HalfAnIdea

noideagirl

HalfAnIdea

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So we are tourists who love to travel
Unlike other tourists we (the adults) have been to 55 countries (many counties more than once) but we don't claim to be travellers
We have done all manner of travels from shoe string to 6 star
We moved to Australia 10 years ago so that put a pause on our number of new countries count
Naturally road tripping around Australia has been a big part of lives for the last decade to all 8 states/territories

We now have 2 kids aged 5 & 7 and since #1 was born we have been on 25 trips both around Australia & to the mothership Ireland via UAE (5 times) also via SanFran & Boston once pre kids and via Bangkok/Copenhagen when we had a 6 month old (where we previously lived for 18 months once)

The kids are not home schooled unlike any other travel with kids blogs I can find ...would love to hear from fellow regular joes with itchy feet And we don't have any travel affiliations that are a source of income!
I think we managed to get a free flight only once on points, ha ha

The kids travels:
Kid #1 Ireland (travelled around much of republic) X5, Denmark via BKK, Abu Dhabi x3, India
Australia: NSW (extensively), TAS, QLD, VIC, SA x3

Kid #2 Ireland x3, Abu Dhabi x2, India
Australia: NSW, QLD, VIC, SA x2

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Joined: January 1st, 1970

India Calling - Delhi hotel summary

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi March 13th 2018

noideagirl

The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, South Delhi Stars: 5 or 6 Family suite: No (or not available on booking.com) Wifi: Good/Free Car service: Expensive (5500prs airport 10km so 550rps per km = Exorbitant, 40,000rps day trip Agra 176km so 227rps per km = not as bad value as airport run! Delhi tour 800rps per hour plus 1500rps for guide = compared to airport run it’s a bargain) Pool: Heated/outdoor Food: Excellent / very expensive Service: Butler / Treats to room / Gifts for kids Free Extras: Gym Spa/Massage on site: Yes Radisson Blu, Delhi airport Stars: 5 Family suite: Yes but not via booking.com- On asking at hotel we got Presidential suite incl. private garden (double the price of 2 business rooms) Wifi: Very Good/Free Car service: Yes/includ... read more

India Calling - Kerala hotel summary

Asia » India » Kerala March 13th 2018

noideagirl

The Vivant by Taj – Malabar Coast – Willingdon Is., Cochin Stars: 5 Family suite: Not exactly but suite had living room fold up beds brought into / walk in robe so plenty of room for luggage Wifi: Good/free Car service: Medium price, they tell you of other options too Pool: heated/outdoor Food: Very good / expensive - lunch buffet 1000 rps Service: Butler / Treats to room / Gifts for all on check out Free Extras: Sunset cruise on backwaters/Afternoon tea/Kids biscuit decorate/ Kids post office visit / Gym Spa/Massage on site: Yes The Raheem Residency, Beach Rd., Alleppey Stars: 3 Family suite: No Wifi: Terrible/Free Car service: No Pool: Heated/outdoor Food: Good / medium Service: Standard Free Extras: No Spa/Massa... read more

India Calling - Delhi

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Day 18-19 –Farewell Delhi Arrived in Delhi around lunch time and had pre-booked 2 rooms (cause couldn’t get family option) in the Radisson Blu (which we had used in other countries) that included breakfast and airport transfer in the rate and it had a good looking swimming pool. Instructions were to meet driver inside gate 2, after waiting for what seemed like ages we rang them and driver was outside gate 2, sigh. We had made it through 3 weeks with no Indian sim cards but luckily the hubby has a post-paid Australian mobile with roaming, which we had not used but it was great to be able to make that one phone call. Driver was nice and hotel wasn’t too far despite mad traffic. We were welcomed into the opulent marble ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Nedumbassery March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Day 17-18 –Farewell Cochin So I had picked an airport hotel in Cochin with a wrap-around pool as I’d knew it’d be back to being hot. Got to the hotel SAJ earth resort and guess what? The pool was closed for maintenance –as in completely drained. Now I get mid-January is off peak and it has to be done sometime but could they not have told booking.com or emailed customers to spell it out or maybe, I don’t know, discounted the bloody rooms? The swimming pool was the only reason I booked this place. So I let them know this and they said they could probably sort out access to a private pool later. There was some palaver about breakfast vouchers which annoyingly you had to pay for separately and I had booked when prompted by ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Munnar March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Day 15-17 –Hill stations – Tea Plantations So the next car, I booked via the hotel for a late morning departure, brought us from Kumily to Chithirapuram (near Munnar) another 83 pot-holey km’s across the mountains. Cue more puking from the girl. It turned out the main mountain road was closed so we really were on the worst back road and it was very winding. The driving was one of the perkier ones we had though and stopped at an altar to give an offering for a safe journey at the beginning of the trip. We came across an elephant walking down the road at one point and also an accident off a motor bike but the driver & pillion seemed ok. So 3 hours later and not a moment too soon we could see our ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Kumily March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Day 13-15 – Hello Hill stations – Spices Babu had yet another man waiting for us 1st thing (7:30am) in one of his (Babu’s) own cars. The car was all decked out with beach towels which we’d find out later why. Sad to say bye to Babu, the boy even hugged him & Babu had a hard day ahead of him as his deceased employee’s parents were coming (we chipped into a fund for them as am guessing no workers insurance for seasonal staff). This was our longest road trip 177km (6000rps) and it was very winding road up the mountains. Both kids puked, although we caught boys in time but the girl was first and got some of the inside of the car – hence the beach towels, d’oh. Think she had 2 goes. After ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Varkala March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Day 11-13 -New Year’s Eve – Beach time The trip to Odayam beach meant we passed Hindu festival in Varkala town where everyone wore yellow. It was an amazing sight which I don’t think we got photos of! We also passed men’s store “Hitler – King of fashion”, ahem. We finally met the famous Baba at the Palm tree Heritage resort. He was lovely. Looked a bit different to everyone else -possibly Andaman? Very warm and welcoming and nothing was too much for him. There was no bureaucracy like handing over passports or money or anything. He gave us a welcome drink and we hung out at the café/restaurant which was right on the clean beach which was rocky but had a nice enclave where you could body surf & wave jump. After some watching some ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Kollam March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Kerala Day 10-11 House boat day & night!! Next stop Kollam 84km away. So I had booked a beach place later in the trip and saw the owner Babu got awesome reviews on TripAdvisor, so when he told me had a house boat in Kollam and showed me how lovely it was via website I booked it. Alleppey can be very busy/dear to get a house boat so I could see next port Kollam was less hectic where Babu’s boat was, so that was fine by me too. I had also asked the Raheem by email before we got there who they used and that one got brutal reviews online. So you don’t need to be on a house boat any more than 24 hours, I originally thought to book a few nights but that’s not ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Alleppey March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Kerala Day 7-10 – Backwaters Alleppey aka Alappuzha When we came back from Fort Cochin on Christmas Eve a taxi man outside the hotel made a deal with me to bring us to Alleppey or Alappuzha 2 days later at 11am, but we were ready by 10am and he was waiting for us at the front door way before time. So we checked out and they gave us all gifts – umbrellas for kids, spices for husband and necklace for me, very nice of them. So 58km of interesting roads and towns took I’d say 2 hours, beach road where the Raheem residency was located was inaccessible due to road works so it took the driver a while to figure out how to access the building but he did. We’d agreed 2000rps but he wanted more ... read more

India Calling - Kerala

Asia » India » Kerala » Kochi March 13th 2018

noideagirl

Kerala port of entry: Cochin aka Kochi– day 4-7 Airport security is high, an armed man checks you have a ticket at the door and looks at all your passports & faces, no ticket no entry. Queuing & check-in is quicker in Delhi than Sydney international airport, although I expected as much volume in Delhi domestic terminal. Vistara airline premium economy very nice, booked cause that’s what was available. No inflight entertainment so kids on own devices, they were pretty good but air hostess did notice how “alive” they were! Vege food all good, pre ordered but in hindsight I don’t think I had to. Nice to see sunrise from way up in the clouds, 5yo was amazed. 3 hours later: hello Kochi. Got the hotel to pick us up as I could see it was ... read more

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