Trains I think we'd love that train trip- sounds amazing! I can't remember why we skipped the Red Fort in Delhi (even though we were passing by it at one point), quite possibly because we were tired or because we were visiting the Red Fort in Agra shortly afterwards. We definitely need to rectify that oversight next time we are there.
Intrigued I'm very intrigued by this part of India. What a beautiful story about the stray dog who followed you. We have met a few dogs who have followed us on walks but only two (one in Turkey and one in Bulgaria) who followed us to our hotel and wanted to come in... I was so sad we couldn't bring them home! I'd love to be brave enough to visit the rat temple too, and I will take a leaf out of your book and wear throw-away socks; possible a few pairs! :)
India's Intrigue I have not been to India so I find everything you write about here fascinating! Shimla must be an especially interesting place for not only it's location but what you describe as its European architectural similarity. Great photos!!
We liked Shimla We liked Shimla for many reasons. It was cooler there than in the lowlands, it is a pretty town and it was clean and quiet and not too many people. /Ake
969 bridges and 103 tunnels Never ceases to amaze me of the money that ebbs and flows in this World. 969 bridges and 103 tunnels required from Kalka to Shimla presumably because someone decided it was worth the expense and labour to move to a cooler clime when the whim decided. Thanks for the info...fascinating! I'll post it in the Trains thread in the Photography Forum.
I did not know about the trains in the forum I didn't know there was a train thread in the forum. Thank you for posting it there. Possibly I have one or two other pictures that fits there. Maybe I can find the time to have a looka at it. /Ake
Kalka-Shimla Railway The Kalka-Shimla Railway truly is an engineering marvel and you don't have to be a train enthusiast to enjoy it either. I think they in India have yet another of those railways that goes into the mountains. If i remember it right it goes to Darjeeling. That one is high on my wishlist. /Ake
2004 vs 2015 We were in Delhi in 2015 and it's pretty amazing that the city has changed so much but also not changed at all - that shot of Paharganj looks identical to one of my photos. We stayed overnight in Agra too - it enabled us to see a bit more than when on a day trip. You have much fewer people in your Taj Mahal shots - we were there in January and it was cold and rainy, but the Taj was still packed. The crowds eventually got to me too, but it is mind blowing how there is order within what I saw as pure chaos :)
Mumbai’s Lunchbox Supply Chain "Order in chaos" made me think of something that is often referred to as Mumbai’s Lunchbox Supply Chain. In one day they transport 200,000 lunchboxes from homes to workplaces and back, that is 400,000 deliveries, and fails only like 1 in a million. Note that many of the workers in this nightmarish logistics system can't read or write. /Ake
That why I love India The contrasts is part of the reason why I love India. One other reason is the abundance and the great diversity of things to see. /Ake
Fascinating Intrigues me how easily you seem to be able to travel from place to place. What a great adventure you had. Love the pics and the information. First time I've seen a pic of the Dalai Lama's residence too!
Going between different places in India I think we managed to get a few overnight trains/busses when we were in India. So we transported ourselves in the night and could do sightseeing in the day. Also I think we were a bit lucky with the transport. I was in India for a while in mid 1990-ies and had a few chaotic moments in trains. If I ever get around to write about that trip I will write about those train rides because they are pretty good stories. /Ake
India Yes, I completely understand the love-hate point. I feel the same about India as a whole - I've found that around three weeks there is my limit. An amazing country, and I initially love the mayhem and exotic atmosphere, but the noise, dirt and crowds eventually take their toll and I'm ready to leave. I saw similar places in Delhi and Agra, and the unrusted 1700-year-old iron pillar is really quite remarkable.
Three weeks at most Very true. The first week I just love it all. But already at two weeks it starts to feel like too much and I need to get away and get some relief from it all. But it is a lovely country and I want to go back again. I have so much that I still want to see there. /Ake
An electrician's worst nightmare I was going 'ooh' 'ahh' seeing your magnificent collection of the architectural icons of the Mughal Empires when I saw this beauty that stopped me in my tracks. Reminded me of Zanzibar and Vietnam. Yours would make a great thread lead-in as the World's worst electrical tangles are truly fascinating.
Any other tradesmen's horrors? "Electrician's worst nightmare" I have seen here and there. But have I seen any other trademen's horror jobs? I once saw markings to lead the way for blind people that led right into a wall in a dead end. I think I once saw a lamp post in the middle of a bicycle lane. I guess I must have seen more but none are as rememberable as the nests of cables. /Ake
Tenerife Wow, really great to see Tenerife beyond the beaches and hotels - it looks amazing! I always make it to your last photo Ake, and I always feel treated - I was not disappointed this time! I've certainly never seen a cow on wheels before! 😊
Sometimes we hide a gem there Sometimes we hide a little gem in the last photo. Glad you make sure to look at them. Now we know that at least someone does. /Ake
We are Emma Holmbro and Ake Dahllof. We live in Stockholm, Sweden.
We have travelled more or less regularly since the mid 1990-ies and it seems like the more we travel the more difficult it is to decide where to go next. Not because we are running out of places to visit but because we find more places we want to go to faster than we manage to travel to them.
Some of the things from our travel bucket list we have ticked off since we started this blog in 2006 are
Angel Falls in Ven... full info
RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Trains
I think we'd love that train trip- sounds amazing! I can't remember why we skipped the Red Fort in Delhi (even though we were passing by it at one point), quite possibly because we were tired or because we were visiting the Red Fort in Agra shortly afterwards. We definitely need to rectify that oversight next time we are there.