We crawl off the bus after two days and two nights solid travel caked in filth and stinking to high heaven. Goa is notoriously expensive but we find a cheap little guest house in the center of Panjim and immediately disrobe and shower! Our Roman Catholic host later admits her reluctance to let us in due to our disheveled appearance but i think she was relieved to see we scrubbed up pretty well. Goa is very different to anywhere we have visited in India so far - it is clean, organised and hassle free. The locals drive new European cars down streets lined with palm trees and Mediterranean architecture. We both love this paradise and walk around carefree. It may not be 'real' India but it feels like a holiday and that is how we ... read more

We arrive in Pushkar by deluxe bus this time as tickets were cheap and avoided the nearby city of Ajmer where we would have to change on a local bus. Brahma dropped a lotus flower on the earth and Pushkar appeared - so the legends tell, and then came a million tourists and turned it in to Brighton. Each and every dread-head looks to the man to his left blaming him for what Pushkar has become and each of them somehow in turn are not responsible. None the less the temples that crown the highest hilltops still retain some of the energy this holiest of towns became famous for - if you can brave the often treacherous climbs to see them. Up here far above the bazaars, ghats and cheap hotels that surround the holy lake, ... read more

We are greeted outside the station by the usual screaming mob offering best hotels and best rickshaw prices, but beyond the maddened crowd we see a city quite different to Delhi. There is a better vibe here, less dirty, less desperate. Our time in Agra was challenging for the both of us because we both got very ill. First me with acute stomach pains and vomiting, then just as we thought we were free, Ness also falls prey to the Delhi Belly. We both feel that illness was inevitable on our budget so here was as good a place as any to brave it out. Our guesthouse was fairly clean with cooling fans, and stores were nearby for simple food and bottled water. Before moving on we still had an opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal ... read more