LATEST:
We've now left India and are back in the UK for a couple of weeks, to catch up with parents and meet our new grandson. Our adventure resume on 16th April when we fly to the Philipines.

Blog

Varanasi

Varanasi is the holiest city in Hinduism, and also highly significant for Buddhists. We witnessed cremations by the Ganges – moving in Debbie’s opinion, squalid in Steve’s – and visited the site, Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. We had one day spare before setting off for Mumbai, which we spent lazing by the pool.

Read More

Agra & The Taj Mahal

Agra is synonymous with the Taj Mahal and what a stupendous monument it is. Commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan (r. 1628–1658) to house the tomb of his beloved third wife, Mumtaz Mahal at a modern day cost of over US$800 million it took 22 years to complete. By that time Shah Jahan had been deposed by his son and imprisoned in Agra Fort, so he spent the last eight year’s of his life looking at…

Read More

Rajasthan Part 6 – Ranthambhore National Park

Next stop Sawai Madhopur, for Ranthambhore National Park, the best place to see Bengal Tigers. Despite failing to book three months in advance, when the pre-order tickets sell out, we were lucky to get last minute tickets for two safaris, and even luckier with the wildlife we saw.

Read More

Rajasthan Part 5 – Jaipur

Debbie is getting a taste for the high life, with an executive train seat, luxury hotel and watching a polo match. Steve was happy to find a microbrewery next door to the hotel and a lovely boxer dog called Luca owned by the sisters who run the hotel. We skipped visiting the palace but did visit the unique Jantar Mantar observatory and of course had to see the iconic Hawa Mahal.

Read More

Rajasthan Part 1 – Bikaner

Bikaner is on the edge of the Thar Desert, less than 100Km from the border with Pakistan, and is far less visited than some other Rajasthan cities, with tourists seeking the desert-city experience usually opting for Jaisalmer instead. We are doing both as we have the luxury of time and Bikaner was a convenient mid-way stop between Delhi and Jaisalmer. There are 2 must-see attractions here; the Fort and the Rat Temple. We decided to give the latter a…

Read More

Delhi

After almost 2 months in relatively relaxed Goa and Southern India, it was time to brave the North through the infamously chaotic Indian capital of Delhi. Delhi By Locals had been recommended by a couple we met in Goa – tours by young local Delhi residents, with 50% of profits going to the Learning by Locals NGO and many of the guides having been helped to develop their skills through the organisation. We opted for a 1 day private…

Read More

Tamil Nadu Part 5 – Mamallapuram

Nope, we still can’t pronounce it, but apparently it’s simply ‘Mahabs’ (former name was Mahabalipuram) to those in the know – a small seaside town, stone carving centre and UNESCO World Heritage site. A couple of hours North of Puducherry, on the way to Chennai Airport, and in Rough Guide to India’s 30 Places Not To Miss – it’d have been rude to have passed by without stopping. The scruffy town actually turned out to be far nicer than…

Read More