Woken by the sound of rain thundering down on the tin roof of the charming English meets India-style, country cottage. Ventured onto the terrace where we sat in comfort, under the shelter and sipped on g&ts whilst witnessing the angry skies thunder around us and the brilliance of the lightening showcasing the surrounding hills, standing…
5 Most Popular Hiking Places In Jaipur — JaipurThruMyLens
5 Most popular trekking and hiking places in Jaipur for adventurous people. via 5 Most Popular Hiking Places In Jaipur — JaipurThruMyLens
Jaipur & the Great Outdoors – yes it is an adventure destination.
People tend to think if they have been to Jaipur and seen ‘the sights’ then there is no point going back. I disagree, Jaipur is a destination that can be visited time and time again, the city itself has so much to offer, but if you have ‘been there and done that’ as far as…
Five things to do in Amritsar that don’t include the Golden Temple or Wagah Border.
In 18 years of being a specialist in travel to India, I had never visited Amritsar. Why was this? I have no idea. Maybe because before living here, I always had to travel for work and that meant initially discovering and latterly revisiting the most popular ‘tourist’ destinations. Since living here I tend to go…
Jodhpur is more than Mehrangarh Fort. It’s also about zip wiring, stylish hotels and multiple types of safaris
THINK JODHPUR and quite rightly the image of Mehrangarh Fort pops in to your mind. It is undoubtedly magnificent, in my opinion, the most impressive of all the forts in Rajasthan (on the main circuit) and one monument that I encourage a visit to. It is excellently curated and well maintained, the jewel in…
Varanasi Part 2 in which it got a whole lot worse, before it got great!
The writers’ conference which I had enjoyed immensely had come to an end. The only bit I had hated was the hotel, The Ramada, it was my second stay in a Ramada hotel, and I can assure you, it will be my last. However, in terms of the city, we had been shown the bits…
The Poop Survival Plan
The last 2 Christmases, I have been fortunate enough to spend at Devshree in Rajasthan. On one of these occasions we ventured down to the farm for a typical lunch cooked by the villages, the way and they cook for themselves. Okay, we had a fully set table under the trees and then cushioned charpois…
Landour, The Land That Time Forgot
Impossibly tight U-bends, an impossibly, narrow, steep road, up and up and round and round, reverse a bit, try that corner again, and again, up and off, out of the overcrowded mayhem of Mussoorie, to the tranquillity of Landour, a mere 5kms away in distance but a world away, in time and temperament. Landour, is…
Five things to do in Agra which don’t involve the Taj Mahal or the fort.
Agra is a difficult place to fall in love with, we all know my personal views on the Taj Mahal and therefore the inclusion of Agra as a destination into any itinerary for India, regardless of other destinations and actual holiday preferences. BUT, if you are going to visit Agra, take time out to appreciate…
Udaipur is more than the City Palace and the lake
There are treks, cycle rides, horse safaris and fascinating surroundings to explore: Discovering Off-Beat Udaipur. A few years ago, I was asked by a certain five-star hotel chain, to put together a series of excursions in and around their hotels in Jaipur and Udaipur. They wanted ‘off-beat’, they wanted things that others may not think…
Top Five things in Puri for under INR200.00 (or GBP2.50)
Five things in Puri for under GBP2.50. I often say, when referring to something cheap, or someone who wants something but doesn’t want to pay, ‘Oh, he wants that for GBP2.50.’ It’s just a figure I hit on for no particular reason but have banded it about now for several years. Living in Delhi, though…
Lucknow,The Ugly Duckling Became a Swan
I first visited Lucknow in 1999 and have no fond memories of the place. Any vague flashbacks which do remain are of a dirty, broken city with one dank, dark hotel, scruffy monuments, litter; you get the picture. It was , as far as I remember a depressing city. In its entirety it should have…
Cochin, But Not As We Know It
A barely perceptible ripple on the surface of the water alerted the beady eyes of the multi-tasking Vinod, who promptly dived into the lake, emerging seconds later, his small, wiry brown body glistening with droplets of water as he threw three live fish onto the gangway of our private Chinese Fishing Net to show them…
19 Things You May Not Know About Ladakh.
It is fascinating and stunningly beautiful, yes its full of monasteries and monks, but there are some things I hadn’t figured on: 1. Ladakh has the smallest cows and horses I have seen in India, however it should be renamed as the land of the enormous chickens, they were HUGE. 2. 10% of the population…
When the cows come home, an alternative safari, Kanha National Park, India.
I do appreciate that when people come on a safari to India, they want to see tiger and yes, to see a tiger in the wild is a magnificent experience and one to be cherished. I used to have a few issues with this. A few years ago, in 2007 to be precise, I ran…
Five things to do in Jaipur that don’t involve a palace or fort.
1. Raj Mandir – This has got to be one of the quirkiest cinemas in the world. 70% of tickets sold are just for people wanting to go in and look at the interiors. The showings are for Bollywood movies, and don’t worry if you don’t speak Hindi, it’s as fun to watch the people…