Fort Kochi is an interesting place: when walking around its streets lined by European-style mansions, it is almost hard to remember that you are in India. Everything seems to be a bit more relaxed here than in the other parts of India we visited, and more traveller friendly. It clearly embraces its rich cultural heritage, following spells of control by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. To a certain extent, the city reminds me of Cape Town in South Africa: while Fort Kochi is in some ways clearly Indian, and while Cape Town is in some ways clearly South African, there is [View Full Entry]

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I know it's less than 24 hours since my last post, but the backwaters of Kerala are worth a separate entry! Phil and I had been planning to visit the backwaters by taking a public ferry from Kottayam to Alleppey which would have taken about 3 hours. The hiccup was however that we would have had to make our way to Kottayam and from Allepey respectively by train (1,5 hours each way). A lot of hassle it seemed, and we weren't even sure a) what times the ferry would leave b) whether we would get a seat and c) whether the [View Full Entry]

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On an average day, temperatures in many parts of Southern India are higher than most Europeans would find comfortable, especially given the humidity. This was certainly the case for the British in pre-air-conditioning colonial times. In order to flee the summer heat, they established the summer headquarters of the Madras government in a hill station in the Western Ghats. It was named Udhagamandalam, or Ooty for short, and temperatures here at 2240m are certainly lower than near the coast, with daily highs just above 20 degrees. We arrived in Ooty on Wednesday evening after one of my most u [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Mysore at 6pm on Monday evening after the 550km drive from Mamallapuram took longer than expected. We hoped to get here around 7 hours after setting off. In the end, it took us more like 10 hours. While the main roads between Chennai and Mysore were of a far better quality than I had expected, the delay was mainly caused by a very long wait at a railway crossing, as well as bad traffic around Bangalore. The scenery on the way was spectacular: some interesting rock formations as well as palm trees as far as the eye could [View Full Entry]

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Arriving in India will always be an interesting experience for me. The country has its own peculiarities which you notice straight away, from the heat and the smell, to the mass of people outside the airport and people-filled rickshaws. And this time was no different! Phil and I got here very early in the morning on Thursday, after our Thai Airways from Dubai to Chennai was delayed for several long hours. Immigration processed us very quickly, thanks to a "Foreigners only" desk, and us apparently being the only non-Indians on the flight. Then the wait for our luggage started. At first [View Full Entry]

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Dubai... Home to the world's only 7* hotel, an ever-increasing number of skyscrapers, and what must surely be the only ski-slope in the desert! These attractions will soon be joined by the world's tallest building, the world's largest mall, and the world's first underwater hotel. From start to finish, it is clear that Dubai is a city of extremes. The discovery of oil in the 1960s has caused a transformation to what must surely be one of the most modern cities on the planet. We arrived here on Saturday evening on a Singapore Airlines flight from Istanbul. After clearing customs and [View Full Entry]

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Istanbul - the only major city in the world to be situated on two different continents, Europe and Asia, and in the eyes of many Europeans the gateway to the East. And what a city it is! Prior to arrival, I was not quite sure what to expect, but after positive surprise after positive surprise, I would now recommend it to everyone! Phil and I arrived here on Tuesday from London Heathrow, via Frankfurt. We were picked up from the airport by someone working for the hotel and after a smooth 30 minute ride to Hotel Hanedan, the Istanbul experience could [View Full Entry]

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I'm still at home in Switzerland.... however, departure is now only about 24 hours away. The question now is whether I am ready to go... * Mentally - I suppose so. I'm looking forward to it actually! * Packing - The things I'm taking are all nicely laid out. Will it fit in my backpack? * Vaccinations - OK: I should now be protected against scary things like Japanese Encephalitis. * Visa - India/Vietnam/China are done. Apparently I don't need to get any for the other countries (Except for Cuba, but we're supposed to get that at check-in in Toronto ?!) [View Full Entry]

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