Tuesday, March 18th, Delhi, India

After breakfast it was time to say our goodbyes to Dick, Karen, Jan and Gary. We arranged a taxi through the Godwin Deluxe hotel to take us to our new home for the next two days, the Eros Hotel.

The Eros was about a 45 minute ride away and situated in Nehru Place, near the Lotus Temple.  The taxi ride cost 700 Rupees ($11.46 USD).

The contrast between the two areas is significant.

Our view from 1st hotel – Godwin Deluxe

Recycling done by hand – worker sorts through
garbage to take out plastic and paper items

But the room itself was nice

Godwin Deluxe Hotel – Executive Room

On our ride from first hotel to our second hotel in Delhi…

Building codes seem to be non-existent here

And now the hotel that Gate 1 has chosen for us – Eros Hotel

Eros Hotel, Delhi

And the view from our window here:

The view from our window at the Eros Hotel with Lotus Temple in the background

Godwin Deluxe – (Executive room $35 USD)  Included free airport pickup and free breakfast.  With this much contrast, you might be surprised to learn that we loved where we stayed the first few nights.  As they say, location, location, location. I thought that we got to see more of the “real” India staying there.  The rooms were clean, roomy and comfortable.  The food in the restaurant was quite good and the staff very nice and helpful.  You could walk right out the door and immerse yourself in the vibrancy that is Delhi.  Also the Internet was free.  This might not be a great choice for anyone that has not traveled extensively or has not previously visited 3rd world countries.

Eros Hotel – (Rooms from $130 USD)  In our new location, it seems sterile and isolated in contrast.  That being said, the hotel itself is beautiful, room comfortable, large and would certainly be comparable to 4 or 5 star hotels in the states.  There is a car search and metal detector machines to be passed through at the entry for our security.  The staff is well-trained and I have been greeted with a cheerful, “good morning, madam” by everyone I passed by.  The front desk was efficient and courteous in answering our questions.  There is a fee to use the Internet.  I signed up to use it for 24 hours and it will cost me 550 Rupees, plus tax ($9 USD).  But it is fast with a good connection.

We have often been surprised that the more expensive a hotel is, the more they charge for WiFi.  Budget hotels often include free WiFi.  Seems backwards to me.

We meet up with our Gate 1 tour group tomorrow.

GRATITUDE MOMENT:  Today I am grateful for flexibility, the ability to appreciate    the differences, and to find the nugget of gold or lesson to be learned in each situation.