After the heat and hassle of Pushkar, arriving in Shimla was literally like taking a breath of fresh air. The elevation, at nearly 2,500 metres, meant the temperature was a good deal lower than in the plains below, and the lack of vehicles from the main part of town has left the air clean... coupled with hefty fines for littering which mean Shimla isn't plagued by rubbish like the rest of the country. Shimla's history as the summer capital during the reign of the British Empire is probably well known so I don't need to repeat it here. The town itself [View Full Entry]

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We knew that the famous camel fair at Pushkar was to start sometime around the end of October/beginning of November, but weren't sure that we'd be in Jaipur at the right time. Luckily, we found out that we would be around for the pre-meet, in advance of the madding crowds, so booked a trip to Pushkar on our last day. Before that, however, we had one more day in Jaipur, so decided to head for the hills again, but this time to the east rather than the north. Our main destination was Galta, within a small valley directly east of Jaipur [View Full Entry]

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Leaving the serenity of India's untamed forest behind, we travelled north by train to Jaipur, the capital and largest city of Rajasthan, known both as the Pink City and as the City of Victory. We would be in Jaipur for 4 nights, giving us enough time to see the sights in and around Jaipur. We headed straight for one of the gates into the old walled city, which was planned by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1727 when he moved his capital from nearby Amber. Jaipur only became 'pink' in the 19th century when it was painted this colour in honour [View Full Entry]

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The meticulous planning back home in England worked, and I met my parents on the platform at Sawai Madhopur station on the afternoon of the 19th October. After four months on the road, it was great to see them, and I was relieved that they'd managed to negotiate New Delhi train station, Agra and a taxi ride to meet me at a small stop somewhere in eastern Rajasthan! We were here to visit Ranthambhore National Park - one of the best known tiger reserves in India. Following the obligatory catch-up drink, Mum's anecdotes of trying to get a 'proper' cup of [View Full Entry]

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The final leg of our journey together took us to the desert town of Jaisalmer, in far northwest Rajasthan, not far from the border with Pakistan (something we were very aware of in the current political climate). It didn't get off to a great start... we were hassled by aggressive touts at the train station in searing heat, then Mozza and I came down with stomach cramps and other common traveller illnesses which saw me confined to my bed all afternoon and Mozza taking it easy. The next day, however, we were back to fighting strength and decided to tackle Jaisalmer [View Full Entry]

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Jodhpur was my first taste of luxury since arriving in India. We booked into a hotel within a colonial-style villa on the edge of town, and spent our first morning in the Blue City reclining on comfy chairs outside our air-conditioned rooms. Lovely. Our relaxed mood vanished pretty quickly though after getting a rickshaw to Jodhpurs main bazaar, which spreads out from the old clock tower. With sweat running in rivers down our backs, we decided to up the core temp by sampling some street food, a spicy little number which we ate standing right next to the pan of hot [View Full Entry]

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My arrival by train to Udaipur was like being transported into a different country. Saying goodbye to the 3 army officers I shared a cabin with (and their machine guns, which I hadn seen the night before!), I stepped onto the platform and saw more westerners than in the entire period since arriving into Mumbai, a trend which continued at my hotel which was within spitting distance of Lake Pichola and the City Palace. My only task for the day was to wait for Mozza and Em, who were flying in from Mumbai. They arrived in the afternoon and so we [View Full Entry]

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So, hopping off the train early, to shouts of ye bye Jon from nearly half the train, I found a bed and checked that Sasan Gir Wildlife Sanctuary was indeed open early... and thankfully it was! The Asiatic lion used to roam freely across much of central Asia, but after ruthless hunting and loss of habitat, was reduced to a little over 30 lions by the 1930s. Mercifully, the Nawab of Junagadh, the local ruler, decided to protect what remained of the species, protecting the Sasan Gir forest and instigating a breeding program at nearby Junagadh zoo. Sadly, my safari didn [View Full Entry]

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I arrive in Ahmedabad, Gujarat's largest city, for a spot of 'sorting stuff out' before moving on. Home to 5 million people, Ahmedabad is a sprawling, noisy city, but one with history hidden in amongst the chaos. The old town contains some beautiful old mosques, the Teen Darwaja ('triple gateway') and a bustling bazaar. I wander amongst the market stalls, and my overriding impression is of a friendly city... the people are very inquisitive and polite, and on the backstreets, children vie for the attention of my camera lens (which, I should point out, is now in a fairly bad way... [View Full Entry]

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My first journey on the Indian railway network went off without any hitches. Punctuated by the frequent cries of 'chai-wallah, chai-wallah, chai chai chai', our train worked its way slowly out of the sprawling mass of Mumbai and into the Maharashtra countryside, arriving in Aurangabad in the evening. My reason for travelling east, besides escaping Mumbai, was to visit two of India's World Heritage Sites - the cave temple complexes at Ellora and Ajanta. Built from the 2nd century BC onwards, the two sites - 30km and 105km from Aurangabad respectively, represent an astonishing collection of Hind [View Full Entry]

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