Well, for the last few days, we have been running non-stop: both to do the Mumbai tours and to to plan another leg of our Indian trip. High on the priority is to head to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. No way we could book sleeper trains as all return trains were full. That’s OK as there are plenty of inexpensive flights (about US$100 per peron). Good news, for Rs100,000 (about CDN$2300) we should be able to make the trip. Only problem, other than the cost, this is what the itinerary would look like prepared by Sunni at one of the local tourist travel office.:
Day of departure: Awake 5 am, pack for a few days, 1 hour drive to Mumbai airport, 2 hour flight to Delhi on Spiritjet (a flying bus). Tour Delhi for day with car and guide. Stay at Ramada in room suitable for 3 (add Rs10000 for room for 4) for 8 am flight to Delhi. Stay in Holiday Inn (or equivalent).
Day 2: Awake 5 am, drive to Agra 3.5 hours. Tour Agra in car with guide (car has 4 seats: 1 for Driver, 1 for guide, back bench built for 2 for Kuffner 4 with backpacks. Add Rs3000 for larger car – but no guarantee of availability. Stay in Holiday Inn (or equivalent).
Day 3: Awake 5 am, drive 5 hours to Jaipur. Tour with guide and driver. See above for car size. Stay in Holiday Inn or 3*+ accommodation for 3 (see above for 4).
Day 4 : awake 5 am, drive 5 hours to Delhi for afternoon flight to Mumbai. Fly 2 hours, drive 1 hour back to our hotel in Mumbai. Add US$500 for ticket re-issue charges to eliminate this leg of the trip and replace our flight from Mumbai to Singapore with Delhi to Singapore.
Day 5: Fly out of India on our scheduled flight.
Total cost to do this properly is about $3000 plus additional night’s accommodation make the trip longer and more meaningful. Not coincidentally, this is about the costs to arrange it from Canada – including the flight to India! Obviously, all costs and inconveniences are because we are travelling as a family of 4. More than once we came across backpackers who were staying at hostels, eating boiled potatoes and drinking tea, each doing the above trip for just a few hundred bucks.
Well we decided that the boys could return to India another time as backpackers and we would leave India early for the 5-star convenience of the Fairmont Singapore for no additional costs. Hmm. Should we stay – or should we go?
We were unanimous. We should go!
We were up early to go to Mumbadevi temple – once again an other-worldly experience. On our way out of the temple we were blessed with tikas and arm bracelets. We wandered around the community that surrounded the temple. The highlight was meeting a sadhu. He appeared thrilled to meet us and was so excited when we asked whether we could take his picture that he called some of his friends nearby to watch. Although he didn’t ask us for payment for the photo, we gave him a donation for his kindness. He blessed us on our heads with his trident.
Day of departure: Awake 5 am, pack for a few days, 1 hour drive to Mumbai airport, 2 hour flight to Delhi on Spiritjet (a flying bus). Tour Delhi for day with car and guide. Stay at Ramada in room suitable for 3 (add Rs10000 for room for 4) for 8 am flight to Delhi. Stay in Holiday Inn (or equivalent).
Day 2: Awake 5 am, drive to Agra 3.5 hours. Tour Agra in car with guide (car has 4 seats: 1 for Driver, 1 for guide, back bench built for 2 for Kuffner 4 with backpacks. Add Rs3000 for larger car – but no guarantee of availability. Stay in Holiday Inn (or equivalent).
Day 3: Awake 5 am, drive 5 hours to Jaipur. Tour with guide and driver. See above for car size. Stay in Holiday Inn or 3*+ accommodation for 3 (see above for 4).
Day 4 : awake 5 am, drive 5 hours to Delhi for afternoon flight to Mumbai. Fly 2 hours, drive 1 hour back to our hotel in Mumbai. Add US$500 for ticket re-issue charges to eliminate this leg of the trip and replace our flight from Mumbai to Singapore with Delhi to Singapore.
Day 5: Fly out of India on our scheduled flight.
Total cost to do this properly is about $3000 plus additional night’s accommodation make the trip longer and more meaningful. Not coincidentally, this is about the costs to arrange it from Canada – including the flight to India! Obviously, all costs and inconveniences are because we are travelling as a family of 4. More than once we came across backpackers who were staying at hostels, eating boiled potatoes and drinking tea, each doing the above trip for just a few hundred bucks.
Well we decided that the boys could return to India another time as backpackers and we would leave India early for the 5-star convenience of the Fairmont Singapore for no additional costs. Hmm. Should we stay – or should we go?
We were unanimous. We should go!
We were up early to go to Mumbadevi temple – once again an other-worldly experience. On our way out of the temple we were blessed with tikas and arm bracelets. We wandered around the community that surrounded the temple. The highlight was meeting a sadhu. He appeared thrilled to meet us and was so excited when we asked whether we could take his picture that he called some of his friends nearby to watch. Although he didn’t ask us for payment for the photo, we gave him a donation for his kindness. He blessed us on our heads with his trident.
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