Behind the Scenes
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 1224 Behind the Scenes SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK We love to hear from travellers – your comments keep us on our toes and help make our books better. Our well-travelled team reads every word on what you loved or loathed about this book. Although we cannot reply individually to your submissions, we always guarantee that your feed- back goes straight to the appropriate authors, in time for the next edition. Each person who sends us information is thanked in the next edition – the most useful submissions are rewarded with a selection of digital PDF chapters. Visit lonelyplanet.com/contact to submit your updates and suggestions or to ask for help. Our award-winning website also features inspirational travel stories, news and discussions. Note: We may edit, reproduce and incorporate your comments in Lonely Planet products such as guidebooks, websites and digital products, so let us know if you don’t want your comments reproduced or your name acknowledged. For a copy of our privacy policy visit lonelyplanet.com/ privacy. OUR READERS WRITER THANKS Many thanks to the travellers who used the last Abigail Blasi edition and wrote to us with helpful hints, useful Thanks to all the people who helped me in Delhi, advice and interesting anecdotes: including my Delhi family Jyoti and Niranjan Desai, A Adeline Bouchery, Amanda Larson-Mekler, Amber to Danish Abbas, Nicholas Thompson, Sarah Foth- Richardson, Andy Foster, Ansuya Patel-Yorke, Anthony eringham, Toby Sinclair and the Delhi Walla himself, Naylon, Arpita Singh B Bernd Scholz, Borja Ramirez, Mayank Austen Soofi. Special gratitude to Joe Brett Leighton C Callum McQueen, Carolina Ech- Bindloss and to all the other India authors for their enique, Chimmy Vyas, Chris Vaughan, Cindy Gray D help and knowledge. Huge thanks to my Mum, Ant & Daniel Scott, David Wilson, Deanna D’Onofrio, Deep Luca for looking after everyone at home. Grewal E Emanuela Milo, Erica Wijarnako G Gabriele Marangon, Gail Bruk-Jackson, Glenn Riddell, Grant Lindsay Brown Szuveges H Harry Smith, Henk Hilkmann, Hugh I am very grateful for the help and encouragement Connolly I Igor De Ruitz, Isabel Barrientos J James provided by Satinder, Karan & Ritu and Dicky & Freeborn, James Gannon, James Huxley, Jane McNab, Kavita in Jaipur, Anoop in Pushkhar, Usha in Ranth- Jessica Killaspy, Joe Morley, Josée Arsenault, Julian ambhore, Harsh in Bikaner, Siddharth in Jaisalmer, Trummer K Kai Xue, Katya Burns, Kevin Pomplun, Ramesh Jangid in Nawalgarh, Laxmi Kant Jangid in Kirit Mehta L Les Sutherland, Lidor Cohen, Lisa Wor- Jhunjhunu and many many others who helped out thington, Lorenzo Facinelli, Lucas Almendra, Lynnell along the road. Last but not least, thanks to Jenny. Mickelsen M Manish Jain, Marie Grif, Mario Tarallo, Martin Davis, Michael Bridger, Michael Hornsby, Mi- Anirban Mahapatra chael Yon, Mrinal Kamat N Nasreen Singh, Nicholas My sincerest thanks above all to the amazing people cooper, Nick Brock, Nikola Smith, Nina Bee O Ofelia of Punjab, Haryana, Kolkata, West Bengal and the Diaz P Patricia Keith, Paul Wiegmann, Pratibha Sahu Northeast States for their splendid warmth and hos- R Rachel Ross, Rolf Wrelf, Ronin Pierre, Rosemary pitality. To Raja, Gina, Ashish, Samita, Joyita, Krishno, O’Donnell, Roz Green S Sam Ewalt, Samantha Spiro, Sukanya, Jone, Rajib, Mamli, Oken, Sum, Richard, Santosh Mohanty, Sean McHugh, Shane Hussey, Kanno, Omak, Souvik, Madhuparna, George, Sheila, Stephen Grinter, Steve Hughes T Thomas Janssens, Mahesh, Vikas, John, Tatu, Punyo and many other Tom Stuart, Tony Wheeler, Tricia Bergman V Van Cau- wonderful souls for sharing their local knowledge and wenberghe, Vanessa Bulhões, Víctor Castro, Vincent experience, inviting me into their homes, throwing Robitaille Z Zachary Nowak, Zoe Evans me their car keys and cooking me some delicious meals along the way. Thanks to everyone at Lonely 1225 Planet who made working on this title a breeze – Paul Harding cheers to all of you! Thanks to all my dear friends in Goa and Kerala who helped out with company, advice and friend- Isabella Noble ship – you all know who you are. Thanks also to Thanks to everyone in Tamil Nadu, Ashish and new people, travellers and locals, I met on this Rucha Gupta and Shoshana Treichel in Chennai, trip. The biggest thanks goes to Hannah and my Bernard Dragon and Michel Adment in Chetti- worldly young daughter Layla for accompanying BEHIND THE SCENES nadu, Raja Balasubramanian in Trichy, Junaid Sait me at least part of the way and putting up with my and team in Ooty, Vijay Kumar in Kodai, and Mr absences at other times. Krish namurthi on the Kanyakumari–Puducherry Express. In Madhya Pradesh, huge thanks to Anna Kaminski Belinda Wright and Saptarishi Saigal. Thanks to the Thank you to Joe for entrusting me with Gujarat dream India co-author team, especially John Noble and Odisha, and to all who’ve assisted me along for laughs, tips and tiger safaris. At home, extra- the way, including: Abigail, Michael, Kevin, Iain (fel- special thanks to Jack, Andrew and Sarah. low scribes), Abhay, Rajiv, Saiyed, Mohammed and Anil in Ahmedabad, Jehan, Katie and Salim in Bhuj, John Noble the Singhs in Wankaner, Mustak in Jamnagar, the So many fantastic people in India gave me help, good people of Desia and Chandoori Sai in Odisha’s smiles and fellowship. Extra special thanks to tribal country, Bubu in Puri; also Debjit, Sangarmi- Balvinder, Shubhda Chaturvedi, the Dhami family, tha, the Raja of Aul and everyone who helped me Mark Elliott, Gilbert Gillou and family, Nitesh during the demonetisation crisis. Jaiswal, Puneetinder Kaur Sidhu, Kristina Lauer, Vaneet Rana, Saptarishi Saigal, Sagnik Sengupta, Bradley Mayhew Reggie Singh, Ankit Sood, Panki Sood, Praveen Thanks to Norden and Thinley at Holumba Haven Sood, Sumit Raj Vashisht and Belinda Wright. Also for their many tips and to Jigme Tshering and to Joe Bindloss for steering the ship so expertly, Bunty for showing me around Kalimpong. Tash and above all to Isabella Noble with whom I shared delek to Norbu and Sangay-la in Darjeeling. Thanks the entire experience! also to Mithun Das in Madarihat and Gatty in Kevin Raub Darjeeling. Thanks to my wife, Adriana Schmidt Raub, Joe Sarina Singh Bindloss, Sarina Singh, John Noble, Izzy Noble, Paul Thank you to everyone who worked on this edition, Harding and all my partners-in-crime at LP. On the with special thanks to Joe for being such a fab DE. road, Anil Wadwa, Amit Arora, Dhanya Pilo, Sarita Gratitude, also, to the many readers who took the Hedge Roy, Tanvi Maidkaker, Roshnee Desai, Greg time to send in their feedback and travel experi- Kroitzsh, Rishupreet Oberoi, Bindu Panicker, Aditya ences – much appreciated indeed. Finally, warm Dhanwatay, Ashok T Kadam, Abha Lambah, Karina thanks to my wise and wonderful parents who have Aggarwal and Pankil Shah. always encouraged me to walk my own path. Michael Benanav Iain Stewart Huge thanks to Michael Schmid at Brown Bread Thanks to Trent Holden and John Noble for tips Bakery in Varanasi for being incredibly helpful to and contacts, and Joe Bindloss and the LP team in many travellers, including myself, when the ‘cash London and Melbourne. On the road I was helped crisis’ of 2016 struck. Thanks also to Shikha Tripa- by Jonty in Hyderabad, Poornima Dasharathi in thi, Sindhu Shah, Mukti Datta, John Noble, Monika Bengaluru, the teams at Golden Mist in Kodagu and Agarwal, Karan Singh, Praveen Kaushal and Mohan Uramma in Hampi, Prakash in Vijapura, Oliver the Rayal. As always, I’m ever grateful to Kelly and Luke yogi in Gokarna and Vijay in Vizag. for taking care of the animals and each other while I was on the road. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mark Elliott Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson Enormous thanks to Rouf John & family, Tundup BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map of & Gurmet, Mikka, Darren Clarkson-King, Najum, the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Hydrol- Meraj, Shubham & Pranav, Manon, Maunil Vora, ogy and Earth System Sciences, 11, 1633-44. Abhishek & Pranav, Wasil Nawaz Khan, Namgyal & Sani, Christina & Tashi, Peter & Wendy, Veena & Illustrations pp1164–5, pp1166–7, p1168 by Kelli Maruti, Nittish & Sri, Tashi Tsering, Thinley, Sonam, Hamblet; pp372–3, pp870–1 by Michael Weldon, Jamie McG, Yanin & Mushtaq, Linda, Marie & Claire. pp62–3, pp356–7, pp638–9 by Javier Zarracina. In Sikkim thanks so much to Smriti and Sartaj, Cover photograph: Woman covered in coloured Nukul, Rinjong, OT Lepcha, Karma Dorje & Minla gulal (powder) celebrating Holi/THEPALMER/Getty Zaymu, Wangdi, Sonam Bhutia, Pema at Mama’s, Images© Tom, Kheli & Gili, Anuj & Sonali, Edu, Jacky, Monika & Stina, Chundip, Champala & Thendup at Gang- yak, Passang, Guus, Pala, Farid Belhadj, Michael. 1226 BEHIND THE SCENES Destination Editor Kristin Odijk, Ross Taylor, THIS BOOK Joe Bindloss Saralinda Turner This 17th edition of Lonely Product Editor Cover Researcher Planet’s India guidebook was Kathryn Rowan Naomi Parker curated by Abigail Blasi, Lind- Cartographers Lonely Planet Thanks to Will Allen, Michelle say Brown, Anirban Mahapa- Cartography Bennett, Hannah Cartmel, tra, Isabella Noble, John Noble Book Designer Michael Buick Kate Chapman, Joel Cotterell, and Kevin Raub, who also Sarah Sasha Drew, Daniel Fahey, researched and wrote it along Assisting Editors Bailey, Judith Bamber, Imo- Gemma Graham, Shona Gray, with Michael Benanav, Mark gen Bannister, Bridget Blair, Liz Heynes, Kate Kiely, Virginia Elliott, Paul Harding, Anna Nigel Chin, Melanie Dankel, Moreno, Catherine Naghten, Kaminski,