two lists

I've arrived in Mumbai. Mumbai is my final destination in India and the train ride up here has been my last journey. I return home to the UK from Mumbai next week, and have pretty much visited everywhere I want to now.

Since arriving in India I've kept two lists in the back of a small blue note book which I carry around with me. The first list is a record every major train or bus journey I've made in India including how long the journey took. I thought it would be interesting to total them all up at the end. The second list is a record of every hotel I've stayed at in India and the price I paid to stay there per night. I felt this would be useful in establishing going rates and to stop me being overcharged. The little blue book is about to go in the bin, but the lists I'd like to keep, so here they are...

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(1) my major train and bus journeys in india

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1. Train Delhi to Agra (3 hours)

2. Train Agra to Jaipur (5 hours)

3. Bus Jaipur to Pushkar (3 hours)

4. Bus Pushkar to Jodhpur (5 hours)

5. Bus Jodhpur to Jaisalmer (5 and 1/2 hours)

6. Bus Jaisalmer to Bikaner (6 and 1/2 hours)

7. Train Bikaner to Delhi (12 hours)

8. Train Delhi to Haridwar (5 hours)

9. Bus Haridwar to Rishikesh (1 hour)

10. Bus Rishikesh to Dehra Dun (1 and 1/2 hours)

11. Bus Dehra Dun to Mussoorie (1 and 1/2 hours)

12. Bus Mussoorie to Shimla (9 hours)

13. Bus Shimla to Manali (10 and 1/2 hours)

14. Bus Manali to Dharamshala/McLeod Ganj (10 hours)

15. Bus Dharamshala/McLeod Ganj to Amritsar (8 hours)

16. Train Amritsar to Delhi (8 hours)

17. Train/train/bus/bus/bus/jeep Delhi to Khajuraho (35 hours)

18. Bus Khajuraho to Varanasi (14 and 1/2 hours)

19. Train Varanasi to Bodhgaya (4 hours)

20. Train Bodhgaya to Kolkata (9 hours)

21. Train Kolkata to Puri (9 and 1/2 hours)

22. Bus Puri to Bhubaneswar (2 hours)

23. Train Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad (24 hours)

24. Train Hyderabad to Bangalore (12 hours)

25. Train Bangalore to Mysore (3 hours)

26. Bus Mysore to Ooty (5 hours)

27. Bus Ooty to Fort Kochi (11 hours)

28. Bus Fort Kochi to Alleppey (2 hours)

29. Bus Alleppey to Kovalam (4 hours)

30. Train Kovalam to Madurai (9 hours)

31. Bus Madurai to Pondicherry (9 hours)

32. Bus Pondicherry to Chennai (3 and 1/2 hours)

33. Train/train Chennai to Hampi (15 hours)

34. Train/bus Hampi to Panaji (10 hours)

35. Bus Panaji to Calangute/Baga (1 hour)

36. Bus/bus/train Calangute/Baga to Mumbai (14 hours)

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Longest journey: Delhi to Khajuraho taking 35 hours.

Shortest journey: the bus journeys to Rishikesh and Calangute both only took an hour by bus.

Best journey: the bus journey from Manali to Shimla because the Himalayan views were breath-taking.

Worst journey: Delhi to Khajuraho. It took me 35 hours and several forms of transport to make what should have been a 10 hour journey. The only time I thought to myself: 'I want to go home,' and, 'why am I doing this?'

Total time travelling: 291 hours (or 12.125 days solid).

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(2) my hotels in india

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1. Delhi: Hotel Ajanta (900 rupees/11 GBP* per night)

2. Agra: Shahjahan Hotel (150 rupees/1.80 GBP per night)

3. Jaipur: Stephels Hotel (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

4. Pushkar: Kanhaia Hotel (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

5. Jodhpur: Sarvar Guesthouse (150 rupees/1.80 GBP per night)

6. Jaisalmer: Mehrangarh Guesthouse (100 rupees/1.21 GBP per night)

7. Bikaner: Hotel Delux (100 rupees/1.21 GBP per night)

8. Delhi: Hotel Sirswal View (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

9. Haridwar: Krishna Guesthouse (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

10. Rishikesh: Gurudev Guesthouse (150 rupees/1.80 GBP per night)

11. Mussoorie: Hotel Broadway (150 rupees/1.80 GBP per night)

12. Shimla: YMCA (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

13. Manali: Hotel Pawan (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

14. McLeod Ganj: Hotel Akash (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

15. Amritsar: Tourist Guesthouse (250 rupees/3 GBP)

16. Delhi: SS International Hotel (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

17. Khajuraho: Hotel Surya (250/3 GBP per night)

18. Varanasi: Alka Hotel (150 rupees/1.80 GBP)

19. Bodhgaya: Rahul Guesthouse (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

20. Kolkata: Tourist Inn (120 rupees/1.46 GBP per night)

21. Puri: Hotel Gandhara (450 rupees/5.46 GBP per night)

22. Bhubaneswar: Hotel Pushpak (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

23. Hyderabad: Hotel Suhail (295 rupees/3.58 GBP per night)

24. Bangalore: Royal Lodge (230 rupees/2.70 GBP per night)

25. Mysore: Hotel Govardhan (208 rupees/2.52 GBP per night)

26. Ooty: Hotel Greenvalley Lodge (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

27. Fort Kochi: Elite Hotel (300 rupees/3.64 GBP per night)

28. Alleppey: KTC Homestay (250 rupees/3 GBP per night)

29. Kovalam: Seaview Palace Hotel (300 rupees/3.64 GBP per night)

30. Madurai: Hotel New Ruby (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

31. Pondicherry: Hotel Continental (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

32. Chennai: Thaj Regency (225 rupees/2.73 GBP per night)

33. Hampi: Gopi Guesthouse (200 rupees/2.43 GBP per night)

34. Panaji: Orav's Guesthouse (300 rupees/3.64 GBP per night)

35. Calangute: Alex's Guesthouse (400 rupees/4.86 GBP per night)

36. Sea Shore Hotel (400 rupees/4.86 GBP per night)

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Best hotel: Hotel Akash in Dharamshala. The room was very clean and modern and had a windowed wall with a beautiful view out across the Himalayas. At 250 rupees a night Hotel Akash offered unparalleled value. The staff were also friendly, kind and helpful.

Worst hotel: Hotel Delux in Bikaner. It was hot, crawling with wildlife, and I felt like I'd rented a prison cell.

Most expensive hotel: Hotel Ajanta in Delhi (900 rupees/11 GBP per night).

Cheapest hotel: Mehrangarh Guesthouse in Jaisalmer and Hotel Delux in Bikaner (both were 100 rupees/1.21 GBP per night). I'd never stay at either again. You'd have to pay me.

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* Great Britain Pounds.