My first contact was with Krishna S., who is the travel coordinator for Indjapink. He was very helpful when I described the time I had to travel, and what I wanted to see, he recommended their Northern Panorama Tour (this is the famed Golden Triangle), a seven night and eight-day tour. It was perfect! I am still buzzing from the historical sites, food, culture, experiences with the guides, and the events the hosts took me to. There was no possible way I could have seen and experienced so much in such a short period if it wasn’t for going through Indjapink.

One call out on booking with Indjapink, and most places in India, they will ask you to email your credit card and passport to confirm booking. I was very hesitant to do so, but after verifying with my bank that I was not liable, I went ahead and booked. It was all handled perfectly with no issues passing this personal information to Indjapink.

My tour started when I landed in Delhi airport and was greeted by Krishna, a perfect gentleman, then escorted me to who was going to be my primary driver for the majority of the trip. Devendar my driver, a 26-year-old handsome Sikh-which over many miles of traveling through Delhi, and around the Golden Triangle, we had an opportunity to bond and share many stories. He was an excellent driver and always seemed to appear at the exact moment I needed him. If you have not experienced India driving be prepared for “controlled mayhem”, but through it all Devendar demonstrated amazing skills and I felt totally safe in his hands-he truly looked out for me.

Arriving at The Mister & Art House I was greeted by Amid with a refreshing drink. He also prepares meals and is available for ensuring you have your room needs met. This was an introduction to what was to be a wonderfully welcoming and accommodating guest house. The guest house is excellently decorated, the rooms are large with walk-in showers, and on my second stay the room had a jacuzzi tub. It has ample space in the living and dining area for sitting and meeting other guests and sharing a drink. Amid prepared many excellent meals during my stay and made sure I felt very welcome.

I later met Raj, who was just a prince, so kind and made me feel we had been long-time friends. He saw that I had more than I could ask for while in Delhi. He saw to my adventures out at night with my guides for the evening, and arranged amazing masseurs that were waiting at the end of my long days of sightseeing to rejuvenate my psyche. And yes, how could I not have a crush on Raj-a man who reminded me of sexy Dermot Mulroney!

One of the best guides I have ever had was in Delhi, Gaurav Goyal, who had a wealth of historical knowledge, described all the sites in perfect English, and always with a beautiful glint of handsome humor and fun. He truly made Delhi’s history and culture come alive.

After my 2 days in Delhi, they flew me to Varanasi, where I observed two ceremonies on the embankments of the Ganges, one in the evening, and then more personal by boat at sunrise. It also included a tour of the old city, and how they make the famous silk fabrics. I could not miss of course visiting where Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism there around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon.

I flew back to the Delhi airport where Raj and Davender greeted me and off I shot to what was to be an awe-inspiring tour of the Golden Triangle starting with the Taj Mahal in Agra. I can’t find where I wrote the name of my tour guide for the Taj Mahal, ItmadudDaula, and FatehpurSikri, but he was excellent. I didn’t expect the Taj Mahal to impact me as much as it did. I have seen many sites, but watching the sun come up on the Taj Mahal will always be a highlight of my vast tours.

The next two days I spent in Jaipur, and had another life-time event riding elephants to the Amber Fort. I fell so completely in love with the elephants that the follow morning Davender and I made a side trip to visit the village where they care for the elephants, and for a donation you can learn to mount an elephant by being lifted on her trunk to crawl over her head. You can feed them, wash them, and if you like decorate them in natural based paints. Amazing!!

I so enjoyed my stay at The Mister & Art House, and looking for a little down time before returning home, I decided to stay a couple extra days. Raj made sure I had a room and that those last two days were as memorable as my first two. I highly recommend The Mister & Art House if you enjoy more intimate guest houses or B&B locations, that come with an excellent personal touch.