A leisurely 9am start for our drive to Varanasi airport for a connection to Mumbai.
Arrival in sunny Mumbai 1330 hours where we are transferred to our hotel. Now you may have gathered we've chosen mixed lodgings and have been fortunate that a couple have greatly exceeded our expectation, Ratan Villas and The Grand Wyndham in particular.
Our next choice is 'the cherry in the pie' - the Taj Mahal Palace - again, John stayed here as a youngster of 11.
We are greeted by beautiful saried ladies and given a garland of jasmine flowers and fresh apple juice. I'm overwhelmed at the sudden contrast in our journey. Our khaki travelling gear seems a bit out of place amongst Dior, Louis Vuitton (not taking orders Emma!), and Mont Blanc not to mention Bollywood society.
Anyway, first job is to fill a laundry bag, we've not had chance to avail ourselves of laundry service during the last couple of stops and we need to scrub up. I only wish I could tick the 'safari suit' option for John. Then it's time to step across the road to The Gateway of India and then maybe a G & T.
Catch you later!
(In actual fact on John's earlier visit as a youngster he wouldn't come out of his room for 3 days because there was a little boy on the street his age begging with a Yorkshire terrier and there must have been a maternity hospital nearby where he saw women entering and then leaving with their offspring just a few hours later.
We've both seen things we'd like to shut ourselves away from on our adventure but I don't think we'll ever forget the impact or take anything for granted).
...........FAB U LOUS!....soak, rest and enjoy! A fitting finale to the trip of a lifetime. x
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great trip, and beautifully recounted!
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