A Puzzling Tour of India, Trip: By the Book

Use books to prepare kids for trips. I’ve said this before. So, in this new series for my site “Trip: By the Book,” I use a book to help inspire an itinerary for a trip. For those who are traveling to India, read on.

Yesterday I reviewed A Puzzling Tour of India. Today I take you there. Well, not me. I’ve never travelled to India, but I have some travel blogging friends who have. I asked three to tell me what they liked about some of the places mentioned in the book. Today’s Trip: By the Book, will take you to the Taj Mahal, Varanasi and the River Ganga, and the Mahabodhi Temple.

Let’s go.

Taj Mahal from Nomadic Boys

Here’s what A Puzzling Tour of India says about the Taj Mahal:

From Nomadic Boys:

The Taj Mahal is a building which truly says, “I love you“. It was built on the instruction of India’s Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (between 1632-1653) in memory of his 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal after she died in 1631 in childbirth. We visited Agra in October, just before Diwali, for our friend’s big 40. For his birthday, he wanted to celebrate arriving in this magnificent world wonder and boy was he not disappointed!

The Taj Mahal blows your mind from the moment you enter those grand doors and first set your eyes on this wonder. If we were to go again, we’d make more of an effort to visit in the early morning, before all the crowds arrives.

If you would like to see more from the Nomadic Boys’ trip to the Taj Mahal, check out their post “Nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like the Taj Mahal.” You can also follow their adventures via their Nomadic Boys blog, Facebook, and Instagram. Want your own real selfie in front of the Taj Mahal? Try a day trip (or longer from New Delhi. Here are some options. Thank you Stefan and Sebastien for sharing your experience with us.

Varanasi from Travel Woman

Here’s what A Puzzling Tour of India says about Varanasi:

From Travel Woman:

Varanasi is located in the northern part of India in Uttar Pradesh, directly beside the banks of the sacred river Ganges. It is number one destination for Hindu pilgrimage in India. The atmosphere of this lively city captured me from the first moment I left the train and walked through the narrow alleys. It is loud but calm. It is crowded but friendly. Disgusting and aromatic smells alternate in seconds. Dogs and cows pace up and down the narrow alleys or even bar the ways through the small streets. Traditional rituals happen the whole day at the Ghats. The ritual bathings mainly in the morning during sunrise, the cremations of the corpses during the whole day and at night there is the famous Aarti ceremony.

I was fascinated by the magical atmosphere, the way people and animals share the closely spaced location, the sun shining on the Ghats and the colours of the buildings and people’s clothing. When India is described as colourful, Varanasi is even more.

If you would like to see more from the Travel Woman’s trip to India, check out her photo gallery which includes beautiful images from six different areas around India. You can also follow her adventures via her Travel Woman blog (please note it is in German, but the photos are worth clicking through), Facebook, and Instagram. This three-day tour will give people a good introduction to Varanasi. Thank you Theresa for sharing your experience with us.

Mahabodhi Temple from Solitary Wanderer

Here’s what A Puzzling Tour of India says about the Mahabodhi Temple:

From Solitary Wanderer: