This short pilgrimage trip was heart-warming and awesome. A salve to my guilt and wounded feelings for having avoided visiting the very same places just before the radiotherapy. My mind is at ease now.

As I sit back and type, a few things relating to the trip and NOT the Temples come to mind. Why can’t the hotels be made more comfortable and welcoming to the visitors, especially the aged ones? After all, substantial rent is collected. Anything you pick up in the hotel, including water, costs thrice as much. Even the starred hotels have this issue, I feel. The rooms will be small. The dry and wet areas in the bathrooms will never be delineated. Even in a double bedroom, very rarely have I seen more than one chair or sofa provided. To hold the tiniest soap, forget using it to wash or bathe, needs skill and precision. Why can’t liquid soaps or gels be provided in small containers? In some hotels, there will be no provision for continuous hot water supply. And in my case, unfortunately, there was only hot water supply.

Another thing I learned is what Oliver Twist did. Open the mouth and ask. Unless you ask, how is there any chance of getting what you want? The person in charge is not a mind-reader to know what you need, and even if he is, he is not going to be as ready to oblige. Whether you are up in the air or down in the dumps or even on an even keel, make everything known and have the courage to ask and demand what you want and need. Only if I had asked about the high temperature set in the air conditioning? Quite possible I might have had a peaceful sleep. Housekeeping is 24 x 7. I could have called them when I got up at midnight and told them about the hot water issue. Why didn’t I? Laziness? A general reluctance to approach?

Even the reviews one sees on various websites have to be moderated when read. Everything is written from an individual’s perspective. What one feels is needed in a hotel may be totally different from what you expect. Is he viewing and comparing with cost in mind? Or is it the locational convenience? The requirements of each individual are slightly different, as are the expectations. I have also done many reviews like this earlier but never thought from the angle of others.

Something to ponder about.

Continued in 264 - Promptitude and Regularity - Great Expectations and Failed Anticipations