After breakfast we caught the school assembly which is held outside and we could see from our balcony. School children regardless of age all wear the traditional dress and lessons are given in English, as is school assembly. Today's speeches were on dealing with change and working with others. We left Haa and followed the river northbound, the road clinging to and weaving around the valley. On the way we went to Lhakahang Karpo (a temple) where the monks were practicing for the coming festival. They formed a large circle in the courtyard at the front of the temple and accompanied by the cymbal were turning and ducking in what looks like it will be an energetic mask dance. Two temporary tents were also set up out the front. One reminded us of a ger with ... read more

Our first full day in Bhutan and our first sight on our list was Takshang Goemba (better known as the Tiger's Nest Monatery), the most famous monastery in Bhutan and probably the most iconic image of the country. It perches on the side of a sheer 900m cliff and is said to be held in place by the hair of angels. We awoke to drizzle and fog which basically didn't clear all day, hardly ideal conditions for being in the mountains. Thankfully the drizzle was very light by the time Sangay dropped us at the start of the trail up to Tigers Nest, however it was wet and muddy underfoot. A short way into the hike we passed 3 large prayer wheels, the first we have seen that are water powererd. From there the trail went ... read more

The taxi driver to the airport to catch flight number 15 was a bit of a maniac. We were glad it was early on a Sunday morning so it was nice and quiet. In India outside Ladakh we have loved the architecture and enjoyed the company of some of the people we have met (both locals and 'tourists'), the colourfullness is nice and the chaos can be fun. The heat and humidity was manageable, it didn't kill us, but we would have enjoyed it far more if they were both cranked down 2 notches. And we don't mind paying tourist prices in poor countries (as long as they are reasonable) or being touted for business. But we hate the underlying dishonesty and being messed around, by no means is everyone like that but it is so ... read more

Shekawati region is a collection of countryiside towns that is known for it's painted havelis (traditional decorated residences). While now in an out of the way part of the countryside in the 14th century the towns were important trading posts on the caravan routes. We were staying in Madawa in a heritage hotel that is a restored haveli. It was a hot 4 hour drive to get there so we waited until the worst of the afternoon heat had passed before venturing out to explore in the late afternoon. We'd barely left the hotel before we were accosted by 2 young guys who insisted on accompanying us, they weren't guides and said they weren't after money but they just liked to talk to tourists. Initially we gave them heaps of ribbing, did they have a shop? ... read more

A ridiculously early start for the second morning running. This time to see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. As it had rained on our way to Agra we had opted to see it at sunrise not sunset. Leaving the hotel at 5:45am it was light, relatively cooler and the streets were quiet. Our walk down the road to the nearest point that vehicles can get to the Taj (it got discoloured by pollution so they had to clean it with some ancient recipie, now polluting vehicles aren't allowed within a couple of hundred metres) was really enjoyable. There was no queue at the ticket booth so we quickly had our (expensive 750 rupee) tickets and had collected our 'free' shoe covers and bottle of water. We joined the ladies queue to go through the security check. ... read more