Holiday Withdrawal Symptoms......Tell me where you're going?

Ballard

I've finally managed to meet my travelling partner to sort out an itinerary for India this November. He's really busy at work whilst I'm currently unemployed so it's been a frustrating wait for him to have time to discuss...

Arrive Kolkata 20 November
Fly to Bagdogra Airport 21 November then 3 hour jeep to Darjeeling
Four nights in Darjeeling:
Tiger Hill
Toy Train & possibly cable car if we can fit it in
Trek to Tumling (just over the border in Nepal)
Two nights in Kalimpong which seems to have some lovely treks
Two nights in Gantok/Rumtek
Helicopter back to the airport at Bagdogra for flight back to Kolkata
Three nights in Kolkata

I had initially scheduled an overnight trip into Sunderban National Park but this wouldn't leave us any time to explore Kolkata so we've decided to scrap that.

I've asked him to buy a guidebook as we've only looked at my Lonely Planet thus far. Once he's done that then I will look at booking hotels & internal flights. The helicopter can only be booked over the phone so that will be 'interesting'. The international flights are already sorted.

worried_jim

Ballard wrote: »

I've finally managed to meet my travelling partner to sort out an itinerary for India this November. He's really busy at work whilst I'm currently unemployed so it's been a frustrating wait for him to have time to discuss...

Arrive Kolkata 20 November
Fly to Bagdogra Airport 21 November then 3 hour jeep to Darjeeling
Four nights in Darjeeling:
Tiger Hill
Toy Train & possibly cable car if we can fit it in
Trek to Tumling (just over the border in Nepal)
Two nights in Kalimpong which seems to have some lovely treks
Two nights in Gantok/Rumtek
Helicopter back to the airport at Bagdogra for flight back to Kolkata
Three nights in Kolkata

I had initially scheduled an overnight trip into Sunderban National Park but this wouldn't leave us any time to explore Kolkata so we've decided to scrap that.

I've asked him to buy a guidebook as we've only looked at my Lonely Planet thus far. Once he's done that then I will look at booking hotels & internal flights. The helicopter can only be booked over the phone so that will be 'interesting'. The international flights are already sorted.

I loved India, it's proper bonkers and takes a few days to get into the groove but when you do its amazing. I went in 2004 with the Lonely Planet and it was soon nicknamed the lying planet, hope its a bit better now. Hope you have a fab trip- you will.

Ballard

worried_jim wrote: »

I loved India, it's proper bonkers and takes a few days to get into the groove but when you do its amazing. I went in 2004 with the Lonely Planet and it was soon nicknamed the lying planet, hope its a bit better now. Hope you have a fab trip- you will.

It'll be my sixth time in the country so I've a good idea what to expect but it's been a few years since I last went and I haven't been in this area so there'll be loads of new things to see.

Doshwaster

littlereddevil wrote: »

Oh fab, I love KL and Penang. The food in Penang is to die for

I wasn't too fussed by KL (great hotels though) but Penang (and the nearby Langkawi) is one of my favourite places in Asia. The food is definitely some of the best you can find anywhere in the world as you have the combinations of so many influences from Malaysia, China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, western and elsewhere. It's like the crossroads of international cuisine. All so cheap too - try something from one of the hawker stalls and if you don't like it then it has only cost you a few pence.

Ballard

I've just had a couple of boosters at the doctors so that makes me feel that my trip is getting close.

We still haven't booked everything but we have return flights between Kolkata & Bagdogra and a hotel in Darjeeling sorted and I've sent an enquiry to a hotel in Gangtok as I need to make sure that they have twin rooms as their website isn't conclusive.

We still need to book a hotel in Kalimpong and one for Kolkata at the start of the trip. We're unlikely to bother booking a Kolkata hotel for the end of the trip until we're there. The slightly trickier issue is the helicopter back to the airport at Bagdogra as that can only be booked by phone or in person and a bank transfer is then required.

Similarly, we will need a permit to cross into Sikkim but that can only be sorted in Darjeeling. I also need to ensure that the permit can be achieved with an e-visa. I wouldn't be surprised if we would need the paper version.

lady1964

Whoops, meant to quote Doshwaster's post re food :-)

Sounds amazing, we both love Asian food so will make sure we try lots of it.

I'm pondering changing the hotel we've booked in Penang as it looks to be a bit of a walk from the centre of batu feranghi. I'm also wondering if we should have a couple of nights in Georgetown. We've booked 7 nights at a beach resort so just wondering whether to mix it up a bit.

There's a lovely looking resort at Batu Feranghi but it's twice as much price-wise as the one we've booked & I can't really justify it when the one we've booked looks perfectly acceptable albeit at the end of the beach strip.

bigadaj

Ballard wrote: »

I've just had a couple of boosters at the doctors so that makes me feel that my trip is getting close.

We still haven't booked everything but we have return flights between Kolkata & Bagdogra and a hotel in Darjeeling sorted and I've sent an enquiry to a hotel in Gangtok as I need to make sure that they have twin rooms as their website isn't conclusive.

We still need to book a hotel in Kalimpong and one for Kolkata at the start of the trip. We're unlikely to bother booking a Kolkata hotel for the end of the trip until we're there. The slightly trickier issue is the helicopter back to the airport at Bagdogra as that can only be booked by phone or in person and a bank transfer is then required.

Similarly, we will need a permit to cross into Sikkim but that can only be sorted in Darjeeling. I also need to ensure that the permit can be achieved with an e-visa. I wouldn't be surprised if we would need the paper version.

Went further east but a similar trip around ten years ago, loved Assam and the hill country.

Stayed at the taj on arrival in Kolkata and the Oberoi on the way back, incredible levels of service and not too expensive then.

littlereddevil

lady1964 wrote: »

Whoops, meant to quote Doshwaster's post re food :-)

Sounds amazing, we both love Asian food so will make sure we try lots of it.

I'm pondering changing the hotel we've booked in Penang as it looks to be a bit of a walk from the centre of batu feranghi. I'm also wondering if we should have a couple of nights in Georgetown. We've booked 7 nights at a beach resort so just wondering whether to mix it up a bit.

There's a lovely looking resort at Batu Feranghi but it's twice as much price-wise as the one we've booked & I can't really justify it when the one we've booked looks perfectly acceptable albeit at the end of the beach strip.

Which hotels are you looking at?

lady1964

littlereddevil wrote: »

Which hotels are you looking at?

We've booked Bayview Resort but have been looking at The Holiday Inn resort & Lone Pine today. The Holiday Inn is a similar price to the Bayview with Lone Pine being a bit more expensive. We can cancel the Bayview but if we book either of the other two, we can't so I just need to be certain.

Bayview is less central but it appears there is a regular bus that we can use to get to the centre of Batu Ferranghi but the other two ore more walkable......

I haven't looked into,the Georgetown options as yet. We don't go until February so just looking at other options at the moment.

ETA: the one I'd love to stay at is the Rasa Saying but it's twice as much as the Bayview & Holiday Inn.

trixie73

Just finished packing and sat down with a vodka now. Off to cala dor,majorca, in the morning :beer: