India's high caste Brahmins say a prayer three times a day, just before sunrise, at noon and just before sunset, in which they praise water as the energy giver and healer. No water in India is praised more highly than that of the Ganges and our spiritual journey would have been incomplete without a visit to where this holiest of all holy rivers begins its life. Perhaps that's why we chose to go to Rishikesh - not so much to discover what all The Beatles fuss was about (), nor even to experience another evening aarthi ceremony (even though that alone was worth going there for). Rather, it may have been because Rishikesh was only a couple of hours from where the sacred Ganges is born. There's a popular misconception that the Ganges starts at the ... read more

The temperature had dropped like a stone as soon as the sun went down at Har-ki-Pauri the previous evening. Seated on a step within inches of the river watching the aarthi ceremony, I'd respected tradition with bare feet. They'd been as cold as the Ganges' icy water! Clearly, it wasn't much warmer outside this morning. We awoke to a heavy grey mist almost obliterating the view from our terrace at the Devnadi Hotel. It happens at this time of year - warm by day, cold by night... fog in the morning. We added an extra layer, went down to the restaurant for a hot breakfast and hoped that things might improve later. Satish, a knowledgeable guide booked for our next two days by the hotel's lovely Jasmeet, soon arrived. Thankfully, so did the sun... Visibility had ... read more

Have you ever noticed the magic that happens when your flight reaches its destination? As the aircraft taxis from the runway, a flight attendant broadcasts the local time and weather and instructs everyone to ‘remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete halt’. Many seconds before it does, a disobedient scramble ensues as seat belts are unbuckled, mobile phones are switched on, overhead lockers are ransacked and weighty bags heaved down. The noisy throng hovers awkwardly and impatiently for ten minutes until the aircraft door is swung open. Weary travellers stumble slowly forward to the cabin crew's fixed smiles and parrot-fashion goodbyes... ...and then the magic happens! The smell of the air outside announces your destination. Breathe in... Every destination has a different scent, filling your sinuses with something b... read more

Wednesday was yet another glorious sunny day. I love this weather and I'm definitely not looking forward to returning to potentially grey skies and rain in England in just a days’ time. Making the most of the hours left, I started preparing my luggage for the journey home, then went back to the optician with Rajshri's younger brother Monty to collect my smart new specs. Monty had been such a great help to me during my stay, available at a moment's notice whenever I needed assistance and acting as interpreter and driver with such warmth and friendship. In the afternoon, I was collected by my other former Facebook friends Girdhar and his son Yashoraj, both very keen photographers and wildlife lovers whom I'd met on my visit to Jaipur in 2016. Today was to be another ... read more

There'd been some light rain in the night and Monday dawned cool and bright. The only sounds to be heard from my balcony were the Laughing Doves' cooing, Rose-ringed Parakeets' shrill squawking, the click-click calling of Palm Squirrels, and the hotel's two rival roosters shepherding their hens and loudly 'cock-a-doodle-doo'ing. In the background, horns of railway trains entering and leaving the city's main station a kilometre or so away bellowed on the breeze - as they did at frequent intervals throughout the day and night, one of the few drawbacks of staying here in Jaipur's Civil Lines area. Today was Holi - a festival well known, even outside of India, for its generous use of coloured powders, known here as gulal. Once made from natural vegetable dyes, then toxic chemical ones, the gulal are now commercially-produced ... read more