Southern India taste test - would that be hot, or extra hot?

[bPeteb]

We didn’t have a lot of supplies with us for the five and a half hour journey. Just a starter bottle of water.

We needn’t have worried about getting food or water as it was constant from about five minutes out of Chennai station and it just didn’t stop. It was hilarious. Cooked meals in boxes, biscuits, chips, fruit cups, tea, coffee, water, samosas, and it went round and round in a rotation for about five hours of the trip. Even our issue of running out of anything but 500 rupee notes was not a problem for the food guys.



I moved over into an empty three for a while just to see some scenery and were soon joined by a couple sitting in the inside two seats. I went to get up but the wife said “no, enjoy the view”. Indian people are just so friendly.



I stayed for a bit longer but at the next station went back to my seat and someone did have that seat. The couple had said if someone came they’d find another seat but I said no, it was ok.

no concept of ohs. Kids were sitting with ther legs hanging out of the wide open door at one point!



The scenery constantly changed, rice paddies, marshland, small towns, large hills of huge boulders. I love watching the world pass by from a train.

'lunch'



the problematic bottle holders



Toilets were a bit hit and miss. The ones near us were all Asian style. Two had water available in the.m. Two didn't.

Walk out of our carriage and into 7 and I lucked into quite clean western toilet, with loo paper, and that even flushed. I guess you just have to keep lookinf if you want a western loo. BNeither of cared.

About an hour out of Bengaluru the blind finally came up and we could both see what we had just passed



Oh yeh, we were seated facing backwards. Def not my favourite but it was actually ok.

into outer Bengaluru



Two more acts of human kindness before we got to Bengaluru Central.

We stopped at a station called Bangalore/Bengaluru Cant, and most people seemed to get off here. We were confused and a lady sitting over from us said not to worry, our stop was next, when the train reached it’s final destination.

Then, as we pulled on our packs a man lifted bAlt’s shoulder strap up onto his shoulder. Have I said Indian people are just so friendly?

train beside us at Bengaluru Central



I’d already been told, and read, that the auto drivers will try to charge you crazy prices for small fare journeys. We walked out and 300 was the first offer. I’d already priced Uber and it was 50. No that’s for one person and no luggage. No it’s not I replied. 250, no, 150 no. I told him to leave us and I called an Uber car. 150 and two minutes away.

Our hotel was literally eight minutes away.

I’d originally booked the Radisson Blu City Centre but realised it was near nothing, so cancelled and re-booked the Radisson Blu Bengaluru Atria. It was a great choice. I’d booked a standard room at about 14,000 and when we checked on the train that was the rate for a ‘Business Class’ room so I better get that member upgrade!

At check-in the first thing I asked was about an upgrade and was told yes, we had been upgraded to a Business Class room. Then something was said about breakfast and the rate and I said no, I’d booked bed and breakfast. Oh yes. What the?



Anyways up to the room we went and we were at least ready for what the room was like. Big, yes. Quiet, yes. Nice facilities including a coffee machine, yes. Purple lighting, yes, mirrored ceiling, yes. That’s yes to a mirrored ceiling. These rooms are clearly intended for a different kind of business



It was actually a really nice room. Super comfy bed, huge bathroom with both bath and shower. Somewhere to sit as well as the desk. Facing the carpark so hopefully very quiet. A full minibar overflowing with spirits but just two beers, that we didn’t touch. I just want to know who thought that ceiling was a good idea?

 

[bPeteb]

more of the hotel



We had an appointment that night and needed to get a gift. First place I thought was the hotel gift shop but it was just expensive crafts. bAlt rescued me from a potential ill advised purchase there.

We then decided tea or sweets and both were at shops 650m up the road. We decided we had time for a quick lunch and it was actually delivered quickly, after waiting for quite a while for a waiter to come near us.

Chicken caeser and chicken club and not a hint of spice in sight



Up the road we walked and found Sublime House of Tea. They had the perfect giftbox of teas and dried fruits. Gift done.

Our appointment was actually dinner with an ex-colleague of mine, at his family home, hence the need for the gift.

S was working in Melbourne for HP (our IT partner) while I was doing my two year week on week off stint as product owner of a large IT replatform. He was a brilliant guy, the team lead, always prepared to call out when HP had made a mistake, a rarity in an Indian IT worker. We became firm friends. After we successfully delivered our project he was poached by Telstra to work in the ICC IT centre in Bengaluru, where he's currently working as a chapter principle. Those in the IT world will know what all of that means

The rush was because we had a pick-up time of anything from 4.30 so we had to get back, shower and get pretty.

S gave me a running report via WhatsApp on how far away he was and 4.30 became 5.15 due to Bangaluru's unpredictable traffic.

I hadn't seen him for nearly eight years but we'd stayed in touch. It was a never ending when are you coming to India? Well, here we were.

It was like we had just clocked off work, even though I've now left the big T and S is working on very different projects to what we did.

He lives towards the south ring road so it was another 90 minutes before we got to his apartment complex. On the way I'd seen a name come up on his phone, another colleague from our replatform project. M was also coming. Then S admitted another had also been invited, V. Sneaky!



It was the most magical evening. bAlt listened along as we laughed about our time together. S's wife MS kept food flowing and A his #1 son, brought out the food. We even sampled some Indian whiskey. Not being much for whiskey we'll both say it seemed good.



Just one of the many dishes. Lentils, chicken, prawns, these delcious crispy things,



a mushroom biriyani that S had made, and finally a very, very sweet dessert that neither of us can remember the name of.

It was the most fantastic night that came to end as the clock struck 10. These people had to work.

the apartment is filled with art created by S, including this huge mandala that he created with his wife and two sons



Then the gifts to us come out, one from S and MS, one from M, and one from V. We looked at them all and say this was not at all expected.

Then it was time to call an Uber. S wanted to pay but we said not a chance. Lets just say it was one of the scarier 60+ minutes of our lives. Seatbelts didn't work so we were done for if anything happened. But, we got back to the Radisson safely. Phew.

The gifts. A couple fo shirts from S and MS, ine the box were some christmas decorations from V that possibly he made, and finally from M, a man after my own heart



a bottle of Indian sparkling shiraz



that has made it home safely. I'll let you know what it's like. Our last night in India, below the mirrored ceiling. What an excellent adventure it has been.

 

[bPeteb]

Here's the first lot of videos that I've uploaded to YouTube. I keep saying I'll do this and finally I am. I've also found there's a daily upload limit so there will be some more links added here over the next couple of days.

Flute player at Taj Bangalore Bengaluru

Cochin Cultural Centre at Fort Kochi – Kathakali show

Kerala backwaters cruise
Kerala backwaters overnight cruise - raising a fishing net
Kerala backwaters cruise, Kerala, southern India - navigating Lake Venbanad
Kerala Backwaters cruise, Kerala, southern India - the living space of our traditional houseboat

 

[bPeteb]

After a magical night's sleep in a super comfy bed, with proper blackout curtains, and double glazed windows, and even with that mirror above our heads, it was finally time to say goodbye to southern India. First we had to sample the breakfast and then fill the day until our 1.30 late checkout.

Breakfast. Fantastic spread with a number of live cooking stations. It made the Taj's that we thought was excellent now move into second place



the hot beverage cart



and the rest





loved the kids tableware!

 

[bPeteb]

My friend S had driven along the boundary of Lalbagh Botanical Garden on the way to his apartment and suggested it as a place to visit, although he did say you could spend a couple of days there. He also mentioned Cubbon Park if it was a park we wanted to see. We mentioned Bengaluru Palace and he said it was definitely worth visiting. It was a 32 minute walk away so that's what we chose. The we thought get an Uber there and walk back and see the National Gallery of Modern Art on the way as it was half way back to the hotel.

The Uber took longer than we expected to get to the hotel and then longer than we expected to get the quite short distance to the palace. We went past the Shangri la on the way, later finding out it was the hotel for Qantas crew. Nice!

We LOVED this place. Sadly no pictures inside, something one large family chose to blithely ignore. To think that this was, and continues to be someone's home. The wealth of the Raj was, and continues to be for some, just unbelievable. Here's the wiki page for the palace. Check out some of the bands that have performed in the grounds. Bengaluru Palace - Wikipedia

Wedding prep was under way when we visited. What a place to have a wedding. Imagine the cost!



I requested an Uber auto to take us back to the hotel. A driver accepted the INR 50 fare and he was two minutes away. Unfortunately he didn't arrive. We watched his location just stay a block away from the entrance to the palace grounds and not move. Time was actually running a bit short so I cancelled and we started the walk.

At the gates to the palace were dozens of autos were there. First guy said 150 then started rambling on about it being some govt day and it would be more and I just walked away. Logic was not in my head and I was annoyed. 150 is literally $2.50. I walked down the drive to the road and an auto pulled up beside us. He said I want to help you. I said for 100 you can and he said ok.

Off we went then he started talking about stopping to get 1litre of fuel. I wasn't listening but bAlt was. bAlt is a very mild mannered person but he literally exploded. "STOP" he shouted. "GET OUT bPeteb. We're not going to a shop, we don't want to and we don't have the time." He was furious. The poor auto driver stopped then turned around and said ok, ok. No shop.

"Your friend is very angry but he's ok" the poor guy said. He loved me. I just sat there enjoying the ride. Once bAlt could see we were on the right route back he relaxed and I chatted to the driver about traffic, Australia, cricket and then was offer his wife because they were very poor. What a rollercoaster that was.



He got us to the hotel quickly and for that he was rewarded with 500, way more than the first guy was asking for. Thank you good sir



back in time to shower in our J room, finalise our bags, checkout, where I saw that the 15% discount had not been applied to our food the day before but I just didn't care



and call another Uber with fingers crossed when it said two minutes away it actually was. And it was. It arrived in pretty much exactly two minutes. We both highly recommend the Radisson Blu Atria. At least for us it was excellent and we could have easily spent a few nights there.

Sights on the way to the airport



Four Season and not Four Season. India is such a country of contrasts



it will be excellent when the under construction metro line is completed



the gigantic statue as you enter the airport

 

[bPeteb]

We haven't flown through Changi in many years, long before it turned into what people say is the most beautiful airport in the world. Apparently BLR T2 is the second most beautiful. For us it's still first

Even the drop off area is beautiful and it just gets better



Check-in was an experience we haven't had before. Greeted before we even got to the check-in kiosks and directed to the closest one. I'd been heading to the premium kiosks and the agent said they are all the same.

It was we'd imagine what flying first is like. We touched nothing. Boarding passes first. Then over to bag drop where priority tagged bags were handed to the next person. Then a description of access to the 080 lounge followed by the agent hand writing the invite for bAlt. Very clear instructions then provided as to where security. immigration and the lounge were.

A slow wander and wonder on the way to security



Security and immigration took a combined total of about five minutes and it was off to the 080 lounge.

The spa beside the entry to the lounge



Here's where it got a bit odd.

My boarding pass and bAl's invite got us straight in, but into where, as the lounge is huge. I was constantly asked if we were flying business and I thought it best to say yes in case we were turfed out. That gave us access into the Nicobar



but as we couldn't get beer there we decided on staying in the general lounge area. When I asked for beer here



I was again asked if I was flying business. Again I said yes and was told I could have unlimited beer, but that was all. Maybe I misunderstood what was said, as we would have liked a glass of bubbles before we headed for the gate. Does anyone know what WP actually gets you at this lounge, if you aren't flying business, not that anyone checked my bp when I said that I was.

No matter, it is a beautiful lounge, vast amounts of seating and beautiful 'trees' all throughout




A large assortment of food available including a live dosa station



we even had some beers brought us after completing yet another survey on how good 'x', in this case the 080 lounge, was doing. We had one of these surveys on the transfer bus between T1 and T2 when we'd arrived.

No notification that boarding should have commenced but we were on it and decided to head for the gate.

another tree



peacock reception desk



the waterway that runs through the terminal

 

[bPeteb]

more on the way to gate C1



We needn't have rushed. First through secondary security at the departure gate where it was laptops out and nothing else. At main security it has been anything and everything electronic, including cables out in the tray. There was no sign of boarding, just a lot of Air India staff milling around.

Boarding time came and went. It was about 20 minutes after supposed boarding that group 1 was called.



We were in 46 J/K (my cheeky bid was unsuccessful) and were pretty much the first down the back when we got to our exit row seats. We were met by the lovely Nicole who had a good chat with us as the plane filled. Her family was on the flight, heading home after a holiday in Goa. Note to all from Nicole - north Goa is boom boom music on the beach and not the best for families, or people who don't like boom boom music on the beach.

Very soon after David the main cabin supervisor came and welcomed me/us onboard. He let us know dinner would be served straight after take-off and that if we got hungry at any stage to come down the back for snacks. David, and Nicole, very much looked after us the whole flight. I'd imagine zero WPs down the back on the flight.

Then we sat, and sat, and sat a bit longer. The sun was a way from setting when we sat down. The captain eventually let us know that there was an engineering issue that was currently being sorted, with the good news being that the issue would not prevent us flying. Well that was very good news.

While we waited, the aisle became a bit of a running track as a toddler ran unhindered up and down the cabin. I've not ever seen this before on a plane, and it happened on and off throughout the flight. Apparently the passengers on these flights are often quite a handful for the crew. Very demanding.



We continued to go nowhere and Nicole came past and said they were nearly ready to go. A reset had been performed on a component of the nav system that provided detail of the nearest airport (due to our lengthy flight over water). It came back online straight away but the reset had to be signed off. This is what we were waiting for.

63 minutes late we were pushed back. It was nearly dark. See ya Bengaluru, we'll be back.

A bowl of warm almonds, oops, no, that's another cabin. A packet of really cold cashews served just after the seat belt sign went off.



Then dinner was announced and David came and saw us straight after the trolley had gone through to the front Y. He wanted to get us what we wanted in case they ran out.

We both selected fried chicken and mashed potato. and a rose. I'm not sure where the rose came from because when we asked for one later Nicole could not find anymore. David brought our meals straight up from the galley. Yes, a bit of comfort food, that tasted much better than it looked.




then this delicious ice cream



I listened to a bit of music and worked on the laptop for a while. Eventually I looked at my watch, that I had changed to Sydney time, and decided it was time for bed. No little bag of stuff handed out in Y anymore so I asked a passing fa for earplugs and eyeshades, as we'd stupidly packed ours.

And I went to sleep, and even if it was a bit broken, I slept seven+ hours, as did bAlt. More than we did in PE coming back from JNB in the middle of the year. Despite the big bump on the door it was pretty comfortable being able to stretch right out.

Breakfast time and again David came and asked what we wanted and even before the trolley came through we were tucking into our omelettes.



Crossing the SA coastline



We performed some amazing turns as we flew over the south coast and Royal National Park before we lined up for SYD. A very gently landing that impressed Nicole who had been looking out the window and could see how windy it was. We hadn't made up any time, actually losing another few minutes. Then we sat and waited for a gate as it was peak hour for departures. Some connections would be missed, but not ours this time.

No-one at the immigration kiosks when we got to them. Then our bags came out in the first 20, mine number nine! BLR baggage handlers clearly know how to load priority tagged bags

Then no-one waiting at customs either, so once I'd flashed the bottom of my shoes (we'd ticked yes to visiting a national park) and got a laugh, we were out into the terminal. It had been I reckon 10 minutes since we'd stood at the immigration kiosks. What a contrast to coming in from JNB six months ago.

The entry to the domestic bus is now via an outside entry. This was new for us. Dropped our bags at the deserted bag drop, walked onto the waiting bus, and it left a couple of minutes later, with half a dozen people on it.

From landing to sitting in the J lounge took less than 30 minutes.



The flight up to BNE was full. Cheese and crackers and a Stone and Wood. We landed right on time. Our bags followed each other out in the first half dozen. We must have generated a lot of good karma while we were away to have this return home go so well.

Requested a didi and they arrived in two minutes and suddenly we were on our way home.

Here's the joint ointment we bought from ARA Anakkakara Spices and Ayurvedic Garden



and the Ganesha and stone tea light holder we bought in Thanjavur and Mahabalipuram respectively



We absolutely loved this trip. We loved everywhere we visited, apart from the tea museum. We stayed in some great, good and ok places. We ate great food from start to finish. We drank beer where it was possible and it was good and cold. We visited places that took our breath away. We met wonderful smiling people who can't do enough for you, unless you're stood in a queue and they will will just push in front of you

We flew IndiGo and caught an Indian Railways train and both were great experiences.

We saw rubbish like we didn't think possible and don't understand why people just throw things on the ground and out of the windows of moving vehicles. We suffered from the smog and are glad we brought eyewash with us that we used every day.

The tour cost USD3410 that we think was great value for a 12 night private tour in '4*' (maybe) hotels with breakfast, some entrance fees and some guides included.

We drew out $600 while we there (INR35,000) using a few different atms. This was with a Suncorp Visa debit card. We used our Latitude credit card (ex-28 degrees) where we could, sometimes via my phone, sometimes with paywave, and sometimes inserting the card.

The Taj Bangalore Bengaluru and Radisson Blu Bengaluru Atria were both excellent.

We (I) maybe wasn't as cautious as I should have been as I ate fruit nearly every morning at breakfast. We maybe weren't as cautious as we should have been as we drank water from bottles on tables that were not sealed.

We unfortunately didn't eat any street food as Sunil got his lunch when he took us to places he knew. For dinner we should have been a bit more adventurous. We'll be more confident next time.

We will go back to India and most likely visit the golden triangle and add on some wildlife. We'll most likely do another private tour. We've realised we love animals and history and maybe have done our dash with temples. We'll be much more particular about what kind of properties we stay in. Modern can be anywhere, heritage can't.

That's it folks. We hope you've enjoyed our taste test. As I said I'll load more videos into YouTube and then add the links here. In two weeks we'll be in Wellington for our annual 'avoid Invasion Day long weekend' trip. Then there's a birthday weekend in Canberra in March and Longreach attempt two in May, before our mid-year cruise from French Polynesia to Fiji.

 

[VPS]

Thanks for another very interesting TR. I think I've left it too late to go to India but it does look fascinating. You do write very well

Cheers

 

[RooFlyer]

A great, cheerful TR as usual, thank you. And that was really good WP recognition on the Qantas flight light back.

As I’ve said, I’m now planning a trip, including some of the places on the south east that you went to, so I will be bookmarking this for future reference!

 

[bPeteb]

I've just had a re-read and noticed that for some reason I called Madurai Manjore, multiple times! Apologies.

 

[OZDUCK]

Thanks for yet another great TR. As usual, lots of great photos and interesting commentary.

 

[Pushka]

Thankyou. Thoroughly enjoyed the report. Probably not likely to venture back to India after quite a few trips but it really is a fascinating destination.

 

[RB]

Great stuff! Really enjoyed following along. I am sure Rajasthan & the Indian wildlife would be fantastic for you with your attitude to travel

 

[drron]

Thanks for a lovely TR. We fly to DEL tomorrow. Just a short 6 day taster. I m not confident Mrsdrron will like it. But I will get out and walk some of the streets in Mumbai.