It’s no secret that two of my pet hates are The Taj Mahal and the lack of imagination of much of the travel industry. Anything beyond the Golden Triangle seems to be beyond most people. However, whilst it is logical and does make sense, India is so much more. For the sake of this post, I…
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…
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…
Villages, where the true heart of India lies.
One can never fail but to be humbled by the hospitality of India’s rural population. Having recently been in Jaisalmer, exploring and inventing new sightsseeing options, I had one morning, got up at 0600 to drag myself around several monuments in 38C, before the day truly heated up. Chuntering incessantly about the heat, huffing and puffing…
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…
Dudhwa: One Lodge, Two Nights, Three Parks.
‘Why would we fly? We can drive it.’ ‘Well how long will that take?’ ‘Around 8 hours or so.’ I shrugged and half-heartedly nodded as my Indian (resigned) persona kind of, sort of agreed. In England, if I was to set off and drive from my house, for eight hours in any direction, I am…
GWOC – Something about which I know nothing
On my flight to Manchester last week on Etihad, I read an excellent article by Jamie Lafferty about the Great Wall of China. Excellent not only because it was well written but I also enjoyed the slightly humorous no nonsense style, akin perhaps to my own. It is rarely that I read travel articles, which…
India, An Epicurean’s Delight – mostly.
‘’You can’t eat a mango politely, not if you really want to savour it.’’ This was one of my first lessons in Indian cuisine, from my host, a culinary guru as we sat slurping and sucking as mango juice ran down our arms and landed on the table. I had arrived in India for a…
Matho Gompa Oracle Festival, Ladakh
“Follow that king!” I cried, with a wry grin, as I jumped into the car and pointed to the jeep in front. The king in question was Raja Jigmed W Namgyal, the 38th generational descendant of the Namgyal Royal Dynasty of Ladakh and the reason I was on this trip. Our destination was Matho Gompa…
MP & UP tourism going head to head?
In a destination competition between MP and UP for me, without even having to think, the outright winner would be MP. And yet, I am one for giving the underdog a chance. Let’s face it where UP lacks in numbers of monuments, it more than makes up for in fame and fortune. It has THE…
Bundi – A hidden gem of Rajasthan
The milkman, a person easily recognisable by his vibrant red turban and traditional clothing, cycled along the road with four large brass urns attached to his bike—he was impossibly well balanced as if his load was nothing more than himself. Palm trees and chattries lined his path—it was like a scene that one would imagine…
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…
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…
A Rare Hotel Review, The Four Seasons, Mumbai
Whisked seamlessly in a seven series BMW from the airport to the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai, my reintroduction to the Maximum City as it has endlessly been called, after seven years away. My companion was only used to the good life, and whilst I love scruffing around in India, as I call it, tuk tuks,…
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…
God’s Own County vs God’s Own Country – Yorkshire vs Kerala
I recently saw an article in a national British newspaper which proclaimed that Yorkshire has just been voted Britain’s best holiday destination and that it also calls itself God’s Own Country. Now for the last 6 years, I have lived in India and spent a lot of time in the southern state of Kerala, which…
Discovering off beat Rajasthan
On a previous, some thought controversial blog post, I bemoaned the Taj Mahal. Yes it is beautiful, yes it is synonymous with India but, and here’s a secret, it ruins rather than enhances the travel experience for a lot of people. Bear with me on this. Fair enough if you are coming to India with…
Olfactory India. Can the character of a city be determined by its’ aroma?
OK, the title may cause some sniggers. ‘’OMG, India stinks!’’ declare all the people who have never been there, the same ones who are convinced that all you will be confronted with are an overwhelming wave of poverty and will be struck down imminently, never to recover, with Delhi Belly as soon as one foot…
Delhi Diaries: The Indian Train Experience
Some people, in fact many people, have the notion that train travel in India is romantic. It is not. Interesting, entertaining, and an excellent way of witnessing culture up close and personal, yes, but romantic, no. Basic is a word that springs to mind. If cleanliness is important, then it is best to find another…
Cocktails and Campfires
There is something wonderful about sitting out around a campfire. I know all you African/Indian Safari diehards have been experiencing this for years, but it is something that, living in the UK, we really don’t get to experience very often. For one main reason. The weather. Now, we are renowned on our island for discussing…
Ayurveda Part 3 Sarcasm aside, day 6, it’s time to get serious.
Ok, all jokes aside, it’s time to explain what this Ayurveda is and the benefits of it. Don’t worry, I am not going to get technical but, it is an ancient vedic system of medicine which takes in all aspects of life, it is about following a daily regime and eating properly and basically keeping…
Ayurveda warts and all, part 2, the treatments announced
I know I said that Germans flock to these ayurvedic resorts in their hoards, but they really do! I am the only English person here, two Indian couples and the rest are Germans oh with a few Russians thrown in for good measure, you can spot them by the bling, very tight fitting clothes and…
Ayurveda – Warts and all. Part 1
To say that my health over the last four years has been a bit shabby would be an understatement only equaled by my aging aunt saying that Saddam Hussein didn’t seem like a ‘terribly nice chap,’ or that Hitler bumped off a couple of people in his time, or that pomegranate seeds, carefully peeled and…
Bundi, where ‘Guest is God.’
It is sometimes hard, especially as a western traveller in Indian towns, to see the good in people. Such is the way the travel industry has gone, that we are often left feeling that we are viewed merely as an opportunity, and it seems that locals are only interested in talking to us in order…
Curry for breakfast – seriously?
Jeepers, not another bloody bowl of cardboard shreds! As I sit and gaze dejectedly down at the milky grey mass, sitting stodge-like in the bottom of my bowl, my soul is fast becoming destroyed and the motivation to get up on a morning is fast becoming a distant memory.
Escape to Manali, soak in the paintings at Roerich Gallery in Raison and later tuck into roast chicken and chips.
‘’Can this this really be India?’’ I wonder as I sit on the terrace of the most charming stone and timber built cottage, gazing out over immaculate and spacious gardens all overlooked by deodar-clad, forested hillsides? The only sounds are of the River Beas churning and gurgling by, the birds flitting between the branches of…
TWO QUAINT COTTAGES NEAR NAINTIAL LET YOU SAVOUR THE FEELING OF DOING NOTHING
FOR ALL THINGS GOOD, India has been my second home. Yet, since 1997 for some inexplicable reason, other than a brief visit to Corbett National Park, I had never visited Uttarakhand until this past May. Now, I simply can’t fathom why. Every time is a good time to visit the mountains. The thought of sitting outside a…
Indian Chai and English Tea – the common bond.
Sitting ‘atop a hill’ in the foothills of the Himalaya, watching the most incredible sunset, not a soul around, the problems of the world left far behind, could life get much better? Well yes, as it happens. When I say ‘not a soul’ there was one, the local sadhu. He had watched me climb the…
Not the bloody Taj Mahal!
I am being controversial but honest, I find the Taj Mahal dull. There you go, I have finally not only said it aloud, but put it in print and out there on the worldwideweb for all to see. I know I have visited it many times (forced by my career choice) but this ‘familiarity’ isn’t…