1 hour before I purchased a flight ticket for my son Harry to come home, from America,

for Christmas 2012 in New Zealand, my very generous mother,

decided the entire family are going with her on her last overseas trip abroad.

Brother Craig chose India; his "spiritual home".

There is no place I want to go to less,

but if I want to see my sons Luke and Harry at Christmas,

I have to go.

This blog will tell the tale ...from start to finish.

Will I love India or hate it?

Friday, August 31, 2012

I don’t want to go to India; REASON No 12 THEY FEED RATS
They feed rats!?? Thousands of holy rats running around the world famous Karni Mata temple- Deshnok, Rajasthan- India.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj1TttwPgU
Places we will stay … 4) Udaipur
Lake Pichola Hotel.
Outside Chandpole. Udaipur – 313001
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village.
2Star TRIP ADVISOR “NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE!”
Villers-la-Ville, Belgium ;Reviewed August 22, 2012.                                                 
Came to Udaipur on the last leg of a tour in India and stayed at this hotel.
Getting to the hotel was a bit of a nightmare having to negotiate VERY narrow streets with cattle, tuk-tuks, rickshaws etc. In some places only one vehicle was able to pass along the road and consequently there were occasions when one (or the other) had to reverse to find adequate space to allow two vehicles to pass each other. Parking facilities at the hotel were very limited.
Not the hotel’s fault!Ed
The hotel is a haveli which like many in India has been converted into a small hotel.
The Reception, lobby and dining area were really fabulous and beautifully decorated with views across the lake.The hotel is located right next to lake Pichola and has wonderful views from the terrace, of the city, ghats and amber fort across the water. Really picturesque and romantic! There is also an outdoor roof-top dining area and a small swimming pool. We were unable to use the roof-top restaurant as there was light rain at the time. However, we were very adequately served in the dining room on the ground floor, next to the lobby although it took a bit longer because the food was prepared next to the roof-top restaurant.
Our room was quite large with something like a dormer window (area) overlooking the lake. This area served as the third bed for my son. Unfortunately for him, it must have been ridden with bed-bugs
eek! Ed…because the following morning he had several bites and swellings on his arms and wrists - and these were definitely NOT mosquito bites!
The towels provided were damp and as seems to be the case in several hotels in India, were grey in colour and not white. Have they not heard of bleach? When I complained, we were provided with brand-new, sparkling white towels which I am sure had never been previously used judging by the fact that they were not very absorbant.
After the first night when I went to have a shower, discovered there was
no hot water. Complained to Reception and someone was sent up. He informed me that a little button on the lighting switch panel needed to have been depressed. I asked him how were we expected to know this? Obviously they didn’t tell you because they HATED you! Ed There was a jug of water supplied in the room unlike all the other hotels which supplied bottled water. So we had no idea of the provenance of what was in the jug! WHAT!? Providence is a fucking big word for a fucking wanker!! Ed
Decided to have breakfast and allow the water to heat up. Went back to the room after approximately one hour - still no hot water!
Rang our tour operator in Delhi and complained about the conditions and they said they would sort something out whilst we were on a tour of the fort and a boat ride on the lake.
Came back and were offered and shown another room in a much cleaner state which we accepted. Was later introduced to the owner of the hotel who apologised, saying that they were continually fully booked which made it difficult to clean the rooms properly. I told him that he should prevent occupation of each room for a day in rotation and thoroughly clean out the room. He accepted my suggestion and it will be interesting to see if other future guests note any change.
As some sort of compensation, we later found three bags of potato crisps and three small bars of Cadbury's milk chocolate in the room!
Really such a pity as with a bit of TLC this could be such a great hotel - especially with the lakeside location it enjoys and with little shops and restaurants outside the hotel gates.
I sincerely hope that my complaints and
suggestions are taken to heart to improve conditions in the hotel. PLEASE.WON’T. SOME.ONE.GIVE.ME.A.GUN? Ed

5star.TRIP ADVISOR “Exellent Hospitility” by Yusuf K;Reviewed August 20, 2012                                                                                                                
Begin a Line producer i was searching a Royal Heritage property at Udaipur......one day i reached at this place .......me and my producer finalize 2 sweets for the shoot........beside tht Owners Mrs Ragni Singh Ji and Mr S P Singh ji are always at Reception to check the hospitality......And finally the Roof Top Restaurant is one of the Best Roof top in Rajasthan ***Must visit this property if you are in Udaipur-Rajasthan

5 star. TRIP ADVISOR “Fantastic” by Traveldoc71;Reviewed August 3, 2012  
We stayed at this hotel for just one night and thats where we made a mistake. We should have stayed for at least two more days. One because there is so much to see and feel in Udaipur and two because this is a great place to stay.
This hotel is located at the best possible location. It is right next to the lake and one can view the city palace right across. Although getting there takes some effort because the old city has very narrow lanes, but the effort is worth it.
Once inside you feel like having walked into a kings palace. The place has a warm and comforting feel to it. The staff is very courteous and helping. The manager can advice you about the sight seeing in and around Udaipur also.
The rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable. The view from the balcony is fantabulous. You are sitting right at the edge of the lake. During the day you can see all the old buildings on the other side of the lake and watch and actually hear the people across the lake. At night it gets even better, specially from the roof top restaurant, when you can see the illuminated palaces. The view from the roof top is amazing. The restaurant staff is also very well mannered and the food was great. To summarize, it is the best place to stay in Udaipur and real value for money.

5 star. TRIP ADVISOR “Best place to stay in Udaipur”Reviewed July 27, 2012                                                                                              
 This hotel has the most beautiful view of Udaipur, specially from the rooftop. Each room has an balcony where you can look and listen what is happening at the other side of the lake. It's just beautiful. The hotel is an old palace with a wonderful collection of old pictures and paintings.The staff is very, very nice and helpful.
I totally recomend having a swim in the lake and crossing to the floating palace!! 
What the hell is this? 2) bhelpuri, pani puri, chaats, pav bhaji
I noticed that where we are staying near juju Beach (refer Places we will stay 3. Mumbai ) it is famous for  its Mumbai street food, notably bhelpuri, pani puri, chaats, and of course pav bhaji
bhelpuria savoury Indian snack, and is also a type of chaat. It is made out of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce
pani puriround, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of water, tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas.
chaats savoury snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or carts in India
pav bhajiPav means a small loaf of bread. Bhaji means vegetable dish. Pav bhaji consists of bhaji (a thick potato-based curry) garnished with coriander, chopped onion and a dash of lemon and baked pav.
What the hell is this? 1) ayuervdea parlour
I noticed the Mermaid Hotel in Kochi (refer; places we will stay 2 Kerala)has  an Ayurvedic parlour . Ayurvedic massage helps to improve the energy flow throughout the channels and helps flush out toxins that accumulate during day to day activities, which wear away at us both physically and mentally.This massage helps to improve the lymphatic and circulatory system thus improving our immune system. Your therapist will use medicated oil and specific strokes relevant to your body’s constitution and present imbalances, which aid in the systematic elimination of toxins.
Places we will stay … 3) Mumbai
JC Chalet
6 Asha Colony, Juhu Tara Road,, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400049 India
We’ll be staying near Juhu Beach is one of the most famous beaches in Mumbai. Juhu beach is also a very popular place for watching aircraft as planes from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport usually takeoff directly over the beach towards the sea.
TRIP ADVISOR REVIEW…if you want to stay near Juhu beach go for this
Posted10 July 2012… 4.0 rating
What were your favourite things about this hotel?...location
What were your least favourite things about this hotel?...bathroom
Tell us about the location…walking distance to juhu beach
Nice hotel , walking distance to Juhu beach, Food is very costly and bathroom is very very small. rest all the thing are good ..

Places we will stay … 2) Kerala 
Mermaid Hotel Cochin
Kaniampuzha Rd, Ernakulam, Kochi, Kerala 
Amidst peaceful and serene surroundings on the banks of the picturesque Kaniyampuzha River and strategically located between the airport and city Mermaid Day's Inn is managed by Days Inn India which is a part of Days Inns Worldwide Inc. USA. Below the first 4 reviews on Trip Advisor (which I hate but)... good for a laugh…let’s see eh? Bet it is better than this…ED
1star. TRIP ADVISOR “Best to avoid” Reviewed 12 August 2012 .Pathetic would be a generous word for this hotel... Worst room environment..even for so called Deluxe room. Paints coming out, rooms stinking, water driping from common area, bathrooms r sad, and room service is worst than the road side cheap hotel. I got cheated by my travel agent 'Southern Exotica'. Even if i am offered a free stay, i will not opt for this hotel.
5star.TRIP ADVISOR “BEST PLACE TO STAY IN COCHIN”Reviewed 15 July 2012 . i sued this hotel for my Group dep tours and individual guest , hotel best part is hotel in huge area , its swimming pool on bank of river , Hotel centrally AC . full gym, Disco theque , ayuervdea parlour , Bar and Good restruant also
1star. TRIP ADVISOR “Worst Hotel”Reviewed 8 May 2012 ..I was in Cochin for a day and had to spend my time as i had to catch a flight next day morning to Mumbai. I was travelling with my family and had booked two rooms. In both the rooms the AC was not working it was hot and we had to switch on the fans while sleeping. In one room the hand spray was not working. The toilets smell and the tiles are slippers. The other room the bathroom & wardrobe door was not closing properly. The service at the restaurant is so lousy as if the waiters are doing a favour on the guest by taking orders. The phone is one room was not working so i had to go to another room to call and requested the receiptionist to send some one for assistance. There was no person sent. They claim to be a 3-star property. Mermaid-Kochi does not even fall under a budgeted category.
1star. TRIP ADVISOR “Very bad hotel”Reviewed 3 May 2012 ..This is very bad hotel that i have seen till now. went with my wife for holiday and started my trip with a nightmare...
no AC, no Water in the bath rooms, bugs in the room, dirty maintenence..
Please donot go for this hotel as this is horrible and terrible to stay. I'm unable to spend atleast couple of hours in this hotel. 

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Places we will stay … 1) Chennai
Hotel Chandra Park.
9 Ghandi Irwin Road, Chennai, Tamilnadu
A 3 Star Business Class hotel ideally located right opposite to Egmore Railway Station . Chennai Egmore is a railway station in Egmore, Chennai, South India. The station acts as the arrival and departure point for trains connecting Chennai and southern, central Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Standard Room Single (in Rupees);1100.00          
Double;1250.00
Extra Person; 250.00