India 2025

A 36-day adventure by Mark & Dhun Read more

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Trip start
January 29, 2025
India 2025
Odisha
January 28, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
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India 2025
Hyderabad dinner
January 29, 2025 in India ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
Dinner with chilli!
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India 2025
Family lunch
January 30, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Celebration lunch with the extended family!
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India 2025
Mendhi
January 30, 2025 in India ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Pre anniversary party!! Lots of Mendhi food and wine!
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India 2025
50th wedding anniversary
January 31, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Dhun your dress is so gorgeous!!!! [Amy]
1/31/25Reply
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India 2025
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Central Hyderabad
February 1, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Spent the day in Hyderabad at museum, temple and monuments, chaos everywhere!! Then went back to relatives to watch orient stream😆
Traveler Wow! Fabulous photos. Can't wait for you to talk them through with me. x
3/19/25Reply
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India 2025
Hyderabad Palace and Secrateriate
February 2, 2025 in India ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Went to a palace in the morning, the former home of the ruling Muslim family of Hyderabad, then went to the secrateriate which is home to the regional government, it's not open to the public but a relatives friend works there and gave us a private tour! We had security with us on the tour who wanted pics with us.Read more
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India 2025
Aurangabad
February 3, 2025 in India ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Arrived in Aurangabad last night, wedding going on at hotel so loads of buzz! Off to see Ajanta Caves, set off at 8 as 3 hour drive on crap roads!!
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India 2025
Ajanta Caves
February 4, 2025 in India ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
Went to Ajanta Caves, they are 30 Buddhist temples carved into a cliff face, the detail of the carving was amazing. They were constructed in 200 BC and are unbelievable.
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India 2025
Ellora caves and BiBi Ka Maqbara
February 5, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Days sightseeing Ellora caves, mini Taj (BiBi Ka Maqbara) and Muslim temple and grave of former ruler of the region. Caves were amazing, unbelievable how they created them by chiseling out the rock by hand!! Just landed in Mumbai, quick drink before bed as nearly midnight.Read more
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India 2025
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Mumbai Day 1
February 6, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Arrived in Mumbai last night, staying at Holiday Inn, getting v well looked after as some relative is manager of HI in India 😆... Room is lovely with view over the city. Got in late last night but Dhun and I still managed a couple of cocktails before bed (we are the youngest after all 😂). Ferry from India Gate to elephanta caves, boat is an experience with lifejackets worn throughout journey! Caves are interesting, dedicated to Shiva (Hindu god), route to cave temple was a run of stalls, cows, dogs and monkeys who steal anything they can!! Only downsides were the traffic (1:50hrs to do 21km and pollution, the air was pretty bad, probably thanks to the static traffic and no wind).Read more
Traveler Health and safety taken very seriously in India
2/6/25Reply
TravelerDhun is possibly the most glamorous person I’ve seen in a life jacket!
2/6/25Reply
TravelerLol x
2/6/25Reply
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India 2025
Mumbai Day 2
February 7, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Later start today as everyone knackered! Gym, breakfast and pool. Before heading off to tour the city, first to a Dhobi Ghart (laundry area), Hanging gardens and Gandhi museum. All really interesting, stopped at Swoti for snacks (evidently famous) normal chaos when ordering food. On to the central station and then Crawford market, the beach and then beer! Finished the evening with some small food at hotel and watching Dhun's sisters dance to a band playing Indian-filmy songs in lobby bar !!!
.Read more
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India 2025
Mumbai Day 3
February 8, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Another day of sightseeing, air quality poor today (actually highest possible level according to Google maps so masks on). Highlight was a trip to Leopold cafe near Taj hotel where there are still bullet holes on the wall from a terrorist attack in 2008. Came back to hotel to watch Orient play Man city in the FA cup then out to a 2nd cousins for chaat !!Read more
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India 2025
Mumbai Day 4
February 9, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Dhun and her brother and sisters went off to Pune today to see relatives, Rob DK Emma and I went to Versona beach on the metro. (Tbh not the most pleasant beach I've seen). In the evening we hosted some cousins at the hotel , lovely evening.Read more
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India 2025
Mumbai Day 5
February 10, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Last full day in Mumbai, went around the town to Juhu beach, a theatre and the commercial area by the slums (of slum dog fame), working conditions and housing are appalling (though guide who used to live there said people were happy) tbh the government is failing them, given how affluent Juhu and other areas are !! Tonight went to more relatives for dinner, although they don't drink their son (who lives in a flat a few floors down did, so popped down to his for a whiskey (and gin).Read more
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India 2025
Mumbai to Goa
February 11, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Early start as flying down to Goa for a few days by the sea! Landed in a hot and noisy Goa airport that immediately had a short power cut (not unusual for India). Staying in a villa for a while, Rob, Meenu and Emma have gone home this morning so just 6 of us in Goa . Pollution and traffic way better here, scenery also lush and green. Modern villa (part of a small enclave), but rural outside but short ride to the beach.Read more
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India 2025
Goa Day 1
February 12, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Leisurely start breakfast cooked by people who come in and service villa ( water was off after 9:30 for a few hours) . Took a taxi for the day to tour beaches and market. Stopped at the beach for a walk then beach bar with excellent live music and view. Then off to another beach for swim and walk then bar to watch cricket. Dinner on the beach watching sunset!Read more
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India 2025
Goa Day 2
February 13, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Earlier start , went to picturesque local beach for walk and a paddle, then on to a fort (ruined) with great views. After that off to another beach north of a huge lagoon, pic of the mouth of the lagoon attached. Disappointingly although seawater looks lovely the quality is poor (according to government website) - still swam in it!! Back to Villa for dip in pool, shower and then on to dinner.

Goais really green and lush with palm trees and dense forests, as its India the roads are mainly shot and the locals live very basically, we've seen a number of English people who've moved here in the markets running stalls for Indian and and European tourists, presumably they've moved over for the hippie lifestyle.Read more
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India 2025
Goa Day 3
February 14, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Two of the team down with vomiting (Dhun and Mamta) so quieter day today. Both are in bed asleep with yoghurt from a (top end!) restaurant being the main suspect. We've organised for a chef to come in tonight to cook veggie Indian. The "well" four are heading for short trip to the market and beach bar for light lunch while the other two sleep.Read more
Traveleroh no! poor mum and mamta masi! view looks nice x
2/14/25Reply
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India 2025
Goa Day 4
February 15, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Last day in Goa and unfortunately the ill two are now 3 as I've come down with something, it was inevitable as eating here is russian roulette ☹️, anyway quiet day in the villa before early flight to Agra (with change at Bangalore). Hopefully we'll all be up to it, Dhun is the worst but we called a doctor (relative) who gave advice over the phone so hopefully she'll get better. Only upside is that as we're in I can watch the O's tonight on stream (3-2 win over Lincoln, last minute winner from Charlie Kelman 😃).Read more
TravelerHope your feeling better. Up the os.. what a win
2/16/25Reply
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India 2025
Goa to Agra (via Bangalore)
February 16, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Moving day, everyone's feeling a bit better today, early start, fly to Bangalore then change for flight to Agra to meet up with Dhun's mum, aunt and cousins. Arrived at hotel with a view of the Taj!! Agra airport is actually a military airport that allows some internal commercial flights when you arrive after collecting your luggage you have to take a bus off the military complex to the boundary of the base where taxis wait.

Went to dinner at Dhun's aunts, the road she lives in is mainly owned by one extended family who have the apartments in the road, there was a wedding (today being the first of 3 days of celebration) and the road has been converted into a wedding venue! Carpets and wall hangings with food music and bar laid out along the road. We walked through it to get to the house, it was great to see everyone again and to rejoin Dhun's mum who had been staying there for a week. After food Ab and I popped out to the wedding and immediately were grabbed by a chap (who may be slightly related to us) and given whiskey and introduced to the bride and loads of the guests, amazing, people are so friendly.Read more
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India 2025
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Agra Day 1
February 17, 2025 in India ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
We're staying near Dhun's aunt at the Marriott and after leisurely breakfast headed out to Sikandra Tomb of Akbar - a huge tomb for a Mogul ruler's family, spent a great couple of hours wandering around (had a guide who was really useful), from there we headed to another tomb Itmad-ud-daula (Noor Jahan's father) on the banks of the river Yamuna. Went to Dhun's cousins for dinner after a beers and whiskey at hotel!Read more
Traveler This is a bloke cutting the grass by hand, such a waste of labour ☹️
2/17/25Reply
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India 2025
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Agra Day 2
February 17, 2025 in India ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
We spent the morning at the hotel, after long late breakfast Dhun & her sibs popped into her aunt's and then we went to the Taj Mahal in the afternoon for the sunset. Although we've been there before it's hard to describe how amazing it is, it's impossible to look away its beauty is so captivating.
The guide we hired was excellent - very knowledgeable & he also took fantastic pictures ! The Taj was completed in 1553 and took 22 years to build, and is Indo Persian architecture. It's built of roman style clay brick covered in marble inside and out.
We stayed for hours through the late afternoon, sunset and dusk (leaving as it closed / when it was dark).

We got back to the hotel and then out to restaurant for dinner.

Another moving day tomorrow as we head to Kanpur where Dhun's dad is from and many of her dad's family still live.Read more
Travelergreat pictures from the Taj! x
2/18/25Reply
Travelermum you look glamorous in that close up picture haha
2/18/25Reply
Traveler Fabulous pic
2/18/25Reply
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India 2025
Agra to Kanpur
February 19, 2025 in India ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Day started with goodbyes and blessings as we popped into Dhun's aunt before setting off, there was a band waiting outside the house, not for us but to send off the bride in a neighbouring apartment following the wedding!

We took a private minibus to Kanpur (the Budhwar family home town), the scenery on the drive reminds you how green and vast India is. I think the earlier blessings must have protected us as we had the worst driver ever, speeding and weaving through the traffic for 4 hours, whilst splitting his time between swearing & shouting at everyone else on the road; chatting on his phone; and singing Hindi songs with his helper in the front passenger seat..!

Once we arrived we headed straight for the rooftop bar for snacks & drinks and then out to see various relatives, everyone was so welcoming and each house we visited had a different set of savoury & sweet dishes to feed us with !

Back to the hotel for late drinks & food and a visit from some more relatives, who introduced us to yoghurt kebabs which were fantastic !Read more
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India 2025
Kanpur Day 1
February 20, 2025 in India ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Today's been a day of relatives with a bit of shopping thrown in!

We headed over to see various people this morning and everyone was so welcoming

We went back to the hotel for late lunch then off to "Z Square Shopping Centre" which was as glitzy and posh as Westfield!! A massive contrast to the street markets, poverty, and mess outside ☹️.

We took a few Ubers today (top of the range "premium" rides as is obvious from the pic below 😆)

In the evening we went to Dhun's cousin Chhaya's for dinner (Chhaya is an amazing warm, lovely lady who we spent a lot of time with when we last came). While we were there a wedding procession went past so we rushed to the street to take pics. The procession was the groom being taken to the bride's family before the actual wedding.

After an 11pm dinner, whiskey and liquors from Rajasthan we headed back to the hotel.Read more
TravelerI see Dhun has some shopping bags !!
2/21/25Reply
TravelerI knew you'd spot that Sahra 😂 !!!
2/21/25Reply
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