WE are a couple of middle-aged backpackers, combined age around 120. Slightly arthritic - I lie. Very arthritic. So travelling on the cheap is not always easy. But always great fun. Here we go then, heading for Madhya Pradesh, a giant state in the middle of India. After a couple of weeks in Rajasthan we're back on the Arthritic Hippy Trail..... Fi and I are on the overnight bus heading north from Mumbai. Reclining seats, rucksacks tucked away neatly underneath, a couple of bottles of water stuck into holders, and a bag of food - fruit, bread rolls, and veg samosas - we are comfortable and ready for a long night. Twelve hours, they reckon to Indore, where we can grab a country bus to Mandu. Easy-peasy, considering the hardships we endured on a hellish
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