Ladies Circle

The pre-tour lasted a week and, to talk about it briefly is an immense challenge, so I will only pick out the main highlights of the tour from my perspective:

I knew no-one on the tour before I arrived and had never been to an International event, so it was with relief that my room-mate spoke perfect English and made me feel completely at ease – thank you Anna Akkesson!

The tour of Delhi started with an introductory meeting organised by the Circlers, who achieved the most stunning feat a couple of days later – not only a tour around the inside of the Presidential Palace, but a private audience with the President of India!

The same day, we were caught in a typhoon – and to think the weather is bad in the UK...

We then travelled to Agra, where the monument I most wanted to see is located – the Taj Mahal. It is stunning – imposing, fantastically beautiful and built to such a grand scale that you truly struggle to appreciate it.

In Jaipur, we rode elephants to the Amber Fort. We discovered one ran off later that day, complete with tourists on top, to make a bid for freedom!

A few of us finally managed to be let loose into the ‘real’ India. The tour company were doing a great job, but there’s a limited time in which you can keep independent ladies on a coach and tell them what to do, all day, every day!

Thankfully, our guide Poonam, was also a feisty female and understood the need to explore! Having tried our luck in the traffic and looked around the local bazaar that sold nothing we wanted to buy, Poonam refreshed us with cups of Chai.

The next morning, we had just enough time to find the tourist shops and get those all-important presents before heading for Bangalore and the LCI Conference.

The other main highlight of the tour is reflected in this report: ‘I’ became ‘we’. I met some great ladies, who will be friends for life. A week in their company is the best holiday anyone can have.

Trish Harris
Area 14 Chairman
GB&I