VegNews Great Adventure to India!

Who: VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

What: VegNews Great Adventure to India

Where: New Delhi, Agra, and the breathtaking state of Rajasthan

When: February 6–18, 2011

Why: Because VegNews Vacations are a great way to see the world, vegan style

The Scoop: Here's a little back story for you, in case you hadn't heard. When VegNews first decided to launch VegNews Vacations after a few years of toying with idea, we thought of it as an experiment. If it works, great! It will be a wonderful service to the veg community. If not, well, at least we tried it. But given the recession and uncertainty of the market for vegan trips around the world, we honestly thought it might not fly. Fast forward to the announcement of our first VegNews Great Adventure to India (October 2010) last March, and just days later, we were absolutely floored to have a sold-out trip, with a waitlist in the hundreds. When we announced our 2011 trips (another VegNews Great Adventure to India and a Food Lover's Tour to Thailand), the vacations sold out even faster. And after leading our second group just weeks ago in what was another incredible journey, I have no doubt that VegNews Vacations will be offering international getaways for years to come.

Publisher Joseph Connelly and I, along with our expert guides Zac Lovas and RK Singh from Veg Voyages, set off for the subcontinent in early February to travel through India with 25 VegNews' readers. In reflecting on why this trip was so spectacular, here are my top five reasons why I'd do it again and again:

1. The Group

Without a doubt, traveling with like-minded individuals is nothing short of phenomenal. Why hadn't I discovered this before? As someone who has done a lot of solo traveling, I am completely sold on sharing a travel experience with people you can really relate to. Every day brought great conversation (including what seemed to be a constant dialogue on veg restaurants and food), and sharing what we were experiencing with interesting, compassionate people really made the trip that much richer. Because of the group size, we were able to talk to different people every day, and wonderful bonds and lasting friendships were just a bonus of the already-stellar adventure.

2. The Sights

As amazing as traveling with other vegetarians is, it's even better because we were in India! You had to pinch us each day, as we just couldn't believe where we were and what we were seeing. Highlights include the Taj Mahal (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), the Gandhi museum in New Delhi, the Pink City, the breathtaking forts and palaces, the ancient stepwell, the temples (including one that was more than 3,000 years old!), the all-vegetarian village, and Animal Aid Hospital & Sanctuary. And that was just the beginning.

3. The Food

In short, the food was sensational. Every meal we experienced a different style or region of Indian cooking in a unique setting. And because many of us are food-obsessed, this was a huge part of the trip. But remember—India is very veg-friendly, but there is little to no knowledge of veganism. And since all VegNews Vacations are 100-percent vegan, it required a lot of effort to educate chefs and ensure that we were served only the very best vegan cuisine. Meal standouts include South Indian dosas, Indo-Chinese fusion, North Indian thalis, Rajasthani snacks, and Jaipur curries. And no meal would be complete without the incredible array of fresh-baked flat breads—from chapati to garlic naan (made vegan just for us) to onion-stuffed paratha. To the delight of guests, we always had soy and almond milk on hand (brought from the US) for those much-needed cups of coffee and tea.

4. The Hotels

There were no Hiltons or Holiday Inns on our adventure, but the places we stayed were one of the most memorable aspects of the trip. We hung our hats in centuries-old palaces, boutique inns, quaint bed and breakfasts, eco retreats, and lakeside villas—and were always treated like royalty. From being welcomed with fresh juice, a floral garland, and the requisite bindi to being invited for cocktails with the last recognized monarch in India, each hotel was totally unique.

5. The Extras

Besides seeing incredible sights, eating delicious food, and sleeping in palaces and villas (all while sharing the experience with a group of like-minded individuals), the little extras really made the trip over the top. We're talking morning yoga, sunrise hikes, the beautiful animals, the lovely Indian people and their unparalleled hospitality, Ayurvedic massage, the Hindi language lessons, the cooking class, the music, the dancing...

I could go on and on about the VegNews Great Adventure to India, but I'd rather let our just-launched photo gallery tell the rest of the story. Here's to traveling the world, vegan style!

The lovely Blair, learning to make Indian food in our cooking class

Just a few feet away from a blissful monkey, overlooking this majestic lake

A Dose of Dosa

Who: VN Senior Editor Elizabeth Castoria + VN Editorial Assistant Lisa Mickleborough
What: A dinner of dosa
Where: Udupi Palace, San Francisco, Calif.
When: August 9, 2008
Why: Do you really need much of a reason to eat great veg Indian food?

The Scoop: Here's a little insight about how things work here at VegNews: we talk almost constantly about food. Any time of day, any type of food, so long as we're either imagining some ultra-awesome menu or recalling some of our most-favorite meals, we're happy. Since our editorial director, Aurelia, has spent a significant amount of time traveling in India, we can always count on her to regale us with tales of dosa, idly, and other South Indian favorites. Having heard about the utter wonder that is dosa since day one, I've been dying to try it. Enter Udupi Palace.

The San Francisco location of this authentic chain opened in June, and Lisa—also a newbie to the world of dosa—and I finally had time to go. With expectations high, we set out for the Mission District on a bustling Saturday night. Udupi Palace's interior is warm and inviting, and the place was abuzz with diners who all had huge plates of food in front of them. Once seated, it took us maybe all of 10 seconds to select the masala dosa and savory tomato uthappam from the menu. Our orders came on two silver trays, complete with a selection of coconut chutney and sambar. Incredibly, everything lived up to our expectations. The dosa was crispy and light, and the potatoes inside were like someone had taken the best mashed potatoes ever and jazzed them up with Indian spices. We died.

After completely stuffing ourselves (did I mention that the servings were huge?), Lisa got a cup of coffee to help everything digest. She was so taken with the chicory-blend flavor that she asked the manager where she could buy it, and he graciously gave her a bag to take home. As if the generosity of the servings weren't enough, the coffee was certainly an unexpected bonus. From here on out you'll be able to find Lisa and me at our weekly meetings that begin, "Hi, my name is Elizabeth and I'm a dosa addict."