World Cruise Land Tour to India: March 10 - 16, 2026

Day 81: India Land tour: Country #16. 

Today we embarked on a great journey. We left the ship for a 6-day trip to India! We flew Air India from Colombo, Sri Lanka to New Delhi and were greeted by our guide, Davinder Singh.

Our Viking group of 64 were split into 3 groups. We were taken to our hotel in which we received a Traditional Indian welcome at our hotel, Le Meridien New Delhi, consisting of traditional Indian music and placing a dot (tilak) on our foreheads as a mark of respect and honor. Greeting also is complete by placing your hands together with a bow and saying "namaste". I took a picture from the top floor looking down inside interior of our hotel. It was very fancy!

Jim's Vlog: The India adventure begins! Had a delicious buffet dinner waiting for us upon our arrival at the 5-star hotel. BTW, that is not a gigantic pimple on my forehead, it is a Hindu dot that we received when we entered the hotel.

Day 82: New Delhi, India

We drove through the streets of Delhi past billion-dollar homes (each has a guard house at the entrance), the 14th century Kotla Firoze shah fortress known as the Red Fort. We also visited a co-op carpet house. They all are from the Kashmir region who have been making carpets for hundreds of years. the designs are "owned" by the "family" and no one is allowed to copy.

We traveled to Old Delhi for a cycle rickshaw ride through the narrow lanes of Chandani Chowk to Jama Masjid. The shops were just opening but it got very congested when the garbage trucks came down the street. Old Delhi is full of trash everywhere, street cows, monkeys, stray dogs, rats, little children running in the streets and begging, people sleeping everywhere, men urinating in the streets, and just abject poverty. Many are "gypsies" that stay only for 3-4 months in one place then move on to another. The children do not go to school and with a population of over 2 billion people...the government is unable to keep track of them.

We drove to Raj Ghat, the site where the "Father of India", Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948. Gandhi was assassinated by a radical Hindu due to his plan to move India from a Hindu state to a secular state. India has maintained its Hindu state status. He was cremated and his ashes put into the Ganges River. One thing a bit different is men and women never go through the same security. Women are "frisked" behind a curtain. Our cruise friend Sandy Salvo posed in front of the sign for me.

We traveled pass important government buildings such as the Parliament house, Presidential Palace, and the famous India Gate that commemorates the soldiers who lost their lives during WW1.

The Qutub Minar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The minaret is made from red sandstone and marble and is 240 feet tall tapering tower of 5 stories. The minaret was mostly built during the Delhi sultanate in 1199 to 1220 as a victory tower and marked the beginning of the Islamic rule in the region.

Jim's vlog: Toured Old and New Delhi, had a crazy rickshaw ride, saw a guy carrying bricks like a boss, and saw a former Hindu tower turned into a Muslim victory monument.

Day 83: Agra, India

We journeyed for about 4 hours by coach to Agra! India driving has no rules and is quite frightening at times and horns honking continuously. The school kids all wave and this is a "school bus" packed full of young boys. We saw lots of cattle being herded right in the middle of the highway.

We journeyed for about 4 hours by coach to Agra! India driving has no rules and is quite frightening at times and horns honking continuously. Our first stop was Agra Fort at UNESCO World Heritage site. Davender (in the turban) was an excellent historian and interesting to listen to his lectures. The fort was renovated by the Mughal emperor Akbar from 1565 and completed in 1573. It was the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638 when the capital was shifted from Agra to Delhi.

The Taj Mahal was amazing! One of the new 7 wonders of the world and our final one to visit. The fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan commissioned the building of this mausoleum in 1631 for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. One of Jahan's sons had him imprisoned and held in the Agra Fort until his death in 1658. He could see the Taj Mahal from his window (the picture of the Taj Mahal from a distance was his view). After his death, his daughter had him placed next to his wife, Mumtaz. The building is constructed of white marble inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones and red sandstone. The stones are glued on using a secret recipe that has been handed down since the 1600s to the men in the family. It sits of a 42-acre complex which includes a mosque to the left side and a "guest house" to the right side to create balance. The complex is surrounded by a large wall and gate house.

We went to the Akbar International co-op for pottery and stone art. The precious and semi-precious stones are cut, carved, polished and glued onto marble pieces using a secret recipe that has been handed down since the 1600s to only the men in the family. These men are direct descendants of the artists who decorated the Taj Mahal. We bought a piece of pottery that took 28 days to complete for $400. It has amethyst, black onyx, cornelian, coral, jasper, lapis lazuli, mother of pearl, malachite, paua shell, turquoise and tiger eye.

Our hotel is Jaypee Palace. There was a wedding party outside our balcony. We were greeted tonight with garlands made of marigolds. Too tired to change for dinner!

Jim's vlog: Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, super-secret glue recipe handed down generations, inlaid pottery purchase. This trip was worth it!!!

Day 84: Agra

We got up early and traveled to Mehtab Bagh across the river from the Taj Mahal to watch the sun rise. Another amazing experience! Love the picture taken by our friend, Sandy, of us as we walk up to the Taj Mahal at sunrise.

Fatehpur Sikri was once the center of the Mughal Empire. Emperor Akbar had gone to the fort to get a blessing as he was not successful in having a son. He received the blessing and the prophecy came true having 2 sons. He decided that this should be where the capital should be due to its prophecy. He only remained at the fort for 4 years after completion due to the heat and lack of good water.

The Hindus were making a pilgrimage to one of many sacred Hindu sites to honor Shiva. They walk for miles sometimes and they are greeted along the way with loud music, food, and a place to rest. they walk barefoot taking water from the Ganga River offering it Lord Shiva. The act is believed to cleanse the devotee of sins and grant spiritual merit.

On our way to lunch, we saw this truck loaded with an unknown product. Buffet lunch was at Lakshmi Niwas Palace in Bharatpur.

We drove from Agra to Jaipur (4 hour drive) and stayed at the Leela Palace. We were greeted with garlands of marigolds, a dot and traditional music with a sitar and a boy dancer. The view is from our hotel window!

Jim's vlog: Early wake up to see the sunrise at the Taj Mahal, quick breakfast, then on to explore Fatehpur Sikri the former capital of the Mughal kingdom. The road to Jaipur was very busy and full of worshipper of shiva. Also passed a village where just about everyone works with stone. Arrived at our final hotel, the Leela Palace.

Day 85: Jaipur

We took 4x4 jeeps up the mountain to the Amber Fort. The fort is a honey-colored fortress-palace in the Aravalli hills. This is an opulent palace laid out on 4 levels, each with a courtyard. It is constructed of red sandstone and marble. It consists of the Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience), the Diwan-e-Khas (hall of private audience), the Sheesh Mahal (mirror palace) and the Sukh Niwas where a cool climate was artificially created by winds that blow over a water cascade in the emperor's room of pleasure.

Jaipur is known as the pink city. We drove by Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds) is an elaborate building encrusted with delicate honeycomb screens and carved balconies from which the royal ladies, confined to their quarters, could view the world outside.

We came upon a funeral procession. Hindu custom has 4 men carrying the body to cremation with others walking with them. The women are not allowed to participate. The flowers on the body indicate that the person was 80+ years old.

Jai Singh's observatory, Jantar Mantar built in the 17th century by the founder of Jaipur who, besides being the prince was also a soldier, astronomer and builder. The sundials are accurate to 7 seconds. He also had the Zodiac signs represented. Jim had me pose next to my Taurus the Bull!

The City Palace is a museum displaying Rajput and Mughal Paintings, rare manuscripts and royal costumes

Statue of Ganesh who is widely revered by Hindus as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck. He is the patron of arts and sciences and deva of logic, intellect and wisdom.

We had an opportunity to shop at the museum co-op. Artists were drawing and painting as we watched. We bought an elephant painting for $80 from a family who is famous for their work. I bought 2 large quartz stone pendants (green and blue) for $30. We were outside waiting for everyone to finish their purchases when a monkey stole one of our groups shopping bag. She had bought some shoes, and he dropped it when he saw it did not contain food. That is him going through the garbage now.

Back to our hotel for a relaxing evening after a long day. The hotel was so beautiful!

Jim's vlog: This is a long one. Packed a lot into our last day in India. Forgot to mention our visit to the art cooperative where we bought a small painting and Ina got a couple of baubles. 3:45am pickup to go to Seychelles to rejoin the cruise.

Day 86: Jaipur, India to Seychelles

We got up at 2:30am to start our journey home. We flew Indigo Airlines from Jaipur to Mumbai then Mumbai to Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles. The pictures show us departing Jaipur and arriving into Mumbai with the slums evident. We had to take a shuttle from the domestic airport to the international airport that was at least 20 minutes away. We waited for about 20 minutes for the bus to arrive next to this botanical garden. We barely made the connection, and we left 1 person behind. She had a geo tracker in her carryon bag that they thought was a Sat phone (which is illegal). By the time she was able to get released from custody, our flight had left. Viking took care of her, and she will meet us in Mombasa. It was an eventful day! 

I was so happy to see my suitcase on the conveyer belt. I didn't think I would ever see it again! We stayed at the Coral Strand Smart Choice Hotel. I am not sure how smart the choice of this hotel, but we got a good nights sleep and was ready to return to the ship the next morning. Jim found a friend! Group picture of us with Steve and Sandy Salvo in the van on the way to the hotel.

Jim's vlog: Chaotic travel day, Jaipur-Mumbai-Seychelles. Only 1 person got left behind. We're ready to get back on the boat tomorrow!