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…
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…
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…
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…
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…