b'Man Sagar Lake, JaipurMy Best EverIndian AdventureOn an epic trip to India, its the unplanned, spontaneous momentsthat allow you to truly connect with the land and its peopleTEXT AND PHOTOS BY ENCHANTING TRAVELS GUEST, RANDALL PEARCE FROM SYDNEY, AUSTRALIAIn celebration of an upcoming milestone birthday,I gave myselflong service leave to go traveling. speak English fluently. Krishan Kumar Yadav Guruji I chose India for several reasons. At 1.3 billion people,was assigned to me for a 27-day stretch throughIndians make up a good portion of humanity. It is theRajasthan. I called him my Best Ever Indian Driverworlds largest democracy. And India is the source ofbut he turned out to be much more than that. He was much ancient wisdom.my host, in the best sense of the word. On behalf ofI called my trip Randalls Best Ever Indian Enchanting Travels, on behalf of India, you are my Adventure. Enchanting Travels planned it for me, guest, Krishan said when we met. Together, weto see Indias most important sites and monuments, explored Rajasthan. interpreted by expert guides, over 46 days. TheKrishan realized that I like photography. He called itinerary ensured I had enough time set aside formy shots clicks. On Day 16, Krishan and I set out on impromptu excursions or just wandering around athe 180-mile-drive from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. We destination. As it turned out, the most memorablewere on the look out for a field of yellow mustard moments were the unplanned onesthe spontane- flowers and Krishan pulled over next to a particularly ous experiences which bubbled up through the gapsbrilliant expanse of yellow. I was busy taking pictures in my itinerary, during the days spent journeying onwhen a farmer in a yellow turban came up behind me. roads less traveled. Through hand gestures, he invited me in to see his I traveled from the capital New Delhi in the north,property. We walked to his house. He introduced me to Varanasi in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Then, westto his entire joint family. He took me out to the back through Rajasthan to Jaisalmer, and on to Kerala infield to meet his prized water buffalo. The memoriesthe south. I knew I was going to cover a lot of territory,I captured were among the most striking of my trip.most of it by car, so I requested a chauffer who couldFurther along the road, we came upon a caravan ENCHANTING TRAVELS \x1a 23'