I’ve started a senior leader’s course with Common Purpose, as part of this we listen to a Ted X talk on Cultural Intelligence with Julia Middleton, its founder. This talk Ended with, ‘I want to be a leader because I want to change things.’ Which immediately resonated with me as it relates so much to…
Kaziranga, Assam, National Park and UNESCO Site
OK, I am certainly not in the top many thousands of people who have visited and after just 4 nights/5 days, I can hardly call myself an expert but, having being totally immersed in India as my specialist subject for the last 20 years, and having just visited Assam, I realised just how little I…
Not the bloody Taj Mahal!
I am being controversial but honest, the Taj Mahal? It’s not all that. 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 have had to visit it many times (forced by my career choice) but this ‘familiarity’…
Snapshot: Nepal welcomes me for the fourth time.
Day 01: Arrival NepalI opted to say in tonight and headed to the roof top bar. There are only two other people here, a couple, Instagram influencers. They are flouncing and pouting and setting up shoots taking photos and being demanding about food and drink. I apologised for stepping into their shoot, headed to the…
Kabini where Evolve Back is the way forward
Kabini where Evolve Back is the way forward. October 5, 2018 But what does it mean? I just don’t get it… I’ve heard this several times since Orange County Resorts changed their name to Evolve Back. Not wanting to blow my own trumpet but I got it immediately, to me it made perfect sense. This…
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….
Discovering a different Jaisalmer
Monuments provide the photos but to truly experience this country one must venture to where it’s true heart lies which is with its rural population.
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…
Jaipur Has Cleaned up it’s Act – Well Done INDIA
A shift is taking place. For years nothing happened except a worsening of a bad situation. I had started to wonder if there was any hope. I love India and have pledged the last 20 years of my life to promoting it far and wide but it was almost too much for me to bear….
Indian Experiences Launches New Website
After weeks of grafting behind the scenes, we are delighted to announce the new look Indian Experiences website! I’m even more delighted to have a brilliant team on board this “first of its kind,” consultancy to the Indian Travel Trade. Do check out the list of services we offer to both new companies wanting to…
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…
Vanghat – An Adventure, An Eco Lodge and almost the end of a friendship
When a lodge owner calls to tells you that something you are planning isn’t a very good idea, it would probably be a good idea to listen. But you see, two things were at play here, the first is what is known as cobbler’s shoes and the second, well, I am nothing if not stubborn….
Hoteliering Reimagined, A Destination Reinvented- Narendra Bhawan, Bikaner
Strains of Edith Piaf softly permeate the public spaces. The morning light, filtered through fine jhali work, plays on the textured walls and patterned floors of the passageways and your journey begins For a stay at Narendra Bhawan is a journey, not a moment stuck in time. This place is a dedication to the life…
On World Tourism Day – Bringing accessible travel to the differently-abled
A big shout out today for Neha Arora, founder of Planet Abled, India’s first travel company for differently-abled travellers. Neha hasn’t just set up a company to make travel more accessible, she is taking the bull by the horns and setting out on a long journey to make India as a country more accessible for…
The Rajbari Bawali; they call it inspired heritage and here’s why…
Way back when, when I was still a tour operator based out of London, James and I, at Ampersand, decided to slow travel down and get people to spend longer in each destination and therefore, have the opportunity to discover more, appreciate it more or simply spend time in one of the hotels they were…
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…
Meetings, Dreams & Cycles of Life.
Around 13 years ago, over breakfast at the Malabar House Hotel in Cochin I was introduced to one of the most extraordinary, fascinating and yet unassuming men it has ever been my privilege to meet, Anderson Bakewell. He had just spent three years living like a local in Mandvi, Gujarat, building a 120ft sailing dhow,…
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…
Snapshot – India in a nutshell
A snapshot on India: Sitting in Manchester Airport, the man next to me asks where I am going and grimaces when I say Delhi. The second sentence out of his mouth is, “My wife won’t go there, there is too much poverty.” I reply in all innocence, “Oh, have you been?” He replies, with a…
Snapshots – Shopping in Delhi
Forget Trump, forget Brexit, forget the fact that Delhi govt purchased a snow plough, forget racism against cows – I went into a well known store in Khan Market looking for a present for my fairy godmother who likes all things “fabulous.” Spotted a fancy silver and white mug and thought it would be a…
4 Hot Hotels, Tamil Nadu Finally Comes Of Age.
I have been traveling to Tamil Nadu since 1997, it is a fascinating destination, full of temples and Dravidian influences but it has always been a tough destination to sell for a couple of reasons. The first is that many people just focus on the temples, let’s face it, you can hardly move in the…
The Alternative Golden Triangle – Daring to be Different!
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…
Delhi Diaries: The changing face of India, women drivers & pilots!
The longer I spend in Delhi, the more I realise just how quickly India is changing. Being in travel and therefore usually immersed in heritage and culture I spend most of my time here surrounded by the traditional but, five years away and a return to Delhi has assisted in emphasising the huge changes which…
Delhi Diaries: Rules of the road – Delhi style
Well it’s taken six months after being reunited to finally get her back into road worthy condition but we made it! The Babe and I taking Delhi by storm. Of course my driving technique needs to be refind to suit local conditions. 1. At a local T junction: Do not slow down on approach, stop,…
Delhi Diaries: The Value of a Perfectly Round Roti
This week, I went out discovering Delhi, as I do. One of my visits was to the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, perhaps the most famous Gurudwara in India, outside of Amritsar. Here they also feed thousands of people every single day, and so after doing the usual rounds, I ventured into the kitchen which is run…
Delhi Diaries: 5th July
Life back in India, some things change, some things stay the same. Delhi, as happens with any city, continues to evolve, when one is here all the time, it is harder to notice the changes. During my time away, the hideous rape case that shocked the world took place and, despite it being too late…
Delhi Diaries: 28 June 2015 When India works with you.
Twenty months ago, I wrote a couple of blog pieces about having moved back to Delhi, or so I thought, as in moved back to Delhi, not wrote the pieces, they are there for all to see. But you see, as I have said many times, India can be a cruel mistress, though in my…
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…
Delhi Diaries: Dealing with house staff – part 1
Having never had staff in the UK I couldn’t see why I would need them just because I had moved to Delhi, ‘Oh, you must find staff’ everyone said, ‘a reliable maid and a good driver at least, they can make or break your life here’, and I was soon to realise just how true…
Horn Please! Indian roads, journeys from heaven and journeys from hell.
I am not a nervous passenger by any stretch of the imagination. I can quite happily be chauffeured around on the worst of Indian roads, barely blinking at what most travellers to the country find, what can be described at best, as utterly terrifying. It does me good on occasion when friends, who have never…
In India, We Speak Like This Only
Another day another train. The Dehradun Shatabdi this time and an a/c chair car for INR580.00 or £5.80 for a comfortable 5 hour journey. Not only is this journey comfortable, you are provided , within the price of your ticket, with a bottle of water, newspaper, tea, breakfast (veg or non-veg) and more tea. Not…