WHY INDIA---RHKKMK
Dec 9th, 2006 | 01:35 PM
#1
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WHY INDIA---RHKKMK
i only used this title to grab your attention...don't expect me to fully answer the question...
we had been toying with the idea of an indian sojourn for a couple of years based on reports from some classmates here in needham (yes we are townies), and from craig and jeane's experiences, plus encouragement from bonita, patricia (boston harbor), lcuy, paulo and lyndie, among others.....
so in the fall of 2005, or in late summer really, i began work on a 6 week trip which would include both india and a return to thailand...our 40th anniversary is on december 18, so i thought i would include a few days at the end of the total trip at the peninsula in bangkok to celebrate....unfortunately the airline did not agree with my decision and i had to reschedule everything as no seats were available....more on this later..so we agreed on a november and early december timeframe...
i made contact with 3 delhi based agents to assist me---all from fodors.... compass tours was the first that caught my eye, and with craig's and lcuy's good experiences with them....they presented a very comprehensive proposal and together we worked with the basic concept they presented...along the way i also received a proposal from bonita using one of her favorite agents--le passage to india and finally i saw a posting from paul o'reilly about his experiences with castle and king...
along the way i added a four day stay in kathmandu to the 12 day trip i had agreed upon....later after the continued troubles there in the spring of 2006, we cancelled this portion of the trip, or rather postponed it for a future date...
so after a lot of back and forth i pretty much got each of the agents to the same exact trip and then we priced it out....castle and king came in as the cheapest, so immediately i thought that i could not possibly trust them....how could it be that much cheaper??
so then the "fun" began as i studied each proposal more closely...they were almost identical, except for some of the hotel choices....all of the hotels were however in roughly the same classification---i would call them 4 star rather than the 5 star ones like the imperial in delhi....hotels are the most expensive part of a trip to india i found....this turned me off quite honestly...
so after this exercise (this trip caused me the most planning grief ever), i selected castle and king as i could not see any differences in the final product....and here i will say that they scored a 100% rating....everything turned out perfectly...you will see....and for those of you who know me or my writing here you know that is an almost impossibility!!
we had been toying with the idea of an indian sojourn for a couple of years based on reports from some classmates here in needham (yes we are townies), and from craig and jeane's experiences, plus encouragement from bonita, patricia (boston harbor), lcuy, paulo and lyndie, among others.....
so in the fall of 2005, or in late summer really, i began work on a 6 week trip which would include both india and a return to thailand...our 40th anniversary is on december 18, so i thought i would include a few days at the end of the total trip at the peninsula in bangkok to celebrate....unfortunately the airline did not agree with my decision and i had to reschedule everything as no seats were available....more on this later..so we agreed on a november and early december timeframe...
i made contact with 3 delhi based agents to assist me---all from fodors.... compass tours was the first that caught my eye, and with craig's and lcuy's good experiences with them....they presented a very comprehensive proposal and together we worked with the basic concept they presented...along the way i also received a proposal from bonita using one of her favorite agents--le passage to india and finally i saw a posting from paul o'reilly about his experiences with castle and king...
along the way i added a four day stay in kathmandu to the 12 day trip i had agreed upon....later after the continued troubles there in the spring of 2006, we cancelled this portion of the trip, or rather postponed it for a future date...
so after a lot of back and forth i pretty much got each of the agents to the same exact trip and then we priced it out....castle and king came in as the cheapest, so immediately i thought that i could not possibly trust them....how could it be that much cheaper??
so then the "fun" began as i studied each proposal more closely...they were almost identical, except for some of the hotel choices....all of the hotels were however in roughly the same classification---i would call them 4 star rather than the 5 star ones like the imperial in delhi....hotels are the most expensive part of a trip to india i found....this turned me off quite honestly...
so after this exercise (this trip caused me the most planning grief ever), i selected castle and king as i could not see any differences in the final product....and here i will say that they scored a 100% rating....everything turned out perfectly...you will see....and for those of you who know me or my writing here you know that is an almost impossibility!!
Dec 9th, 2006 | 01:50 PM
#2
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i had quite a bit of difficulty getting the FF tickets i wanted from northwest....finally i got an agent who said, "would you consider Air France?"...my response was, sure...
it became even more attractive when i discovered that 3 of the 4 flights were nite flights offering a decent sleep alternative, rather than the midnight arrival in bkk and the 6AM departure.....we left boston about 8PM, arrived in paris about 5:30AM, rented a car for the day and left paris about 11:15PM and arrived in bkk about 4:40PM....coming home the flight left bkk at 11:30PM and arrived in paris early morning with about a 5 hour layover and arrived home about 3PM...i could not have asked for a better schedule....we had to switch the days around a bit to accomodate the airline (aren't they supposed to accomodate us??)...so we ended up with an oct 27 departure and a dec 6 arrival home....and still we have the anniversary at home (think of the money i saved on the peninsula) and plenty of time to prepare for christmas for karen....she was not all that keen on the dec 20 homecoming i had planned...
so once this was in place then i could firmly schedule india and all of our thailand activities...
it became even more attractive when i discovered that 3 of the 4 flights were nite flights offering a decent sleep alternative, rather than the midnight arrival in bkk and the 6AM departure.....we left boston about 8PM, arrived in paris about 5:30AM, rented a car for the day and left paris about 11:15PM and arrived in bkk about 4:40PM....coming home the flight left bkk at 11:30PM and arrived in paris early morning with about a 5 hour layover and arrived home about 3PM...i could not have asked for a better schedule....we had to switch the days around a bit to accomodate the airline (aren't they supposed to accomodate us??)...so we ended up with an oct 27 departure and a dec 6 arrival home....and still we have the anniversary at home (think of the money i saved on the peninsula) and plenty of time to prepare for christmas for karen....she was not all that keen on the dec 20 homecoming i had planned...
so once this was in place then i could firmly schedule india and all of our thailand activities...
Dec 9th, 2006 | 02:30 PM
#3
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as i have choosen to post this seperately from the main trip report you need to know that we flew from bangkok to delhi on november 7 on thai airways, after about a week in bangkok....i arranged this flight through eddie at seatours in bangkok ([email protected])...he provides excellent service and gave us e tickets which simplified the delivery process.... i was able to make one schedule change to the tickets also at no charge...i paid with an amex card on line...cost about $900 for two coach seats as i remember...
while at the penn on the 6th, i asked that they reconfirm the tickets...the conc. suggested it was not necessary...i insisted, and it is a good thing i had as the flight times had changed by one hour....we might have missed the plane...the plane was now scheduled for 7:50PM which gave us a full day in bangkok....
a taxi man we had used a day earlier came for us....the taxi ride was 45 minutes to the new airport from the marriott resort and spa....the meter cost was 290 B plus the 65 B tolls....good price...
the airport is very efficient....the distances inside are quite far however....allow plenty of time...there are, at least, moving walkways in this new airport to assist...bathrooms are scarce however so use one when you see it....there are bathrooms at the gate areas however...the gate areas are quite comfortable and well air conditioned...
there are tons of shops in almost every area of the airport and food emporiums too...your exit tax is still 500 B per person until february, 2007 when it changes to 700 B i believe....after that they expect it to be included in the ticket price at some point....
karen has not noted it but i think the flight was late leaving but he made most of it up enroute.....the staff on the plane were not at all friendly and we really did not enjoy the flight much....seats were tiny, even for karen, and close together...we attempted to sleep for a while....
delhi airport's arrival area is bleak to say the least with very little a/c...dirty windows, etc...
no immigration cards were handed out on the flight (i think the flight was about 4 hours)...this caused quite a problem...you descend an escalator into the immigration area....at the bottom of the escalator are a few writing desks to fill out the immigration cards, but because no one had one people were at the bottom of the escalator and there was no room for those of us on the stairs so i thought...oh, my god we are going to die here on these moving stairs in delhi, crushed to death...no one was hurt but it was a bad scene....
it took about an hour for immigration with the filling out of the forms, etc and then collecting the luggage...we had to wait for the luggage too even after all the time spent earlier in immigration....
as it was late and we had a long day, and not much sleep, we were blurry eyed...we exited customs and there must have been 200+ sign carrying people there in this small room.....we could not see our name...i went back and forth 3 times....i thought to myself---yea i picked the cheap guy and he has stood us up.....he was right there all the time and i just could not see the name amongst so many...
so finally we were met and on our way...castle and king had sent both a greeter and our driver....
craig had reported people grabbing your luggage and the like, but we experienced none of that....the greeter took our cart and off we went to the parking lot where our car was approaching us....great service...
we then got to meet anoop, our driver....he had been suggested by paul, and arvind, the owner of castle and king, had assured me that we could have him also.....he proved to be the best thing about our trip....more on him as we go along...
as we left the airport area, we soon learned about indian traffic and conditions....no cows or animals at first, but plenty of erratic traffic patterns and more horn noise than anyone could believe...
it was quite smoggy and foggy along the road...
our delhi hotel was the hotel nikko metropolitan....a fine 4 star...the approach was lovely and the uniformed doorman was a sight to behold---india from the 19th century....we arrived at the hotel at about 1:30AM....
karen made one note about our plane arrival....while the plane was still on the main runway people left their seats and opened the overheads and started to walk toward the exit door...no one said a thing....welcome to india...
so we hit the sack---a very comfortable bed--twin beds i think...
we had agreed upon a pick-up time for the morning and a meeting with arvind, the castle and king owner...i think it might have been 9....
while at the penn on the 6th, i asked that they reconfirm the tickets...the conc. suggested it was not necessary...i insisted, and it is a good thing i had as the flight times had changed by one hour....we might have missed the plane...the plane was now scheduled for 7:50PM which gave us a full day in bangkok....
a taxi man we had used a day earlier came for us....the taxi ride was 45 minutes to the new airport from the marriott resort and spa....the meter cost was 290 B plus the 65 B tolls....good price...
the airport is very efficient....the distances inside are quite far however....allow plenty of time...there are, at least, moving walkways in this new airport to assist...bathrooms are scarce however so use one when you see it....there are bathrooms at the gate areas however...the gate areas are quite comfortable and well air conditioned...
there are tons of shops in almost every area of the airport and food emporiums too...your exit tax is still 500 B per person until february, 2007 when it changes to 700 B i believe....after that they expect it to be included in the ticket price at some point....
karen has not noted it but i think the flight was late leaving but he made most of it up enroute.....the staff on the plane were not at all friendly and we really did not enjoy the flight much....seats were tiny, even for karen, and close together...we attempted to sleep for a while....
delhi airport's arrival area is bleak to say the least with very little a/c...dirty windows, etc...
no immigration cards were handed out on the flight (i think the flight was about 4 hours)...this caused quite a problem...you descend an escalator into the immigration area....at the bottom of the escalator are a few writing desks to fill out the immigration cards, but because no one had one people were at the bottom of the escalator and there was no room for those of us on the stairs so i thought...oh, my god we are going to die here on these moving stairs in delhi, crushed to death...no one was hurt but it was a bad scene....
it took about an hour for immigration with the filling out of the forms, etc and then collecting the luggage...we had to wait for the luggage too even after all the time spent earlier in immigration....
as it was late and we had a long day, and not much sleep, we were blurry eyed...we exited customs and there must have been 200+ sign carrying people there in this small room.....we could not see our name...i went back and forth 3 times....i thought to myself---yea i picked the cheap guy and he has stood us up.....he was right there all the time and i just could not see the name amongst so many...
so finally we were met and on our way...castle and king had sent both a greeter and our driver....
craig had reported people grabbing your luggage and the like, but we experienced none of that....the greeter took our cart and off we went to the parking lot where our car was approaching us....great service...
we then got to meet anoop, our driver....he had been suggested by paul, and arvind, the owner of castle and king, had assured me that we could have him also.....he proved to be the best thing about our trip....more on him as we go along...
as we left the airport area, we soon learned about indian traffic and conditions....no cows or animals at first, but plenty of erratic traffic patterns and more horn noise than anyone could believe...
it was quite smoggy and foggy along the road...
our delhi hotel was the hotel nikko metropolitan....a fine 4 star...the approach was lovely and the uniformed doorman was a sight to behold---india from the 19th century....we arrived at the hotel at about 1:30AM....
karen made one note about our plane arrival....while the plane was still on the main runway people left their seats and opened the overheads and started to walk toward the exit door...no one said a thing....welcome to india...
so we hit the sack---a very comfortable bed--twin beds i think...
we had agreed upon a pick-up time for the morning and a meeting with arvind, the castle and king owner...i think it might have been 9....
Dec 9th, 2006 | 03:49 PM
#5
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each day our hotel provided us with a buffet breakfast.....the nikko has a lovely breakfast room which looks out onto the pool and rear garden area....the breakfast itself was quite nice...
during breakfast we met two ladies from texas...one of them had had a hip replacement in delhi....india has become a medical destination....her procedure cost a mere $7000....she has no insurance so this was a huge savings for her....she claimed the facilities were first class and she knows because she had had a botched earlier job in the usa... she also bought a package from the hospital which allowed her 10 days at the nikko with in room therapy (PT) provided by the hospital....she was doing great!!
there were some labor problems in delhi that day, based on forced sealings of shops and restaurants which were illegally built, so traffic was very bad and avrind postponed our meeting...
the driver was there when we emerged and he brought schla sharma, our tour escort ([email protected])...she is occasionally available for private guiding....she is a very bright and energetic woman with tons of knowledge to impart to you....
she started with some basic indian history, briefly....we drove by the astronomical observatory and on to the qutab minar, the first and largest islamic mosque in delhi...it is quite a sight....
on the way there we experienced our first minor traffic accident, when a motor bike ran into us....no one stopped...just a small scratch in our toyota SUV (which was very comfortable by the way)....
entrance was 250 rp.. (about 44 rp to the $)..
lots of birds and indian parrots flying around..
we saw many parts of the former wall that surrounded delhi...
next we went to Humayun's Tomb...quite interesting really...
next was a short stop at a "tourist store"...ugh...
there was a huge police prescence around delhi because of the strike by the shop keepers in response to the closings....we found it quite tense...police carry huge sticks and think nothing of beating people with them....little regard for human life in india...
we took lunch at a small mall frequented by tourists...the restaurant was quite good and is named Pindi....the indian food was quite delicious....$16...
next we visted the central cottage industries craft store near to the imperial hotel....if they don't have it, it does not exist in india...good place for base line pricing as noted by craig and lcuy...
we next drove along the ceremonial road past many huge government buildings built by the british and past the president's house....the india gate is found at the opposite end of this wide street from the presidental palace....
this concluded day one of touring...we really enjoyed achla....she is informative and funny with a great sense of humor and a 21st century outlook...
after our return to the hotel we visited the craft shop in the hotel basement....quite a nice shop with very high quality items...
we had a reservation at bukhara at the sheraton in delhi for dinner....i had made the res by telephone from home....when we arrived they had no record of us but fit us in....this is one of the premier restaurants in delhi and is very busy....there was a contigent of secret service people there as i believe an under secetary of state from the usa was visiting....don't know why he would have that protection however....we saw his wife the next day out shopping with the same protection people...
the dinner was quite good but very expensive....by the way the same menu is served at the sheraton in agra and in jaipur for at least 1/3 less, so save your visit for there....the atmosphere is nice but not that nice to pay all the extra and you sit on little stools which are quite uncomfortable, imo...
dinner for two 4526 rp (44 to the $$)
we let the driver go for the nite and we took a taxi back to the hotel...our first experience in an ambassador car--indian auto....
end of day 1...
during breakfast we met two ladies from texas...one of them had had a hip replacement in delhi....india has become a medical destination....her procedure cost a mere $7000....she has no insurance so this was a huge savings for her....she claimed the facilities were first class and she knows because she had had a botched earlier job in the usa... she also bought a package from the hospital which allowed her 10 days at the nikko with in room therapy (PT) provided by the hospital....she was doing great!!
there were some labor problems in delhi that day, based on forced sealings of shops and restaurants which were illegally built, so traffic was very bad and avrind postponed our meeting...
the driver was there when we emerged and he brought schla sharma, our tour escort ([email protected])...she is occasionally available for private guiding....she is a very bright and energetic woman with tons of knowledge to impart to you....
she started with some basic indian history, briefly....we drove by the astronomical observatory and on to the qutab minar, the first and largest islamic mosque in delhi...it is quite a sight....
on the way there we experienced our first minor traffic accident, when a motor bike ran into us....no one stopped...just a small scratch in our toyota SUV (which was very comfortable by the way)....
entrance was 250 rp.. (about 44 rp to the $)..
lots of birds and indian parrots flying around..
we saw many parts of the former wall that surrounded delhi...
next we went to Humayun's Tomb...quite interesting really...
next was a short stop at a "tourist store"...ugh...
there was a huge police prescence around delhi because of the strike by the shop keepers in response to the closings....we found it quite tense...police carry huge sticks and think nothing of beating people with them....little regard for human life in india...
we took lunch at a small mall frequented by tourists...the restaurant was quite good and is named Pindi....the indian food was quite delicious....$16...
next we visted the central cottage industries craft store near to the imperial hotel....if they don't have it, it does not exist in india...good place for base line pricing as noted by craig and lcuy...
we next drove along the ceremonial road past many huge government buildings built by the british and past the president's house....the india gate is found at the opposite end of this wide street from the presidental palace....
this concluded day one of touring...we really enjoyed achla....she is informative and funny with a great sense of humor and a 21st century outlook...
after our return to the hotel we visited the craft shop in the hotel basement....quite a nice shop with very high quality items...
we had a reservation at bukhara at the sheraton in delhi for dinner....i had made the res by telephone from home....when we arrived they had no record of us but fit us in....this is one of the premier restaurants in delhi and is very busy....there was a contigent of secret service people there as i believe an under secetary of state from the usa was visiting....don't know why he would have that protection however....we saw his wife the next day out shopping with the same protection people...
the dinner was quite good but very expensive....by the way the same menu is served at the sheraton in agra and in jaipur for at least 1/3 less, so save your visit for there....the atmosphere is nice but not that nice to pay all the extra and you sit on little stools which are quite uncomfortable, imo...
dinner for two 4526 rp (44 to the $$)
we let the driver go for the nite and we took a taxi back to the hotel...our first experience in an ambassador car--indian auto....
end of day 1...
Dec 9th, 2006 | 04:20 PM
#7
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lovely breakfast downstairs again...arvind arrived at 9 to greet us and see how day one went...i paid him via credit card....he had not requested a deposit...
achla arrived at 9:30 and we were off again....this time it was a tour of the other section of delhi....first we visited the cremation site for gandhi (sp??)...my guide book is enroute via air freight so some of my spellings will be off, in addition to my usual misspellings....thank you andy for pointing this out...
from there we visited the jami masjid, india's largest mosque...20,000 people can worship there at one time...
next we boarded a cyclo-shaw for a ride through the streets....fat me was quite a sight and locals enjoyed the sight....karen and achla enjoyed a sharred ride, but i was by myself...we were on our way to the red fort through chandi chowk shopping area....
achla got us right to the front of a very long line of indians to get in....the line was about 2 blocks long...it was all quite impressive....i will have tons of pictures, probably by next week for you to see if you wish...
each of these major sites is an architectural site in itself...the carving and coloring are fantastic...and they have endured for centuries...
after this we let the guide go so that we could spend the rest of the day on our own with the driver and doing some shopping...
first we visited the santushi shopping center in the military complex....very nice shops....we had a delicious lunch there at basil and thyme as suggested here by cicerone, i believe...970 rp...
karen had her first encounter with anokhi here....this is one of the best shops in india for westerners...great prices and great products...
i bought a nice wallet at a wonderful leather shop as well...
next we visited two carpet shops....we had decided earlier to look for a new dining room carpet... in the second shop we put a deposit on one carpet that we liked....more on that later...
from there karen asked anoop to take us to the palika bazzar (underground)...boston harbor had told her about a fabulous shop there to buy 'chickan work' clothing....this is mostly a white cotton clothing with huge amounts of stitching on it, also in white...so sort of white on white... she bought a ton...anoop found the shop easily with the aide of several locals once underground...we had the exact address...
that finised day two of touring and shopping....we returned to the hotel for showers in anticipation of dinner at the spice route restaurant in the imperial hotel.... the restaurant and food were both magnificent...the hotel is also magnificent...i can see why craig and jeane rave about it....but quite honestly the nikko fit us better...dinner= 3866 rp...and the price was less than 1/2 of the imperial price...
achla arrived at 9:30 and we were off again....this time it was a tour of the other section of delhi....first we visited the cremation site for gandhi (sp??)...my guide book is enroute via air freight so some of my spellings will be off, in addition to my usual misspellings....thank you andy for pointing this out...
from there we visited the jami masjid, india's largest mosque...20,000 people can worship there at one time...
next we boarded a cyclo-shaw for a ride through the streets....fat me was quite a sight and locals enjoyed the sight....karen and achla enjoyed a sharred ride, but i was by myself...we were on our way to the red fort through chandi chowk shopping area....
achla got us right to the front of a very long line of indians to get in....the line was about 2 blocks long...it was all quite impressive....i will have tons of pictures, probably by next week for you to see if you wish...
each of these major sites is an architectural site in itself...the carving and coloring are fantastic...and they have endured for centuries...
after this we let the guide go so that we could spend the rest of the day on our own with the driver and doing some shopping...
first we visited the santushi shopping center in the military complex....very nice shops....we had a delicious lunch there at basil and thyme as suggested here by cicerone, i believe...970 rp...
karen had her first encounter with anokhi here....this is one of the best shops in india for westerners...great prices and great products...
i bought a nice wallet at a wonderful leather shop as well...
next we visited two carpet shops....we had decided earlier to look for a new dining room carpet... in the second shop we put a deposit on one carpet that we liked....more on that later...
from there karen asked anoop to take us to the palika bazzar (underground)...boston harbor had told her about a fabulous shop there to buy 'chickan work' clothing....this is mostly a white cotton clothing with huge amounts of stitching on it, also in white...so sort of white on white... she bought a ton...anoop found the shop easily with the aide of several locals once underground...we had the exact address...
that finised day two of touring and shopping....we returned to the hotel for showers in anticipation of dinner at the spice route restaurant in the imperial hotel.... the restaurant and food were both magnificent...the hotel is also magnificent...i can see why craig and jeane rave about it....but quite honestly the nikko fit us better...dinner= 3866 rp...and the price was less than 1/2 of the imperial price...
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Dec 9th, 2006 | 04:56 PM
#8
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the next morning we enjoyed another lovely breakfast but a bit more leisurely as we had arranged the morning pick-up for 10AM....anoop was early and awaiting our departure, at about 10:15....
the city was tense as strikes were back on today....police were on every corner....we were glad to be leaving for agra this morning...
anoop gave us the good instructions for driving in india:
'GOOD HORN; GOOD BRAKES, AND GOOD LUCK'
the road was colorful all along...they call them highways but i would call them byways....every minute there is a new photo opportunity along the way...the traffic is simply crazy...cars, bikes, animals, people all going in different directions and the horns......and finally we see cows, not in the pasture but on the roads and on the median strips--everywhere....
women do a lot of the road work and it seems so strange to see them in their colorful saris out there...
about 1/2 way to agra we stopped at a very decent road side stop for some lunch and bathrooms....we chose our foods very carefully there....i think i had grilled cheese...
the road side kept us busy with wonderment all along and the scenery was interesting as well....
we arrived at the sheraton in agra at mid-afternoon....we checked in and anoop came back for us about 4PM....he took us down an unpaved road for our first real view of the Taj....
from there we visited a leather shop...i ordered a custom made long jacket and karen bought a jacket as well ($175 and $128)..decent leather but not italian by any means...i also ordered two belts...
we then visited another carpet shop...later i was to learn from my notes that this is the same carpet shop where patricia (boston harbor) had bought her carpets...anyways, we found the perfect carpet there...8X10 tribal with less than the normal pattern, which was what karen was seeking, and also with western colors: no orange, no turquoise, no bright reds, etc...
we bought it....about $2000....price includes shipping....it arrived two days ago: air shipment via UPS...
our day was made...
dinner was in the hotel at the Peshawri restaurant....same menu as bukhara in delhi, but much cheaper: 2403 rs....one item we were served was not all that great and they removed it from our bill without me asking... we toured the kitchen afterwards, which we found very interesting....the cooking methods were especially interesting...the staff were all very friendly and very pleased for us to join them in the open kitchen and to take pictures, etc...
early to bed...again very comfortable beds and a nice room with marble floors...
the city was tense as strikes were back on today....police were on every corner....we were glad to be leaving for agra this morning...
anoop gave us the good instructions for driving in india:
'GOOD HORN; GOOD BRAKES, AND GOOD LUCK'
the road was colorful all along...they call them highways but i would call them byways....every minute there is a new photo opportunity along the way...the traffic is simply crazy...cars, bikes, animals, people all going in different directions and the horns......and finally we see cows, not in the pasture but on the roads and on the median strips--everywhere....
women do a lot of the road work and it seems so strange to see them in their colorful saris out there...
about 1/2 way to agra we stopped at a very decent road side stop for some lunch and bathrooms....we chose our foods very carefully there....i think i had grilled cheese...
the road side kept us busy with wonderment all along and the scenery was interesting as well....
we arrived at the sheraton in agra at mid-afternoon....we checked in and anoop came back for us about 4PM....he took us down an unpaved road for our first real view of the Taj....
from there we visited a leather shop...i ordered a custom made long jacket and karen bought a jacket as well ($175 and $128)..decent leather but not italian by any means...i also ordered two belts...
we then visited another carpet shop...later i was to learn from my notes that this is the same carpet shop where patricia (boston harbor) had bought her carpets...anyways, we found the perfect carpet there...8X10 tribal with less than the normal pattern, which was what karen was seeking, and also with western colors: no orange, no turquoise, no bright reds, etc...
we bought it....about $2000....price includes shipping....it arrived two days ago: air shipment via UPS...
our day was made...
dinner was in the hotel at the Peshawri restaurant....same menu as bukhara in delhi, but much cheaper: 2403 rs....one item we were served was not all that great and they removed it from our bill without me asking... we toured the kitchen afterwards, which we found very interesting....the cooking methods were especially interesting...the staff were all very friendly and very pleased for us to join them in the open kitchen and to take pictures, etc...
early to bed...again very comfortable beds and a nice room with marble floors...
Dec 9th, 2006 | 05:32 PM
#11
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
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breakfast in the dining room...average...we were not overly impressed with any of the sheratons, except for the one in pattaya thailand...not as bad as ROS however...
Rashid, aka raj, our guide for the day, which we named "TAJ DAY" was there at 8:30.....the tour called for us to visit the taj at sun rise but because of the fog it had been suggested the nite before that we go later and this turned out perfectly...
vehicles are no longer allowed near to the taj for pollution reasons---yuh like it is not carried by the wind.....so you are driven to a parking lot where electric buses drive you closer to the taj and then you must walk the rest of the way--5-10 min. walk....
let me speak a bit about the weather....karen had been fussing about clothing for india for months....finally we had decided that it would be much cooler than thailand so that we needed some slightly warmer clothing....i.e. things for 50-65 degrees F....WRONG....it was uncharacteristically hot and humid for our entire stay....probably 70 to low 80's and quite humid...no problem...just less layers and i never used my sweater once, let alone my scarf...
raj knew just how to best approach the monument and told me the very best places for the pictures....he was 100% correct....karen noted that instead of the usual central route to the building, down the center, he took us down one side of the garden in full shade which allowed us a much different and cooler perspective....we also visited the center to see the reflections in the pool but mostly we stayed to the side...
i think we spent about 2 1/2 to 3 hours there...i have a ton of pics...
the taj is fantastic and a real monument...it is one of karen's top 3 things from the trip, but it did not make my list...i loved seeing it however...
boston harbor put me onto amazing mail on line...do you know it? you can upload pics to them and they then make them into post cards and mail them from the usa in a day to your mailing list...cost about $1.10 per card with full personalization....they also store your mailing list....easy, fast and reasonable.... i sent a card to our friends/family with a pic of us and the taj...
we had lunch at a local place called riao restaurant near clarks hotel--990 rs...we ate vegetarian...good
after that a visit to a marble factory....interesting and VERY expensive but beautiful work, especially the table tops...
next was a visit to the "baby taj"...for craig this was a highlight of his tour to agra and we agree...we got in a huge traffic jam, not on the bridge which was clogged, but in town trying to avoid the bridge....it provided the day's entertainment...we did return via the bridge so we were able to have that weird experience as described by other fodorites...
next we visited an embrodiery shop...way tooooo decorative for us...
quick exit...
we let raj go after a fun day with him...
we returned to the hotel and climbed up the tower at one corner of the hotel to get a better long distance view of the taj....it was quite nice and peaceful up there...
next we were off to the leather shop to pick up our jackets and stuff...
the sewer of my jacket wanted to have his picture taken with me....when he stood up i noticed that he was completely deformed from the waist down...but he was able to sew beautifully....he did a great job on my jacket....easily the largest one he has ever made...
anoop took us to amarvilas for our dinner res at 7:30.....this place is magnificent also....it was deserted or so it seemed.... we ate at esphahan restaurant...we each had a Thali for dinner...i had a veggie one and karen had the meat one...it was an all inclusive meal with appetiser and dessert as well as the tasting menu itself....very delicious...3000 rp...good music too....
the place is simply over the top in every way...i can see why it is a destination place and "the place" in agra...
as reported agra is a dump....and i mean dump...it makes siem reap look like palm beach...
karen notes that we found mosquitos all over agra and in the hotel as well...
i should also note that we took malerone for the entire stay in india and also for the week afterwards as suggested for anti-malaria protection...
Rashid, aka raj, our guide for the day, which we named "TAJ DAY" was there at 8:30.....the tour called for us to visit the taj at sun rise but because of the fog it had been suggested the nite before that we go later and this turned out perfectly...
vehicles are no longer allowed near to the taj for pollution reasons---yuh like it is not carried by the wind.....so you are driven to a parking lot where electric buses drive you closer to the taj and then you must walk the rest of the way--5-10 min. walk....
let me speak a bit about the weather....karen had been fussing about clothing for india for months....finally we had decided that it would be much cooler than thailand so that we needed some slightly warmer clothing....i.e. things for 50-65 degrees F....WRONG....it was uncharacteristically hot and humid for our entire stay....probably 70 to low 80's and quite humid...no problem...just less layers and i never used my sweater once, let alone my scarf...
raj knew just how to best approach the monument and told me the very best places for the pictures....he was 100% correct....karen noted that instead of the usual central route to the building, down the center, he took us down one side of the garden in full shade which allowed us a much different and cooler perspective....we also visited the center to see the reflections in the pool but mostly we stayed to the side...
i think we spent about 2 1/2 to 3 hours there...i have a ton of pics...
the taj is fantastic and a real monument...it is one of karen's top 3 things from the trip, but it did not make my list...i loved seeing it however...
boston harbor put me onto amazing mail on line...do you know it? you can upload pics to them and they then make them into post cards and mail them from the usa in a day to your mailing list...cost about $1.10 per card with full personalization....they also store your mailing list....easy, fast and reasonable.... i sent a card to our friends/family with a pic of us and the taj...
we had lunch at a local place called riao restaurant near clarks hotel--990 rs...we ate vegetarian...good
after that a visit to a marble factory....interesting and VERY expensive but beautiful work, especially the table tops...
next was a visit to the "baby taj"...for craig this was a highlight of his tour to agra and we agree...we got in a huge traffic jam, not on the bridge which was clogged, but in town trying to avoid the bridge....it provided the day's entertainment...we did return via the bridge so we were able to have that weird experience as described by other fodorites...
next we visited an embrodiery shop...way tooooo decorative for us...
quick exit...
we let raj go after a fun day with him...
we returned to the hotel and climbed up the tower at one corner of the hotel to get a better long distance view of the taj....it was quite nice and peaceful up there...
next we were off to the leather shop to pick up our jackets and stuff...
the sewer of my jacket wanted to have his picture taken with me....when he stood up i noticed that he was completely deformed from the waist down...but he was able to sew beautifully....he did a great job on my jacket....easily the largest one he has ever made...
anoop took us to amarvilas for our dinner res at 7:30.....this place is magnificent also....it was deserted or so it seemed.... we ate at esphahan restaurant...we each had a Thali for dinner...i had a veggie one and karen had the meat one...it was an all inclusive meal with appetiser and dessert as well as the tasting menu itself....very delicious...3000 rp...good music too....
the place is simply over the top in every way...i can see why it is a destination place and "the place" in agra...
as reported agra is a dump....and i mean dump...it makes siem reap look like palm beach...
karen notes that we found mosquitos all over agra and in the hotel as well...
i should also note that we took malerone for the entire stay in india and also for the week afterwards as suggested for anti-malaria protection...
Dec 9th, 2006 | 06:08 PM
#13
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 280
Likes: 0
Loving the report as we are off to India in 53 days! You mention that your guide books are on their way via air cargo. Can you tell me if it will be difficult to box up some of our shopping and ship home to australia? Im thinking of packing a box and bubble rap in case this makes it less bothersome. We are travelling onto Nepal after India so will have to ship our shopping home somehow. Im expecting to be shopping at various (ie. lots!) of shops and places so getting one shop to ship for us isnt a good option.
Any tips or advice in this regard would be wonderful
Awaiting the next installment of your report (and photos)
Any tips or advice in this regard would be wonderful
Awaiting the next installment of your report (and photos)
Dec 9th, 2006 | 07:23 PM
#16
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
shipping...we sent a huge box from thailand and we had extra weight so we threw in a ton of stuff, including the guide books....it was packed by a shop that we bought about 16 kilos of stuff from and the standard price was for 25 kilos...i did not pack it...
it is coming UPS air...there are tons of companies you can use for this but it is expensive....this box cost about $190 US to ship....shipping is very expensive...
i will also be writing about luggage overweight in my full report on thailand so you might want to look for that next week..
it is coming UPS air...there are tons of companies you can use for this but it is expensive....this box cost about $190 US to ship....shipping is very expensive...
i will also be writing about luggage overweight in my full report on thailand so you might want to look for that next week..
Dec 9th, 2006 | 07:47 PM
#17
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
sunday nov 12
left hotel about 9...raj joined us for the trip out to fetehpur sikri (sp), the abandoned city about an hour out of agra towards jaipur....he was our guide for that portion of the trip...
water was the reason for the abandonment of this city--lack of it...
i should say something about the road conditions....some roads are ok and others are fair....you can have a nice stretch and then a terrible one....construction is everywhere and largely it is manually done...
we had a nice tour of the deserted city and then bid goodbye to raj as he returned to agra...
we were off to jaipur....
again we stopped about 1/2 way for some lunch... karen notes the bathrooms were very clean...
upon arrival in jaipur we noticed a decided difference in the city from what we had observed in agra...much nicer all around and probably larger...more business oriented...
we checked into the sheraton....here we had club rooms... at agra we had been in the emperor rooms but here we had a step higher ranking...we saw no difference really...i paid for these rooms directly as i had found a good deal on the starwoods site for $100 per nite inclusive including breakfast and arvind allowed me to substitute this for the hotel he suggested at my expense... we were looking forward to this 4 day stay and in club rooms to enhance it....well the rooms were the same as regular rooms as far as we could see (not bad, but not what we expected) and the cocktails were almost a joke and there was no club lounge...more on this later...
anoop came back for us about 5:30....by this time we were fast friends....clowning around all the time with tons of jokes and really enjoying each others' company....he is a special guy and if i should return to india i would hire him in a minute and forget any guides...he is perfect in every way....
i wanted to do some internet so he took us to a friends' house which turned out to be a house over a jewelry shop which the family owned...i did internet for 30 minutes or so for free and karen had a tour of the shop, buying one set of pearls for a bangkok project she was working on (she needed 3 large fresh water pearls) at thai stone, our bkk jeweler...she also got an introduction to the multi-generational family and a tour of the house...no pressure but it was a bit awkward and i told anoop that i could not use the internet there again as it was so awkward really....he understood...
while i do think he received commissions for anything we bought, i really do not care....its all part of the deal really...
after i was finished she also bought a typical indian silver necklace too...
after that we went to parampana restaurant for dinner and anoop joined us...this is on the road to the amber fort... it was very good and only 1300 rp for the three of us...
we were back at the hotel by 9PM...
left hotel about 9...raj joined us for the trip out to fetehpur sikri (sp), the abandoned city about an hour out of agra towards jaipur....he was our guide for that portion of the trip...
water was the reason for the abandonment of this city--lack of it...
i should say something about the road conditions....some roads are ok and others are fair....you can have a nice stretch and then a terrible one....construction is everywhere and largely it is manually done...
we had a nice tour of the deserted city and then bid goodbye to raj as he returned to agra...
we were off to jaipur....
again we stopped about 1/2 way for some lunch... karen notes the bathrooms were very clean...
upon arrival in jaipur we noticed a decided difference in the city from what we had observed in agra...much nicer all around and probably larger...more business oriented...
we checked into the sheraton....here we had club rooms... at agra we had been in the emperor rooms but here we had a step higher ranking...we saw no difference really...i paid for these rooms directly as i had found a good deal on the starwoods site for $100 per nite inclusive including breakfast and arvind allowed me to substitute this for the hotel he suggested at my expense... we were looking forward to this 4 day stay and in club rooms to enhance it....well the rooms were the same as regular rooms as far as we could see (not bad, but not what we expected) and the cocktails were almost a joke and there was no club lounge...more on this later...
anoop came back for us about 5:30....by this time we were fast friends....clowning around all the time with tons of jokes and really enjoying each others' company....he is a special guy and if i should return to india i would hire him in a minute and forget any guides...he is perfect in every way....
i wanted to do some internet so he took us to a friends' house which turned out to be a house over a jewelry shop which the family owned...i did internet for 30 minutes or so for free and karen had a tour of the shop, buying one set of pearls for a bangkok project she was working on (she needed 3 large fresh water pearls) at thai stone, our bkk jeweler...she also got an introduction to the multi-generational family and a tour of the house...no pressure but it was a bit awkward and i told anoop that i could not use the internet there again as it was so awkward really....he understood...
while i do think he received commissions for anything we bought, i really do not care....its all part of the deal really...
after i was finished she also bought a typical indian silver necklace too...
after that we went to parampana restaurant for dinner and anoop joined us...this is on the road to the amber fort... it was very good and only 1300 rp for the three of us...
we were back at the hotel by 9PM...
Dec 9th, 2006 | 08:21 PM
#18
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
up for breakfast and over to the restaurant for a very disappointing buffet....it was just tired...the egg station was disorganized and took forever to make eggs and there was a long line....not the club experience we had hoped for...i plan to tell sheraton about this.....i did meet with the general manager later on but more about that later...
we met the new guide Dev at 8:30 to begin our days touring....we found him slightly difficult to understand at times, but he was a very nice guy and he did move us around nicely....
our first stop was at the palace of the winds.... this is a picturesques building front used in ancient times as the vantage point for the ladies of the court to observe parades and the like without being seen...this is only a picture stop....there is shopping in this area if you so desire...
next we headed to the amber fort....this huge hillside set of structures is usually approached via elephants by tourists and we also did this....there are about 99 elephants which are allowed to make 3 trips up to the fort daily....the poor elephant that took us had his duty cut out for him.....he struggled but eventually we made it....honestly it was much more fun than the elephant ride we had had several years ago in chiang mai thailand....more comfortable too....our elephants name was ruby...karen points out that our elephant caused a bit of a traffic jam...
we had an extensive tour of the main parts of the fort...it is quite interesting and huge....you are up high and it sort of reminded us of the china wall, because of the wall covering the surrounding hills....
anoop and dev had driven the car up another road and he was waiting for us up top....many people walk down....ugh!!!
we left via car and headed for a local restaurant....i seem to have mixed the previous nites' restaurant up with this lunch restaurant, but no matter...
i took some pictures of the water palace on the way to lunch...water is way low and i think you could have walked out to the palace this year...
after lunch we went to the city palace which also was very interesting...the former rulers still live in a portion of this building....boston harbor was in fact his guest at the polo match last december....we had no such luck...
i was too tired and hot after visiting the palace so we skipped the visit to the observatory next door...
just a note about ATM's....we found that many atms will only dispense about 4000 rp per transaction....that is very annoying....some of the larger banks machines allow 10-15,000 withdrawals...citibank and other international banks...
we returned to the hotel and relaxed a bit....sat out by the pool...karen took a dip...
at happy hour we returned to the hotel's bar which also served as the club bar....
without going into a long song and dance, the facilities are completely inadequate for a club situation....this nite our free drinks were fine, but the hors d'oeuvres consisted of a small and i mean small dish of prenuts, about 15 potato chips and the smallest dish of salsa i have ever seen---about 3 tablespoons full...
to top it all off two tour groups came into the bar and their leaders gave speeches....THAT DID IT FOR ME... when we returned to the room i wrote a note to the general manager....
the service was not good either...
anoop picked us up and we went to rambagh palace for dinner at the savarna mahal restaurant....
there were only 8 of us in the dining room....the place is very attractive and very old world....craig had a bad experience there, but ours was just the opposite....the service was gracious and attentive and the food was excellent...4050 rp....
that's it for tonight...
we met the new guide Dev at 8:30 to begin our days touring....we found him slightly difficult to understand at times, but he was a very nice guy and he did move us around nicely....
our first stop was at the palace of the winds.... this is a picturesques building front used in ancient times as the vantage point for the ladies of the court to observe parades and the like without being seen...this is only a picture stop....there is shopping in this area if you so desire...
next we headed to the amber fort....this huge hillside set of structures is usually approached via elephants by tourists and we also did this....there are about 99 elephants which are allowed to make 3 trips up to the fort daily....the poor elephant that took us had his duty cut out for him.....he struggled but eventually we made it....honestly it was much more fun than the elephant ride we had had several years ago in chiang mai thailand....more comfortable too....our elephants name was ruby...karen points out that our elephant caused a bit of a traffic jam...
we had an extensive tour of the main parts of the fort...it is quite interesting and huge....you are up high and it sort of reminded us of the china wall, because of the wall covering the surrounding hills....
anoop and dev had driven the car up another road and he was waiting for us up top....many people walk down....ugh!!!
we left via car and headed for a local restaurant....i seem to have mixed the previous nites' restaurant up with this lunch restaurant, but no matter...
i took some pictures of the water palace on the way to lunch...water is way low and i think you could have walked out to the palace this year...
after lunch we went to the city palace which also was very interesting...the former rulers still live in a portion of this building....boston harbor was in fact his guest at the polo match last december....we had no such luck...
i was too tired and hot after visiting the palace so we skipped the visit to the observatory next door...
just a note about ATM's....we found that many atms will only dispense about 4000 rp per transaction....that is very annoying....some of the larger banks machines allow 10-15,000 withdrawals...citibank and other international banks...
we returned to the hotel and relaxed a bit....sat out by the pool...karen took a dip...
at happy hour we returned to the hotel's bar which also served as the club bar....
without going into a long song and dance, the facilities are completely inadequate for a club situation....this nite our free drinks were fine, but the hors d'oeuvres consisted of a small and i mean small dish of prenuts, about 15 potato chips and the smallest dish of salsa i have ever seen---about 3 tablespoons full...
to top it all off two tour groups came into the bar and their leaders gave speeches....THAT DID IT FOR ME... when we returned to the room i wrote a note to the general manager....
the service was not good either...
anoop picked us up and we went to rambagh palace for dinner at the savarna mahal restaurant....
there were only 8 of us in the dining room....the place is very attractive and very old world....craig had a bad experience there, but ours was just the opposite....the service was gracious and attentive and the food was excellent...4050 rp....
that's it for tonight...
Dec 10th, 2006 | 03:06 AM
#20
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 0
One wonders whethere Anoop would write a consistent report of his "time' with Bob. He must have felt like it was a stiff sentence imposed by a merciless judge. Driving in India with Bob and pretending you like him. Cruel and Unusual in the worst way.
Can't you just see the staff giggling in the background when they served the skimpy Hors d'Oevres to Bob? It must have been hilarious. Perhaps the potato chips were numbered.
No explanation for the improved spelling and polysyllabic words. Brain transplant? Oh, I know. He got to hang around with Beth and me in BKK for 8 days and osmosis transpired.
Can't you just see the staff giggling in the background when they served the skimpy Hors d'Oevres to Bob? It must have been hilarious. Perhaps the potato chips were numbered.
No explanation for the improved spelling and polysyllabic words. Brain transplant? Oh, I know. He got to hang around with Beth and me in BKK for 8 days and osmosis transpired.
