WHY INDIA---RHKKMK
Dec 10th, 2006, 04:51 AM
#22
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Bob
Great report! Quick question.. does one usually travel by car around India? I've noted your notes about the roads. Might train or air travel be preferred? Someday I might make it to India.
Carol
Great report! Quick question.. does one usually travel by car around India? I've noted your notes about the roads. Might train or air travel be preferred? Someday I might make it to India.
Carol
Dec 10th, 2006, 04:54 AM
#23
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tuesday, nov 14
a busy day....down to breakfast and a large group had entered the restaurant before we got there and we had to wait over 10 minutes for our eggs....that did it....we were escorted to a large oval table with 6 or 8 chairs....soon we were surrounded by a tour group...we did not mind talking with these english folks but we did object to the fact that we were supposedly getting the "club" treatment which in my mind does not involve waiting for your breakfast and sharring your table with people that you had not choosen....this enhanced my letter to the general manager...
we did meet a young couple from the next town to us at home (newton) and quite enjoyed sharring their trip info...
we met anoop about 9:20 and he jokingly reminded us that we were LATE....haha
our first stop of the day was at a dry goods shop near to the palace of the winds....name of the shop is Venus...karen was interested in shoes, of which she bought several pairs, inclucing ones for the grandkids and our daughters, plus some indian printed table cloths (very very inexpensive)....we had done foot drawings of each kid before we left home in anticipation of finding some shoes...most are decorated with "gems" and embroiderery--girls only....we spent over an hour there and were the only "farangs" (westerners) there...
from there we headed out of jaipur for our visit to the town of samode...we had scheduled a luncheon at the samode palace hotel....
there is an entrance fee of 500 rp for non-residents which anoop knew about....we paid it and then it was deducted from our lunch tab....
btw, whenever i ran low on cash anoop would loan me money until we hit an atm....he was very generous in this way and we really appreciated it...
we had a tour of the old grand rooms of the palace before lunch....quite interesting...tons of stairs and long hallways to get from area to area...durbar hall was a highlight of the tour with its painted ceiling and walls, some of which were studded with mirrors allowing the light to dance around the room....
we enjoyed lunch in their lovely dining room....a couple of small tour groups were also there and partook of the buffet lunch but we choose a la carte....
we did have a tour of one bedroom which was quite lovely...karen notes that it would be a choice for a future stay...
we made one stop on the way back to jaipur at a fabric printing shop where we purchased one more tablecloth for a daughter...
back to the sheraton for a shower and over to the bar for drinks....more tour groups and i had a bit of a melt down and complained to the duty manager when we were not waited on for over 10 minutes--he seemed not to care...this sealed it, i would deliver my written message to the hotel general manager...
anoop dropped us off at the jai mahal hotel for dinner in the cinnimon restaurant about 7...we were the only diners in this small but lovely restaurant....we spent quite a long time talking with our charming waiter...we had the degustation menu...it was a soup to nuts affair and very delicious...dinner took over 2 hours...a nice leisurely evening..3898 rp
earlier in the day at the dry goods shop karen had purchased two indian "suits"--pants and tops, which needed to be tailored from the flat fabric....they were fancy indian fabrics studded with "gems" and painting....anoop was very unhappy that the tailor had not finished them on time as promised (due to a 3 hour power failure) so after he dropped us off he returned to the shop to pick them up for us...anoop also took a huge bag of laundry to a local laundry for us....$3.75 for quite a lot of laundry...
a busy day....down to breakfast and a large group had entered the restaurant before we got there and we had to wait over 10 minutes for our eggs....that did it....we were escorted to a large oval table with 6 or 8 chairs....soon we were surrounded by a tour group...we did not mind talking with these english folks but we did object to the fact that we were supposedly getting the "club" treatment which in my mind does not involve waiting for your breakfast and sharring your table with people that you had not choosen....this enhanced my letter to the general manager...
we did meet a young couple from the next town to us at home (newton) and quite enjoyed sharring their trip info...
we met anoop about 9:20 and he jokingly reminded us that we were LATE....haha
our first stop of the day was at a dry goods shop near to the palace of the winds....name of the shop is Venus...karen was interested in shoes, of which she bought several pairs, inclucing ones for the grandkids and our daughters, plus some indian printed table cloths (very very inexpensive)....we had done foot drawings of each kid before we left home in anticipation of finding some shoes...most are decorated with "gems" and embroiderery--girls only....we spent over an hour there and were the only "farangs" (westerners) there...
from there we headed out of jaipur for our visit to the town of samode...we had scheduled a luncheon at the samode palace hotel....
there is an entrance fee of 500 rp for non-residents which anoop knew about....we paid it and then it was deducted from our lunch tab....
btw, whenever i ran low on cash anoop would loan me money until we hit an atm....he was very generous in this way and we really appreciated it...
we had a tour of the old grand rooms of the palace before lunch....quite interesting...tons of stairs and long hallways to get from area to area...durbar hall was a highlight of the tour with its painted ceiling and walls, some of which were studded with mirrors allowing the light to dance around the room....
we enjoyed lunch in their lovely dining room....a couple of small tour groups were also there and partook of the buffet lunch but we choose a la carte....
we did have a tour of one bedroom which was quite lovely...karen notes that it would be a choice for a future stay...
we made one stop on the way back to jaipur at a fabric printing shop where we purchased one more tablecloth for a daughter...
back to the sheraton for a shower and over to the bar for drinks....more tour groups and i had a bit of a melt down and complained to the duty manager when we were not waited on for over 10 minutes--he seemed not to care...this sealed it, i would deliver my written message to the hotel general manager...
anoop dropped us off at the jai mahal hotel for dinner in the cinnimon restaurant about 7...we were the only diners in this small but lovely restaurant....we spent quite a long time talking with our charming waiter...we had the degustation menu...it was a soup to nuts affair and very delicious...dinner took over 2 hours...a nice leisurely evening..3898 rp
earlier in the day at the dry goods shop karen had purchased two indian "suits"--pants and tops, which needed to be tailored from the flat fabric....they were fancy indian fabrics studded with "gems" and painting....anoop was very unhappy that the tailor had not finished them on time as promised (due to a 3 hour power failure) so after he dropped us off he returned to the shop to pick them up for us...anoop also took a huge bag of laundry to a local laundry for us....$3.75 for quite a lot of laundry...
Dec 10th, 2006, 05:04 AM
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carol---india is huge so often one must fly or take a train (which is faster than driving)...craig had stated to us that he felt you really missed a lot by not going much of the way by auto and i agree with him....added to this air flights are often delayed for hours because its india and because of weather especially during december and january, the prime tourist months in the north of india...
i am just not a fan of train travel, although on the trip from delhi to agra you can cut the travel time in 1/2 by using trains...i just think, that for me, i would miss too much sitting on the train...
suv's are the only thing to use however....while the ambassador cars are cute and fun, like the 'deux chaveaux' in france, they are not practical or comfortable enough for the long drives....and the drives are very long because of the slow road ways and construction which seems to never end...truck traffic is very heavy also...you need something big to hold your place on the road...
you would love the shopping, although much of the offerings are not suitable for the western taste...
bob
loved being with brad in bkk!!
i am just not a fan of train travel, although on the trip from delhi to agra you can cut the travel time in 1/2 by using trains...i just think, that for me, i would miss too much sitting on the train...
suv's are the only thing to use however....while the ambassador cars are cute and fun, like the 'deux chaveaux' in france, they are not practical or comfortable enough for the long drives....and the drives are very long because of the slow road ways and construction which seems to never end...truck traffic is very heavy also...you need something big to hold your place on the road...
you would love the shopping, although much of the offerings are not suitable for the western taste...
bob
loved being with brad in bkk!!
Dec 10th, 2006, 05:43 AM
#25
Have to disagree about the trains. Yes, you should certainly do some travel by car to get close to the countryside, but traveling 2AC on the trains is a great way to meet local people, while still seeing countryside during the day. Overnight trains are also an efficient use of time, and for those of us with less money save a hotel night.
Dec 10th, 2006, 06:47 AM
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karen reports i started the day by complaining at breakfast that i had to pay for a bottle of water when we are club room guests....the charge was removed by the restaurnant manager, who by now knew that i had written a letter to the general manager...
annop arrived with karen's new suits all tailored...they are a bit out of character for her....her mother's comment on seeing them when we returned home, "where are you going to wear that??" her reply...maybe as pj's??
so we were off to sanganer, a small town outside of jaipur which is famous for its cloth printing....anoop had asked the sheraton doorman for a suggestion on where to visit there and he suggested one shop...we found it on the main street quite easily... first we were taken to the near-by factory--a short walk up the street....we saw a demo of hand cloth printing and we made(printed) two squares of our own with an elephant print in three colors....each color is a seperate application of print..the company name is sakshi..they also manufacture the famous blue pottery of the region...we saw demonstrations of both products....next we were asked by one of the owners if we were interested in seeing the dyeing of the cloth....karen responded yes and this turned out to be one of the highlights of both the day and the trip...anoop drove us all a couple of blocks to a huge open area of several acres where the processes were taking place...we walked across sand expanses to view the the process....in the distance we could see high colorful lengths of cloth hanging drying from hangers 3 stories high....all bright colors...
we approached an area of tubs....the tubs were concrete containers about 2 1/2 to 3 feet deep and about 10 feet square...each contained one man who was stomping on cloth that was being dyed in different colors (how do you feel about red or blue or orange legs??)....from there the cloth was moved to wash baths and also to hot baths...finally it is manually drawn through a final bath and wound up in a roll by a hand crank and this squeezes out the excess water and sets the dye...
we spent quite a while watching the different processes and seeing the ladies and some men loading the fabrics on camel drawn carts to be hauled away....the whole operation was huge....we were introduced to the young forman of the job who told us a bit more about what they were doing...
after this tour we returned to the shop to view the finished products....it was an interesting experience also...in this town there is no electricity until 11 AM each day, so we looked at items in the basement shops by gas fired lamps....sort of added to our unique experience...
karen went a bit wild here buying some pottery and several items of cloth, mostly tablecloths and scarfs....
after our wonderful and very interesting morning (this was the only thing karen had asked to do on the india trip except for a visit to the Taj), anoop drove us back to jaipur....we went back to the parampara restaurant for lunch based on our good meal earlier there...
after lunch we visited a gallery which is owned by the same sakshi family that we had visited in the AM....nice stuff but nothing we wanted...
anoop took us to a small tea and spice emporium and we bought a few items to bring home...they are in our air shipment so we will see how the customs people react to these "flavorings" as i so listed them...
next was a visit to the original anokhi store....this very cute shop has tons of items geared to the western taste....karen went a bit wild here as well...
back to the hotel....a telephone message and a written message were waiting for us from the front office manager... he requested that we schedule a meeting with the general manager.....i telephoned him and we arragned a meeting in the main lobby for early evening...
by this time, we were known throughout the hotel, as my note to the manager had been a major topic of discussion in the daily management meeting that morning i guess...shall we say heads rolled!! personally, i blame the general manager for not have been more on top of things in the first place and allowing a disgrunteled guest to make the complaints...
the GM was a charming older indian man of refinement....his daughter lives in seattle and we spent some time talking about his month long trip to usa this past summer...then we got down to the business at hand and i expressed my concerns, all of which he acknowledged as legitiment gripes... he promised fixes in every case, except he stopped short of promising a seperate club lounge...we parted as friends after he insisted on giving us our last nite free and throwing in some laundry and internet charges i had charged to the room....i was very reluctant to accept this as i did not want it to appear that i was complaining for this reason....but of course i was finally delighted to accept this and to have his recognition of poor services provided...
next we entered the bar for our evening drinks....what a difference....no more tour groups....we saw them being herded off to seperate function rooms for their briefings...the hors d'oeuvres were plentiful, including 3 seperate hot dishes and of course the small dish of salsa--about enough for a flea....what we did notice however was that we were the only ones who received them...i took this as a bad omen....the staff was all over us and wanting small talk...i thought this too obvious as well...but they were trying at least...the duty manager came by to see if everything was going fine...andy will of course paint this as my whole reason for making the complaints...what would you expect from an attorney...??
all day we had been trying to decide if our last dinner would be at indiana restaurant as suggested by boston harbor and others, or whether we should go to spice route (not the one at the imperial, but a stand alone jaipur restaurant owned by a former tour guide)....finally on the way to dinner we had the door man flip a coin for us so as to decide on the restaurant....spice route won out...anoop joined us for dinner at my insistance....most drivers want to eat alone in restaurants with the other drivers for privacy and a rest from the customer chat, plus they receive deeply discounted prices for their meals...
at best the food was only ok....the restaurant is quite nice however with both inside and outside seating...we ate inside--a/c for me...we laughed a lot during the meal....he (anoop) is a real joy!!! dinner 1918 rp
in retrospect i wished i had stuck with my original plan and gone to indiana restaurant...
annop arrived with karen's new suits all tailored...they are a bit out of character for her....her mother's comment on seeing them when we returned home, "where are you going to wear that??" her reply...maybe as pj's??
so we were off to sanganer, a small town outside of jaipur which is famous for its cloth printing....anoop had asked the sheraton doorman for a suggestion on where to visit there and he suggested one shop...we found it on the main street quite easily... first we were taken to the near-by factory--a short walk up the street....we saw a demo of hand cloth printing and we made(printed) two squares of our own with an elephant print in three colors....each color is a seperate application of print..the company name is sakshi..they also manufacture the famous blue pottery of the region...we saw demonstrations of both products....next we were asked by one of the owners if we were interested in seeing the dyeing of the cloth....karen responded yes and this turned out to be one of the highlights of both the day and the trip...anoop drove us all a couple of blocks to a huge open area of several acres where the processes were taking place...we walked across sand expanses to view the the process....in the distance we could see high colorful lengths of cloth hanging drying from hangers 3 stories high....all bright colors...
we approached an area of tubs....the tubs were concrete containers about 2 1/2 to 3 feet deep and about 10 feet square...each contained one man who was stomping on cloth that was being dyed in different colors (how do you feel about red or blue or orange legs??)....from there the cloth was moved to wash baths and also to hot baths...finally it is manually drawn through a final bath and wound up in a roll by a hand crank and this squeezes out the excess water and sets the dye...
we spent quite a while watching the different processes and seeing the ladies and some men loading the fabrics on camel drawn carts to be hauled away....the whole operation was huge....we were introduced to the young forman of the job who told us a bit more about what they were doing...
after this tour we returned to the shop to view the finished products....it was an interesting experience also...in this town there is no electricity until 11 AM each day, so we looked at items in the basement shops by gas fired lamps....sort of added to our unique experience...
karen went a bit wild here buying some pottery and several items of cloth, mostly tablecloths and scarfs....
after our wonderful and very interesting morning (this was the only thing karen had asked to do on the india trip except for a visit to the Taj), anoop drove us back to jaipur....we went back to the parampara restaurant for lunch based on our good meal earlier there...
after lunch we visited a gallery which is owned by the same sakshi family that we had visited in the AM....nice stuff but nothing we wanted...
anoop took us to a small tea and spice emporium and we bought a few items to bring home...they are in our air shipment so we will see how the customs people react to these "flavorings" as i so listed them...
next was a visit to the original anokhi store....this very cute shop has tons of items geared to the western taste....karen went a bit wild here as well...
back to the hotel....a telephone message and a written message were waiting for us from the front office manager... he requested that we schedule a meeting with the general manager.....i telephoned him and we arragned a meeting in the main lobby for early evening...
by this time, we were known throughout the hotel, as my note to the manager had been a major topic of discussion in the daily management meeting that morning i guess...shall we say heads rolled!! personally, i blame the general manager for not have been more on top of things in the first place and allowing a disgrunteled guest to make the complaints...
the GM was a charming older indian man of refinement....his daughter lives in seattle and we spent some time talking about his month long trip to usa this past summer...then we got down to the business at hand and i expressed my concerns, all of which he acknowledged as legitiment gripes... he promised fixes in every case, except he stopped short of promising a seperate club lounge...we parted as friends after he insisted on giving us our last nite free and throwing in some laundry and internet charges i had charged to the room....i was very reluctant to accept this as i did not want it to appear that i was complaining for this reason....but of course i was finally delighted to accept this and to have his recognition of poor services provided...
next we entered the bar for our evening drinks....what a difference....no more tour groups....we saw them being herded off to seperate function rooms for their briefings...the hors d'oeuvres were plentiful, including 3 seperate hot dishes and of course the small dish of salsa--about enough for a flea....what we did notice however was that we were the only ones who received them...i took this as a bad omen....the staff was all over us and wanting small talk...i thought this too obvious as well...but they were trying at least...the duty manager came by to see if everything was going fine...andy will of course paint this as my whole reason for making the complaints...what would you expect from an attorney...??
all day we had been trying to decide if our last dinner would be at indiana restaurant as suggested by boston harbor and others, or whether we should go to spice route (not the one at the imperial, but a stand alone jaipur restaurant owned by a former tour guide)....finally on the way to dinner we had the door man flip a coin for us so as to decide on the restaurant....spice route won out...anoop joined us for dinner at my insistance....most drivers want to eat alone in restaurants with the other drivers for privacy and a rest from the customer chat, plus they receive deeply discounted prices for their meals...
at best the food was only ok....the restaurant is quite nice however with both inside and outside seating...we ate inside--a/c for me...we laughed a lot during the meal....he (anoop) is a real joy!!! dinner 1918 rp
in retrospect i wished i had stuck with my original plan and gone to indiana restaurant...
Dec 10th, 2006, 06:53 AM
#28
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the link to the postcard company is:
www.amazingmail.com
i can't wait to use it again...thanks again patricia...lets schedule a lunch??
trains...i agree with your statements, but i can't imagine an overnite train experience when i really needed a good nites sleep...but i can appreciate the $$ side of things also....and the food seems to be a huge problem also from all reports??
i'll stick with the auto experience with a charming driver like anoop!!
www.amazingmail.com
i can't wait to use it again...thanks again patricia...lets schedule a lunch??
trains...i agree with your statements, but i can't imagine an overnite train experience when i really needed a good nites sleep...but i can appreciate the $$ side of things also....and the food seems to be a huge problem also from all reports??
i'll stick with the auto experience with a charming driver like anoop!!
Dec 10th, 2006, 06:57 AM
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have to do some yard work...last mowing of the year and some leaf collection---neglected while we were gone....K is putting the xmas lites out on some of the bushes and trees also...i will get yelled at if i don't go outside....it is supposed to be as warm as 50 today so this is a good day to do it...
i will finish this report later today, i promise, and maybe even start the thailand report...the thailand report will be full of fodorite sightings....
i will finish this report later today, i promise, and maybe even start the thailand report...the thailand report will be full of fodorite sightings....
Dec 10th, 2006, 07:42 AM
#30
Bob - trains - sleep is definitely better in 1AC than 2AC, but 2AC is better for meeting people. How well you sleep depends on how often the train stops, and how many people in your section get on/off. The food is in no way a gourmet experience, but I ate the veg thali a number of times without problems. I didn't eat food from vendors.
Dec 10th, 2006, 08:01 AM
#32
I've wanted to go to India for quite some time. Your report is making me think I should push it up on the list.
You were right to complain about the service at the Sheraton Club Room. It doesn't sound like anything worth paying for. I guess I got spoiled by the Mandarin Oriental's Club Room in Kuala Lumpur, with imported French & Australian wines and enough different foods to have a huge meal.
You were right to complain about the service at the Sheraton Club Room. It doesn't sound like anything worth paying for. I guess I got spoiled by the Mandarin Oriental's Club Room in Kuala Lumpur, with imported French & Australian wines and enough different foods to have a huge meal.
Dec 10th, 2006, 08:39 AM
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Just once in this lifetime, I would love to be one of the many hotel general managers to whom Bob has whined over the years. I can assure you that an accurate report would contain none of the fawning to which Bob often refers. Justice is mine sayeth the panda. I suspect that the Sheraton general manager's story might differ substantially from Bob's.
For those who cannot read between the lines, Karen is possessed of near infinite patience. Maybe it's the water in Needham.
Bob on a train? Think Laurel and Hardy and collapsable berths. This is a great image. Were it only true.
For those who cannot read between the lines, Karen is possessed of near infinite patience. Maybe it's the water in Needham.
Bob on a train? Think Laurel and Hardy and collapsable berths. This is a great image. Were it only true.
Dec 10th, 2006, 09:49 AM
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Bob-
Thanks for the link to the postcard site. Did you happen to send yourself one so you could see the finished product?
I think you were well justified to complain to the GM of the hotel. Sounds like they did the right thing by you.
Thanks for the link to the postcard site. Did you happen to send yourself one so you could see the finished product?
I think you were well justified to complain to the GM of the hotel. Sounds like they did the right thing by you.
Dec 10th, 2006, 10:46 AM
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i did not send myself one but my in-laws showed us theirs and i was very pleased....i had seen the finished product on line before i sent it, and the rendition was 100% accurate...
no wonder pandas are a dying breed...
no wonder pandas are a dying breed...
Dec 10th, 2006, 11:50 AM
#36
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thursday nov 16
karen reports that when we went to breakfast the staff was falling all over us....no waiting time for anyone for eggs and new efficiency all around...even the staff seemed cheery...maybe it was because they could see my smiling face....??
the restaurnat manager asked me to write my experiences back to him in writing...i agreed...i think he was in trouble with the boss and just wanted something for the AM meeting to say that things had turned around...i wrote him a short note and delivered it upon departure....i also jotted off a short note to the GM with my observations ... the front office manager was standing by as i checked out and pointed out to me the reduction in my bill again and thanked me for my comments...
first stop after breakfast was back to anoki again....anoop just laughed...from there we went to a special pashmina shop...the salesman was replaced by the owner when he saw that karen wanted quality items and was willing to spend money...she bought several...
next we headed out of town towards delhi and our overnite stop at neemrana...the road was quite good actually and the scenery quite nice as well....it took about 2 1/4 hours to reach neemrana, with a 1/2 hour lunch stop just before we arrived there....
we had not stayed in any so called heritage properties thus far and this was to be our token stop....the neemrana fort palace hotel...
out of the small town which is surrounded by modern-day factories (clean modern manufacturing) you wind your way up a small lane to the entrance to the fort....the fort sits atop a hill overlooking the valley...the gates are large and impressive....from there you become a mountain goat....i have never climbed so many steps and narrow passageways and wide passageways in my life....thank god the staff carries your luggage...it was worth the effort however...the place is fantastic...we were given the malabar mahal room which is up two more levels from reception....i believe there are about 9 levels to this hotel...the hotel has about 34 rooms...this room was the first one remodeled by the english man who owns the fort today....it is more than a room really....it is a suite...doors are opened by use of a padalock...you step into a huge bedroom full of antiques...the bed was large and very comfortable...there were a number of interesting display items all around the room and in lighted cases as well as tons of antique furniture....off of the bedroom was a room with a writing desk in it....also off of the bedroom was a long corridor which lead to the huge bathroom which also was very unique...the w/c was in a small room off of the bath and up two steps...a very small room and not great for men...enough said...there were tons of windows of all sizes in the suite and many overlooked the valley....the room was perfect....
one note---if you go there spend at least two nites...one is not enough to enjoy the place....3 would be ideal...a great place to relax...
they have a fantastic outdoor swimming pool and good food, so there is no reason to leave once there and believe me you would not want to walk in and out that often...
we had arranged to meet anoop at 3:30 at the gate for a visit to the local village...this proved to again be one of the highlights of our trip...
we stopped along the way to buy a large bag of candy for the local kids...we drove through the business part of the village....outside of town we stopped at an abandoned "step well" which is about 400 years old....it is thus called because it is dug down into the ground and there are many levels or steps to it...there were 9 levels to this well....you could not see the bottom and today it is dry...very interesting..
from there we headed to the living area of the village...we parked and were immediately invited into one family compound...unknown to us, anoop had paid the family a small fee for us to be welcomed...they seemed genuinely interested in showing us around...the family lives along side their live stock and needless to say everything is very primitive...there is a generator for electricity...cooking is in open fireplaces or just on the floor...the bedroom was simple....most of life is spent outside in the courtyard....it was not really a house but a series of cubes set around the courtyard...we gave the kids candy and more came running in....i took tons of pictures...
next we crossed over the dirt lane to another compound...here lived at least 4 or 5 generations of a family...in their courtyard there were two cows, a few goats, chickens and a ton of kids and two very old and feeble grand parents....the lady of the house gave us a demo of cow milking...tons of kids here to and more streamed in from the village...tons of candy given out here...they surrounded karen and held their hands up to receive it...
we then walked down another lane and into another compound....while in there karen scratched her leg on a board and it bled a bit....as the compound was full of dung from the goats she was sure she would die...no problems so far...this is why you have shots before going on a trip like this!!
needless to say the villagers had a ball looking at my size...instant celebrity...
the villagers were all very friendly and we loved this visit....it was a highlight of our trip...no english was spoken here..
we drove back through the village and i asked anoop to stop for some photo ops....they were fantastic...i spent about 15 minutes shooting every scene i could find and there were plenty...karen stayed in the car and worried about her cut...
on the lane going up to the fort, there are two silver shops...we stopped and visited both...karen bought in both and was very pleased with her items...
upon return to the fort we did some exploring around and found the main dining room, yet up two more levels from our room...it overlooks the pool and part of it is on a wonderful outdoor terrace...we had dinner there...a delicious buffet by candlelight in the evening air with the pool shimmering below...
after our return from the village we stopped in one of the outdoor bars at the fort for a quick beer...the weather was warm and evening was approaching...
after dinner we spent some time lingering at our table and an aussie couple joined us for a nice chat...
buffet was 600 rp per person and well worth it..
before retiring we arranged for a 7:15 wake up knock on our door in the morning....they serve you coffee and tea on your patio or balcony...ours was a huge patio outside our door...there was a small garden table and two chairs....breakfast was also a buffet and was set up below our patio so we were able to over see its progress as we sat in our pj's on the patio....
we were late returning to the fort that afternoon so we had missed the complimentary tea which is served daily...
turned in early after the good dinner..
karen reports that when we went to breakfast the staff was falling all over us....no waiting time for anyone for eggs and new efficiency all around...even the staff seemed cheery...maybe it was because they could see my smiling face....??
the restaurnat manager asked me to write my experiences back to him in writing...i agreed...i think he was in trouble with the boss and just wanted something for the AM meeting to say that things had turned around...i wrote him a short note and delivered it upon departure....i also jotted off a short note to the GM with my observations ... the front office manager was standing by as i checked out and pointed out to me the reduction in my bill again and thanked me for my comments...
first stop after breakfast was back to anoki again....anoop just laughed...from there we went to a special pashmina shop...the salesman was replaced by the owner when he saw that karen wanted quality items and was willing to spend money...she bought several...
next we headed out of town towards delhi and our overnite stop at neemrana...the road was quite good actually and the scenery quite nice as well....it took about 2 1/4 hours to reach neemrana, with a 1/2 hour lunch stop just before we arrived there....
we had not stayed in any so called heritage properties thus far and this was to be our token stop....the neemrana fort palace hotel...
out of the small town which is surrounded by modern-day factories (clean modern manufacturing) you wind your way up a small lane to the entrance to the fort....the fort sits atop a hill overlooking the valley...the gates are large and impressive....from there you become a mountain goat....i have never climbed so many steps and narrow passageways and wide passageways in my life....thank god the staff carries your luggage...it was worth the effort however...the place is fantastic...we were given the malabar mahal room which is up two more levels from reception....i believe there are about 9 levels to this hotel...the hotel has about 34 rooms...this room was the first one remodeled by the english man who owns the fort today....it is more than a room really....it is a suite...doors are opened by use of a padalock...you step into a huge bedroom full of antiques...the bed was large and very comfortable...there were a number of interesting display items all around the room and in lighted cases as well as tons of antique furniture....off of the bedroom was a room with a writing desk in it....also off of the bedroom was a long corridor which lead to the huge bathroom which also was very unique...the w/c was in a small room off of the bath and up two steps...a very small room and not great for men...enough said...there were tons of windows of all sizes in the suite and many overlooked the valley....the room was perfect....
one note---if you go there spend at least two nites...one is not enough to enjoy the place....3 would be ideal...a great place to relax...
they have a fantastic outdoor swimming pool and good food, so there is no reason to leave once there and believe me you would not want to walk in and out that often...
we had arranged to meet anoop at 3:30 at the gate for a visit to the local village...this proved to again be one of the highlights of our trip...
we stopped along the way to buy a large bag of candy for the local kids...we drove through the business part of the village....outside of town we stopped at an abandoned "step well" which is about 400 years old....it is thus called because it is dug down into the ground and there are many levels or steps to it...there were 9 levels to this well....you could not see the bottom and today it is dry...very interesting..
from there we headed to the living area of the village...we parked and were immediately invited into one family compound...unknown to us, anoop had paid the family a small fee for us to be welcomed...they seemed genuinely interested in showing us around...the family lives along side their live stock and needless to say everything is very primitive...there is a generator for electricity...cooking is in open fireplaces or just on the floor...the bedroom was simple....most of life is spent outside in the courtyard....it was not really a house but a series of cubes set around the courtyard...we gave the kids candy and more came running in....i took tons of pictures...
next we crossed over the dirt lane to another compound...here lived at least 4 or 5 generations of a family...in their courtyard there were two cows, a few goats, chickens and a ton of kids and two very old and feeble grand parents....the lady of the house gave us a demo of cow milking...tons of kids here to and more streamed in from the village...tons of candy given out here...they surrounded karen and held their hands up to receive it...
we then walked down another lane and into another compound....while in there karen scratched her leg on a board and it bled a bit....as the compound was full of dung from the goats she was sure she would die...no problems so far...this is why you have shots before going on a trip like this!!
needless to say the villagers had a ball looking at my size...instant celebrity...
the villagers were all very friendly and we loved this visit....it was a highlight of our trip...no english was spoken here..
we drove back through the village and i asked anoop to stop for some photo ops....they were fantastic...i spent about 15 minutes shooting every scene i could find and there were plenty...karen stayed in the car and worried about her cut...
on the lane going up to the fort, there are two silver shops...we stopped and visited both...karen bought in both and was very pleased with her items...
upon return to the fort we did some exploring around and found the main dining room, yet up two more levels from our room...it overlooks the pool and part of it is on a wonderful outdoor terrace...we had dinner there...a delicious buffet by candlelight in the evening air with the pool shimmering below...
after our return from the village we stopped in one of the outdoor bars at the fort for a quick beer...the weather was warm and evening was approaching...
after dinner we spent some time lingering at our table and an aussie couple joined us for a nice chat...
buffet was 600 rp per person and well worth it..
before retiring we arranged for a 7:15 wake up knock on our door in the morning....they serve you coffee and tea on your patio or balcony...ours was a huge patio outside our door...there was a small garden table and two chairs....breakfast was also a buffet and was set up below our patio so we were able to over see its progress as we sat in our pj's on the patio....
we were late returning to the fort that afternoon so we had missed the complimentary tea which is served daily...
turned in early after the good dinner..
Dec 10th, 2006, 12:40 PM
#37
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friday november 17--our last full day in india...
the wake-up knock came promptly at 7:15...we went out onto the patio and drank our coffee/tea, still in our jammies...
the shower was not the greatest but it did the job... the australian couple joined us for breakfast and we had another nice chat...the breakfast was simple but adequate...
anoop was at the gate at 9AM...our bags were delivered and we were on our way...the drive to delhi was 1 1/2 to 2 hours....along the way two trucks collided directly next to us but anoop managed to avoid any problem with his defensive driving...
our first stop in delhi was at the shop FabIndia....we were underwhelmed (sorry bonita)... from there we went to hauz kaus village where we intended to have lunch and do some shopping...the restaurant, top of the village, had been sealed by the government and anoop thought it best if we left the area because the shop keepers were again on strike and there was the potential for problems...
so he took us back to the pindi plaza for lunch...this time we decided to try chicken inn....it was very croweded and turned out to be the worst meal of our india vacation...
after lunch we went to the kahn market...karen bought a number of pairs of shoes here...i needed an atm but i had trouble with my cards there so we went to another bank where they worked fine...
we then visited one of the "official" tourist shops...spent about 10 minutes there and bought nothing...
i had asked anoop if we could do another drive by of the "official" government buildings as i had not had an opportunity on day one to take any pictures there...we did this and also had a very nice walk around the india gate monument...it was sealed off from visitors because of the impending independance day celebration...
lastly we stopped again at the central cottage industries store near the imperial...karen bought some christmas decorations this time...
arvind came to meet us at a local coffee shop for a recap of our time with his company...i was able to give him a glowing report...we were very pleased with all of the arrangements and with every detail of the trip...
he presented us with a sheet that his wife had embroidered especially for us...he also gave us an indian cookbook which we look forward to using...after a cup of coffee we departed...
we had made a reservation at the dum pukht restaurant at the sheraton for dinner....anoop dropped us off there...this restaurant serves a particular type of indian slow cook meal...the meal was delicious, but the service was not great....3980 rp....
anoop picked us up promptly at 9PM for our trip to the airport for our thai air flight to bangkok at 12:05AM....
we stoped along the way in a parking lot to do a bit of last minute reshuffling of the baggage--new purchases, etc...the drive was less than 30 minutes from the sheraton to the airport...
we said our good-byes to anoop....we were very sad as we had really grown to like and trust him.... HE MADE OUR TRIP PERFECT!!! needless to say i gave him a very decent tip...
i will be posting his e address shortly for any of you who might like to use his services....he does do freelance driving....you would not be disappointed....
now the real negetive experience of india: after clearing immigration we were at a security point and my bag was held up for a bottle of wine in it....this bottle had been purchased in france on our way to thailand along with two others that we no longer had (there is a story about one of those as well)... they claimed that i could not take it on the airplane....why?? karen had a water bottle and so did many others..."security".... i appealed to the supervisor...a thai airways rep offered to take it along with one of our carry on bags and check it---not possible---our carry-ons had to remain with us...so i appealed one step higher...all of this time i was very cool, never raising my voice...the policy was just so inconsistant...this senior army/police officer just stared at me...he said the policy stands....i noticed a bottle of chivas behind his desk...i told him that i did not want my bottle to end up in the hands of an airport employee for their enjoyment...i asked to empty it out....he agreed and pointed out a confiscation barrel where i could empty it out....i asked for a cork screw, but of course they did not have one....so i was told to break it on the barrel....so.....so...i started to bang the wine bottle against the metal container....the damn thing would not break....bang, bang, bang, bang...the barrel rang out loudly....karen said---everyone is looking at you and i said sooooooo...bang, bang...still not broken....i was mad....bang, bang...so finally i just threw the bottle into the container with all my might and it broke in the bottom...did i feel better?????
our flight was delayed for one hour....there was not a seat to be had in the waiting room so we just stood...
contrary to earlier reports the delhi airport is not all that bad...it is conjested and there is a shortage of seats at busy times, but we saw nothing of the chaos that we had expected....is it a place we would choose to relax in....no, but it was ok and not the worst airport we have been in...almost, but not the worst...there was a/c in the departure lounge, unlike the arrivals...
so this was our india tale...in my next post i will make a few comments about the experience...my thailand trip report may start later tonight or maybe tomorrow so stand by if you are interested...
the wake-up knock came promptly at 7:15...we went out onto the patio and drank our coffee/tea, still in our jammies...
the shower was not the greatest but it did the job... the australian couple joined us for breakfast and we had another nice chat...the breakfast was simple but adequate...
anoop was at the gate at 9AM...our bags were delivered and we were on our way...the drive to delhi was 1 1/2 to 2 hours....along the way two trucks collided directly next to us but anoop managed to avoid any problem with his defensive driving...
our first stop in delhi was at the shop FabIndia....we were underwhelmed (sorry bonita)... from there we went to hauz kaus village where we intended to have lunch and do some shopping...the restaurant, top of the village, had been sealed by the government and anoop thought it best if we left the area because the shop keepers were again on strike and there was the potential for problems...
so he took us back to the pindi plaza for lunch...this time we decided to try chicken inn....it was very croweded and turned out to be the worst meal of our india vacation...
after lunch we went to the kahn market...karen bought a number of pairs of shoes here...i needed an atm but i had trouble with my cards there so we went to another bank where they worked fine...
we then visited one of the "official" tourist shops...spent about 10 minutes there and bought nothing...
i had asked anoop if we could do another drive by of the "official" government buildings as i had not had an opportunity on day one to take any pictures there...we did this and also had a very nice walk around the india gate monument...it was sealed off from visitors because of the impending independance day celebration...
lastly we stopped again at the central cottage industries store near the imperial...karen bought some christmas decorations this time...
arvind came to meet us at a local coffee shop for a recap of our time with his company...i was able to give him a glowing report...we were very pleased with all of the arrangements and with every detail of the trip...
he presented us with a sheet that his wife had embroidered especially for us...he also gave us an indian cookbook which we look forward to using...after a cup of coffee we departed...
we had made a reservation at the dum pukht restaurant at the sheraton for dinner....anoop dropped us off there...this restaurant serves a particular type of indian slow cook meal...the meal was delicious, but the service was not great....3980 rp....
anoop picked us up promptly at 9PM for our trip to the airport for our thai air flight to bangkok at 12:05AM....
we stoped along the way in a parking lot to do a bit of last minute reshuffling of the baggage--new purchases, etc...the drive was less than 30 minutes from the sheraton to the airport...
we said our good-byes to anoop....we were very sad as we had really grown to like and trust him.... HE MADE OUR TRIP PERFECT!!! needless to say i gave him a very decent tip...
i will be posting his e address shortly for any of you who might like to use his services....he does do freelance driving....you would not be disappointed....
now the real negetive experience of india: after clearing immigration we were at a security point and my bag was held up for a bottle of wine in it....this bottle had been purchased in france on our way to thailand along with two others that we no longer had (there is a story about one of those as well)... they claimed that i could not take it on the airplane....why?? karen had a water bottle and so did many others..."security".... i appealed to the supervisor...a thai airways rep offered to take it along with one of our carry on bags and check it---not possible---our carry-ons had to remain with us...so i appealed one step higher...all of this time i was very cool, never raising my voice...the policy was just so inconsistant...this senior army/police officer just stared at me...he said the policy stands....i noticed a bottle of chivas behind his desk...i told him that i did not want my bottle to end up in the hands of an airport employee for their enjoyment...i asked to empty it out....he agreed and pointed out a confiscation barrel where i could empty it out....i asked for a cork screw, but of course they did not have one....so i was told to break it on the barrel....so.....so...i started to bang the wine bottle against the metal container....the damn thing would not break....bang, bang, bang, bang...the barrel rang out loudly....karen said---everyone is looking at you and i said sooooooo...bang, bang...still not broken....i was mad....bang, bang...so finally i just threw the bottle into the container with all my might and it broke in the bottom...did i feel better?????
our flight was delayed for one hour....there was not a seat to be had in the waiting room so we just stood...
contrary to earlier reports the delhi airport is not all that bad...it is conjested and there is a shortage of seats at busy times, but we saw nothing of the chaos that we had expected....is it a place we would choose to relax in....no, but it was ok and not the worst airport we have been in...almost, but not the worst...there was a/c in the departure lounge, unlike the arrivals...
so this was our india tale...in my next post i will make a few comments about the experience...my thailand trip report may start later tonight or maybe tomorrow so stand by if you are interested...
Dec 10th, 2006, 01:48 PM
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Neemrana Fort Palace and the local village sounded wonderful. Sorry to hear about that bottle of wine - I would have thought about breaking it over the head of the guy that wanted to confiscate it (just kidding). Glad Karen made out well - gotta keep the ladies happy.
