trip report from mustlane

Hello to everyone from mustlane,

We are back from our holiday, the best holiday we ever had! I’m not very strong with words but hopefully having a good eye to capture a moments and to tell a story through pictures. I will add a link to Flickr fotostream in the end.

This time we started from Delhi and further to Jaipur to Agra to Trivandrum to Allepy to Kumarakom to Kochi to Calangute 

This trip did shake my world. I am a strong man, always been proud of my control over my emotions but I walked through the gates of Taj Mahal and found myself crying like a baby. It was not just beautiful, it was/is a miracle. I cannot describe what I felt. The same feeling of being part of something indescribable I felt during this trip frequently.

For Golden Triangle and Kerala we used Travel Agency called Culture Holidays India Pvt. Ltd. (http://www.cultureholidays.com) Someone in travel forums recommended them and I’m very thankful for that.

I cannot praise Culture Holidays enough, they were exact with appointments, medium price hotels I asked for, surprised my wife Tiina, who thought that I have gone crazy to spend big money to expensive hotels. Their Tour Guides were highest level, not killing us with numbers and names but telling a story. At Taj Mahal it was more than story, you can call it a performance at its best. In every town we visited we met high end professionals. The representatives were waiting us in appointed places and guided us fluently through the train terminals, hotel check-in’s, airports and queues in different gates.

I planned the trip in a way to have relaxing periods in a sequence with emotional turmoil.

First we had two days in Delhi. From there we traveled with Superfast (?) A/C train to Jaipur for one day, leaving next morning to Agra. Third day we traveled back to Delhi, by train again (this time it was the Fast train), for one more day there. With this ended the busy part of the itinerary this time.

From Delhi we did fly to Trivandrum (Kovalam) for one day and further to Kerala Backwater trip which ended next morning in Kumarakom with one additional relaxing day at the Waterscapes Resort by the lake. (it was relaxing part)

The busy period started again with our next day trip to Kochi (financial centre of the Kerala). We spent one day there and did leave next morning to Goa, Calangute.

Calangute was not as busy as we used to but as I did not know it during my planning I, just in case, booked one more relaxing period (two nights and one day) in Godfreys Indian Retreat.

There was fewer tourists, both local and from other countries, in Goa and it was just right for us. Prices were down and much room for haggling.

Godfrey’s Indian Retreat … (http://www.goaecoretreat.com/) it was good experience and very nice place but as long as we expected (based on their webpage) more activity during our stay, I would say, that I hoped little more. I had planned to take a pottery course and Tiina hoped for saree dressing classes but they were discontinued. The situation was saved by the owner, mr.Godfrey, who is very friendly and charismatic man and did not let us get bored. He manages the village as his home and you can feel it. You feel yourself as a guest that has been taken care of. Service was exceptional and meals were delicious. Between the meals and as a wakeup call in the morning there was the tea with snacks.

In Calangute we were “golden customers” of Sea King beach shack – we have good friends there and did enjoy every moment there. Last three years we have checked and compared their kitchen to other places and they have come out of this as winners. Breakfast in Redonda restaurant (always!) and jewellery from Paradise Dowery made by John (Calangute main street). We ordered a necklace from him and as he promised, the valuation at home gave 2x difference compared to price he asked. Workmanship and quality amazed our local jewelers and stones were perfect.

Taxi driver Sergio has earned many good words in this forum as well as in others and I have nothing more to add than to state again that he is very reliable, intelligent and friendly man and his prices are reasonable. Knowing that he has little son to take care of, I always paid the street price and not once did he ask the price even close to what I was ready to pay. I’m a bullheaded man and paid what I thought I owe for the service, the difference was showing our gratitude to him.

I/we love this country, its people …… and I want to go back. I’m missing already this incredible country and my friends there. I’m happy and sad in the same time. I have my pictures to help me to live through the moments again and I would like to share them with you.

So …. pictures at Flickr are in timeline and sequence - feel free to look at the pictures and comment:

flickr.com/photos/…

trip report from mustlane

Lovely report mustlane. Have had a quick look at some of your pictures and they%26#39;re great. Will have a proper look this afternoon with a cup of coffee as there are almost 600! Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

trip report from mustlane

Greta report mustlane

Loved ALL the pics#

';I’m not very strong with words';

Disagree with that ;-) What a fantastic report now off to get a coffee and look at the photo%26#39;s :-))

Hi Mustlane

Really glad you had a wonderful trip and thank you very much for sharing your experience and photos with us! Just looked through them all. The Taj Mahal is breathtaking!

Linda

Thank you all for the kind words :-) It is my pleasure to share.

Thank you so much for sharing tis with us all.

I look forward to looking at the pictures.

ian..........

So glad you had such an amazing time mustlane and thanks so much for sharing your experiences :)

Will have a look at the pictures a little later when I have more time.

Had a lovely half hour with my coffee and Greggs triple chocolate muffin looking through your pictures - there are some great contrasts. Really enjoyed them, thank you.

loved your photos I am way to stupid to attempt to do anything with mine -can bareley work a camera.

Hi fantastic report.will look at photos later when i%26#39;m on my own so i won%26#39;t be disturbed.Barbs

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