The Trip to Ahmedabad India

After almost a week in Kathmandu it was time to head back to New Delhi India. I stayed one night in a hotel in the backpacker area, checked out the next morning, left my bags at the train station and wandered around town waiting for the evening train to Ahmedabad.

Ok. This was the best banana split I could find. And it was called the All American Banana Split. Really? With no whip cream? And what is all that green stuff?
Children love to have their photos taken and then look at them in the back of your camera.
In the evening I took the deluxe overnight Rajdhani train from New Delhi to Ahmedabad overnight. You met at your car entrance(assuming you go First Class) by a handsome young man in a Raj outfit complete with turban. Later he welcomes you in your car with a rose and candy followed by tea and cookies. Later on he serves dinner and your comfortable bed is made up in your four person A/C compartment complete with lockable door. In the morning its bed tea at day break followed by breakfast (above). This train travels at high speed, around 80 mph, has priority on the tracks and makes very few stops. A delight.
Ok. Here's the big splash out stay of the trip. I rarely ever stay at a place this fancy but I weakened when I found they were giving 30% off in August. So why not have a suite? Right? When you walk in there is a magazine rack on the left with all the current magazines. The rooms were huge!
And plenty of room in the corner for a larger than lifesize photo of a previous occupant.
My bedroom with mosquito netting although I never saw a bug.
A buffet and dining area. Even a corn popper.
The hall toward the kitchen.
The shower stall. The bathroom had several parts including a huge closet with a safe big enough to hold your laptop of course.
And a complete furnished kitchen including microwave. Despite the fact there were two wonderful restaurants within the hotel.
A desk hooked up for your laptop.
Not many hotel rooms are large enough to have a larger than life size picture in the corner.
The front door. A mirror of course to see how tacky you looked compared to the surroundings.
One set of switches for the living room and bedroom. There was another set for the bathroom. Each room had its own air conditioner and ceiling fans of course.
The beautiful hall tiled floor.
Former residents
The real MG
A comfy swing in one of the halls

The front of the hotel. MG built it in 1924 and it covers 40,000 square feet. He lived here with his second wife and children until his death in 1930. Mahatma Gandi was a friend and stayed here when he first arrived from South Africa. The family continued to live here till the 50's when they moved to the newer areas of the city. The house was restored in the 1990's by a grandson into the present hotel.
Yet another courtyard.
My front door. My living room had two sets of doors like this.
A pool in one of the courtyards.
The famous mosque across the street.
The main lounge.
A swing in the corner of the main lounge.
The pool. So what did all this luxury cost me you ask? The grand total...including luxury tax, booking fee and 10% service charge was $142 a night. For India this was a real deal. It is easy to spend $300-500 a night on first class hotels in Delhi for example. And it included breakfast.