Kashmir was a bit of a problem for us. We had to go through it, unless we wanted to circle right back the way we'd come over the last 2 weeks and travel through the still-afflicted Ladakh. On the other hand, the sporadic violence and 24-hour curfews in the capital of Srinigar didn't make it an appealing destination. The highway passes very close to the disputed northern border with Pakistan and from the moment we set out, the You are under enemy surveillance made us feel right at home. Of course, they can surveill us all they want - as long as they don't shoot us we don't really care. We decided to proceed with caution, whatever that means. Try not to get hit by any bullets etc... So we drove, and it was good. Crossing ... read more

Understandably, there was a bit of an atmosphere in Leh following the so called 'cloudburst' and mudslides. Aside from the tragedy of hundreds of dead, homeless and financially broken locals, reports drifted in of the many foreigners missing or worse. There was a general lack of good times being had and many roads, routes and locations were closed due to damage and/or continuing danger. Signs were up uging foreign nationals to contact their respective embassies while supplies, volunteers and one or two Indian celebrities were flown in. Those with time constraints were leaving by any available means - in this case the only available means was by air and seats were in short supply. We've heard of airlines (or more likely the enterprising but morally dubious ticketing staff) charging up to 200% or simply selling them ... read more

As our regular reader will be aware, we've been travelling around north India on a motorcycle for about a month now. It has been - and continues to be - an incredible journey through some of nature's most ruggedly beautiful scenery. It is a journey made possible in no small part by the tireless, hard working and quick-witted BRO. The Border Roads Organization Northern India is equal parts mountains and valleys. Occasionally a flat bit of ground manages to stretch itself out but such areas seem few and far between. That there are roads here is incredible - that they're actually decent enough to be classed as 'motorable' is nothing short of miraculous. Without these improbable ribbons of dirt, rock and tarmac we'd be sunk. The only option would be trekking and let's face it - ... read more

The Pin Valley branches off from the Spiti a few km from Dankar, where we'd spent the previous night. The village of Mudlies at the far end of the valley and the road there was both spectacular and...muddy. First impressions of Mud were inspirational - a tiny cluster of white-washed houses spread around a single unpaved street surrounded by greenery and steep rocky slopes. Walking out of our room there was a rooftop balcony area which looked down to the end of the valley itself - a single huge, jagged mass of ice and rock. So things were good in Mud. We settled in and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging around chatting with other travellers. Night fell and we retired to our quarters. Shortly there came a knock at the door. "Hello sir, someone ... read more

Touchdown. South India. Summer heat and monsoon rain. We were excited to back back. If we'd known what was in store, we might been more apprehensive. Getting out of the airport was easy. It was raining when we got outside though and rickshaw negotiations (we were offered a series of random prices ranging from 150 to 400 - we settled on 100) were a rather damp affair, as was the ride through town to the train station. The correct train was located and beds were appropriated without much fuss and we headed back to the platform for some snacks. An old man offered us a biscuit, which we accepted. Oops. Before long we were stuck in a conversation in which he made some stunningly bold assertions about our personal lives and then predicted our marriage by ... read more