Greetings to all Kumbha Mela participants:
We're excited you've decided to join us on this wonderful, holy pilgrimage to Kumbha Mela! Folks are coming from all over the world: Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, West Africa, Netherland Antilles, Italy, Netherlands, Trinidad, Mauritius, Germany, Canada, and the USA. Seven of the participants are doctors; hopefully their professional services won't be needed, but they'll be on-call if our group needs them.
Now that you've arranged your work and personal time schedules to participate, we move on to the preparation stage. To make your tour the perfect inner and outer experience you'll receive e-mail updates from Swami Veda and from myself. Swami Veda will prepare you for the inner experience as I try to make sure the outer arrangements are prepared.
This is the first of a number of email newsletters you'll receive on your tour. We're not covering everything in this one--just the most important topics. So please be patient with your questions; we will be covering the rest in future emails.
We still have a few more openings available, so if you know anyone wanting to go please forward an application to us before June 30th. If you are registered but have not sent in the application we do need the completed application returned to us before we can send any documents to you.
First, HOW TO REACH ME if you have questions: For the summer months (through September) I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Call 612 721-2800, or fax to 612 721-3409. I also have a new email address just for the tour:
sbadventures@uswest.net.
Sometime the end of September or early October I'll migrate to our Orlando offices and home. My number there is 407-816-7058 and the fax is 407 851-4455. If you don't get a quick response it may be because I am on a tour (since Search Beyond Adventures is a tour company).
Here are some issues and details that concern your trip:
VISAS AND PASSPORTS: are required for anyone not carrying an Indian or Nepalese passport. Call your local Indian Embassy to apply for the visa.
If you do not arrange a visa you will be denied entry into India.
INSURANCE: Travel or cancellation insurance is not included in your tour package. We recommend you get this to cover any medical expenses or cancellations.
TRAVELING FROM INFECTED REGIONS: If you are coming from, or traveling through areas with Yellow Fever (Africa, South America, Papua New Guinea) you must possess a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate. Again, your local Indian consulate can advise if this or other health restrictions applies to you.
FLIGHT ARRANGEMENTS: If you are traveling from the USA and requested international air arrangements through Search Beyond Adventures, we are working with Sahara Air to arrange your international air. This would be using British Airways from US gateways to Delhi. Before we ticket anyone, we will forward a fare quote to you so you can approve. If you are satisfied with the fare, you will need to give us a credit card number to issue the ticket.
If you are originating from CANADA please contact Arvin Patel at 306-789-0447, if you need flight arrangements.
If you are departing from other countries, contact your local travel agent soon to book your ticket. January 2001 is a popular travel season to this area of India so you need to make arrangements early.
TOUR ITINERARY: January 17-30
Jan. 17......Arrive in Delhi; check into Taj Palace hotel
Jan. 18......Check out & depart for Varanasi; shuttle bus Varanasi to
Allahabad campsite:
Jan. 19-25......Maha Kumbha Mela of the New Millennium
Jan. 24......is the main bathing date-Mauni Amavasya
Jan. 26......Tour to Vindhyachal with Swami Veda Bharathi. Return to campsite same day
Jan. 27......Leave for Varanasi; check into Taj Ganges hotel
Jan. 28......Sightseeing tour in Varanasi
Jan. 29......Cultural program in Varansi
Jan. 30......Check out of the hotel and go to Saranath where Buddha preached his first sermon. Depart for Delhi.
TOUR ENDS.
Students on the YOGA SUTRA program continue on to Rishikesh;
others depart for home cities or stay in Delhi on own. (Reserve your hotels if you stay in Delhi.)
HOTEL INFORMATION:
Taj Palace, Delhi (Jan. 17, one night)
Address: Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi 110021
Phone: (91-11) 6110202
Fax: (91-11) 6110808
Facilities: safe deposit lockers, laundry/dry cleaning, purified water supply, simming pool, business center, laptops on hire, 24 hour coffee shop/currency exchange.
Other: 9 km from airport, 10 km from railway station, 10 km from downtown area.
Taj Ganges, Varanasi (Jan. 27-30, three nights) 21 km from airport
Address: Nadesar Palace, Varanasi 221 002, UP, India
Phone: (91-542) 345 100-117
Fax: (91-542) 348 067
Facilities: laundry, purified water supply, business center, currency exchange, beauty parlor, swimming pool, herbal massage, tennis, badminton, table tennis.
Well that's a lot of information to digest! You are now ready to arrange any needed visas and make flight arrangements! Approximately each month I'll send you another newsflash covering the following topics:
WHERE TO MEET IN DELHI
PACKING LIST
CLOTHING & ETIQUETTE
DOMESTIC AIR ITINERARY
SIGHTSEEING & CULTURAL PROGRAM IN VARANASI
VINHYACHAL: WHERE & WHY
ALLAHABAD: TENT CITY AMENITIES
PILGRIMAGE: WHY AND HOW
and any other important tips, details, and assorted laundry lists.
Aum Aum Aum
Indra Dhaksinamurthi
Tour Coordinator
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In India:
New Delhi
88 Janpath,
New Delhi-110 001 Phone: (011) 3320005 Fax: (011) 3320342
Domestic Airport InformationCounter (011) 3295296
International Airport Information Counter (011) 3291171
Overseas:
Canada
60 Bloor St. (West)
Suite 1003, Toronto,
Ontario M4 N3 N6 Phone: 416-962-3787 Fax: 416-962-6279
Germany
Basseler St. 48, D-60329,
Frankfurt, AM -main 1 Phone: (069)2429490 Fax: (069)2429497
Netherlands
Rokin 9-15, 1012 KK
Amsterdam Phone: 020-6208991 Fax: 020 6383059
Singapore
20 Kramrat Lane,
#01-01A United House ,
Singapore-228773 Phone: 235 3800 Fax: 235 8677
South America Phone: 00541143265391
South Africa
P.O. Box No. 412 452,
Craig Hall- 2024
Johannesburg Phone: 3250880 Fax: 3250881
USA
1270 Avenue of Americas,
Suite 1808 (18th Floor)
New York, NY 10020 Phone: (212 ) 586 4903 Fax: ( 212) 582 3274
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Canada
High Commission of India
10 Springfield Rd,
Ottawa, Ontario-KLM 1-C9 Phone: 613-744 3751 Fax: 613-744-0913
Germany
Consulate General of India
Mittelweg 49, 60318
Frankfurt/AM Main Phone: 49-69-1530050 Fax: 49-69-554125
Italy
Embassy of India
Via XX Settembre, 5
00187 , Rome Phone: 39-6-4884642 Fax: 39-6-4819539
Malaysia
High Commission of India
No.2 Jalan Taman Duta,
Off Jalan Duta, 50480
Kuala Lampur
P.O. Box 10059
G.P.O 50704 Phone: 603-2533504 Fax: 603-2533507
Mauritius
High Commission Of India
Life Insurance corporation of India Bldg,
6th Floor
President John Kennedy St,
P.O. Box No. 162,
Port Louis Phone: 230 -2083775 Fax: 230-2086859
Netherlands
Embassy of India
Buitenrustweg-2,
2517 KD, The Hauge Phone: 31-70-3469771 Fax: 31-70-3617072
Singapore
High Commission of India
"India House", 31 Grange Rd
Tenglin P.O.Box No. 92 Phone: 65-7376777 Fax: 65-7326909
South Africa
High Commission of India
852, Sehoeman, St. Arcadia,
P.O. Box No. 40216
Pretoria Phone: 0027-12-3425392 Fax: 0027-12-3425310
USA
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008 Phone: 202-939-7000 Fax: 202-2654351
Dear Pilgrim,
this is your foreign domestic air itinerary. Please make sure that your international air coordinate with this itinerary.
Foreign Domestic Air Itinerary:
January 18, 2001...........leave from domestic airport
Leave....................Delhi................at 12:00 noon.......with Sahara Airlines
Arrive...............at Varanasi .............at 2:35 p.m.
January 30, 2001
Leave ...............Varanasi............at 3:05 p.m..........with Sahara Airlines
Arrive............at Delhi................at 4:25 p.m.
(Flying into domestic airport).
Last Updated June 20, 2000