Kenny G

Apart from the sensual overload of sights, smells, noise and people, probably the first thing a foreigner notices on arrival in India is the pollution and litter. Even amongst the decrepit housing, animals wandering the streets and the unwholesome smells, it is often the litter and garbage that stands out most notably. In his 2003 publication ‘Rewriting Indian History’, Francois Gautier put forward the theory that, as a spiritual leader of the world, India and its inhabitants have a reputation for being more introspective and inward-looking than other peoples, which is why the beautiful country has such little regard for its environment. Internal happiness aside, trash has created utter turmoil in India’s external surroundings. Deforestation levels are indeed unsustainable in many parts of the country although, admittedly, Indian landscapes are in far less danger than the ... read more

Hiring two-wheelers from “Himalaya bikes” near the main street of Leh, we headed past Chilling and the Zanskar River towards our destination, the province of Dha-Hanu in the far west of Ladakh. “Himalaya bikes” is a very good place to hire motorbikes in Leh by the way. The people running it are very reasonable and prices are astoundingly cheap. We took a detour to Likir to see the Dalai Lama’s occasional residency. The statue of the Buddha surrounded by the bright ladakhi flowers was wonderful to behold A further detour to Yangthang took us through Nevada like scenery with layered drops of sandstone and moonlike panoramas. We turned back where the road became extremely bumpy. We passed a long military convoy of 30 or so trucks and then became completely covered in exhaust fumes from all ... read more

Rujul kicks back in an armchair and looks over the valley towards Old Manali from his Vashisht guesthouse. With intensity he draws on his trusty chillum and looks at me with his dark Keralan face. At 39 years old he looks just 29. His face shows experience, but playfulness can be seen in his brown eyes and pointy features. I ask how he came to be a guest house worker in the Himalayas. He exhales thick smoke through his nose and proceeds to tell me about his whole life... Rujul began: “I was born in Goa, but my family was from Kerala. My dad was in the army earning 150 rupees a month (around 3 American dollars today) whereas my mother was a higher rank in the army earning 570 rupees a month. My father had ... read more

After two days of being violently ill in Paharganj, trapped in a stuffy and windowless hotel room, I took a 36 hour train from Delhi to Bangalore. At 6am the train passed through the Delhi slums on the way out. Locals sat on the side of the railway, each with a plastic bottle ready to answer the call of nature. Other men, presumably employed, tapped idly on the track with chisels without really achieving anything. The chai-wallahs were on top form with the full range of vending possibilities. ‘Samosi Samosa’ was said in a nasal android tone at high volume. ‘Chai Chaiee’, ‘coffi coffeeee’, ‘veg pakora’, ‘veg non-veg’, ‘chicken cutlette’, ‘omlette’, ‘veg biryani – chicken biryani’, ‘ masala chai.’ Heading through the rarely visited Madhya Pradesh in the centre of the country, the landscape initially became ... read more

Budget travellers can avoid the cost of flying in to Srinagar from Delhi by taking the winding road up from Jammu to observe the spectacular terraced agriculture and gushing river valleys of Kashmir state. It is a crammed highway, however, and the views can be eclipsed by outrageous and unnerving driving manoeuvres. Regarding the insurgency, the safest and quickest options are the somu mini-vans. Having completed mandatory registration with Indian officials, crossing into the Kashmir valley past the bright mustard fields and piles of Kashmir Willow cricket bats, approaching what has been in recent years the highest battlefield on earth, is a remarkable experience. Numerous proud signposts greeting you to “Kashmir Valley - Paradise on Earth” are often ironically framed by armed soldiers. If military presence deters you then Srinagar should be avoided. Throughout the valley ... read more