INCREDIBLE INDIA
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Thank you Kehren & Rakesh for the wonderful & very rich Kerala experience you organized, facilitated & participated in. My 5 friends who joined me all had a very happy, relaxing and wonderful time. I especially loved the 2 nights on the backwaters houseboatboat through the tranquil waters of the canals. All the highlights of our 4 locations were well chosen for their variety, scenery & cultural experience. Thankyou both very much!
Claudia Stern, Australia
It’s always such an amazing luxury to be able to travel to exotic places and have all your worries about getting around attended to and then having the right level of accommodation additionally selected for you. Kehrens’ ‘Pillow Menu Tour’ of Rajasthan for Diwali (Festival of Light) did this so seamlessly that our only concern was what to select from the always amazing buffet breakfasts! Or which doorway to be photographed against in the many amazing forts and palaces we were lucky enough to be taken to.
Of course Rajasthan is such a deeply historical and cultural area to visit and this was reflected in the wide variety of luxurious hotels that Kehren selected. There was the Palace of the Raj in Bikaner that was so decadent, to the Jaisalmer Hotel with its’ most spectacular roof top with views to the beautiful Jaisalmer Fort, directly opposite.
Enjoying the great company on the tour was a big bonus. I got to meet so many new friends and created long term connections with them. Kehren was graceful in creating enough ‘together time’ with the group, as well as the important chill out ‘alone’ time. Kehrens’ personal gift for caring deeply and sincerely for people in his charge made the whole tour a most wonderful experience that will last a lifetime.
Tony Syme, NSW
We very much enjoyed our trip with Pillow Menu Tours. It was exciting and very well organised, thank you so much Kehren and Rakesh! We had some magical, unforgettable moments, fascinating information along with facts and a good dose of humour thrown in.
The contrasts of India are what makes it so special and unique for us. From the beautiful ornate architecture to the bustling crazy busy streets that keep you yearning for more. Delicious food, the incredible aromas that fill the air and the glorious sea of colours seen everywhere are just so beautiful. So many images are etched in our hearts forever, most won't be captured by camera, but by our own eyes, forever to be treasured.
Suzanne and Nisha, London, England
Dear Marina, Tanya, Suzanne, Peter, Irene, Gaye, Lesley, Anna and Kehren,
We had a wonderful time didn't we ?
We almost all sixty somethings, all baby boomers, some of us with cancer or after, some of us injured, some of us grieving for lost husbands, some with or without children and grandchildren, some of us artists, some of us educated, some of us rich, some of us not as, some of us happy, some of us sad, some of us shoppers, some of us frugal, all of us curious, all of us kind, all of us tolerant, all of us compassionate, all of us grateful. Thank you all.
Thank you Suzanne for your intense bright intelligence! For your fabulous voices and acting, sensitivity and sense of curious fun! And for shopping with me!
Thank you Anna for your considerate intelligent intensity, your knowledge of art, architecture and fabrics...and your honesty and fabulous style.
Thank you Marina for your quiet wisdom, your thoughtfulness, your otherworldliness, your quiet creativity, your independence and strength.
Thank you Peter for your easy going tolerance, your brilliant intellect and decency and kindness, your interest and love of a walk and a party! And for your photos!
Thank you Gaye for you generous and beautiful heart, for your strength and depth and down to earth easygoing kindness....and for the Champagne!
Thank you Tanya, you quiet one, you thoughtful girl whose story I heard from others but not from you, I thought you were beautiful, your colour combinations and quiet thoughtfulness, your knowledge and strength I will remember.
Thank you Lesley, my fabulous friend, no one can tell a story like you. Thank you for your sense of humour, sense of fun, your industriousness and your kindness! And for teaching me how to fold a towel and hold a ball.
Thank you dear Irene, for facing your fear, for taking the challenge, for being a good and kind friend and for your knowledge, depth, interest and sense of fun, and for all your support when I really needed it .
LAST BUT NOT LEAST! Thank you dear Kehren for bringing us all together and always being a happy and fun leader and very good friend, for smoothing the rough edges and for your infectious ‘Love of India’ and generosity in sharing it.
Lots and Lots of Love to you all ! ❤️
Fritha, South Melbourne, VIC
‘I had a marvellous time. Kehren was a superb tour host...always so considerate, obliging and fun to be with! Kerala is particularly beautiful and I really enjoyed each of the destinations on our tour. The accommodation was consistently excellent. I had a particularly exhausting last few months of 2017 so the Aryuvedic retreat at Travancore Heritage was the highlight for me. The peace and beauty of the place combined with the nurturing of the treatments was exactly the therapy I needed!’
Suzanne, St Kilda, VIC
‘As you know, I only knew Fritha and decided to take the plunge to go on this trip as, although I have travelled widely, I had not been to India before. I have to say, I found our tour of Kerala a great experience and a gentle introduction to India. We hear so many negative stories about India and coming with your group this year has been an eye opener and good insight for me.
Kehren, you are a very congenial and caring host – a people person. Your humour and good nature is infectious and I believe we all bounced off you and the group turned out to be a great bunch of people. From my perspective, I believe we all got along very well – all very different personalities, but nevertheless two weeks of gracious and friendly people from many walks of life. You managed a good balance of visits to places of interest and free time – so we could do our own thing which was great. The trip was relaxed and not rushed.
All places selected were interesting and I especially enjoyed the trip to the tea plantation in Munnar. The hotels and restaurants were very good throughout. One standout for me was the ‘Ginger House’ restaurant in Fort Kochi – that place was special – the ambience, décor, position, musicians and food were excellent and getting there by tuk-tuk was a lot of fun.
The bus driver was excellent despite the fact that terrain was rough and traffic horrendous. Feby, the guide, was a lovely guy, however, his knowledge of the areas could have been better.
May I suggest you consider including tipping and gratuities in your tariff as it was rather tedious rummaging into wallets at various points for cash, and everyone owing someone rupees most of the time.
Overall a great trip, Kehren, and I hope the above helps. Thank you again, it was a great pleasure to meet you, and I wish you every success with future trips to India. If you are visiting Sydney and have time, I would love to catch up.’
Irene, San Souci, Sydney, NSW
I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of Kerala with ‘Pillow Menu Tours’. Our leader Kehren chose interesting and beautiful places to visit and was efficient and respectful in his dealings with all people. He was always enthusiastic and approachable and he gave attention to all members of the group. We were very well looked after. Sampling the local cuisine was definitely a highlight as was the positive vibe generated by Kehren.
Tania, Dulwich Hill, NSW
My husband Peter and I have never been on an organised 'tour' before (always independent travellers to far flung places including India before, and proudly so!) but having drooled over Kehren and Rakesh's Indian photos and itineraries we decided to take the plunge to 'Kool Kashmir' in August 2019.
To say it was fantastic, amazing, spiritual , fun, informative, delicious and once in a life time does NOT do this experience justice! Kehren and Rakesh are the ultimate hosts and they felt like dear friends on the tour, not like tours leaders and yet everything was smoothly organised without drama or incident. It is testimony to the group that most nights we chose to meet together for dinner or drinks or both and part of the 'glue' was Kehren and Rakesh's upbeat/glass half full personalities and wonderful, generous stories of Indian life, culture and challenges.
Whether it was dashing though old Dehli on Rickshaws, or visiting the Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh singing "Let it Be' in the cavernous Ashram Halls, or experiencing the stunning high altitude mountains of Leh in Ladakh, or the Taj at dawn, this tour had it all.
EXCEPT, it didn't really have the 'Kashmir' part of Kool Kashmir because a couple of weeks before we were due to fly, the parts of Kashmir we were due to visit became too dangerous and inaccessible. So in a very short space of time, Kehren and Rakesh reorganised the first half of the tour and the substitutions were 'pawfect' (a much loved Rakesh'ism'!) How these two managed to re-book trains, internal flights, sumptuous hotels and air conditioned buses in such a short space of time with all tour members being delighted with the experience is the ultimate testament to their skill and hard work as travel professionals.
Sounds like I am raving? Yes I am. If like me you have been worried about a 'tour' rather than the independent experience, fear not and don't hesitate. We will both be booking another tour with Kehren and Rakesh as soon as we can fit it into our over committed working lives!
Robbi Chaplin and Peter Pill, Melbourne, VIC