Hello, I am Bharat Kumar, an Indian driver. In this blog I want to show you my job. For more than seven years I have been making the most interesting tours around all India and Nepal, for example the famous Golden Triangle, all Rajasthan, North and South of the country. I can make your size trip, you choose the cities and I can make it real.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
People's experiences with Bharat
Here is a space for travelers to write a comment about their trips (see below)
Some comments on my previous website (French and English) : http://bharatkumar2000.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/hello/#comments
Meyer :Bonjour ! Nous avons fait un tour au Rajasthan pour une durée de 12 jours. Bharat a été notre conducteur. Il est super clean ! On a eu aucun problème. Toujours à l’heure, à notre écoute, il connait super bien les routes, on se s’est jamais perdu, il est toujours souriant, et archi chaleureux. Par dessus tout, c’est un très bon conducteur. Il évite que vous fassiez des frayeurs sur les routes. Il roule prudemment et c’est ce qu’on voulait. Il parle très bien anglais. donc pas de problème de communication. Il a un super CD de musique avec des morceaux indiens qui vous donnent la patate !! Mes amis et moi-même gardons un bon souvenir de notre voyage et Bharat y a grandement contribué.
JB Marre :Bonjour, Nous avons voyagé dans presque tout le Rajasthan pendant 3 semaines avec Kumar, une super expérience! Kumar est vraiment super sympa, il passe beaucoup de temps avec ses clients, et prends soin d’eux. Très bonne expérience en tout cas. Chauffeur a recommander, n’hésitez pas! Vous pourrez même apprendre à conduire du coté droit a ses cotés ( sur des routes vides, biensur!) Alors, n’attendez plus pour le contacter, and just enjoy guys!
Candide et Patrick : Hello, We traveled for 2 weeks with Bharat in March 2010. It was a great experience ! Bharat is so nice, helpfull and open-minded. We recommend this guy !
Hi, I traveled with Bharat form New Delhi - Agra - Jaipur. It was a great trip with a lot of special moments. Bharat is kind, enthusiastic and helpfull, a better driver you can't wish.
Hello. We travelled with Bharat in Rajhasthan for 6 days in february 2011. Our trip way enjoyeable and funny. Bharat is a good driver, who knows the streets, hotels and a few hidden shopping places. He is helpful. We can recommend him to everyone. Best regards Zsuzsanna and György from Hungary and Austria
Hello. Bharat drove us around Rajasthan for 2 weeks, in December 2011. Bharat drives safely, speaks good English and is very kind. We really enjoyed our trip, you can trust him ! Nicolas & Aurelie from France
Bharat was our driver for two weeks in June 2009. It was lots of fun travelling with Bharat and his extensive knowledge of all the areas we visited in Rajasthan was invaluable. We found Bharat trustworthy and had our best interests in mind throughout the trip. When we first met Bharat he told us that he thinks of his clients as family and we felt this created a lovely dynamic for our travels together. It felt more like a road trip with a friend than an organised tour. Thanks again Bharat for giving us such a memorable and fun holiday.If we have any family and friends travelling to India we'll be recommending them to you. Sincerely Paul & Inga
un grand moment en aout 2011 we travelled with bharat during 5 weeks, 5 semaines au Rajasthan puis autour de Delhi Agra et vers le nord de CHandigarh à Amritsar puis a big marvel Dharamsala....
sans oublier la famille dans la countryside et les masala chai et la lecon de henné
superbe voyage, bharat is very joyful, kind and helpful..we were like a family with our boy...
I recommend Bharat as a very good driver in Delhi, he can drive you everywhere, thanks for the flowers on the arrival at the airport and for le poulet poulet your speciality because Bharat is a chef... testez et vous ne regretterez pas.... amicalement
We spent three weeks with Bharat in april 2011. He took us all the way from Delhi, through all Rajasthan to Udaypur. My girlfriend and me had a great time. Bharat was very flexible and changed plans when we wanted to stay longer somewhere. He also gave good advice on things to see, where to eat, etc...
He drives really safe (important on India's roads!), is really reliable, and like someone mentions above: it really felt like a roadtrip and not like an organised tour. Probably because we could travel around quite flexible.
We would recommend him to all travellers going to India!
Bharat Kumar was my driver in June 2012 for 7 days. Our trip took us around Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and back to Delhi. Bharat is an expert at navigating the busy streets of India, he gets you to places very quickly but always in a safe way. He has a lot of insider knowledge about what places are good to visit, where the prices are lowest and when is the best time to go. He always listened to my wishes and sincerely wanted me to have the best time possible. With Bharat, there was no hassle about anything, everything went very smoothly. He is also much more than a great driver, we had some very good times together and even after 7 days I can call him a real friend. Highly recommended!
Recently I had Bharat as a driver/guide for one week in India. I will attempt to write the most accurate, unbiased review of Bharat's services as a driver and guide.
Background: Our driver, Bharat, was assigned to us (us being two twenty somethings, a male and a female, from the US) by the government tourist agency of India.
Our first stop was Rishikesh, a six hour drive from Delhi. Unfortunately, because of a pilgrimage, the roads were hectic and sometimes closed.
The drive started off on a strange foot. Just after jumping into the car to Rishikesh, Bharat picked up a relative around the corner from the tourist agency. 'I picked him up because I have back problems', Bharat explains. 'Please don't tell the company' he adds. And we're off!
Six hours later, after the relative did the lion's share of the driving, we arrived at the hotel. We checked in and were told that they would pick us up at 3 p.m. the following day for that day's activities.With only two weeks of vacation in India, we had absolutely no intention of experiencing the country from inside a hotel room, so we woke up early and did our own thing the majority of that day.
By 2 p.m., we were back in our room and eventually met both of our guides/drivers downstairs in the lobby.
Because of the hectic/closed roads, he took us to the city via an auto rickshaw (Bharat paid). The driver of the rickshaw had to drop us right outside the city due to road closures. We walked around and he offered us various street vendor's foods and candies. We were a bit nervous about getting sick from eating the produce from the street vendors without being able to wash it or anything, but we didn't want to offend, so we didn't protest and just ate.
Then, we all had dinner at a 'very good and famous restaurant', which was not only overpriced (we paid for their meal as well), but very mediocre. We headed back to the hotel and for some reason Bharat didn't get us a ride and we were forced to walk the same exact long, exposed, hot, and dangerous route (walking anywhere in India on a major street carries some sort of risk) we had just walked a few hours before.
Also noteworthy is the fact that during our tour of Rishikesh, Bharatwould stop, without notice, at various vendors to browse their products. We thought it odd behavior for a paid driver/guide.
With an early departure from Rishikesh the next day we hoped to get back to Delhi early and see some of the sights. Bharat had different plans. First, on our way back to Delhi, Bharat stopped in Haridwar to bathe in the Ganges. Second, we took a 12k detour to his village. Granted, we had a good time, were fed generously, and it was nice to see 'the real India', but it was mainly a side trip for Bharat, not us, and we had not intended/chosen to go there.
As we finally approached Delhi we asked if we could see the Akshardham Temple (it was right off the road from the freeway), but Bharat said it was closed on Sundays. We later checked this, and it’s not closed on Sundays, it’s closed on Mondays. Maybe he was misinformed. Anyway, instead, we asked if we could be dropped off at the Lodhi Gardens. We said 'dropped' because Bharat planned to take a bus the next morning back up to Hadiwar to participate in the pilgrimage himself we had just seen, thus leaving us with his brother/cousin the duration of the trip. Instead, Bharat suggested the Buddha Gardens, an inferior, though more convenient gardens near our hotel. But after we said we didn't want to go there and campaigned for the Lodhi gardens, Bharat ultimately said no, because they needed to fix the car (the air conditioning wasn't working properly).
After we were dropped off at the hotel and Bharat and his cousin departed to fix the car, we asked the concierge to call a taxi to take us to the Gardens. Unbeknownst to us, the concierge called the agency and in walks Bharat!
He said he would take us to the Gardens, but with a caveat, he was going to drop us off, then take off because he was tired. Thus, his story changed from fixing the car to just wanting to get some rest, which was fine. However, before he actually took us to the Lodhi Gardens, he made an unexpected stop at some upscale indoor bazaar. At this point we had no interest in shopping, and had only wanted to get to the gardens, so we were frustrated by this stop. We spent only a couple minutes in the shop, much to the surprise of Bharat and his cousin, who were relaxing outside. Finally, we headed to the gardens where Bharat dropped us off. We enjoyed our independence, but at the same time felt frustrated that we weren’t getting the driver/guide that we’d thought we were paying for.
Normally, at this point i would wrap-up the review of Bharat, because we didn't see him the rest of the trip and he was no longer providing his services. However, we both feel that his relative's behavior should warrant some commentary. I will not go into great detail but overall we weren't very pleased with our new driver, to say the least. In Agra, we asked multiple times if we could see sites other than the Taj and Agra fort, but he firmly said that the Agra Fort and the Taj were the ONLY things to see and thus, we should stay inside our hotel until the next day when we would see them. In Jaipur, after a little alcohol, he suggested that he, myself, and my girlfriend have a threesome. Although slightly humorous in many other contexts, this one was not and we felt very awkward. Coupled with that incident was him driving us to our hotel completely intoxicated. Moreover, on another day he was driving back to Delhi and he was literally falling asleep at the wheel. And after the threesome incident, he would directly speak to us in a different language saying, what we have reason to believe, were some pretty creepy things.
I don't want it to appear that every moment spent with Bharat and his friend were completely miserable and that they are horrible people-- they are not. When I mentioned that I was having some stomach issues, Bharat's relative bought me some bananas and informed me that the bottled mineral water I was consuming wasn't the best choice. When we visited Bharat's village/home and asked if we could give them a tip for the food, Bharat said to forget about it, because we were his guests. There were things like that that made it seem that they really were looking out for our best interest, but when I dwell on it, those fleeting moments were definitely overshadowed by the account written above. There may have been some cultural aspect, or things getting lost in translation resulting in us interpreting certain behaviors as rude and self-centered that might have led to the commentary above, but we have no way of knowing really. Would we have had a better experience with a different driver? Probably. But other comments on this page say otherwise, so take this review for what you will.
Well what can I say, Bharat Kumar made our visit to India one of the most memorable experiences! Our original plan wasn't to have a driver but due to this man I am so glad that we did. He was always bang on time picking us up. the first day he showed us amazing sights in Delhi and throughout our trip he continues to amaze us with his knowledge and insight into Rajistan.
His advice was second to none, whether it be advising us on a restaurant or a hotel. By the end of the trip we just took his advice as the law and it was always wonderful. the advice allowed us to eat some amazing food and also stay in some of the most amazing places - which you will not find in Lonely Planet.
Rather than taking us to expensive tourist style roadside restaurants, where the drivers get free food he always took us to cheap, authentic roadside cafes where you got a feel of real India! He would also stop at roadside shop, to allow us to try guava, or stock up on bananas for the journey. this experience was great and something you do not get if you are traveling all by train.
He has so much more knowledge than Lonely Planet. In Bikaner he took us to a miniature art workshop, where a miniature artist gave us a demonstration, it was truly amazing, and something not in the Lonely planet guide.
The best thing about Bharat Kumar is not that he is a great driver and an incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, but that he really cares about your experience in India. he is always trying to show you new things, and in just generally a caring person. In Ranakpur, when I was ill he went out especially to get me cigarettes, to try and make me feel better.
I suggest the best way to travel Rajistan is by car, and the best driver, i am sure is Bharat Kumar. One day I hope to visit again, and I hope Bharat will be my guide once again!
Some comments on my previous website (French and English) : http://bharatkumar2000.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/hello/#comments
ReplyDeleteMeyer :Bonjour !
Nous avons fait un tour au Rajasthan pour une durée de 12 jours. Bharat a été notre conducteur. Il est super clean ! On a eu aucun problème.
Toujours à l’heure, à notre écoute, il connait super bien les routes, on se s’est jamais perdu, il est toujours souriant, et archi chaleureux.
Par dessus tout, c’est un très bon conducteur. Il évite que vous fassiez des frayeurs sur les routes. Il roule prudemment et c’est ce qu’on voulait.
Il parle très bien anglais. donc pas de problème de communication.
Il a un super CD de musique avec des morceaux indiens qui vous donnent la patate !!
Mes amis et moi-même gardons un bon souvenir de notre voyage et Bharat y a grandement contribué.
JB Marre :Bonjour,
Nous avons voyagé dans presque tout le Rajasthan pendant 3 semaines avec Kumar, une super expérience!
Kumar est vraiment super sympa, il passe beaucoup de temps avec ses clients, et prends soin d’eux.
Très bonne expérience en tout cas. Chauffeur a recommander, n’hésitez pas!
Vous pourrez même apprendre à conduire du coté droit a ses cotés ( sur des routes vides, biensur!)
Alors, n’attendez plus pour le contacter, and just enjoy guys!
Candide et Patrick : Hello,
We traveled for 2 weeks with Bharat in March 2010. It was a great experience ! Bharat is so nice, helpfull and open-minded.
We recommend this guy !
Hi, I traveled with Bharat form New Delhi - Agra - Jaipur. It was a great trip with a lot of special moments.
ReplyDeleteBharat is kind, enthusiastic and helpfull, a better driver you can't wish.
Hello. We travelled with Bharat in Rajhasthan for 6 days in february 2011. Our trip way enjoyeable and funny. Bharat is a good driver, who knows the streets, hotels and a few hidden shopping places.
ReplyDeleteHe is helpful.
We can recommend him to everyone.
Best regards
Zsuzsanna and György from Hungary and Austria
Hello. Bharat drove us around Rajasthan for 2 weeks, in December 2011. Bharat drives safely, speaks good English and is very kind. We really enjoyed our trip, you can trust him !
ReplyDeleteNicolas & Aurelie from France
Bharat was our driver for two weeks in June 2009. It was lots of fun travelling with Bharat and his extensive knowledge of all the areas we visited in Rajasthan was invaluable. We found Bharat trustworthy and had our best interests in mind throughout the trip. When we first met Bharat he told us that he thinks of his clients as family and we felt this created a lovely dynamic for our travels together. It felt more like a road trip with a friend than an organised tour. Thanks again Bharat for giving us such a memorable and fun holiday.If we have any family and friends travelling to India we'll be recommending them to you. Sincerely Paul & Inga
ReplyDeleteBharat is a very kind and good driving. He will help you with whatever you need. I recommend him to everyone!
ReplyDeleteArthur
hello coucou de stef tito and geny
ReplyDeleteun grand moment en aout 2011 we travelled with bharat during 5 weeks, 5 semaines au Rajasthan puis autour de Delhi Agra et vers le nord de CHandigarh à Amritsar puis a big marvel Dharamsala....
sans oublier la famille dans la countryside et les masala chai et la lecon de henné
superbe voyage, bharat is very joyful, kind and helpful..we were like a family with our boy...
I recommend Bharat as a very good driver in Delhi, he can drive you everywhere, thanks for the flowers on the arrival at the airport and for le poulet poulet your speciality because Bharat is a chef... testez et vous ne regretterez pas.... amicalement
Hello Bharat! I hope you are fine!
ReplyDeleteWe spent three weeks with Bharat in april 2011.
He took us all the way from Delhi, through all Rajasthan to Udaypur. My girlfriend and me had a great time. Bharat was very flexible and changed plans when we wanted to stay longer somewhere. He also gave good advice on things to see, where to eat, etc...
He drives really safe (important on India's roads!), is really reliable, and like someone mentions above: it really felt like a roadtrip and not like an organised tour. Probably because we could travel around quite flexible.
We would recommend him to all travellers going to India!
Bharat Kumar was my driver in June 2012 for 7 days. Our trip took us around Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar and back to Delhi. Bharat is an expert at navigating the busy streets of India, he gets you to places very quickly but always in a safe way. He has a lot of insider knowledge about what places are good to visit, where the prices are lowest and when is the best time to go. He always listened to my wishes and sincerely wanted me to have the best time possible. With Bharat, there was no hassle about anything, everything went very smoothly. He is also much more than a great driver, we had some very good times together and even after 7 days I can call him a real friend. Highly recommended!
DeleteRecently I had Bharat as a driver/guide for one week in India. I will attempt to write the most accurate, unbiased review of Bharat's services as a driver and guide.
ReplyDeleteBackground: Our driver, Bharat, was assigned to us (us being two twenty somethings, a male and a female, from the US) by the government tourist agency of India.
Our first stop was Rishikesh, a six hour drive from Delhi.
Unfortunately, because of a pilgrimage, the roads were hectic and sometimes closed.
The drive started off on a strange foot. Just after jumping into the car to Rishikesh, Bharat picked up a relative around the corner from the tourist agency. 'I picked him up because I have back problems', Bharat explains. 'Please don't tell the company' he adds. And we're off!
Six hours later, after the relative did the lion's share of the driving, we arrived at the hotel. We checked in and were told that they would pick us up at 3 p.m. the following day for that day's activities.With only two weeks of vacation in India, we had absolutely no intention of experiencing the country from inside a hotel room, so we woke up early
and did our own thing the majority of that day.
By 2 p.m., we were back in our room and eventually met both of our guides/drivers downstairs in the lobby.
Because of the hectic/closed roads, he took us to the city via an auto rickshaw (Bharat paid). The driver
of the rickshaw had to drop us right outside the city due to road closures. We walked around and he offered us various street vendor's foods and candies. We were a bit nervous about getting sick from eating the produce from the street vendors without being able to wash it or anything, but we didn't want to offend, so we didn't protest and just ate.
Then, we all had dinner at a 'very good and famous restaurant', which was not only overpriced (we paid for their meal as well), but very mediocre. We headed back
to the hotel and for some reason Bharat didn't get us a ride and we were forced to walk the same exact long, exposed, hot, and dangerous route (walking anywhere in India on a major street carries some sort of risk) we had just walked a few hours before.
Also noteworthy is the fact that during our tour of Rishikesh, Bharatwould stop, without notice, at various vendors to browse their products. We thought it odd behavior for a paid driver/guide.
With an early departure from Rishikesh the next day we hoped to get back to Delhi early and see some of the sights. Bharat had different plans. First, on our way back to Delhi, Bharat stopped in Haridwar to bathe in the Ganges. Second, we took a 12k detour to his village. Granted, we had a good time, were fed generously, and it was nice to see 'the real India', but it was mainly a side trip for Bharat, not us, and we had not intended/chosen to go there.
As we finally approached Delhi we asked if we could see the Akshardham Temple (it was right off the road from the freeway), but Bharat said it was closed on Sundays. We later checked this, and it’s not closed on Sundays, it’s closed on Mondays. Maybe he was misinformed. Anyway, instead, we asked if we could be dropped off at the Lodhi Gardens. We said 'dropped' because Bharat planned to take a bus the next morning back up to Hadiwar to participate in the
pilgrimage himself we had just seen, thus leaving us with his brother/cousin the duration of the trip. Instead, Bharat suggested the Buddha Gardens, an inferior, though more convenient gardens near our hotel. But after we said we didn't want to go there and campaigned for the
Lodhi gardens, Bharat ultimately said no, because they needed to fix the car (the air conditioning wasn't working properly).
After we were dropped off at the hotel and Bharat and his cousin departed to fix the car, we asked the concierge to call a taxi to take us to the Gardens. Unbeknownst to us, the concierge called the agency and in walks Bharat!
ReplyDeleteHe said he would take us to the Gardens, but with a caveat, he was going to drop us off, then take off because he was tired. Thus, his story changed from fixing the car to just wanting to get some rest, which was fine. However, before he actually took us to the Lodhi Gardens, he made an unexpected stop at some upscale indoor bazaar. At this point we had no interest in shopping, and had only wanted to get to the gardens, so we were frustrated by this stop. We spent only a couple minutes in the shop, much to the surprise of Bharat and his cousin, who were relaxing outside. Finally, we headed to the gardens where Bharat dropped us off. We enjoyed our independence, but at the same time felt frustrated that we weren’t getting the driver/guide that we’d thought we were paying for.
Normally, at this point i would wrap-up the review of Bharat, because we didn't see him the rest of the trip and he was no longer providing his services. However, we both feel that his relative's behavior should warrant some commentary. I will not go into great detail but
overall we weren't very pleased with our new driver, to say the least. In Agra, we asked multiple times if we could see sites other than the Taj and Agra fort, but he firmly said that the Agra Fort and the Taj were the ONLY things to see
and thus, we should stay inside our hotel until the next day when we would see them. In Jaipur, after a little alcohol, he suggested that he, myself, and my girlfriend have a threesome. Although slightly humorous in many other contexts, this one was not and we felt very
awkward. Coupled with that incident was him driving us to our hotel completely intoxicated. Moreover, on another day he was driving back to Delhi and he was literally falling asleep at the wheel. And after the threesome incident, he would directly speak to us in a different
language saying, what we have reason to believe, were some pretty creepy things.
I don't want it to appear that every moment spent with Bharat and his friend were completely miserable and that they are horrible people-- they are not. When I mentioned that I was having some stomach issues, Bharat's relative bought me some bananas and informed me that the
bottled mineral water I was consuming wasn't the best choice. When we visited Bharat's village/home and asked if we could give them a tip for the food, Bharat said to forget about it, because we were his guests. There were things like that that made it seem that they really were looking out for our best interest, but when I dwell on it, those
fleeting moments were definitely overshadowed by the account written above. There may have been some cultural aspect, or things getting lost in translation resulting in us interpreting certain behaviors as rude and self-centered that might have led to the commentary above, but we have no way of knowing really. Would we have had a better experience with a different driver?
Probably. But other comments on this page say otherwise, so take this review for what you will.
Well what can I say, Bharat Kumar made our visit to India one of the most memorable experiences! Our original plan wasn't to have a driver but due to this man I am so glad that we did. He was always bang on time picking us up. the first day he showed us amazing sights in Delhi and throughout our trip he continues to amaze us with his knowledge and insight into Rajistan.
ReplyDeleteHis advice was second to none, whether it be advising us on a restaurant or a hotel. By the end of the trip we just took his advice as the law and it was always wonderful. the advice allowed us to eat some amazing food and also stay in some of the most amazing places - which you will not find in Lonely Planet.
Rather than taking us to expensive tourist style roadside restaurants, where the drivers get free food he always took us to cheap, authentic roadside cafes where you got a feel of real India! He would also stop at roadside shop, to allow us to try guava, or stock up on bananas for the journey. this experience was great and something you do not get if you are traveling all by train.
He has so much more knowledge than Lonely Planet. In Bikaner he took us to a miniature art workshop, where a miniature artist gave us a demonstration, it was truly amazing, and something not in the Lonely planet guide.
The best thing about Bharat Kumar is not that he is a great driver and an incredibly knowledgeable tour guide, but that he really cares about your experience in India. he is always trying to show you new things, and in just generally a caring person. In Ranakpur, when I was ill he went out especially to get me cigarettes, to try and make me feel better.
I suggest the best way to travel Rajistan is by car, and the best driver, i am sure is Bharat Kumar. One day I hope to visit again, and I hope Bharat will be my guide once again!
Jack Brenndorfer, England.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete