled with them they were equally comfortable bringing us into the most sacred of ceremonies as they were navigating us through the busiest, bustling bazaar. They have gone above and beyond to put together an itinerary that I know will leave you forever changed. Travelling with a group of like hearted individuals is an experience like no other.

Whatever you need from the trip, India can deliver.

Monique

P.S. The notations in the itinerary in blue italics like this are my own thoughts and comments. Below the itinerary are the terms, payment schedules and other important logistical information. There are 3 simple steps to ensure you are with me on this journey. First start with the journey in your heart by reading the itinerary.

A message from Martin: A trip to discover India is also a trip into discovering yourself. India is like a mirror; it reflects you. What you encounter in India is yourself. From time immemorial, that has been its attraction. More than this, the reflection that India provides is not a passive but a transformative one; this is a place that fundamentally enriches all who come to her. This is why a trip to India is so powerful, so profound, for it is said that India dissolves structures, especially psychological structures, and provides an opening towards transcending them.

Such transformations are not solemn or dull; rather they are suffused with joy and a spirit of play. India is a country that doesn’t take itself too seriously; it is a place of fun and frolic, and this is intrinsic to its profound wisdom. And so one of the main objectives of this trip, in addition to learning and transformation, is to have a great time.

Itinerary

Nov 11th – Travel Day – This is a travel day from your city of departure making your way to Delhi, capital of India. There is a hotel room available to you for the night of the 11th in Delhi at the beautiful Lalit Hotel to rest up. Note that because of the time difference, you may have to leave on the 10th to arrive by the 12th.

Nov 12th – Arrive in Delhi – Our tour starts officially at noon however if you have arrived on the 11th your breakfast at the hotel will be included.

Nov 12th – 13th – Delhi – a few of the many things we will see

New Delhi, the capital of India, is a gracious city of broad tree-lined avenues, gardens, parks and English colonial “bungalows” (actually sprawling mansions set amid spacious landscaped estates). Here and there are tombs of kings and nobles of the many Muslim dynasties that ruled here, most of them in gardens representing the paradise in which the deceased now dwell.

In the center of the city is the great imperial British planned capital with domed buildings, a triumphal arch and the enormous Presidential (formerly the Viceroy’s) palace, all of uniform design and color set amid acres of lawn and numerous reflecting pools.

In Connaught Place, New Delhi’s central shopping district, stands a Hindu temple dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman. His image is said to have been self-created, and it is one of the most sacred spots in Delhi.

But this modern, vibrant capital is made up of diverse layers. Scratch its surface and numberless ancient worlds reveal themselves. The 12^thcentury Qut’b Minar (a World Heritage site), was the ancient world’s tallest victory tower and is the site of India’s oldest mosque. This complex of monuments resonates with spirituality, for the tower is in fact a cosmic axis, a power place where the center of the universe becomes visible on the surface of the earth and where individuals can come to reach the center of their own being.

Imagine yourself standing in that place taking a moment to pause and meditate and feel the powerful energy.

A Visit to Old Delhi – Old Delhi lies to the north and is a striking contrast to the spacious, green new city. A crowded maze of streets and lanes, its bazaars are stocked with the necessities as well as the luxuries of life from spices to fireworks, chemistry laboratory equipment to traditional perfume oils, wedding decorations and costumes to optical instruments.

We will see Old Delhi from a unique perspective. All your senses will be activated.

Rising out of the warren of streets that is the old town and set on a natural hillock is the great Jama Masjid, the Friday Mosque, one of the world’s largest.

It is a wonderful construction of domes, arched gateways and minarets; and it is a spiritual space: floating, amorphous and non-directional, illustrating in stone the Islamic idea of the omnipresence of God.

In contrast, richly decorated with gold and marble, is a Jain Hindu temple. Its numerous shrines contain statues of the 24 Jain teachers or tirthankaras (literally those who make possible a crossing over from our mundane existence to the world of spirit).

Both new and old Delhi will provide us countless surprises and experiences.

Nov 14th – 15th – 16th – The Holy City of Varanasi

Varanasi ― After two nights in Delhi, having rested up from the flight, having become acclimatized, and acquainted with modern, British, and Islamic India, we take a one hour flight to Varanasi, India’s and perhaps the world’s most sacred Hindu place. (It is Rome, Jerusalem, Lourdes, and Mecca all rolled into one.) It is a city dedicated to transformation; this is why Siva, god of dissolution and re-creation, is its patron Hindu deity. To create, one must first take away and create space.

In Varanasi, and nowhere else, the great cremation ground, with its fires burning 24 hours a day, every day of the year, is right in the center of the city on the bank of the Ganges River. Just next to it is a small pond. Hardly noticed by visitors to the city, this is the spot where the god Visnu created the world. Being right next to each other, these two spots—sites of cosmic and personal dissolution, and creation—are two sides of the same coin, each both necessary and mutually dependent. There is a very special festival happening while we are in Varanasi. It’ll be an opportunity for each of us to experience personal transformation.

It was here on the sacred shores of the Ganges that it was clearly revealed to me that I would return with others.

The city is stunningly beautiful, sited as it is on a high ridge forming a great crescent along the course of the River Ganges. Sets of steps, called ghats, lead from the city down to the river’s edge. Here (and in the innumerable temples throughout the town) people perform the rituals for which Varanasi has been renowned for millennia. The river Ganges is a goddess, and the riverbank is her temple, so the entire riverfront is a sacred space.

Should you want some “alone” time within the group experience, you will always have the option for self imposed essential silence meaning that no one talks to you in the group and you don’t talk to anyone for a day.

Back from the flights of steps and away from the river, a multitude of narrow lanes, the gallis, is where people live their lives. We will walk through these ancient streets, which are too narrow for cars, and we will time-travel into a remote past, for here the present hasn’t intruded and life is lived in traditional, age-old ways.

The walk through the streets of Varanasi is one of the memorable “mind bending” aspects that I mentioned above in my introduction. It’s ‘out of this world’.

And there is something else, although Varanasi is the point of origin of life and death, of creation and destruction, it itself is unaffected by these cycles. Varanasi is eternal. It is the still center, the motionless hub of the universe, unaffected by time, change or decay. If you have eyes to see it, it is the purest, most pristine place in the universe.

The city is best seen from the river, and we will take cruises on the Ganges, at dawn and dusk when the light lends the city very different, mesmerizing aspects.

You’ll have the opportunity to float your own personal prayer candle on the Ganges River.

The city abounds in temples—at least 14,000 of them—and we will attend a number of temple ceremonies, and the worship of the Ganges herself, which takes place at sunset on Assi Ghat just outside our hotel.

We’ll visit the home of a traditional Brahmin family, where we’ll meet the family members, and be among real people simply living their lives. We’ll leave Varanasi, as pilgrims do, with new, partially Indian eyes, spiritual, psychological and perceptual eyes too.

All meals in Varanasi will be in our heritage hotel, Hotel Ganges View, which is right on one of the most sacred ghats where the river enters the city. Full of antiques and art works, the Ganges View is a nobleman’s home still run by the family; and the food is some of the best in India.

Having never eaten Indian food other than samosas before going in 2004 I have to say that I was immediately hooked. I have searched for excellent Indian food since being there never finding anything that matches the sights, smells, colours and experience that goes with eating Indian food IN India.

Nov 17th – 18th From Varanasi to Agra (one hour flight)

Agra ― All the various groups of people who came to and settled in India were Indianized, embraced by this culture. Here Islam was Indianized, made mystical; Sufism was born here. In Agra the evolution of Islam’s spiritualization is visible in stone and marble in some of the world’s greatest architectural creations. Agra is the only place in the world that contains three World Heritage monuments, most famous among them, the Taj Mahal.

The beauty and perfection of the Taj Mahal, like that of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the only other monument with which it can be compared, has become a cliché—until you confront it head on, that is. A monument to a mortal wife and eternal love, the Taj defies the laws of physics, for it is at once an enormous and massive marble monument, yet as light and insubstantial as a dream.

Floating above its reflecting pool, it is a shimmering image of purity and radiant beauty. With the Taj Mahal, it is not only the big picture that is stunning. There is beauty and perfection in every detail too, from the low reliefs of foliage, in which every marble leaf seems ready to shimmer with the slightest breeze, to the semi-precious stone inlay where flower blossoms are composed of carnelian in shades just right to produce the effect of dappled sunlight.

But whatever the stone—turquoise, coral, tiger-eye, lapis lazuli, malachite—the inlay work is miraculously precise, as if the marble itself were colored that way. The overall effect is unbelievably naturalistic. Yet all the colors of the Taj and of the structures in the complex are due to inlay: not a drop of paint was used anywhere. A tomb for a beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the entire complex is a representation of paradise and is modeled on the Koran’s description of heaven, which is a garden divided into four parts by water courses. The Taj’s dome symbolizes the vault of the heavens.

You’ll have your picture taken sitting on the bench where Princess Diana and millions or others have sat with the Taj Mahal seemingly floating in the background.

Also in Agra is Fatehpur Sikri the deserted, wonderfully preserved 16^thcentury capital city of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. One of the world’s great monarchs, Akbar was a “renaissance” man: hunter (he once killed a tiger with his bare hands) and warrior, poet and philosopher (all the more remarkable for he was illiterate), ruler and statesman. Under his rule the Mughal Empire came of age. The city is a wonderful expression of Akbar’s personality. The architecture is elegant, almost classical in its quiet grandeur, and certainly noble― the re-creation of a tented camp all in red sandstone.

Nov 18th – We head into the State of Rajasthan

It may seem at first that Rajasthan, “land of kings,” full of dashing mustachioed men wearing blindingly bright turbans, and proud women in wide, colorful, sweeping skirts, lacks the spiritual depth of Varanasi where Brahmins—religious specialists—are the dominant group. But we’ll see that Indian spirituality is pervasive; it’s just that in different places and among different groups it assumes different forms.

Rajasthan is the most romantic, swashbuckling, colorful state in India. Until 1947 the region comprised more than twenty independent kingdoms, each ruled by a different royal dynasty, and even today each former kingdom still retains its distinctive character. The western part of the state contains part of the Great Indian (or Thar) Desert; This is the paradigmatic desert, the desert that defined “desert” for the West, with camels, sand dunes and crystalline light. The eastern part of the Rajasthan is greener and dotted with lakes created by kings to irrigate their domains.

Nov 18th – 19th – 20th Agra to Karauli

Karauli – Traveling by road from Agra to Karauli, (about a 4 hour drive) we reach our first destination in Rajasthan. On the way we pass through the heartland of ancient India. Just a few centuries ago this was still thick jungle teeming with wild and dangerous animals: leopards, elephants, tigers, bears, wild boar. Nowadays, this is agricultural land dotted with villages,

but still farmed in the traditional way with little machinery: bullocks still pull wooden ploughs, and the Persian wheel is the most common method of irrigation.

For some of our travellers it may be really important to have the opportunity to interact with children. There will be no shortage of contact with children pretty much anywhere we go. I had little Canada pins that I gave to some children… and soon there were 50.

Houses are mostly made of earth with thatched roofs, and cow dung is still the main cooking fuel.

Some of the roads were once Mughal highways and distances are marked by kos minars, little minarets, the Indian equivalent of milestones.

We will not be traveling by either of these modes. We will see them, however we’ll be in an air conditioned bus. I haven’t been to this part of Rajasthan so I am really excited to see all this.

Before India gained independence from England Rajasthan comprised more than twenty independent princely states, each with its own ruler, fort, palace and even its own currency, passports and postage stamps. One of these, Karauli, has been called “history’s sideshow,” for it never rose to great power, but it was never razed or destroyed either and so the town retains traditional flavor and charm. Famous for its orange-red sandstone—a bastioned wall of it surrounds the town and its narrow streets are paved with it too.

The old City Palace is a treasure trove of architecture, stone carvings, gorgeous jali (stone screen) work and classic Rajasthani paintings. We will witness (and perhaps for those who want to…participate) in the devotional life at Karauli’s famed Krishna temple where worshippers come several times a day and lose themselves in ecstatic song and dance in praise of their beloved god, the “Prince of Moonlight.”

In the colorful bazaar we watch artisans at work: two of the specialties here are colorful gem-studded lac bangles, and wooden implements made on hand lathes as they have been for centuries. We stay in the gracious and atmospheric art deco Bhanwar Vilas Palace, one wing of which is still the residence of the Maharaja, and we’ll meet and converse with him and his wife, the Maharani.

With deep verandas, the palace is set amid verdant lawns, and has its own vegetable gardens, milk cows and fine Marwari horses. We will visit a nearby traditional village and a khadi cotton weaving center, which follows the hand-spinning and hand-weaving techniques started by Mahatma Gandhi during his resistance to the mill-made cloth imported into India by the British. We’ll have three days in Karauli to enjoy the town and relax in the grounds of the Bhanwar Vilas Palace.

Nov 21st – Karauli to Ranthambore National Park

We travel by road (3 hour drive by bus) through rural Rajasthan to Ranthambore National Park. Once the hunting preserve of the Maharajas of Jaipur, this is one of the world’s most picturesque game reserves.

Bengal tigers roam amid its fort’s ancient ramparts in a magnificent rugged, jungle-covered landscape dotted with palaces and royal pavilions.

Jungle like this covered much of India at one time and it is magical to see Bengal tigers roaming over deserted battlements. We’ll go on an afternoon wildlife safari and another one the following morning. Ranthambore is renowned for its tiger sightings and is one of the few sanctuaries where the tigers are active during the day. There are also leopards, sloth bears, wild boar, deer, jackals, antelope and hundreds of species of birds. We’ll also visit a unique women’s cooperative to which women from the nearby villages bring their beautiful handicrafts to sell.

We’ll stay at a resort near the park entrance.

Nov 22nd – 23rd – 24th Arrive in Jaipur – The Pink City ( 3-4 hour drive from Ranthambore)

Jaipur is a walled 18th-century city pink in color, planned down to the last detail, from its triumphal gateways to its shops, resulting in a handsome, charming and rather playful urban landscape. The City Palace Museum preserves the royal style of former rulers, and the markets glow with the radiant colors of desert-printed fabrics. There is a royal observatory with astronomical instruments of monumental proportions.

Within the City Palace complex is the royal Krishna temple where local people perform ecstatic worship. Jaipur’s iconic monument is the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds. Built in 1799, it is actually more a façade than a palace and contains 953 stone screened windows in innumerable styles and designs, cleverly positioned to catch the faintest of breezes. The royal ladies would sit unseen behind latticework screens and watch the action in the bazaar below.

I bought some exquisite pieces of jewelry and art in Jaipur. I’m not much of a shopper yet I couldn’t get enough of it in this city. Stunning gems! Jaipur is known as the Paris of India.

We will take an excursion to nearby Amber Fort-Palace, the old capital of Jaipur’s ruling clan. The rugged, hilly landscape contrasts with the elegance of the palace’s interior and its renowned mirrored rooms. Here there is a temple dedicated to a powerful Goddess, which the maharajas worshipped as the source of their power (sakti). You will ride up to the fort on caparisoned elephants or if you prefer by jeep.

Beyond the planning and symmetry, the forts and palaces, Jaipur is a throbbing, vibrant commercial town, a market for the traditional products that are made, still in a pre-industrial way, both within and around the city: precious stones, jewelry, and blue pottery, marble carving…

The women to me were like living jewels. Their dresses like them are so bright and beautiful.

But most noticeable of all are the dazzling displays of cloth: tie and dye, block printed, sequined, embroidered and mirrored fabric in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns.

For those of you who went up to the Sun Gate in Machu Picchu on our trips to Peru. This is another historical Sun Gate on the opposite side of the world.

We’ll stay at Megh Niwas, a charming, cultured family-run boutique hotel, with swimming pool in lovely gardens. Marvelous food. We will have a class in Indian cooking right at the hotel.

Nov 25th – 26th – 27th Into the Great Indian Thar Desert – travel day.

On Nov. 25th we have a morning train ride from Jaipur to Jodhpur – approx. 4 1/2 hours travel time. Well have breakfast on board. Arriving midday in Jodhpur. From Jodhpur drive 3 hours to JAMBA.

Jamba – We enter another world in a desert resort close to sand dunes where the air is crystal clear and embracing. The space is vast and the utter silence of the desert is among the “loudest” sounds you’ll ever hear. A sunset camel safari and visits to traditional villages will immerse us in the desert environment and its cultural life.

This picture just makes me smile. Look at that face!

The majority of people in this region are members of the Bishnoi tribe. “Bishnoi” means twenty-nine, and this tribe follows twenty-nine precepts: no killing or hunting, no intoxicants, no felling of trees (the Bishnois were the original tree-huggers), no work for women during the days of their menstrual periods, strict vegetarianism, to mention a few of them.

They worship a god called Jambhu or Jambhaji, an earth deity; and like earth divinities elsewhere in India, Jambhu has no image, quite extraordinary for a country that has so many images of its millions of gods. Rare and endangered black buck antelopes with their remarkable spiral horns graze at the edges of the Bishnois’ fields not far from the roadsides, fully aware, it seems, that no one there will harm them.

We stay at a resort nestled amid sand dunes that seem to stretch into eternity. You can take a camel safari in the desert countryside, visit the local tribal villages, take a guided nature walk on the dunes and much more… Plus we’ll enjoy traditional music and dance.

You can meditate, journal or just sit in the stillness of the Thar Desert. Sounds heavenly doesn’t it? Yoga in the desert would be REAL ‘hot yoga’.

Nov 28th – 29th – 30th Jaisalmer (by road approx. 3 hours from Jamba)

The Golden City of I Our guide in the golden stone fortress town of Jaisalmer will be a Brahmin historian, a fully traditional man, who has an intimate knowledge of this city which is integrated into his very being. We walk in this fascinating city and see how people live amid masterpieces of 15th and 16th century stone architecture with facades of the most intricate and delicate stone carving. We visit the king’s palace and the town’s wonderful Jain temples, and nobles’ mansions. We can participate in the traditional preparation and ritual consumption of bhang, a drink prepared from cannabis. This is a wonderful place to wander around and lose yourself in another time.

Dec 1st – Jaisalmer to Jodhpur (3 hour drive)

Jodhpur – The “gateway” to the Great Indian Desert—is an unplanned city, as unplanned and spontaneous as Jaipur is planned and organized. Dominated at its northern end by a 1200-foot high piece of rock, atop which broods the overpowering Mehrangarh Fort, home of the rajas since the 16^th century when it was built.

The fort is a presence that cannot be ignored. In its own way the town is as colorful as Jaipur: many of the houses are painted a startling electric blue; and the inhabitants, many of whom have tribal roots, are even more colorfully garbed than their counterparts in the “Pink City.” Their costumes are a dazzling cacophony of colors that no description could do justice to. The men’s turbans are often of gargantuan proportions, the cloth formed into hanks and wrapped in coils so it looks as if the wearers are sporting fabulous serpents on their heads. The fort and the palace within it are among the best preserved and most evocative in India. There are immense views from the ramparts looking out over the desert and over the city itself, the blue of the houses startling even from way up here.

The main bazaar street snakes through the old city, and shops sell traditional items like locally made sandals and unique pointy-toed Rajasthani shoes, camel leather work and camel trappings, block printed and tie dye cloth, lacquer ware and wood carving.

We stay at the Ratan Vilas Haveli, a 1920s villa ranged around a pretty courtyard with swimming pool set in a large garden; exquisite antiques are arrayed around the hotel.

Dec 2nd – Back to Delhi (1 hour flight from Jodhpur)

We’ll take an early afternoon flight from Jodhpur to Delhi. A special farewell group meal to cap off the trip. We will have a hotel room to pack and prepare for the trip home. We’ll leave the hotel around 1130pm on Dec 2nd in order to catch our international flights home in the very early hours of Dec 3rd.

Dec 3rd – Your return back home. Because of time differences you will likely arrive back home on the 3rd.

Well? Having read all that, what is your heart telling you? What is your head telling you? There is an aspect of your personal journey that starts as soon as you read this.

Terms, Payment Options and Registration

Trip Cost: $6650 U.S. per person based on double occupancy

Trip cost above does not include flights to and from Delhi. You can use your own air miles or points or you can plan with Monique’s travel agent or your own. PLEASE be sure to check your flight times with Monique or with Martin before booking to ensure arriving and departing at the same or similar times as the rest of the group.

Trip Cost Includes:

accommodations (all rooms have air conditioning and attached bath)
all transportation once we are on the ground in India
breakfast – lunch – dinner daily
snacks – Please inform us of any dietary restrictions/allergies you may have.
mineral water or soft drinks
costs for all activities and attractions that are part of the tour
travel by a/c bus
all domestic flights
all airport transfers (on domestic flights in India)
all tipping and gratuities throughout the trip

I wanted to provide ample time to plan for this trip in order to consider time off needed etc… however, specific details of hotels or certain activities could change by necessity. The spirit and essence of the trip will not change even if Martin and Carol have to make some logistical adjustments. Things just might change up due to uncontrollable circumstances and what a wonderful way to practise surrender. ~ Monique

Excluded expenses are: airfare to and from India; travel visas; alcoholic beverages; any beverages and food other than those provided; laundry; accommodation outside the tour; personal items and medication; souvenirs. Any activities that you choose to do on your own that are not part of the tour cost. Hotel cost for the night of Nov 11th IS included.

Single Supplement US $1600 (if you want your own room you would add this to the cost)

How To Register

STEP 1 – Decide if this is right for you- (commit from your heart)

STEP 2 – Read through all the terms of agreements below – (commit from your head)

STEP 3 – Check with Monique that there is still available space as we are over 10 people now: Monique@yoursacredgifts.com

STEP 4 – Mail your payment after you become familiar with the cancellation policy below.

Mail your U.S. bank draft check ASAP made payable to:

Martin Noval

10160 NW 24th Place Apt 203

Sunrise, Florida 33322

Please don’t send Canadian cheques. Your bank can assist you with a bank draft cheque. Trips Into India (Martin’s company) does not accept payment by credit card Upon receipt, your deposit will act as a confirmation that you agree to the terms of this trip stated here.

STEP 5 – Register Email Martin at tripsintoindia@usa.net with the following information

Registration Information Needed:

Name as shown in passport
Gender
Who you want to share a room with if you have a preference (leave this blank unless you know who you are sharing with or indicate here if you want to pay the supplement to be in your own room)
Date and place of birth
Nationality
Passport number
Passport issue date and expiry date and place of issue
Home Address
Telephone number
Emergency contact

Payment Schedules: WE ARE NOW AT THE POINT WHERE IT IS A PAY IN FULL OPTION ONLY

All payments must be made in US Dollars

Three payment options are available for the remaining $5650 USD: Please note that Trips Into India only accept US cheques or wire transfer directly to their account.

1) Pay in full at time of registration

2) Pay your $1000 deposit and then the amount remaining by 12 May 2014.

3) Pay your deposit and then three equal payments of $1883 USD due on these dates 12 January 2014, 12 March 2014, 12 May 2014 (this option is not applicable for registrants who signed up after January)

If you register after March 2014 and there is still space, please check with Martin for available payment options other than the above stated.

Full payment for the Sacred Gifts India Tour must be made by 12 May 2014.

If you sign up for the tour after 12 May 2014, full payment will be due at that time. There will be no refund option if you cancel.

Cancellation Once you have made payments for your tour, if you cancel the following charges will apply:

Cancel up to 12 January 2014: – Full refund minus $100 USD administration fee

Cancel between 12 January 2014 and up to 12 March 2014: – Refund all payments minus $1000 USD deposit

Cancel after 12 March 2014 and up to 12 May 2014 : Refund 50% of all payments

Cancel after 12 May 2014: – No refunds, no exceptions.

If in the highly unlikely event that Trips Into India cancels the tour, your deposit and/or any other monies paid to us will be refunded in full within 3 weeks of our cancellation.

Insurance We urge you to carry adequate medical coverage as you would on any trip outside your country of residence and we suggest you consider trip cancellation and loss of luggage insurance.

Cancellation insurance can be of benefit to you should you decide you need to cancel for example at the last minute for reasons beyond your control. In our first group to Peru we had someone who had to cancel at the last minute because her brother became very ill and she wanted to stay home. She was able to recover her costs (that were no longer refundable through the tour group) because of her own cancellation insurance, including her flights. So ask questions and know what you are getting. Trips Into India have to pay for many aspects of the trip well in advance of us arriving which is why they have to have a “no refund” policy at a certain point. If you purchase cancellation insurance be sure it covers what you personally may want coverage for. I’ve never bought any so I don’t know much about it.

Arrival and Departure We will not provide discounted rates or refunds for portions of the tour that are unused.

Travel Arrangements Trips Into India will not arrange travel to and from India. All transportation within India will be arranged by Trips Into India. Trips Into India will not be responsible for ensuring that travel documents are in order, nor provide travel insurance of any kind.

I have an excellent travel agent that we used last year for our Peru trip who is prepared to support us in this part of the planning.

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date you enter India. You will need a visa for India. Canadians please consult www.blsindia-canada.com/touristvisa.php for information on how to obtain your visa and U.S. citizens please go to www.visa.blsindia-usa.com/

Trips Into India accepts no responsibility for travelers who fail to provide the required documentation or who do not abide by the laws currently in force. As of now there are no required or recommended immunizations for India, but consult your doctor.

Currency Exchange All prices are quoted in US Dollars and checks must be issued in US dollars. If you prefer, you can transfer your payments directly into our account. Email us for the transfer information.

Number of persons per Journey Group size is limited to 10- 20 people

Liability/Releases All travelers participate in activities and events during the trip at their own risk. Tours in developing countries where lower standards of living, infrastructure and efficiency often prevail, will intrinsically involve risk of physical injury and illness greater than those encountered in daily life. You accept these risks by partaking in the tour. You acknowledge and assume all risks inherent therein. Trips Into India, its employees, guides and contractors do not accept responsibility for any client or dependent thereof in respect of any loss, injury, illness, damage, accident, fatality, delay or inconvenience from the time of arrival to the time of departure.

Monique MacDonald and Sacred Living Journeys does not accept responsibility for any of the possibilities listed in the above paragraph entitled liabilities/releases. The receipt of your check by Trips Into India and Martin Noval acts as your confirmation of agreement to all terms stated herein.

Itinerary Changes The tours may travel through areas where there may be disruption to itineraries and schedules for a large number of reasons, including but not limited to vehicle defects, breakdown of equipment, strikes, theft, acts of God or government, acts of terrorism, criminal activity, war, a force majeure event, or the negligence or default of any supplier of services. Alternative arrangements will be made when/where practicable and possible, but no liability is accepted for either disruption or if any operator temporarily withdraws a service for whatever reason. Should Trips Into India have to curtail the trip for any reason the company will not be liable for the client’s additional costs or refunds. Trips Into India will use all reasonable endeavors to complete a trip or utilize an alternative arrangement. Route and accommodation changes may also sometimes be necessary. These will always be made at the discretion of Trips Into India, only for the benefit of the group, and do not constitute an alteration of your tour, therefore you will not receive any compensation for such changes.

Authority on Tour By sending in your deposit you agree to the authority of Carol and Martin Noval as group leaders of the tour. If you commit any illegal act on a tour, or if in the opinion of the tour leader your behavior is detrimental to the safety or welfare of the group as a whole, you may be asked to leave the trip without any right to a refund.

z- Sacred Living Journey to India