India & Sri Lanka - Winter 2012
Dec 2, 2012, 6:33 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
India & Sri Lanka - Winter 2012
After many years of enjoying the wonderful trip reports on FlyerTalk, I felt it was time to step-up and begin to share our trips. For my first trip report, I will be more photo intensive versus narrative, but I plan on honing my writing skills for future trip reports.
This report covers a trip we did last February/March to India & Sri Lanka, with a quick stopover in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Frankfurt. We enjoyed a RTW routing that took us from SFO-HKG-BOM-KOC-CMB-SIN-BKK-FRA-MUC-SFO. We used a variety of carriers including CX (F), 9W (F&Y), UL (Y), EK (C), TG (F&C), and LH (F).
We were fortunate enough to try the suites on 9W and the 9W suites leased to TG. I personally felt Claus trophic in the suites and much preferred the CX and LH first class seating.
We had a great first class experience on CX. There were only 4 passengers in the cabin and 3 flight attendants. Our flight attendant Kate was stellar. She was Korean, and lived in Hong Kong. She was extremely efficient but very personable. She shared with us a very touching story. This was her first San Francisco flight in two years. She was attacked two years ago in San Francisco by a homeless man that shoved her into traffic in Union Square. She told us how wonderful CX treated her following the incident, and how it was difficult for her to do a San Francisco trip. It was nice of her to share her experience, and see she was relieved to overcome her fear of revisiting San Francisco.
Of course, every trip report involving CX must start off with the standard Krug and PJ shots:
And then there is the caviar and salmon:
Followed by a very nice Filet:
Accompanied by a Lynch Bages Grand Cru:
The weather was fantastic the entire flight and we had a great view of the Artic:
We spent less than 24 hours in Hong Kong and stayed at the Conrad. We had a very enjoyable stay at the Conrad, and as a HHonors Gold they upgraded us to an executive room. I must say the breakfast spread was impressive and is the reason we will be returning there this coming February.
Here are a few shots of Hong Kong as we tried to clear our heads of jet lag before contininuing onto Mumbai:
We arrived at HKG with a couple of hours to spare. Unfortunately 9W uses a Hong Kong airlines lounge, and it was shoddy and overcrowded. Due to the late departure, and we were a bit jet lagged I only managed to get one shot of the legroom in the suite. Overall service on 9W was adequate, but far from polished.
As you can tell there is a lot of legroom in the Jet Airways suite:
This report covers a trip we did last February/March to India & Sri Lanka, with a quick stopover in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Frankfurt. We enjoyed a RTW routing that took us from SFO-HKG-BOM-KOC-CMB-SIN-BKK-FRA-MUC-SFO. We used a variety of carriers including CX (F), 9W (F&Y), UL (Y), EK (C), TG (F&C), and LH (F).
We were fortunate enough to try the suites on 9W and the 9W suites leased to TG. I personally felt Claus trophic in the suites and much preferred the CX and LH first class seating.
We had a great first class experience on CX. There were only 4 passengers in the cabin and 3 flight attendants. Our flight attendant Kate was stellar. She was Korean, and lived in Hong Kong. She was extremely efficient but very personable. She shared with us a very touching story. This was her first San Francisco flight in two years. She was attacked two years ago in San Francisco by a homeless man that shoved her into traffic in Union Square. She told us how wonderful CX treated her following the incident, and how it was difficult for her to do a San Francisco trip. It was nice of her to share her experience, and see she was relieved to overcome her fear of revisiting San Francisco.
Of course, every trip report involving CX must start off with the standard Krug and PJ shots:
And then there is the caviar and salmon:
Followed by a very nice Filet:
Accompanied by a Lynch Bages Grand Cru:
The weather was fantastic the entire flight and we had a great view of the Artic:
We spent less than 24 hours in Hong Kong and stayed at the Conrad. We had a very enjoyable stay at the Conrad, and as a HHonors Gold they upgraded us to an executive room. I must say the breakfast spread was impressive and is the reason we will be returning there this coming February.
Here are a few shots of Hong Kong as we tried to clear our heads of jet lag before contininuing onto Mumbai:
We arrived at HKG with a couple of hours to spare. Unfortunately 9W uses a Hong Kong airlines lounge, and it was shoddy and overcrowded. Due to the late departure, and we were a bit jet lagged I only managed to get one shot of the legroom in the suite. Overall service on 9W was adequate, but far from polished.
As you can tell there is a lot of legroom in the Jet Airways suite:
Dec 2, 2012, 6:35 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
Arriving BOM in the wee hours, we were escorted through immigration by a Jet Airways ground agent. Overall the immigration experience was painless. Upon exiting we were met by our driver to take us to the The Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai where we had the Harbour Suite awaiting us.
Our view from the room:
Flaming cocktails with a view. I just love how India gets sultry with the setting sun:
We arranged for a local University student to take us around and show us the sights. She was very enthusiastic to show us her city, and made our stay in Mumbai.
The Laundry in Mumbai:
A visit to the Market:
A great late lunch at Trishna:
Our view from the room:
Flaming cocktails with a view. I just love how India gets sultry with the setting sun:
We arranged for a local University student to take us around and show us the sights. She was very enthusiastic to show us her city, and made our stay in Mumbai.
The Laundry in Mumbai:
A visit to the Market:
A great late lunch at Trishna:
Last edited by sonomawine; Dec 2, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Dec 2, 2012, 6:37 pm
#3
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
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After a few enjoyable days in Mumbai headed to Kochin. Our first night we stayed Chittor Palace. We stayed there a couple of years ago, and it warranted a return visit. The Palace only has two rooms, and they only rent out both rooms if the parties know each other. The stay is full board and includes, a sunset cruise, cocktails, dinner, a show and a multi-course breakfast. The food is all vegetarian and cooked by a lady from the Village.
Cocktails included a show. The dancer performed a traditional Kerala dance:
Our stay at Chittor Palace concluded with a multi-course breakfast:
We were off to the backwaters of Kerala for our rice barge turned houseboat. This also is a repeat for us, and we couldn’t believe how popular the houseboats have become in three years time. Last time we hardly saw another houseboat, this time they were everywhere. As we were traveling with another couple, we had a two-bedroom house boat. The houseboats come with a captain, chef and cabin attendant. It is a leisurely way to decompress and enjoy cruising the backwaters.
Lunch was a great fish fry:
Cruising the scenic backwaters of Kerala:
We stopped and picked up some blue prawns for dinner.
Fresh from the backwaters:
After the Grill:
And, these are the legs sautéed with ginger and spices--simply delicious:
We then headed back to Kochin for our final night in India before heading off to Sri Lanka. We stayed at the Brunton Boatyard:
Some of the local sights in and around Kochin:
Cocktails included a show. The dancer performed a traditional Kerala dance:
Our stay at Chittor Palace concluded with a multi-course breakfast:
We were off to the backwaters of Kerala for our rice barge turned houseboat. This also is a repeat for us, and we couldn’t believe how popular the houseboats have become in three years time. Last time we hardly saw another houseboat, this time they were everywhere. As we were traveling with another couple, we had a two-bedroom house boat. The houseboats come with a captain, chef and cabin attendant. It is a leisurely way to decompress and enjoy cruising the backwaters.
Lunch was a great fish fry:
Cruising the scenic backwaters of Kerala:
We stopped and picked up some blue prawns for dinner.
Fresh from the backwaters:
After the Grill:
And, these are the legs sautéed with ginger and spices--simply delicious:
We then headed back to Kochin for our final night in India before heading off to Sri Lanka. We stayed at the Brunton Boatyard:
Some of the local sights in and around Kochin:
Last edited by sonomawine; Dec 2, 2012 at 7:21 pm
Dec 2, 2012, 7:17 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
We had a short one-hour flight from KOC to CMB on Sri Lankan airlines.
Upon arriving CMB, we headed towards immigration, only to find that two of our four electronic visas were missing in their system. We quickly sorted out the glitch and were off to meet our guide & driver. Our first three nights were spent in Galle Fort at Amangalla:
We had a memorable and extensive curry dinner on the front porch of Amangalla:
Having a walk around Galle Fort:
Then it was off to the Tea Trails, for a nice change of pace and cooler weather. We stayed at the Castleragh bungalow in a garden suite.
The beautiful views in the Tea Trails:
On a morning hike, we happened upon the owner of a local Tea Factory. He was nice enough to give us a personal tour.
Upon arriving CMB, we headed towards immigration, only to find that two of our four electronic visas were missing in their system. We quickly sorted out the glitch and were off to meet our guide & driver. Our first three nights were spent in Galle Fort at Amangalla:
We had a memorable and extensive curry dinner on the front porch of Amangalla:
Having a walk around Galle Fort:
Then it was off to the Tea Trails, for a nice change of pace and cooler weather. We stayed at the Castleragh bungalow in a garden suite.
The beautiful views in the Tea Trails:
On a morning hike, we happened upon the owner of a local Tea Factory. He was nice enough to give us a personal tour.
Dec 2, 2012, 7:18 pm
#5
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
After our Tea Trail stay we were off to Kandy. Along the way, we saw a train, and traveling with a train enthusiast we had to take a short one-hour scenic ride.
We spent two nights at Kandy House in Kandy. A unique boutique hotel stay, but had more style than function.
Touring Kandy and the Temple of Tooth:
A visit to the Botanical Park:
We unfortunately found ourselves in the part of the park that millions of fruit bats call home:
We then headed to Sigiriya for the final part of our trip. Along the way, we made a stop at Aluviharaya Rock Cave Temple:
We stayed at the Vil Uyana overwater bungalows:
Trust me on this one, you needed the mosquito netting.
We spent two nights at Kandy House in Kandy. A unique boutique hotel stay, but had more style than function.
Touring Kandy and the Temple of Tooth:
A visit to the Botanical Park:
We unfortunately found ourselves in the part of the park that millions of fruit bats call home:
We then headed to Sigiriya for the final part of our trip. Along the way, we made a stop at Aluviharaya Rock Cave Temple:
We stayed at the Vil Uyana overwater bungalows:
Trust me on this one, you needed the mosquito netting.
Dec 2, 2012, 7:20 pm
#6
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
Climbing Sigiriya on a brilliant morning to admire the frescos:
Touring the sites at Polonnaruwa:
We then were off to Singapore for a quick one-night stop. We were fortunate to be the only passengers in business class, and there were no passengers in first class. Needless to say we had great service.
A short hop for Singapore to Bangkok, landed us in the First Class lounge:
We had an smooth flight on Thai Airways to Frankfurt. The service was great, but the food lacking. We spent the night at the new Frankfurt Hilton, so we could be up early to enjoy the Lufthansa First Class Terminal. After a visit to the FCT and a nice lunch, we headed to our flight to San Francisco via Munich. As there are many, many trip reports and pictures of the FCT and Lufthansa first I won’t bore you with repeating them.
We ended our trip with a chocolate tasting in Lufthansa First Class:
Touring the sites at Polonnaruwa:
We then were off to Singapore for a quick one-night stop. We were fortunate to be the only passengers in business class, and there were no passengers in first class. Needless to say we had great service.
A short hop for Singapore to Bangkok, landed us in the First Class lounge:
We had an smooth flight on Thai Airways to Frankfurt. The service was great, but the food lacking. We spent the night at the new Frankfurt Hilton, so we could be up early to enjoy the Lufthansa First Class Terminal. After a visit to the FCT and a nice lunch, we headed to our flight to San Francisco via Munich. As there are many, many trip reports and pictures of the FCT and Lufthansa first I won’t bore you with repeating them.
We ended our trip with a chocolate tasting in Lufthansa First Class:
Last edited by sonomawine; Dec 2, 2012 at 7:46 pm
Dec 2, 2012, 7:31 pm
#7
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Good TR. You bring back memories of India. On my way there next week !
Hope I can take good pics. Will be visiting Holy River Ganges at Haridwar, staying at an Yoga Ashram for two weeks, etc.
Hope I can take good pics. Will be visiting Holy River Ganges at Haridwar, staying at an Yoga Ashram for two weeks, etc.
Dec 2, 2012, 7:59 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 201
Gateway of India
Nice TR, thanks.
The monument that you have a picture of from the Taj Palace Hotel room window is called the Gateway of India. It overlooks the Arabian Sea and became a sort of epitaph to the colonial rule in India, as the last ship to set sail for England after India's independence in 1947 left from the Gateway.
The monument that you have a picture of from the Taj Palace Hotel room window is called the Gateway of India. It overlooks the Arabian Sea and became a sort of epitaph to the colonial rule in India, as the last ship to set sail for England after India's independence in 1947 left from the Gateway.
Dec 2, 2012, 9:10 pm
#9
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Sensational report with incredible pics. We're visiting India for the first time in February and you've really got me excited about visiting this fascinating country. Thanks sonomawine for a great first TR!
Dec 2, 2012, 9:15 pm
#10
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Great report sonomawine! I'm headed to Sri Lanka next April (some of the same flights -- SQ J, TG F, LH F) and my anticipation jumped even further after reading about your experience. I'll have 4-5 days there, and plan on jumping on the train and visiting some remote places. Anything specific you'd recommend, either in Colombo, or in the surrounding areas? Anything I shouldn't miss?
Dec 2, 2012, 9:26 pm
#11
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sonoma
Programs: Several here and there, but not as many during my road warrior days!
Posts: 715
Slow_Mustang:Nice TR, thanks. The monument that you have a picture of from the Taj Palace Hotel room window is called the Gateway of India. It overlooks the Arabian Sea and became a sort of epitaph to the colonial rule in India, as the last ship to set sail for England after India's independence in 1947 left from the Gateway.
I understand from our guide the troops marched backwards to board the ship to sail England. The in-house tour of the Taj Palace also told us the architect for the hotel committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the hotel. He was distraught they built the hotel facing the sea and not the city.
SFO77: Sensational report with incredible pics. We're visiting India for the first time in February and you've really got me excited about visiting this fascinating country. Thanks sonomawine for a great first TR!
Thank-you-- as I admire your trip reports! This was our second visit to India, and we are thinking about a repeat in 2014. I find India to be fascinating, as you will.
ENKI: Great report sonomawine! I'm headed to Sri Lanka next April (some of the same flights -- SQ J, TG F, LH F) and my anticipation jumped even further after reading about your experience. I'll have 4-5 days there, and plan on jumping on the train and visiting some remote places. Anything specific you'd recommend, either in Colombo, or in the surrounding areas? Anything I shouldn't miss?
I really enjoyed Galle Fort and the Tea Trails, and you should include a visit to both. We spent no time in Colombo, but that gives us a good reason to return.
I understand from our guide the troops marched backwards to board the ship to sail England. The in-house tour of the Taj Palace also told us the architect for the hotel committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the hotel. He was distraught they built the hotel facing the sea and not the city.
SFO77: Sensational report with incredible pics. We're visiting India for the first time in February and you've really got me excited about visiting this fascinating country. Thanks sonomawine for a great first TR!
Thank-you-- as I admire your trip reports! This was our second visit to India, and we are thinking about a repeat in 2014. I find India to be fascinating, as you will.
ENKI: Great report sonomawine! I'm headed to Sri Lanka next April (some of the same flights -- SQ J, TG F, LH F) and my anticipation jumped even further after reading about your experience. I'll have 4-5 days there, and plan on jumping on the train and visiting some remote places. Anything specific you'd recommend, either in Colombo, or in the surrounding areas? Anything I shouldn't miss?
I really enjoyed Galle Fort and the Tea Trails, and you should include a visit to both. We spent no time in Colombo, but that gives us a good reason to return.
Dec 3, 2012, 7:32 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Left
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Posts: 7,285
great TR...i do miss the kerala cuisine...sadly, my trip in Oct only had me in COK for less than 24 hours. i would go back big time, however, it would seem that the masses might know about it now...
my uncle had told me about the back water trips that he had done about 5 years ago...interesting to see how built up it is.
my uncle had told me about the back water trips that he had done about 5 years ago...interesting to see how built up it is.