Boomers Abroad

Description

Details and Itinerary of 1 week Orientation Program in India

Day 1 : Welcome to India, introduction to the program help in Delhi, safety issues, basic culture and history about India. Also learn about your weeks program and details about your volunteering program in India to follow after this week.

Day 2: History, culture and traditional insight about India followed with Hindi language class for 2 hours. Learn basic letters and words of welcoming, greeting, short expressions, as well as learn about important and handy words which would help you while at work in your placement. You would get a chance to explore by yourself around Delhi in the evening. Your coordinator would guide you about the best places to go and visit.

Day 3: Hindi language class continues for 3 hours, more extensive words, sentences and expressions. Explore the local markets in the evening time.

Day 4: Discover Delhi - Go on a guided tour to Delhi's most visited tourist spots. This would be a full day tour of New Delhi included with a lunch at a restaurant. The places you would visit are:

India Gate - At the centre of New Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.

Lotus Temple - South East of Delhi, this temple is built in the shape of a lotus flower and is the last of seven Major Bahai's temples built around the world. Completed in1986 it is set among the lust landscaped gardens. The structure is made up of pure white marble The architect Furiburz Sabha chose the lotus as the symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. Adherents of any faith are free to visit the temple and pray or meditate.

Humayum's Tomb - Located near the crossing of Mahura road and Lodhi road, this magnificent garden tomb is the first substantial example of Mughal architecture in India. It was built in 1565 A.D.nine years after the death of Humayun, by his senior widow Bega Begam. Inside the walled enclosure the most notable feature are the garden squares (chaharbagh) with pathways water channels, centrally located well proportional mausoleum topped by double dome.

Qutab Minar - is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu kingdom. The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India. An inscription over its eastern gate provocatively informs that it was built with material obtained from demolishing '27 Hindu temples'. A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It is said that if you can encircle it with your hands while standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.

Day 5: Hindi language class 3 hours, covering more words and vocabulary to help you in daily use. In the evening explore along with your coordinator to the local markets and then go for a Hindi movie in the evening to see and understand it in a visual way. Indian cinema makes more movies in a year than Hollywood!

Day 6: Discover Old Delhi - go on a guided historic trail to visit old Delhi and see beautiful historic sights, with lunch in a tradition Indian restaurant.

Red Fort - The red sandstone walls of the massive Red Fort (Lal Qila) rise 33-m above the clamor of Old Delhi as a reminder of the magnificent power and pomp of the Mughal emperors. The walls, built in 1638, were designed to keep out invaders, now they mainly keep out the noise and confusion of the city.

Chandini Chowk - When the famous Mughal Emperor Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and established the city of Shahjahanabad, he had the majestic Red Fort or Lal Qila, on the banks of River Yamuna. Chandni Chowk was built in 1650 AD as an accompaniment to the fort. It was designed by Jahanara, the Emperor's favorite daughter. A large chowk ("square") with a central pool was built at some distance from the fort.

Day 7: Get ready for your volunteering program the next day or choose to visit Taj Mahal for a day trip at an extra USD 50 only per person.

Cost USD 250 for this 1 week program.

Upgrade to see Taj Mahal on the 7th day for only extra USD 100.