Most Inspirational Moment
Probably the Taj Mahal from a distance in the early morning mists, very ethereal, but the Red Fort was also exceptional. The most unexpected and so equally fascinating place however was probably the Jaipur Observatory. It looks like a modern science park to start with but when you realise when it was built and how accurate the 'clocks' are it is incredible
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our group leader was Jatin Bamsal. He was very good, knew a lot about the places we visited, was extremely helpful with one guest who had her suitcase damaged on arrival, listened to the things we said we wanted to do and although a bit over cautious on some of the slightly harder activities ie the walk down from Sarangkot was very good at finding interesting artisans not listed on the trip notes. As our sleeper train was 6 hours late he was also able to suggest interesting things to do away from the rather bleak station during the waiting period.He was also very good at advising on what to eat to stay healthy and as I was doing the Annapurna Extension had some very good comments about that trip which are not available on your trip notes
Advice for Potential Travellers
If Exodus tries to book you into the Hotel Pooja Palace for your stay in Delhi, don't let them, a very sad start to an otherwise good holiday. Both Delhi and Kathmandu are quite polluted, If you have any respiratory issues take a good mask for both cities. Maybe wait until later in 2025 to do this trip as although the roads are improving there is still a massive amount of work going on so some of the more scenic routes are currently marred by the extensive road works.
Suggestions
Why are you using the Hotel Pooja Palace? It looks and feels like a student hostel and is in fact very close to some student facilities. It has no atmosphere, it is just about clean, it has a garden bar which barely operates except to serve a minimal breakfast outside in February, there does seem to be some sort of internal eating area with signs up saying no external food can be consumed on the premises and the hotel staff (who were all very pleasant) seem to sleep in their uniforms on the reception floor; literally. There is no where a single traveller might hope to meet up with the rest of the group