Saturday, 5 April 2008
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Namaste (Hello),
On Sunday 28th December, we are having our 'Indian wedding' at Khar Gymkhana, Bombay (Mumbai) and we would love it if you were able to come and celebrate with us.
We thought that December would be a good time as it gives us all a lot of time to save some pennies and the weather is really pleasant. We will all have a very different, but incredible Christmas. I am sure of that.
We realise you will be coming a very long way and we are doing our very best to put together an itinerary that will make your trip worthwhile. However, you may want to consider travelling around India before/ after the wedding - Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra, the Himalayas perhaps??
This is what we've planned for Bombay:
25 / 26th arrive and settle in to Mumbai life.
27th (Evening) - There will be a Sangeet, literal translation sung together or with instrumental accompaniment. This is traditionally an event for the ladies only but I think we can make an exception! Traditional songs are sung and there will be some yum food.
28th (Evening)- Actual wedding ceremony. We will have a short Hindu ceremony (a proper one would last 4 days!!) and then a big dinner.
29th (Evening)- Roof terrace Cocktail Party with stunning views of Bombay at night.
30th (Daytime) You may not want to get up too early but we are thinking that we could have lunch at the Tea Centre (Back to the days of the Raj; waiters wear traditional colonial livery and each table has a silver bell to beckon them).Ring Ding Ding! We could then take the boat to Elephanta Caves on Gharapuri Island. In 1987 the caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or we could just go around Bombay - watch a cricket game, trawl the markets, watch a traditional dance/ play and so forth.
31st - Well, er...once we know who is coming we can make plans for New Year's.
Aside from the dates set above, you are free to do as you please and go an explore. We will both be quite busy with wedding plans and family do's in between (and may call on your help!), but will do our best to make sure you have an amazing time - which you will!
Getting there.....Flights
We have booked our flights (Heathrow - Mumbai) for Sunday 21st December - Saturday 10th Jan (21 days). We need to be in Mumbai several days before the wedding (before Christmas ) so our flights were a little pricey. However, if you book tickets for after Christmas i.e. 25/26th December, tickets are very cheap at around £388 return! (southalltravel.co.uk)
If you are travelling from the UK, Southall Travel are the best/ cheapest agent to go through. They list many different airlines. (They offer group discounts - so if you find 5-6 people on our blog for the same dates, do it together!)
You could also look at www.sta-travel.co.uk, particularly if you are travelling from somewhere else in Europe.
Where to sleep......Accommodation:
For now we'll just give you a few names of hotels for you to look up online so you get a rough idea. (1 pound = approx. 78 rupees/ 1 euro = 62).
Budget: (brilliant websites!)
www.ywcaic.info
hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Mumbai-Sea-Shore-Hotel-P130159.html
www1.salvationarmy.org/ind/www_ind.nsf/vw-dynamic-arrays/80256E520050A2E280256CA60072F625?openDocument
www.Bentleyshotel.com
hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Mumbai-Hotel-Kemps-Corner-P166193.html (this one would be ideal for our mates - less than 20 quid a night & not too far from Sid's place).
Budget-Mid:
shelleyshotel.com
seagreenhotel.com
seagreensouth.com
Mid:
www.theshalimarhotel.com
Mid - expensive:
www.ghhotel.com
www.ambassadorindia.com
Expensive:
www.oberoimumbai.com
www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/BOMHIHI-Hilton-Towers-Mumbai-hotel/index.do
www.tajhotels.com/Palace/THE%20TAJ%20MAHAL%20PALACE%20&%20TOWER,MUMBAI/default.htm
www.hotelmarineplaza.com
www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/bomhb
What to do next:
- Look at flights, hotels. Good idea to book flights if they are still under 400. There is so much to see and do in India that we recommend that you spend not less than 14 days, minimum. If you book in a block you will get a discount and you will also have lots of fun on the flight together!
- A great book to help you plan is the Lonely Planet's guide to India. You can also join their online forum called Thorntree where you can ask other travellers questions. - There are some very helpful people on there but also the odd twits who think they know everything about India.
- It will obviously be more fun and logistically a lot easier if you book your accommodation together - again keep logging on to the blog to see who's doing what. We can always help you make reservations, etc.
Please let us know as soon as you can whether you will be able to come and feel free to ask questions or give us a call! x
On Sunday 28th December, we are having our 'Indian wedding' at Khar Gymkhana, Bombay (Mumbai) and we would love it if you were able to come and celebrate with us.
We thought that December would be a good time as it gives us all a lot of time to save some pennies and the weather is really pleasant. We will all have a very different, but incredible Christmas. I am sure of that.
We realise you will be coming a very long way and we are doing our very best to put together an itinerary that will make your trip worthwhile. However, you may want to consider travelling around India before/ after the wedding - Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra, the Himalayas perhaps??
This is what we've planned for Bombay:
25 / 26th arrive and settle in to Mumbai life.
27th (Evening) - There will be a Sangeet, literal translation sung together or with instrumental accompaniment. This is traditionally an event for the ladies only but I think we can make an exception! Traditional songs are sung and there will be some yum food.
28th (Evening)- Actual wedding ceremony. We will have a short Hindu ceremony (a proper one would last 4 days!!) and then a big dinner.
29th (Evening)- Roof terrace Cocktail Party with stunning views of Bombay at night.
30th (Daytime) You may not want to get up too early but we are thinking that we could have lunch at the Tea Centre (Back to the days of the Raj; waiters wear traditional colonial livery and each table has a silver bell to beckon them).Ring Ding Ding! We could then take the boat to Elephanta Caves on Gharapuri Island. In 1987 the caves were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Or we could just go around Bombay - watch a cricket game, trawl the markets, watch a traditional dance/ play and so forth.
31st - Well, er...once we know who is coming we can make plans for New Year's.
Aside from the dates set above, you are free to do as you please and go an explore. We will both be quite busy with wedding plans and family do's in between (and may call on your help!), but will do our best to make sure you have an amazing time - which you will!
Getting there.....Flights
We have booked our flights (Heathrow - Mumbai) for Sunday 21st December - Saturday 10th Jan (21 days). We need to be in Mumbai several days before the wedding (before Christmas ) so our flights were a little pricey. However, if you book tickets for after Christmas i.e. 25/26th December, tickets are very cheap at around £388 return! (southalltravel.co.uk)
If you are travelling from the UK, Southall Travel are the best/ cheapest agent to go through. They list many different airlines. (They offer group discounts - so if you find 5-6 people on our blog for the same dates, do it together!)
You could also look at www.sta-travel.co.uk, particularly if you are travelling from somewhere else in Europe.
Where to sleep......Accommodation:
For now we'll just give you a few names of hotels for you to look up online so you get a rough idea. (1 pound = approx. 78 rupees/ 1 euro = 62).
Budget: (brilliant websites!)
www.ywcaic.info
hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Mumbai-Sea-Shore-Hotel-P130159.html
www1.salvationarmy.org/ind/www_ind.nsf/vw-dynamic-arrays/80256E520050A2E280256CA60072F625?openDocument
www.Bentleyshotel.com
hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/Mumbai-Hotel-Kemps-Corner-P166193.html (this one would be ideal for our mates - less than 20 quid a night & not too far from Sid's place).
Budget-Mid:
shelleyshotel.com
seagreenhotel.com
seagreensouth.com
Mid:
www.theshalimarhotel.com
Mid - expensive:
www.ghhotel.com
www.ambassadorindia.com
Expensive:
www.oberoimumbai.com
www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/BOMHIHI-Hilton-Towers-Mumbai-hotel/index.do
www.tajhotels.com/Palace/THE%20TAJ%20MAHAL%20PALACE%20&%20TOWER,MUMBAI/default.htm
www.hotelmarineplaza.com
www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/bomhb
What to do next:
- Look at flights, hotels. Good idea to book flights if they are still under 400. There is so much to see and do in India that we recommend that you spend not less than 14 days, minimum. If you book in a block you will get a discount and you will also have lots of fun on the flight together!
- A great book to help you plan is the Lonely Planet's guide to India. You can also join their online forum called Thorntree where you can ask other travellers questions. - There are some very helpful people on there but also the odd twits who think they know everything about India.
- It will obviously be more fun and logistically a lot easier if you book your accommodation together - again keep logging on to the blog to see who's doing what. We can always help you make reservations, etc.
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