LATEST:
After two months in the South of India, we are now in the North for the whole of March. We've survived the frantic pace of Delhi and are now exploring the Golden Triangle of Rajathstan.
Tamil Nadu Part 4 – Puducherry

Our next destination was Puducherry (previously Pondicherry, fondly known as Pondy), the former capital of French India.

Pondy is as cluttered and chaotic as any Tamil Nadu town, but the compact centre is tangibly more Gallic. The bazaars give way to leafy boulevards , mansions and rows of houses whose shuttered windows, ornate balconies and colour-washed facades would not look out of place in Montpellier – even the Starbucks!

On our way to our next destination we visited the…

Read More

Tamil Nadu Part 3 – Thanjavur

Thanjavur is not on most Indian tourist itineraries and we didn’t see very many Western faces there – but it’s featured in Rough Guide and Lonely Planet so is not that obscure. There are 2 main attractions – the breathtaking Brihadishwara Temple (signposted Thanjavur Big Temple), Tamil Nadu’s most awesome Chola monument, and the world’s finest Chola Bronze collection (even after the British Museum and various American museums, galleries & collectors have pilfered some).

Read More

Kerala Part 1 – Kochi

Fort Kochi is a total contrast to the modern Ernakulam part of the city – a thriving port and centre of the spice trade, colonised by the Portuguese and taken from them by the Dutch, it’s a lovely & intriguing blend of cultures and architecture. Very grand houses abound, some converted into heritage hotels, others into arty cafes and galleries, or just private homes or homestays.

Read More