My jaw hit the hideously over-patterned carpet. There he stood, microphone in hand bleating out something entirely unrecognisable, both for his apparent ability to change key four times in three notes, and the fact that the volume was set so high as to distort anything that was forced, hurricane like, out of the speakers, the…
My Original Top 4 Off Beat Hotels for Slow Travel
Ever since I first visited India in 1997, I’ve had a passion for what’s different, away from the mainstream destinations but places where there is the opportunity to discover the real India, away from the chaos and mayhem. Where you have time to peel back the layers of a destination, they are invariably hosted by…
Snapshots, Discovering India Differently, Kota, who knew?
The giant orb of a setting sun guided us down river, casting magical lights on the rippled water as, surrounded by the stark cliffs, we spotted nilgai, owls, vultures, storks and crocodiles. This was our spectacular introduction to Kota, Rajasthan, why had no one mentioned this to me before? In a world of over tourism,…
Writing Challenge Day5/28 – So what exactly is a micro-destination?
I saw a video clip a few weeks ago by NDTV that made me smile. It was all about micro destinations and how they are the future of travel. Now I understand that marketing constantly needs new spins but what made me really smile about this was that they were featuring what I call destination…
The People of India Project -Roopesh Rai
People who dare to be different always capture my attention and Roopesh Rai, founder of Green People, The Goat Village & Bakri Chaap is certainly no exception. As he says, in his own words, ‘There’s always an ‘idea’ in ‘idealism’ and I wear my idealism on my sleeve without fear or apology. Deeply affected by…
Discovering Jaisalmer Differently
One can never fail but to be humbled by the hospitality of India’s rural population. I was out on one of my missions, spending ten days in Jaisalmer to discover what else could be done in terms of experiences for travellers. It was June. I know that I should know better, but I’d already done…
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…
India, Perception vs Reality
Facebook, as it does, just threw up a post from two years ago. It was a post which at the time, got a lot of response from my friends and colleagues. It was a post which came about as a result of a casual chat with a fellow passenger on a flight to Abu Dhabi….
Top Tips for Traveling to India
Part 01 – Planning your trip. Think about why you really want to visit India and what interests you. It is very easy to follow a cliched program in India, following the masses just because everybody does it. If it is a first time, then most people want to see the Taj Mahal and therefore…
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…
He is 80 and he survived his first trip to India – Dad’s trip, the dids’ and the did nots.
So dad leaves tonight after a long three weeks which have absolutely flown by. He is currently tucked up in bed with a cup of tea and the Far Pavillions, a book which it transpires, is also a three week journey. My aim was to showcase my world to him, my India, the place I…
Memsahib’s Dad Visits India, aged 80 – Part 5.
It’s never too late! Travels around India with my octogenarian dad. Dungarpur was meant to be all for dad, the car collection here was the ‘must’ and the bar is truly any petrol head’s delight. But, from cars to kachories to a museum curation, quirks and the karma sutra, it turned out to be a…
Memsahib’s dad visits India, aged 80 – Part 4.
I am not sure if two years in a row makes something an annual event, but it would be rather nice to think so. Christmas 2015 at Devshree was all about lovely walks, exploring the fort, lazy lunches, chilling out on charpois after a farm cooked lunch (and discovering the delights of cow s**t bread…