On our last morning we were up early again, this time for another boat trip on the Ganges. It is still pretty hectic with many people coming to the river to do puja at sunrise - washing, praying and making offerings. We go up river past the dhobi ghats where the laundry is being done to the second crematory ghat which has the traditional fires as well as an electric crematorium. The buildings at each ghat seems to be have built by someone important from a different state so you can see the influence of all different parts of India and Nepal - and Britain - as we go past. We drift down river as the sun comes up and get out just after the other crematory ghat which is less busy than last night. We ... read more

An early-ish start to the day with a tour of the Maharana's palace of which our hotel is just a small part. The palace was built by successive rulers of the area over about 400 years. The current family now live in part of it with the rest being a museum and two hotels We got in ahead of the crowds, which included 600 cadets from schools all over India. (Linda, a little reminiscent of the scouts at the castle In England). The palace is well maintained and there are lovely paintings, frescoes, mosaics and mirror work all through it. The paintings include the miniatures with very fine work which are a speciality of this region. Next stop, the Ladies Garden, for the Maharana's wives and daughters is actually about 5 km from the palace. It ... read more

We departed our lovely Pal Haveli this morning after meeting the artist who had done all the beautiful frescos in the hotel. We also left our somewhat frustrated/frustrating guide behind and have our driver who seems to have sussed us out and spent a lot of time smiling at our conversations with/about the guide yesterday. About 1/2 hour out from the city we stop at a wholesalers and we are in fabric heaven. We emerge with more purchases and tell him he is a bad man. He laughs and tells us his wife shops more than we do. Tonight's accommodation is a royal hunting lodge in a small village and it is absolutely magnificent. We feel like princesses. The rooms are lovely. I have my own balcony, dressing room, beautiful bathroom - and I have the ... read more

What a full on day of contrast yesterday was. There are many monuments and statues around Amritsar, to various important people but also just because, like the ones depicting dancers we saw on the way to the Golden Temple, the primary site for Sikhism. Apart from being a stunning complex with pristine, hurt-your-eyes white marble buildings and paving surrounding the rich golden temple which sits in the middle of a lake, the whole atmosphere is quite special. People calmly go about their devotions, praying, purifying themselves in the water amongst the large crowd. No one is bothered by anyone else or by tourists taking photos. It is a very peaceful and tolerant environment. The kitchens provide thousands of free meals 24 hours a day and there are permanent and volunteer staff. We get a tour through ... read more

First up today was a visit to Viceregal Lodge, built in just 4 years in the 1880s in the style of Balmoral Castle. It was the summer residence during the Raj and was the site of many of the negotiations prior to partition in 1947. It is now used by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. 60 or so post doctorate students are selected each year to continue their research here. The gardens are extensive with plenty of English flowers. The grounds included a fire station and a squash court. The house was the first in Shimla to have electricity and a full fire protection system. We then went the the opposite end of the spectrum and visited the Jakhu Temple dedicated to Hanuman the monkey god. As expected, there were plenty of monkeys around. We ... read more