This trip to India was almost done on a whim. In early November we discovered a dance festival in Chennai, India. we looked at each other and said, why not! I began the process by checking the fares on Air Asia. KL to Chennai had a fare of < USD 100++++ (taxes, fees, credit card charges, luggage, and seat reservations). By the time I added in fuel surcharges, taxes, baggage fees, seating fees, booking fees, credit card convience fees, the cost more than doubled. The 4 hour flight cost still less than half of the competition. I then decided on a date for return. This choice as driven by fares that dropped after Jan 3. We chose to return from Bangalore.
With the bookends in place, we then looked for accommodations in Chennai. Our friend Patrick was our informant. He suggested the New Woodlands Hotel. It was an appropriate recommendation. Reservations were made online, but I needed to arrange for a deposit of the first night. This required making arrangements with my local bank. I couldn't use my US based credit cards as I had only one line for my address and the credit card processing company required two address lines to be entered. This issue was eventually overcome. Once I made the payment online, my Malaysia bank called me within 2 minutes to confirm the transaction.
The final piece of the logistics jigsaw puzzle was arranging for our 10 day tour. We have a self imposed limit on one/two Indian states per visit. This time it was Tamil Nadu. I used the same travel agency we used for our Rajastan tour, Glimpses of India. After several round of proposals (one with ten hotels in ten days) we settled on a trip with several places where we stayed for two nights. However, I did not get the hotel names until after the payments were made.
This time payment was difficult. Paypal suspended payments to India so that was not an option. It had to be a bank wire transfer. This required a telephone confirmation with my US bank, but their online form did not allow for an international telephone number. After a midnight call from Malaysia to NYC, I discovered that if I put a special number in the field (undocumented) and then added a comment which included my international phone number they would call me. So I tried, and they confirmed, although it took several attempts for NYC to get a clear connection.
Now for the tour portion of our trip. First stop was Puducherry (Pondicherry), a Indian city with heavy influence from the French. We stayed at the Anandha Inn. This was a nice 3.5 star business hotel. Our fellow guests included Lenovo expats, HP expats, and others. Discussions overheard at breakfast included how to segregate core business processes from non-core business processes. This hotel had the first display of miniature liquors that I have seen on a hotel room desk. At least 18 bottles were displayed. The city was reminiscent of Vietnamese cities from the late 1960's.
The second stop was the Grand Gardenia hotel in Trichy. The Grand Gardenia is located on a major limited access highway away from the center of the city. Although we don't like hotels on the outskirts of town, this hotel was nice and it had a great restaurant. The only drawback - soft beds. But for two nights it was good and the food great.
The next stop was Coimbatore at the Alankar hotel. This hotel was located in the center of the city, and we walked. We saw the city central prison (across the street from the main bus station). We visited a Sari department store and were objects of curiosity as we wondered through the city. Dinner was eaten in the hotel.
The following day we went to Coonor, a hill station at approximately 2000m (7000'). The purpose for this visit was the train trip to Ooty. On our way we learned the limitations of the AC and cooling system of our car. The driver had struggled with the AC for the previous two days, but it was not a real problem as the weather was cool. On the steep climb up the mountain, we stopped several times to top off the radiator. Since there were no obvious leaks, I suspected a header gasket or cracked engine block, but I kept my mouth firmly shut. We made it to the top and for the rest of the trip we did without AC.
The train to Ooty runs on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a narrow gauge railway (UNESCO cultural site) featured in the movie "A Passage to India." We got to the station early saw the early 20th century Swiss-made steam engine on its way down the mountain (a four hour trip). Our train up the mountain was interesting. It was a short segment lasting only 1 1/4 hours. We were pulled by slightly more modern diesel powered traction pusher engine. We paid 102 INR for a "first class" ticket. The car was had AC (the windows opened) and the seating in the cabin was only 4 adults per bench. Further back tickets were 3 INR. From the squeals of the children as we went through the tunnels, I think the 3 INR passengers had a lot more fun. We had a delightful conversation with a retired Australian filmmaker.
Ooty was another item on logistics planning that I missed. At the last moment the travel agent included a "mandatory" New Years Eve gala fee of $29.95 USD. I should have been clued in at the price, but I paid the fee. In fact there was a gala, but was it worth $29.95 USD. More on that in a later blog. We were unable to see much of Ooty. Weather intervened with Cyclone Thane bringing rain, wind, fog and "cold" weather to the mountains.
The routing to Mysore went through two animal reserves. If I had spent time with maps, I might have noted these and done further research. It was the right season to see wild animals.
The final stop before Bangalore was Mysore for two nights. Unfortunately, the hotel was located in an industrial area on the fringe of the city. So much for trusting the travel agent. Because we were located on the fringe of the city, we were unable to walk through the city, and Mysore is a walkable city.
At the end of the trip we discovered the driver was provided with no lodgings, although we frequently saw drivers quarters listed on the rate card for the various hotels. I don't know if the lack of drivers' accommodations were the cause, but the driver had severe back problems the last two days of the trip.
So what did I learn from this experience. Check, check, and check. Check the hotels, find their locations and learn as much as possible about the temples you are going to visit. Did we have a good time, emphatically the answer is yes, but it could have been better if I had done my homework first.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
With the bookends in place, we then looked for accommodations in Chennai. Our friend Patrick was our informant. He suggested the New Woodlands Hotel. It was an appropriate recommendation. Reservations were made online, but I needed to arrange for a deposit of the first night. This required making arrangements with my local bank. I couldn't use my US based credit cards as I had only one line for my address and the credit card processing company required two address lines to be entered. This issue was eventually overcome. Once I made the payment online, my Malaysia bank called me within 2 minutes to confirm the transaction.
The final piece of the logistics jigsaw puzzle was arranging for our 10 day tour. We have a self imposed limit on one/two Indian states per visit. This time it was Tamil Nadu. I used the same travel agency we used for our Rajastan tour, Glimpses of India. After several round of proposals (one with ten hotels in ten days) we settled on a trip with several places where we stayed for two nights. However, I did not get the hotel names until after the payments were made.
This time payment was difficult. Paypal suspended payments to India so that was not an option. It had to be a bank wire transfer. This required a telephone confirmation with my US bank, but their online form did not allow for an international telephone number. After a midnight call from Malaysia to NYC, I discovered that if I put a special number in the field (undocumented) and then added a comment which included my international phone number they would call me. So I tried, and they confirmed, although it took several attempts for NYC to get a clear connection.
Now for the tour portion of our trip. First stop was Puducherry (Pondicherry), a Indian city with heavy influence from the French. We stayed at the Anandha Inn. This was a nice 3.5 star business hotel. Our fellow guests included Lenovo expats, HP expats, and others. Discussions overheard at breakfast included how to segregate core business processes from non-core business processes. This hotel had the first display of miniature liquors that I have seen on a hotel room desk. At least 18 bottles were displayed. The city was reminiscent of Vietnamese cities from the late 1960's.
The second stop was the Grand Gardenia hotel in Trichy. The Grand Gardenia is located on a major limited access highway away from the center of the city. Although we don't like hotels on the outskirts of town, this hotel was nice and it had a great restaurant. The only drawback - soft beds. But for two nights it was good and the food great.
The next stop was Coimbatore at the Alankar hotel. This hotel was located in the center of the city, and we walked. We saw the city central prison (across the street from the main bus station). We visited a Sari department store and were objects of curiosity as we wondered through the city. Dinner was eaten in the hotel.
The following day we went to Coonor, a hill station at approximately 2000m (7000'). The purpose for this visit was the train trip to Ooty. On our way we learned the limitations of the AC and cooling system of our car. The driver had struggled with the AC for the previous two days, but it was not a real problem as the weather was cool. On the steep climb up the mountain, we stopped several times to top off the radiator. Since there were no obvious leaks, I suspected a header gasket or cracked engine block, but I kept my mouth firmly shut. We made it to the top and for the rest of the trip we did without AC.
The train to Ooty runs on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a narrow gauge railway (UNESCO cultural site) featured in the movie "A Passage to India." We got to the station early saw the early 20th century Swiss-made steam engine on its way down the mountain (a four hour trip). Our train up the mountain was interesting. It was a short segment lasting only 1 1/4 hours. We were pulled by slightly more modern diesel powered traction pusher engine. We paid 102 INR for a "first class" ticket. The car was had AC (the windows opened) and the seating in the cabin was only 4 adults per bench. Further back tickets were 3 INR. From the squeals of the children as we went through the tunnels, I think the 3 INR passengers had a lot more fun. We had a delightful conversation with a retired Australian filmmaker.
Ooty was another item on logistics planning that I missed. At the last moment the travel agent included a "mandatory" New Years Eve gala fee of $29.95 USD. I should have been clued in at the price, but I paid the fee. In fact there was a gala, but was it worth $29.95 USD. More on that in a later blog. We were unable to see much of Ooty. Weather intervened with Cyclone Thane bringing rain, wind, fog and "cold" weather to the mountains.
The routing to Mysore went through two animal reserves. If I had spent time with maps, I might have noted these and done further research. It was the right season to see wild animals.
The final stop before Bangalore was Mysore for two nights. Unfortunately, the hotel was located in an industrial area on the fringe of the city. So much for trusting the travel agent. Because we were located on the fringe of the city, we were unable to walk through the city, and Mysore is a walkable city.
At the end of the trip we discovered the driver was provided with no lodgings, although we frequently saw drivers quarters listed on the rate card for the various hotels. I don't know if the lack of drivers' accommodations were the cause, but the driver had severe back problems the last two days of the trip.
So what did I learn from this experience. Check, check, and check. Check the hotels, find their locations and learn as much as possible about the temples you are going to visit. Did we have a good time, emphatically the answer is yes, but it could have been better if I had done my homework first.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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