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From: twag
To: Compass India
Cc: Durjay Sengupta
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 6:03 PM
Subject: Update India Trip
Dear Durjay
After a week of non-stop working (7-7!) I finally have time to do some other things. My desk looks quite clean now.
The feed-back I got from the core of my group (i.e. David, Peter Leresche, Peter Holland, Kurt Köhl, Helga, Beverly) was very positive. The two difficult ladies didn't even bother to write!!!
Four of the group stayed behind for an extra day of serious shopping, SWISS was overbooked and offered them EUR 600.00 plus accomodation in a 5* Hotel. They had a wonderful time!!!
Lydia and Fredi missed their connection to London from Zurich and 2 of their 3 bags went somewhere else. I hope they were reunited with their owners in the meantime!
I reflected on the trip and can honestly say that we had an absolutely wonderful and interesting time, we did see so much and still had enough time for relaxation. The guides were excellent, all of them, very knowledgeable and very good. Ravi of course spoke the best English! If we hadn't had the trouble with hotels, it would have been the best of all the "Insider Trips" so far. Naka and Sandeep of Compass were excellent companions and truly helpful.
Regarding hotels: we have had changes on other trips too, but never as many as this time. What happens is that people will look at the hotels we were supposed to stay in and compare them to the hotels we finally get. The change in Delhi everybody was pleased with, as well as the "Raj" Palace, which all loved (with the exception of the two ladies!). The same goes for the "Taj Village" which people enjoyed very much. The "Ummeid" Hotel in Jodhpur I would NOT recommend. It is a typical hotel for groups, if we want these types of hotels, we might as well get a package tour from Europe! The idea of booking directly is also to get a tour that you will not find in a brochure.
The main problem, of course, was the Lake Palace. This was supposed to be the "Highlight", therefore there were quite a few disappointed faces, but when we saw the rooms we were given at the two Palace Hotels, even I could not believe my eyes! I do not know what went wrong, I trust that you really booked "lake facing" suites for the group, that were supposed to make up for not staying at the Lake Palace, however only 2 rooms had lake views and some were really not habitable (1 bathroom had no faucets and another had a toilet with a flush that did not work!) The ones of us who moved to the Lakshmi Villas were pleased with our rooms. - The two dinners in Udaipur soothened the feelings, they were absolutely splendid.
What I do not understand is the question of vouchers in India: in all other countries we would get the rooms mentioned on the vouchers. I only had the 2 for Goa and Mumbai. On the one for Goa it stated "6 sea view rooms and 8 garden view rooms." In fact, only one room had "sea view". In Mumbai all rooms were supposed to be sea facing - 13 were, 1 not.
Most of the local restaurants we thoroughly enjoyed, as well as the folklore shows. The few dinners we had at hotels (with the exception of the Ummeid) were excellent, too. The rikshaw rides and the elephant ride everybody enjoyed, too.
During the trip - and the problems with the two ladies - I thought that this was going to be the last one I organize! Looking back, there were some unpleasant (and unnecessary) moments, but all this is now forgotten - and when I look out the window and see the grey sky, I feel that it would be unfair on the group NOT to go on organizing trips, especially since I love doing it. Such a treat to be able to go to exotic places I always wanted to visit and have good friends join. Needless to say, that the two ladies who made my life miserable will not be asked to join again!
I would like to propose another trip to India in a few years time, and most definitely will do it through you. I think that next time we just have to make sure that we do get the hotels that are quoted in the original program. The guide in Mumbai told me about the Taj train, which she thinks is fabulous. That could be an option for another tour. And of course Kerala, with 1-2 nights on a house boat.
Dear Durjay, it was really nice meeting you! As I said, if you and your family plan to come to Europe, I would love to have you stay with me.
Please feel free to give my address to anyone who needs a recommendation! I shall tell them what a wonderful trip you organized for us!
Back to work..... David and I are finalizing the program for Peru next year.
Fond regards and all the very best for you and your co-workers,
Chip
SWISS
P.S. Photos will follow!
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