The deafening din of two-handed drumming and the beating of stick on pan-like cymbal will forever remind me of Indian marriages. At the beginning and end of every ceremony - and, it seemed, at random intervals during every one of them too - these were the sounds that inevitably announced the arrival of bride, groom or guests. At around 10.30p.m. on Monday night, however, it was the comparatively subdued sounds of a drummer and an harmonium player singing joyous marriage tunes that greeted our arrival at the Hotel Shilpi after the long and dusty journey from Jaipur. Don't be fooled though - they'd soon be augmented by a booming big bass drum and a catatonic clattering cymbal! We whiled away our time drinking hot, sweet, milky tea and in conversa... read more

I was showered, dressed and ready to leave the Maharani Bagh before 7.45a.m., the time Khuman and I had agreed the night before for our departure to Jaipur. He was to be one of my travelling companions for the long, long journey. We had to be there no later than 5.00pm to prepare for the marriage procession and formal ceremony at 6.17p.m.. Depending on traffic, the journey could take anything from six to nine hours. However, as I may have mentioned before, Khuman doesn’t do mornings. We set off an hour and a quarter later! The observant among you may have noticed that, so far, there's only been talk of a bridegroom and the happenings in Sadri. That's because Pintu and his family celebrated the up-coming marriage independently of the bride who, in this case, lived ... read more

Pintu’s family started to arrive yesterday and today, with aunts, uncles, cousins, husbands and wives journeying from all over Rajasthan and Gujarat. All of them had to be welcomed and accommodated; the time and expense involved is massive. Khuman’s eldest son Vinku, whose marriage I attended in 2007, was already here, together with his lovely wife, Sheetal, and three-year-old daughter Aashi. Khuman's younger son, Shibu, a French-speaking tour guide with whom I exchanged friendly banter in that language from time to time, was here too; I’m sad to be missing his marriage on 13 April as Pat and I will be celebrating our own 40th anniversary on Madeira at the time. Cousin Montu, married less than three weeks ago, had just arrived too. Last night, I enjoyed drinks and dinner with them all in the gardens ... read more

Yesterday afternoon, my currently-single friend Pintu arrived unexpectedly early at the Aashiya Haveli. It was only to say he still had some shopping to do for his marriage clothes and would be back later. It was a brief but very happy reunion for us both. Later did come – very much later! It was not until nearly 10.30p.m. that we reached the home of his cousin Pradeep for drinks and snacks, followed by a midnight dinner of rice, chicken curry and a very tasty rabbit in spicy sauce, all kindly prepared by his wife, Meetu. His two energetic sons, five-year-old Mahi and Keshav, almost two-years-old, provided the entertainment! Pradeep is a senior officer in the Rajasthan Administration Service (RAS), responsible for the beautification of Udaipur. His is a prestigious position that comes with a house, servants ... read more

What do you think of when the Rocky Mountains are mentioned? Towering snow-capped peaks? Forests of tall, green pine trees? Rushing rivers and waterfalls? Glacier-fed lakes of blue and green? Winter ski resorts? Bears? Coach loads of Japanese tourists? Yup, they’re all there – in spades. And we’ve got the pictures to prove it! From Calgary, our route first took us up into the foothills of the Rockies. Quickly, the scenery changed. All around us, through the coach windscreen ahead, from the windows to left and right, dark crags, topped with snow even now in late-June, rose majestically from lush green forests at their feet. We’ve seen mountains around the world, but never as magnificent nor as extensive as these. To use the modern vernacular, they were awesome! Along the way, we made a stop at ... read more