Meechy

Kerala - Trivandrum 23/02/11 - 24/02/11 After our original train got cancelled we managed to get on the next scheduled train from Varkala after much deliberation and a remittance stamp from the railway staff. They were actually really helpful, which must be a southern Indian railway thing! Anyway we were picked up by the owner of our Homestay and as we arrived at night we just settled in at our cottage. We stayed at Lake Woods Retreat Homestay run by a very accommodating chap called John (for 300Rs). It is about 7km from the city centre which takes about 20-30 minutes driving. It was 1200Rs for a standard room and 1500Rs for a superior. The rooms are separate from the owners house, next to each other (like semi detached chalets) which look out onto a ... read more

Kerala - Varkala 18/02/11 - 21/02/11 We arrived at about 6pm and got a tuk tuk to the North cliff (about 2km) for 60Rs! The tuk tuk drivers here want to take you to hotels that give them commission so it should be made clear which hotel you want to go to and that you have paid. The tuk tuk back to the station cost 70Rs and they did not budge! They didn't seem bothered about negotiating (5 of them were in on it) just saying we would have to walk if we didn't accept it! The reason they gave for why it was cheaper from the station was that the drivers get commission that way. We think that it's more to do with how touristy the place is and some tourists will pay anything!! ... read more

Mumbai 12/02/11 - 14/02/11 We arrived in Mumbai Bandra Train Station at about midday and got a taxi into the city for 400Rs after much negotiation.  We checked into the Residency Hotel (booked in advance) in The Fort area after much confusion over why we did not appear on the check-in list! We protested to get into a room only to be telephoned later to be told that we had booked for March instead!! Well, I had booked for March! The third of my (iPhone) booking catastrophes!! Oh well they let us stay, apparently having to turn someone away (not sure about that) and managed to fit us in for the next night also. We found it difficult to book accommodation in Mumbai prior to arriving there. Many good value places were full or they ... read more

Jodhpur 06/02/11 - 08/02/11 I love majestic Rajasthan! This place just seems more laid back, there is less hassle (in my opinion), the traffic is not quite as bad and the colours of the bazaars filled with bright fabrics  light up the narrow alleyways and alcoves. The women look fantastic in their brightly coloured beautiful saris in fantastic pinks, yellows and stunning reds. This is the best place to buy fabric products of good quality. I purchased a nice pashmina and some Hareem style pants from the minimal hassle shop next-door to MV Spices (which is in the LP). Duncs bought some bombay potato mix (after much hassle) which I'm unsure about getting through customs in Australia!! The centre of old Jodhpur is marked by the clock tower which at night glows is lit up ... read more

Delhi 02/02/11 - 04/02/11 Delhi has a problem with it's organised traffic system. It is at times literally impossible to cross the road. At some 'crossings', ie there are zebra lines there are no traffic lights and a constant stream of 7 lanes of traffic! The roads are well maintained and there are pavements (for once) but I gave up trying to cross them, even with other people. You can see they have maintained the roads, especially around Connaught Place for the Commonwealth games. There are some suitably modern subways dotted around though if you can find them. We found it is also quite hard to get back to our accommodation as it was one side  of a fenced major road (a bit like a major A road in the UK). Which would mean it ... read more