Geo: 26.9847, 78.1019We saw it and we got the photo!The Taj was breathtaking. It very much lived up to expectations and I am thrilled that I've been able to witness its beauty. We even had a good view of the Taj from our hotel bedroom. Agra itself is terrible, with the most vicious of street hawkers we'd encountered so far. It's a shame, as lots of what they were trying to sell was really beautiful. We just ended up feeling cross a lot of the time. Most disturbing were the terribly persistant children. A whole new generation of uneducated hastlers. Bill brought a camel whip, probably to tame the hawkers with! Lots of people were always chewing something, then spitting out black pieces of grass. We decided that it would be best to be a fly ... read more

Geo: 10.012, 76.2251We were looking forward to escaping the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded cities to a more relaxed pace of life in Kerala. I was particuarly looking forward to hiring a houseboat along the backwaters, after having seen them on a travel show when I was about 12! We nearly didn't make it onto the aeroplane after we went to the wrong terminal, 30mins away from the correct one.Kerala was much more peaceful but unfortunately, the monsoon was much more apparent here. Lots of grey and drizzly days. Noah's Ark Homestay was extremely welcoming with Captain Jerry at starboard! They went out of their way to make sure we had our bearings, dropping us off in the centre and even taking us with them to Independance Day celebrations at their Church. Only Bill and ... read more

Geo: 24.5823, 73.6882Getting to Udaipur was a nightmare. We turned up at Jodhpur airport for our Kingfisher flight to Udaipur to be told that the airline had stopped flying to Udaipur and consequently, our plane did not exist! A taxi driver offered to drive us for around £60, but Bill wasn't prepared to spend more of my precious money on luxury, so we took the tuktuk to the train station, no luck, and then to the bus station. We got a ticket for the next bus to Udaipur (5hrs) When it turned up, it looked as if the panels had been stapeled together. I was not happy to be getting on it!! After the worse 9hrs of my life, holding on for dear life and praying in overtime, we eventually arrived in Udaipur. Our first hotel ... read more

Geo: 26.8616, 75.6958The Hotel Pearl Palace was fantastic! It was such a relief after Delhi. Here, you could actually sit down and relax on a stunning rooftop, even if it did take forever for the drinks to come from downstairs! The peacock rooftop was extra special. Dinner was tasty and the Kingfisher beer, although expensive (around £3) was very much needed! We loved it so much here, and were so exhausted, that we decided not to continue onwards to Jaisalmer but to stay put. When we were eventually ready to venture out of the hotel, Jaipur was still a Rajasthan city - dirty, chaotic and full of flies! If you stayed still for any more than a few seconds, you'd be covered in them! We got used to eating all our food with a side order ... read more

Geo: 27.86, 34.29 Sharm El Sheikh exceeded all expectations. The one thing which makes it unmissable is the underwater world - simply breathtaking! The Hotel Albatros was super. Very large and slightly impersonal as a result, but couldn't fault the accommodation, facilities and all inclusive apart from the fact that every spirit and cocktail tasted like rum! Plus the Shisha wasn't inclusive. We went off season but the weather was perfect. I'm not too sure you'd want it any hotter! We were lucky enough to have half a km of jetty attached to the hotel. The first time we went to the beach, we could already see fish from the shore. It must have taken us 2hrs to walk up the jetty the first time, stopping every 20secs to take a photo of another amazing fish. ... read more