TotallyOz Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 Mumbai is a great city. The Thai boyfriend and I had time for a visit recently and really enjoyed ourselves. We took a tour of the city and we also hired a private guide to give us a tour of the slums that Slumdog Millionaire was filmed in. We saw everything we could from the Gateway to India to the Billion Dollar House to the Hanging Gardens to the local spice market. The city is crazy. The traffic is nuts. I have never seen anything like this in my life. It was dangerous only in traffic. I felt very comfortable everywhere we went. I had zero issues with safety and don't think anyone would worry there. I loved the look of the old taxis and the bicycle taxis as well as all the Tuk Tuk's in the city. I really enjoyed the Spice Market. We bought some great spice for the BF's family. The old man that sold it to us was so much fun as he wanted us to smell everything. I have attached a few photos from Mumbai. More to come from other cities. I hope you enjoy! Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 12, 2012 Author Posted June 12, 2012 For Mumbai, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel on Marine Drive. The Intercontinental Hotel in Mumbai is a very nice small hotel. The rooms are clean with a nice view of the ocean. The area is safe to walk around and enjoyable to walk on the sidewalk near the water. The food in the hotel is average to sub average. It was just nothing special and did not do the Intercontinental Hotel brand justice. I did have a corner room but the windows were filthy and it was hard to see out and taking photos outside were useless. Perhaps it is hard in Mumbai to keep clean windows but more effort should be made. The noise from the blowing of horns on the street kept us from sleeping well every night. I realize the hotel can’t control the noise but the windows should have been thicker to keep out the noise. I am a Platinum Member of the hotel and I thought I booked a room with free Internet but on check out, I had a high charge for the Internet. If I had known this, I would have booked a Marriott Hotel as they do give Platinum Members Free Internet. The Internet was slow and the speed was less than OK the majority of my stay. The staff was friendly and professional. All in all, this is a good 2-3 star hotel but with so many other options, I wish I had chosen better for my stay in Mumbai. Price wise, we spent average of 400 USD for each night of stay. I guess this is the reason I was disappointed. For that rate, we should have had a fabulous experience. Quote
Gaybutton Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 Fascinating photos. I'm sorry you ended up spending so much money on an inadequate hotel, but that will probably be quickly forgotten. The photos and your experiences won't. A lot of what I'm seeing in those photos reminds me of things I see in Thailand. Quote
Rogie Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 Good snaps. I love traditional Asian markets and so I was most interested in the photos taken at those. Who would have guessed there are so many varieties of Masala? Supposedly Britain's favourite Indian meal is, or was, chicken tikka masala; I did read a while back it's been overtaken in popularity by chicken jalfrezi, but that's not important. The point is the 'masala' sauce used by British chefs in their chicken dish is probably a filthy blend of insipid spices unfit to carry the proud name of 'masala'. Hopefully in Asian countries where curry originated, masala dishes are treated with rather more respect. Masala or massala (Hindi: मसाला; Bengali: মশলা; Urdu: مصالحہ; Nepali: मसाला), is a term used in South Asian cuisines (including Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani cuisines) to mostly describe a mixture of spices. A masala can either be a combination of dried (and usually dry roasted) spices, or a paste (such as vindaloo masala) made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients—often garlic, ginger, onions and chilli paste. Masalas are used extensively in Indian cuisine to add spice and flavor. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masala Quote
Guest Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 Nice photos. I'm amazed to hear a $400 a night hotel in India cannot specify double glazing that's good enough to keep out the car horns, or provide adequate food. You expect some kind of quality for that money. Or some cute bell boys. I know professional people who still who get by on an entire weekly budget of $400 when on holiday in India. Did you see any evidence of a gay scene there? Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 12, 2012 Author Posted June 12, 2012 The Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel in Agra, India This was one of the best hotel experiences I have had. The hotel is beautiful and the moment you step out of your car onto the hotel grounds, you know you are in for a treat. The indulgence starts the moment you set foot on the property. We were greeted by the front desk staff and sat in a nice waiting room as we were brought some drinks and cold clothes. The General Manager then came over to greet us and welcome us to his hotel and gave us his card and said to not hesitate to call him if we needed anything. The room was nice and very comfortable but the view was fabulous. We had a balcony suite and the view from our room was what dreams are made of. We were in awe of the beautiful gardens and grounds. It was simply amazing to see. The view from the hotel is unlike any other you would ever see. We were adjacent to the Taj Mahal property. Simply Stunning! We had several meals at the hotel and they were all fabulous. The food was delicious and we both enjoyed everything we ate. The waiters were top notch and on top of everything we needed or wanted. The hotel staff was just as attentive and we had our own butler who waiting on us and took great care of the things we wanted. They have a golf cart that will take you to the Taj entrance at sunrise and we were up bright and early and had an amazing day. It has been a dream of mine for 45 years to see this amazing place and staying at this hotel was the perfect choice. At checkout, the hotel General Manager again came to say goodbye and asked about our stay to be sure we had a great time. A true first class experience if I ever had one! I could not recommend a hotel more highly. http://www.oberoihotels.com/oberoi_amarvilas/index.asp Quote
Gaybutton Posted June 12, 2012 Posted June 12, 2012 The Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel in Agra, India I'm almost afraid to ask - in US dollars, how much is the room? Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 12, 2012 Author Posted June 12, 2012 I'm almost afraid to ask - in US dollars, how much is the room? The cost for a basic room there most nights is around 300 USD. You can then go up from that rate to get a balcony room or a 1 bedroom suite. I would suggest getting the breakfast included with your rate as it is marvelous! A dinner that was amazing was about 100. I have dreamed of going to see the Taj for years and this was the perfect hotel. We didn't go tight with money as it was a once in a lifetime thing for us. Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 12, 2012 Author Posted June 12, 2012 Did you see any evidence of a gay scene there? This is very odd. I have yet to understand things here. In a city of 7 Million only 10 were on grinder and the rest were 80 miles or more away. In the hotel in Agra, the staff was made up of cute gay boys but it was just obvious to me as they liked the fact we were a gay couple and they showered us with attention. In other hotels here it is the same. If you stay a few nights, the gays come out. Otherwise, it seems pretty closeted. Others may be able to give a better answer than me as I have not had any time to look for any organized gay scene. I am curious myself. Can anyone advise? Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 This is a little video we took at the Taj Mahal with the BF's IPad3. I never knew how much I would love taking videos! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja-C00P1cVs Quote
KhorTose Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Great pictures and travelogue, keep them coming Michael and thanks for posting. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 13, 2012 Posted June 13, 2012 Great story and great photos - thanks Michael. If you are going for a once-in-a-life-time visit to an iconic location and can afford it, staying at a hotel like the Oberoi greatly enhances the overall experience. I'm glad you managed to get to the Taj at dawn before the crowds of tourists arrive. Did you see the marble change colour as the sun came up? Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 13, 2012 Author Posted June 13, 2012 Great pictures and travelogue, keep them coming Michael and thanks for posting. Thank you so much! Great story and great photos - thanks Michael. If you are going for a once-in-a-life-time visit to an iconic location and can afford it, staying at a hotel like the Oberoi greatly enhances the overall experience. I'm glad you managed to get to the Taj at dawn before the crowds of tourists arrive. Did you see the marble change colour as the sun came up? Thanks FH. I was happy I stayed there for this trip. It was well worth the money and almost like a honeymoon. The BF and I just relaxed and chatted and watched the sun set over the skies all on our balcony. It really was magical. I did see the colors of the Taj change through the day. We also had a guide that took us inside the Taj and shined a light on the tomb area where they still have some of the stones so we could see the beautiful colors inside them. I cannot imagine what this place would have to be like hundreds of years ago before much of the gems were stripped from it. I have more photos from our day at the Taj and the Agra Fort that I'll post when I get the resized. The BF snapped several hundred photos that day and we have yet to go through them all. Quote
Guest Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 Was it possible to walk down the streets without getting constantly harassed by sales people, beggars etc? Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 20, 2012 Author Posted June 20, 2012 Yes, it is possible. Probable? well, that is another story. Sorry, have been traveling a bit and it was a HELL of a trip! LOL more stories to come on that later. The Taj was really incredible. It was a dream come true. We got to the Taj at sunrise and we got to see some of the most beautiful scenes imaginable. We hired a private guide for the day and I was glad we did. He was full of knowledge and history and I am so happy we had him to help us with the day. He was part of the price we paid for our car from Delhi to Agra and then back the next day and then 2 days in Delhi. The entire cost was 9,000 Rupees. That is less than 180 UDS for 4 days and 2 full tours. We got this cost because my friends who are Indian booked the service. If we had done it, it would have been much more expensive. Agra is an odd city. It is full of beauty from the ancient world and there were monkeys in the streets and the cows roamed freely. It was also like other Indian cities in that the traffic was a nightmare. It took a while to get around in the "inner city." The city has a few major attractions and the one for this post is the Taj Mahal. I hope you enjoy these photos. I'll post about the Agra Fort tomorrow. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 20, 2012 Posted June 20, 2012 Wonderful photos, Michael. That visit will stay in your memory for the rest of your life. Quote
KhorTose Posted June 21, 2012 Posted June 21, 2012 Wonderful photos, Michael. That visit will stay in your memory for the rest of your life. I quite agree and you have made me what to go to India now, more then ever. Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 21, 2012 Author Posted June 21, 2012 Wonderful photos, Michael. That visit will stay in your memory for the rest of your life. Thank you! Yes, it will. It was a very interesting trip for sure. Being in India was so different than anything I have ever experienced. Quote
