This is guest post written by the Madame WanderingTrader.

Arriving in India was nothing but unusual.  I only brought one piece of luggage that can be used as a carry on bag and a purse.  When my son first saw me walk out of the arrival terminal he asked if it was time for an adventure.  I said of course I am in India and he whisked me away and told me we are taking a rickshaw to the hotel.

Is that what they call taxis in India I asked?

He told me no but it would be fun so I obliged.  The most popular means of transportation in India are rickshaws, sort of a mini tricycle vehicle powered with what it sounds like a lawnmower motor, the funniest looking thing in the world!

I did not mind riding in them at all as it almost felt like playing a game.

 Many drivers try getting ahead of traffic and being able to get through faster than any other method of transportation, without doors or windows or air conditioning, it really felt freeing in a very loving way!

Madame WanderingTrader arriving in India

It is a bit scary how aggressive some of these drivers are and how they negotiate with you on how much you are going to pay.

Prices are obviously not regulated and locals always try to overcharge tourists.

Being with my son, I did not have to worry about that, this Wandering Trader makes wonders when it comes to money, for some reason I was in India with all expenses paid.

We arrived at the Hyatt Hotel and was blown away by the security check every time you go in.

A security check complete with medal scanners and an x-ray machine to scan all of the incoming luggage.  After the bags were checked I arrived in my very own room to catch up on some rest.

After the bags were checked I was escorted  into my very own room to catch up on some rest,  my son got some work done with his day trading business.

I was left alone for the rest of the day, with the bubble bath the day went by real fast.

This was a very beautiful hotel but I was still in India was terrified of eating or drinking anything.  Brushing my teeth and washing my face with bottle water got old real fast but I knew that is what I had to do.

The next day we got ready to take a plane ride to the holy city of Varanasi.  It is a crazy thing to take a national plane to another city with people everywhere.  They don’t even seem to notice that anyone is around, there is no order, no understanding of who, what or where, it is just crazy.

Picture from the main ghat in Varanasi, India

After a while you get used to it and go with the flow, so much that when we got to Varanasi we couldn’t figure out how long it was going to take us to get our bags.

The electricity went off a couple of times and it wasn’t understood how the baggage belt was going to bring our bags, we just had to laugh.

It was dark by the time we got there and had to take a taxi cab to the hotel, when we got there, I couldn’t believe my eyes, we were staying at one of the Taj Hotels in the area that was a palace! It was the most beautiful place ever!

We had the royal red carpet treatment going in and walking to the suite was similar to walking in a cloud.

There were marble floors, terraces, a faint moonlight over the building, and the décor and taste of this place was impeccable!

We slept in heaven to say the least.

The next day we enjoyed the beautiful grounds surrounding the palace and were delighted with our stay there.

After a couple of days of arriving in Varanasi I knew it was time to get to know the heart of India. We packed our bags, sent my son to negotiate a reasonable fair in the rickshaw and were ready to explore the Holy City

I couldn’t have been prepared for what we experienced.

To be continued…