INDIA: LIVING LIKE A MAHARAJA!

By Eric Rozenberg, CMM, HOE, FON, Managing Director Incentive Bureau Ince & Tive

India has always been a country like no other. It has always represented a dream, an idea, a vision that for millennia has attracted travellers from around the world. The Indian mystique is imbued with images of the travels of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama, as well as the spirit of Ganesh, Shah Jehan and Mahatma Gandhi.

At Delhi International Airport, hardly have the doors of the plane opened when Kalpana and Samir are greeting us with magnificent necklaces of orange-coloured flowers and the traditional "tikka" on the forehead. "Namaste. Welcome to India".

As soon as we arrive at the hotel, we are served a cocktail in one of the suites, and we are given the keys to our rooms as the luggage is being carried up. My colleague Christophe, a philosophical type, exclaims: "Oof! What service!"

Delhi, like India itself, is a study in contrasts. From broad avenues built by the British and immortalized in Richard Attenborough's film "Gandhi" to the narrow lanes of shops of Chandani Chowk with their odours of spice and vivid colours, there is discovery and amazement at every turn. Kalpana explains that if I placed a map of India over that of Europe, it would cover a land area extending from Denmark to Libya and from Spain to Russia! Samir adds that the cultural differences between these various countries are similar to those among the 25 states that make up India, with its one billion people divided into 4,636 ethnic groups, speaking 325 different languages and practicing more than seven religions... making it the world's largest democracy.

Agra is two hours by train from Delhi. It was here that Shah Jehan built the world's largest monument to Love in memory of his late wife Mumtaz Mahal. As Christophe, who is also a gourmet, remarked: "Going to Rajasthan without seeing the Taj Mahal is like eating mussels without chips!" The colours reflected off the precious stones incrusted in the white marble vary from sunrise to sunset, but admiring this architectural marvel while smoking a good cigar on your balcony is not bad either. Our hotel happens to be located just opposite from the Taj Mahal! (www.taj-mahal.net)

Driving on India's road is an unforgettable experience. You meet every sort of traffic: pedestrians, lorries, bicycles, camels, rickshaws, cows, buses, pigs, motorcycles, etc. Samir warns us: "When driving here, you need three 'goods': Good brakes, good horn and good luck!" Fortunately, the bus is air-conditioned and at each stop, Kalpana offers us moist towels and cold drinks.

Upon our arrival in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, we discover a "pink city". In 1876, Maharaja Man Singh II had the entire city repainted in honour of the future King of England, Edward VII. A sight worth seeing. The main instruments at the Observatory are nearly 300 years old but are still so precise that they are used to measure the local time and the inclination of the sun, and to determine the time of a lunar eclipse! We enter the Maharaja's place and as Samir points us to the door separating the public from the private area, the door's two panels swing open to the sound of trumpets and we are invited to a private lunch with the Maharaja, who receives us in his sitting room where we are served drinks. All around us, dozens of photos attest to the past visits of many famous persons. We each have an opportunity to speak with His Excellency for a few moments. When he proposes that we go in to lunch, Christophe gratifies me with a "Well, what do you think of that! How did the Boss get us invited here?" The Lalique table is magnificently decorated and the waiters in their white gloves add to the prestige of the occasion. An unforgettable meal.

Back at the hotel, we spend the afternoon in the spa discovering the famous Ayurvedic treatments: the drops falling onto my forehead at regular intervals put me into a state of deep relaxation. As if everything that had happened earlier was only a dream.

The evening meal beside the pool is sumptuous and the sound of the sitar reminds me of the lounge music I've heard in a "trendy" restaurant in Brussels. Or maybe it's the other way around!

The next day, when Kalpana and Samir drop us off at what looks like a football field, I cannot believe my eyes: magnificently decorated elephants are parading before us. This is when we find out that we will be participating in an elephant polo match! Seated on Jumbo, holding a long stick in my right hand, I gallop towards the adversary as Christophe cheers me on: "Go dude! Score!" Memories of Jaipur!

Final destination: Udaipur, the most romantic city in Rajasthan. Like an emerald hidden in a valley, surrounded by mountains and reflecting the blue waters of Lake Pichola, Udaipur is often called the Venice of the East. We lunch at the Shiv Niwas Palace, the residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, the inspiration for Dominique Lapierre's book "The City of Joy". An immense room in the Palace contains the largest collection of Val Saint-Lambert we have ever seen: glasses, plates, chairs, tables and even a bed. It seems that by the time the order was filled and shipped from Belgium, the Maharana was on the verge of death!

In the middle of the lake is the Hotel Lake Palace, made famous in the film "Octopussy", in which Roger Moore played James Bond and co-starred with Kristina Waghorn and Maud Adams. Several boats wait to take us to the Lake Palace. During the crossing, loudspeakers play the James Bond theme music, jet-skis ridden by women armed to the teeth circle our craft and then frogmen emerge from the water and climb on board. They remove their diving gear and reveal themselves to be perfect gentlemen in evening dress with our room keys around their waists! Christophe cannot restrain himself: "Now that's a check-in!"

Boarding the plane that will take us back to Europe, we collapse in our seats, exhausted but happy. We have the feeling we were away not for five days, but for two weeks! With our heads filled with images, colours and unforgettable moments, we have only a few hours left to savour before returning to our daily routine of traffic jams around the Léonard crossroads. We can't wait until the next incentive trip.