Sixteen years ago, on a tour of Rajasthan with my wife, we stopped for lunch at a hotel near the Jain temples at Ranakpur. There we met a boy named Lajpal. Little did I know then that this chance encounter would drastically change my knowledge and understanding of his fabulous country. The first blog which featured this boy - now a young married man and known to me by his familiar name of Pintu - was in 2005 (my blog explains all). I’ve returned to India several times since and, on each occasion, have been introduced to more and more of his family – so much so that it’s almost as if I’ve become an honorary member of it. They are all so kind, considerate and welcoming. Their thoughtfulness and generosity are humbling and often quite ... read more

Do you have some favourite places in the world? I certainly have – and it’s a long list! Near the very top of that list, however, is a city in India that’s like no other. It has a character you can’t quite put a finger on. It’s brash, it’s beautiful, it’s beguiling - much like many other big Indian cities really, but this one has lakes and mountains on top of some terrific and typically Rajasthani sights. It’s also a relatively clean and tidy place – fortunately, because one of my friends here is the senior officer responsible for the beautification of this ancient city, the wonderful lake city of Udaipur. Last year, I spent five days in the hotel next door and I now had great pleasure introducing the Grey haired nomads to the colour, ... read more

Bhārata? Some know it as Hindustan - but Bhārata, the Sanskrit name of the country we know and love as India, sounds somehow more intriguing, doesn’t it? I think the map of our route may have given you a clue though! (Incidentally, did you realise that the panorama at the top of the page is actually part of a slideshow? If not, scroll back now to watch it!) Three TravelBloggers? It probably won’t get a mention in the Guinness Book of Records but, yes, three TravelBloggers will be travelling together. A short explanation follows: If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home. James A. Michener My wife really only rejects the food, spicy and otherwise. Indeed, her body rejected it so violently on ... read more

If there's one thing which would convince visitors to our fair shores that the English are barmy it would have to be: grown men and women wearing quaint costumes, bells on their legs and weird hats planted with flowers and feathers, dancing in a pub car park to the sounds of squeezeboxes and diddly-di-do songs while waving handkerchiefs in the air and menacingly clacking together wooden sticks. These strange affairs are called 'Morris dancing'. They're ancient folk dances, once thought to be pagan rituals, with carefully-choreographed steps, accompanied by music played on one or more melodeons or accordions and sometimes with a rhythmic, booming drum and a wind-instrument or two for good measure. Personally, I suspect it's all an excuse for a good booze-up; after all, you'll seldom see these dances performed anywhere except in pub ... read more

The Olympic Games were last held here in the UK in July 1948, having been postponed since 1944 because of certain unpleasantness at the time. The main venue - for the Games, not the unpleasantness - was Wembley Stadium, within sight of which I'd been born only four years earlier. I don't remember the Games - but then neither do Germany and Japan, who weren't invited to participate; they'd had a hand in that same unpleasantness. Now the Games are coming to London again, starting later this month. To compensate us for not being able to buy tickets for any events worth seeing, a Torch Relay carrying a bit of the Grecian flame has been doing the rounds of towns all over the country. Today, it was the turn of url=http://en.wik... read more