Our first full day in Egypt was a real highlight of the trip as we visited the pyramids at the Giza plateau. Although our scheduled visit on the tour was not until the end of the holiday we had a welcome change to see them at the start (due to some protesting in Tahir square). There are three main pyramids Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus and the sight of them did not disappoint. Breathtaking in sheer size, creation and craftmanship and surprising to think that they have been there for thousands of years while the city of Cairo and Giza have built up around them. We had the opportunity to go inside the Great Pyramid of Cheops. It was amazing inside. We climbed steeply up into a chamber near the top of the pyramid. Inside we discovered ... read more

So the Volcanic Ash cloud meant that in the end we all had an extra week in Delhi. In hindsight it is funny as I was worried that I would only have half a day in Delhi which I didn't think was long enough. I was pleased to be on an organised tour as it was great to have others to talk to who were in the same situation and we all worked hard to keep our spirits up and to plan our days to relieve the worry and boredom. As someone who loves to travel and spent two years living away from the UK it is hard to explain the panic you feel when there is a possibility that you might be left stranded against your will in another country unable to return to your ... read more

Wow - 4.50am start! This time we took a bus back to the river Ganges to take a morning boat ride and to see the Ghats from the water. I was amazed by the procession of people on their way to the Holy waters and how many were there bathing in it and swimming. Some people were even using soap. I am not sure I would like to take a bath in such a public place but priests were available to give blessings and some people were rubbing themselves with mustard oil to help cleanse away their sins. The river also has a very practical use as we saw lots of people washing and using a solar dryer to lay the washing out in the sun (I don't think we would be able to do that ... read more

OMG. Indian sleeper trains - what an experience. One unfortunately I will have to repeat one more on this trip! I did not enjoy the experience at all. First of all the train was late and we were waiting for nearly 2 hours on the platform. As the train only stops for 5 minutes we had a mad panic to try and get our luggage on the train and all of us in the time allocated without leaving anyone behind. We made it but then finding bed numbers on the carriages and trying to drag our luggage down the tiny corridor was almost impossible. There were compartments of four beds and a curtain with two other beds and individual curtains on the other side. They were bunk beds. Originally I had been allocated a bed in ... read more

Up bright and early at 4.50 am with just enough time for a quick cuppa before our early morning game drive. Full of sleep and anticipation we set off once again in search of the elusive tiger. A different guide and a new truck so fingers crossed! We took a different route at the Ranthambhore National Park and I had the sense that the tigers were out there and were watching us. Again we spotted the paw prints but no sign of the tiger until ….. Finally we came across 5 jeeps pointed in one direction with lots of people using binoculars and taking photo’s. Across the lake near the Maharaja’s old hunting palace you could just make out a head on the rocks and a body peeping out of the grass. Breathtaking. She was sooo ... read more