Another sunrise well worth the early start today with clear blue skies. After breakfast we set off to Nagar, south of our home to visit the Roerich museum. The Roerich family were Russian and came to the area early last century. They had studied in Russia, Europe and the United States before doing a long overland trek to get here. The father and one son were prolific artists with a striking modern style. The family was very interested in religions, archeology, science and, well, pretty much everything. They established a centre of research and promoted worldwide the principle of achieving peace through sharing and preserving culture. After a stop or two on the way back for photos and a handcraft exhibition (got suckered there - it was just a shop) we were back in New Manali ... read more

Today was all about getting to know Koshla and Manali (the local village and area) and the families of our hosts Yoga and Dugli. We are staying in a traditional home that our travel expert organiser Robin helped build. It is made of local stone and pine. We have a separate bathroom with all the mod cons like electricity and a proper toilet.Sunny (their son), wife Sanita and cute 5 year old son Saransh live in the house right next door, where we eat. And a brand new puppy arrived today so there was great excitement all round.... read more

After a pleasant breakfast with more interersting fellow travellers, we set off for our guided tour of Delhi. First step was the 73m Qutub Minar built as part of the Mulgul dynasty. Our guide was firmly Hindu and NOT a fan of anything Islam so took great pains to explain it might have been mogul king but it was Hindi smarts that designed and built this amazing, striking tower. This site include various other points of interest including an ancient iron pole that never rusted. Apparently the stupid British tried to deciper the writing on it to detained how it was made, only to find the inscription was a prayer to the relevant god, not the secret ingredients for rust proof iron. Next stop was the Jama Masque, the largest in india. It was buiilt by ... read more

Some 22 hours after leaving Auckland Liz and I have arrived in Delhi. Thanks to a 4 hour recharge in the 'nap room' at Changi airport, we were ready to go. Thikana home stay is really a comfortable little hotel with aircon, hot water and everything you need. After breakfast and a chat with a fascinating Amercian woman who is into textiles, we headed off to the Lodhi Gardens, where there are a number of tombs dating back to the 15rth century. After a wander around the gardens, amongst the picnickers and joggers, we headed to Khan markets, relatively upmarket markets where we ogled fabrics and traditional costumes before a great lunch. We had planned to go to Gandhi Smitri (Gandhi's home where he was shot) but there were about a million Indian tourists wanting to ... read more

Geo: 2.20568, 102.256After a more leisurely start, it was off to the bus station for the two hour trip to Malacca. The car/taxi trip would have been RM400, the bus 40RM - about NZD8, for two people. It was pretty easily sorted although we were asked for passports while buying the tickets. Adolf produced a photo of his and apparently that was good enough. But thanks to Linda and Romi for responding to the txts and I hope they don't create too much angst!There is motorway all 140 odd km to Melacca and lots of jungle and new apartment blocks to be seen. Downtown Melacca is a pretty spot with a nice mix of tourist and local shops. A guy in an antique shop directed us to the best local place for satay. It was great, ... read more