Whilst this blog seeks to entertain its main purpose is to be informative for those thinking of heading up to Ganagotri to trek to Gamukh and further beyond. There is a few things worth knowing that are not in the guide books before that might influence your decision as to how to do it, where to stay and whether to use guides and porters. The trek itself is lovely and fairly straight forward, passing following the Ganga valley's sheer rock faces towering above, right up to the source of the Ganga - the Gamukh glacier. The sound of the raging torrent [View Full Entry]

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Agra, famous for the Taj Mahal was our first destination after Rajasthan. We decided that due to the very oppressive heat we would just visit the main attraction and get outta town as quickly as possible! Our 6am visit to the Taj Mahal was great - the cool air and beautiful light so early in the morning made this spectacular creation look like pure fantasy. The photos can’t quite do it justice but it’s possibly the most beautiful man made place I have ever been. We walked close up, viewed from afar, sat in the gardens and watched other visitors take [View Full Entry]

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It's some time now since we visited Tibet but the memories stay with me of the peaceful, friendly, smiling Tibetan pople, their devout Buddhism enshrined in the many temples and monasteries and the beautiful landscapes of their country on the roof of the world. We have since encountered Tibetan peoples in exile at Boudhanath near Kathmandu in Nepal and in Dharamsala/ McLeod Ganj, the seat of the Tibetan Government in exile in India. Even in exile the peaceful approach to all is hugely obvious and inspiring. The Tibetan people stand at an important crossroads as two historic moments approach [View Full Entry]

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So it's been a long time since my last blog and we've been busy bees these past few months! Having enjoyed the beautiful coastline and lush backwaters of Southern India and our inspiring stay at The Russ Foundation we headed northeast to explore the delights and very different aspects of this fascinating sub-continent. Mumbai was our first stop and this quote from The Lonely Planet guide book really sums it up!... "Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of [View Full Entry]

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Introduction This blog, now in its second edition, is to act as a reference site for those non-fatal diseases, ailments and minor irritations that can blight the traveller is his quest bumming round the globe not having to work. Its a tough life on the road and contrary to one's working friends who believe that their mates are just on a long holiday and sending back the occassional sanctimonious 'having a great time while you are at work' email to their mates, nothing could be further from the truth. I give you a compilation of complaints incurred so far - expect [View Full Entry]

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The League of Cheesy Rock Song {Artist} <Points> Hotel California {The Eagles} <333> Various {Bob Marley} <318> Various {The Kathmandu Cover Bands} <292> Aqua/Camelman {Barbie-Girl} <291> Buddhist Chanters {Om Mane Padme Om} <98> The Power of Love [View Full Entry]

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So we arrived in India - just in time for new year! After our journey across Asia and the mad dash from Kathmandu to Goa it was fantastic to kick back for a while and spend time with the lovely Hannah and her friends! Staying in a flat with a kitchen was a real treat - we got to make some of our own food for a change - something we had really been missing! We celebrated Bob's birthday at Silent Noise - a party where everyone has cordless headphones to listen to the music through - sounds crazy but it [View Full Entry]

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Our Russ visit began in the very early hours of seventeenth February when we disembarked the night train from Trivandrum. We were met by Berlin a founding member and the current President of Russ Foundation and a number of other staff who were waiting at the various exits of Madurai’s busy mainline station looking for an English couple (had we mentioned the size of Bob's beard in advance there would have been no problem spotting us but we'd somehow omitted this detail!) After a little confusion and a couple of phone calls we eventually found each other and headed off towards [View Full Entry]

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The journey to India was delayed before it even began - the agency who'd convincingly promised that, for a small fee, they could secure an Indian visa in time for us to cross the border and catch the trains we had booked to get to Goa in time for new year, unfortunately didn't come through with the goods - we only discovered this late on 27 December, the date we were due to depart. "We're very sorry" they said - "the Embassy has been closed, not just for Christmas day but also for the Eid festival the week before AND for [View Full Entry]

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Very sad news about Slinky our cat - he became ill just before Christmas and has sadly passed away. Many of you will have fond memories of this beautiful cat so we decided to write a few words in his honor… Slinky cat of Wivenhoe 2000 - 2008 In 2000 two little black cats, Came to live at Foresters Hall; Bob and Mima couldn’t resist, The one who climbed Bob’s leg and sat, Upon his shoulder cute and small! When he arrived he was called Frankie, But later on his name did change; First was Stinky ‘cos he did whiff, But [View Full Entry]

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