I think have discovered the way I like to travel and it's one I could become accustomed to very easily. Forget rising damp, cockroaches scuttling around the floor and less natural light than Wooky Hole. Even the upmarket TV and Hot Shower brigade just don't cut it. Try complimentary exotic fruit of the day, mini snack dishes delivered every afternoon, not one but three daily newspapers and so many free toiletries we just had to post them home. Ladies and Gentlemen, ones hotel of choice in Bangkok has to be the original decandence of the East - The Mandarin Oriental. Complete with spas (yes spa-ss), gym and running track, 5 top class restuarants (including the most prestegious in Bangkok) and the most comprehensive buffet breakfast know to man. From this point on all hotels have a ... read more

Ahh, the efficiency and speed of Indian trains made our journey across the plains of India from Kolkata to Agra just fly by. In the time it takes for an Indian train to cover 1200kms on European trains you could travel Edinburgh to Warsaw and be there in time for tea, as it was when we arrived in Agra at midnight (5 hours late) we were lucky enough to be confronted with a room full of beasties (luckily none big enough to really bite). However, there were several spiders putting up a sterling effort to address the problem. Of course the real purpose of visiting Agra was not just the joy of a 24hr train trip or the diverse wildlife in our room but the World Wonder that seems to be on every tourist's wish list ... read more

It is always said that it's the simplest of ideas that last and it is true once again of the humble Momo. So simple is it's creation and it's endearing legacy that few have been able to distill its essence into the written word - so here goes nothing. Small yet mighty the Momo has outlasted dynasties, invasions and the Indian attempt to curry it to become the staple of not only the Nepalese Tibetans in exile but many a weary traveler that just can't face another curry. During our time spent in Nepal we felt that we owed it to this little piece of manna to conduct a full and extensive feast to attempt to determine why, where and simply how. Each little delectable entity can sustain a man for days and yet when presented ... read more

Varnasi and the Ganges it borders, is one of the oldest cities in the world and unfortunately pretty much a cesspool. The city can't cope with the number of people in it and the rickshaw drivers almost rival Delhi in their insistant hounding. With this in mind we are currently preparing to hot foot it to Nepal and the border (ish) town of Lumbini. Buddha's birthplace and home of yet more temples should prove to be a nice introduction to a country that has slower buses than India and cares just a little bit less about cricket. To pass the time (please note that this is the only entry so far to be written up to date) we have deemed it nessesary to have a run down of the top 5 myths about India ... (cue ... read more

Ah pizza, chips (real chips), coffee, pasta, meat such glorious meat, juicy tasty steak (with chips) and gravy, not curry sauce, not spicy water, gravy. Mumbai, India's powerhouse and home of more second hand books than you could shake an uncomfortably sized stick at is the furthest south in India we planned to go and we're very glad we came. After the staring and discomfort of Ahmedabad (see previous) Mubai was much appreciated. Yes we're still strangers and attract looks, points and 'hellos' relentlessly, but in Mumbai it always has a air of friendliness and genuine curiosity about the world outside India. Mumbai is what India wants to be and where India is heading. They even stop at red lights! As we shuttled all over the city trying to see the sights, shop (Duncan) and eat ... read more