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India 2025
  • Mark Prior
  • Dhun Prior
  • Mark Prior
  • Dhun Prior

India 2025

36-päiväinen seikkaillu — Mark & Dhun Lue lisää
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  • India 2025
    Fishing on the Ganges

    Kanpur Day 2

    21. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Four of us (Dhun, me, Mamta & DK) were due to head off to Varanasi however due to the Kumb Mela, an event to celebrate a rare alignment of planets in the Hindu faith - resulted in about 50 million people heading to a neighbouring town and the overspill causing Varanasi to effectively "shutdown" - cars banned, events cancelled, streets mobbed etc. so we decided to cancel, particularly given the plan was to travel by train and there was a recent stampede (at Delhi station) associated with people trying to get to Kumb Mela.

    A new plan was formed and we headed to some relatives for early snacks (in a cramped 6 seater "auto") - then off to the Ganges to the spot Dhun's dad's ashes were spread and then on to a boat club for a (surreal) speedboat ride on the Ganges arranged by an old cousin of Dhun's dad, it was the first water sport I've done with two Octogenarians!!

    We had lunch at the home of the person who'd arranged the speedboat, then back to the hotel for a rest followed by rooftop bar drinks then dinner at a restaurant with more relatives (a family of 4 doctors!) .

    Dinner was delayed slightly as in the middle of snacks one of our hosts had to dash off to perform a cesarean, once she'd returned (literally 40 mins later) we went to a restaurant in the private complex where they have a flat - all really lovely & another reminder of the disparity of wealth which is ever-evident in India.
    Sad to be leaving all the loving welcoming extended family in Kanpur.    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025

    Moving Day Kanpur to Lucknow

    22. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Sad to leave Kanpur today to make the short ish trip to Lucknow, some 2-3 hours by car.

    Everyone's a little tired as there were some celebrations in the hotel that kept people awake till the early hours.

    Transport arrangements failed (didn't turn up)!! And we had to sort alternative arrangements, eventually got to Lucknow in the afternoon, went to see a close cousin (and late / light lunch).

    Then headed back to the hotel to relax, everyone was tired from last night, some dodgy tummies and Dhun not feeling 100% meant we had a quiet evening.

    Fortunately this meant I would watch the orient stream in the room, (unfortunately lost in a tight game at Bolton)

    Tomorrow is our only full day here so plan to do lots of sightseeing.

    One thing to add on the drive over the driver hit traffic on the motorway so did a uturn and drove against the oncoming traffic to exit on the on slip ( see lorries below heading to cab)..... there are no rules at all on the roads!!    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Rules 8, 9 and 10 intrestingThis is the wall hit by a cannon ball that killed an English woman during the uprising

    Lucknow Day 1

    23. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Took a car for the day from the hotel to see the city, Lucknow is probably the cleanest city we've been to so far with good roads but still the same drivers !! It's the capital of UP and has a population of about 4 million.

    We went around the Bara Imambara - a complex built by a Nawab - with a labyrinth of 1000 corridors & over 400 identical doors; meeting halls, mosque. From there we went to a picture gallery (where a Shia Muslim guide took ages to tell us about the roots of Islam and the art and poems of the 1700's).

    From there we headed over to ' the residence' (33 acres of buildings constructed for the British in the 1800's) it was the site of the first Indian uprising of 1857 against the British which resulted in a long siege and the death of 40000 Indians.

    Lunch was at the "World famous" (allegedly) Tundy Kebabs, to get there we headed thorough chaotic market streets, the restaurant was packed and the food was great and (so far) tummies are in tact.

    After lunch we took tuk tuks to Dhun's cousin for the afternoon, she then took us out for Chaat in the up market area of town (though for context modest food and drink for 8 at the Chat place was £26 !!!). It was really buzzing with people.

    Tomorrow we leave for Darjeeling at 5:45 for an early flight, so just watching the end of India v Pakistan (Indian won) and the start of Man city Vs Liverpool 😃    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    The airport at BagdograService station on the way to DarjeelingNot the SUV we expected

    Moving Day Lucknow to Darjeeling

    24. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Very early start, 5:30am cab to the airport, then flight to Bagdogra for Darjeeling via Delhi.

    Flights took most of the day, leaving a warm Lucknow 28c and landing in a more chilly Bagdogra but still pleasantly warm.

    The airport is a military base also used for passenger air craft and so the facilities were basic to say the least (as well as having loads of soldiers).

    The drive from the airport to Darjeeling takes around 3 hours and climbs up into the mountains to around 2500m.

    The people in the region have different features from the rest of India (more Nepalese)

    The temperature in Darjeeling was around 10c - a bit of a shock but justified the fact I've been lugging a big jumper around India for the last month!!

    Spent the flights listening to podcasts and the new Cure album (not normally a Cure fan but the last album is brilliant).

    As per normal the transfer was a cockup, 2 large SUVs turned out to be 1 SUV with faulty seatbelts and and a small taxi with no seatbelts, after some heated discussion decided no other options available so given the drive is through the mountains we decided to split couples across the cars just in case 🤞

    The drive is picturesque with Tea plantations along the way as you start the climb up the mountains, as we continued it became dark and we hit clouds that made visibility very poor.

    Much to everyone's relief we arrived in one piece and hit the bar, the hotel is like something from the days of the Raj.

    Had dinner in the hotel.

    Lastly forgot to say that on the road to hotel a lady stood in the middle of the road stopping traffic and demanding money or she would hit the car with a stick, driver said she was a but nuts and has been doing it for a few years. 😆    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    View from the room
    View from hotel gardenThe hotelMountain range in the distanceLocal fire stationOur roomLocal strays sleeping in the town

    Darjeeling Day 1

    25. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Woke up to a beautiful view from the room (picture below), after breakfast went for a walk, just up the hill we crossed over the top ridge to see a range of snow capped mountains!

    The hotel is lovely, old and quirky,, very colonial and the staff are great too, so friendly and cheerful. Like most hotels / India in general we had two power cuts last night, both short.

    Looking at the map were close to Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan which is reflected in the food.

    Today we took the "Toy train" which was built in the 1800s and runs along the side of the mountain beside the road, its powered by steam / coal and kicks out loads of smoke and pollution (tbh felt a bit bad about taking it as pollution is such a problem in India ).

    Following that we went to a Buddhist monastery, the main temple was beautiful, we stayed there for coffee and then went shopping and lunch, then back to the hotel for drinks and dinner.

    Early night planned as leaving to go to see the mountains (Himalayas / Everest) at 4 am tomorrow for sunrise ( fingers crossed it's clear)

    Added a pic of the local stray dogs which are everywhere across India ( though no cows or monkeys here as too high), though there are (allegedly) tigers, panthers and elephants in the surrounding hills!!    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Sunrise on the mountain
    Cresent moonCrowds watching sun riseMount EverestNepalese lunch

    Darjeeling Day 2

    26. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    4am departure to the famous 'Tiger Hill' to watch the sun rise on the Himalayas. It was very cold - we arrived in total darkness to see so many stars and an orange crescent moon and then watched the sun come up on Kunchenjugna mountain (3rd highest in the world) and to our delight - in the distance Everest.

    It was an absolutely astounding experience (and worth toughing out the cold). By the time sun rose at 6 there were 100's of people gathered to watch and loud cheers went up with the first sight of the sun !

    We were extremely lucky with the weather as it was clear with great visibility.
    It was a privilege to be able to see this and something we'll never forget.

    The Himalayas are 1700 miles long and up to 200 miles deep and create the border for many countries, including Tibet which following the invasion by China in the 50's led to many Tibetans coming over the border to Darjeeling.

    We got back about 7:15 and went for a walk around a headland path near the hotel to see the valley and mountains once again - the town was buzzing as people headed to work and also to the temple as today is an auspicious day in the Hindu religion.

    After breakfast we headed out again to the Mountaineering Institute ( where there is lots of interesting stuff on Everest and the people who've climbed it). Darjeeling Zoo was very close
    - I have reservations about zoo's for some animals, but the animals here were from the region and enclosures seemed good. The zoo also runs a successful captive breeding programme.
    Highlight were the red pandas; snow leopards & a white tiger !

    We then went on to a small tea plantation where local tourists dressed up and ( on this occasion) were re-enacting a scene from a famous Bollywood film ( see vid attached).

    From there we headed to a centre that was a refuge for displaced Tibetan Buddhists - there wasn't a lot going on other than an exhibition of the story of the invading china and the Dali Lama's exile.

    After that back to town & we queued for lunch at a popular Nepalese restaurant (v basic but lovely food), then a walk back to the hotel followed by drinks and small food.    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Can't imagine why there are constant power cuts 😂

    Darjeeling Day 3

    27. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Relaxed day today, got up to see sunrise at 6 from near the hotel, then early walk through more local parts of Darjeeling.

    After breakfast we went into town to explore and came across a local fruit and veg market, shops and street food stalls with tables set up with gas burners cooking all sorts of Indian and Nepalese dishes. Among others being sold were live chickens, meat, dried fish, flowers and medicinal fruits.

    Had lunch - momos (nepalese dumplings) and a soup. Then back to chill at the hotel.

    Tomorrow we fly down to Delhi and much warmer temperatures (from 10 here to 30 degs there) for the last leg of the tour! Hopefully the drive down will be less scary than the drive up 🤞.    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Cycle rickshaws1The exterior of the Darjeeling hotel

    Moving Day Darjeeling to Delhi

    28. helmikuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    This morning we set off from a foggy Darjeeling where the clouds had descended over the town to Bagdogra airport, a 3 hour descent through tea plantations. The roads were narrow and steep but visibility was better and the views over the valleys amazing as we got lower.

    Sad to leave the hotel it had a Colonial charm unlike any we've stayed in this trip, will particularly miss the view from the window and sitting with a drink and a book

    The airport was the normal chaotic administration - different rules at each airport we've been through.

    Arrived at our Delhi hotel at 8pm (a long day of travel today) grabbed a quick drink in the bar then we headed out for Chaat - via some cycle rickshaws as no tuktuks or taxis would take us such a short distance!! The ride was a scary 3 minutes of driving against the traffic on a huge dual carriageway !    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    The route Gandhi took to take prayers moments before he was killed

    Delhi Day 1

    1. maaliskuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Great to be back in Delhi.
    We spent the morning at Birla House where Gandhi spent the last few months of his life. He was assassinated on his way to prayers in the garden there. The house and museum document the time very well - although we've been before it's always very moving to see the story of his life, death and legacy.

    Then we headed into Connaught Place (main shopping district to shop and lunch).

    In the evening we took the metro to Gurgaun to visit relatives for dinner and watch the football ( Orient Vs Charlton - Orient lost☹️). They organised external caterers who set up a tandoor oven in the garden!    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025

    Delhi Day 2

    2. maaliskuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Headed out to Dilli Haart market, took 'scooter' from the hotel, who tried to scam us (took us to a similarly named emporium where they pay the drivers to drop tourists off) after some words we went to the right place.

    From there we went for lunch at a famous Chaat restaurant in South Exchange and a bit of a wander... then off to Qutab Minar for sunset, it's a beautiful set of buildings which come alive at night when they're illuminated.

    Then delicious dinner at Punjab Grill followed by a scooter home (which was great fun as squeezed 4 of us into a 3-seater - that's 1/2 full by Indian standards 😆)    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Raj Ghat
    Jama MasjidDelhi Red FortChandni Chawk marketOne entrance to Chandni Chawk marketGroom's Wedding procession outside our hotel

    Delhi Day 3

    3. maaliskuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    First stop this morning was to be the beautiful Askshardam temple - when we were moments away - the cab driver informed us it wasn't open on Mondays !
    He didn't want to take us onwards - so we all got out & called another cab to take us to Raj Ghat - the memorial to Gandhi, a calm and beautiful garden and monument.

    Then we went back to central Delhi to Jama Masjid the biggest mosque in India - from there we literally crossed the road and went into Chandni Chowk an ancient very busy crowded market - and had Parathas in Paratha Wali Gali (in a famous Paratha restaurant that had been there since 1800's) , this was a very basic place but very busy so hopeful tummies will be OK!! We walked on from there for dessert at Jalebi Wala Gali, Jalabis we're enormous,sweet and delicious!!

    Decided to stop off in another buzzing area with a market very close to our hotel on the way back.
    Then off to a cousin's for tea & plenty of Indian snacks !

    We finished the evening in the hotel open air bar drinking cocktails (bit sad to think it may be the last time in months we'd be able to sit drinking outside).
    Saw another very loud wedding procession go past (see video) .    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Uber driver watching cricket (whilst driving)

    Delhi Day 4

    4. maaliskuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Last full day of the trip!!

    Went to the Rashtrapati Bhawan the presidential palace, the gardens are beautifully laid out with flowers, lawns and water features.

    Had lunch in central Delhi followed by emporiums for last minute shopping then back to the hotel to meet relatives , before taking a cab to other relatives for the evening, spent a lovely few hours catching up and drinking whiskey 😆.

    Today India played Australia and as the whole country is cricket made the Uber driver had it on as we drove !! (India won).    Lue lisää

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  • India 2025
    Breakfast at the airport

    Home

    5. maaliskuuta 2025, Intia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Arrived home on Wednesday after a brilliant trip! The people, places and experiences were fantastic and we'll miss it and the chaos and noise !
    Looking forward to going back.

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    Matkan lopetus
    5. maaliskuuta 2025
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