Reset search
2024 India
  • Billingtons Go Bush
  • Billingtons Go Bush

2024 India

A 22-day adventure by Billingtons Go Bush Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Trip start
    October 31, 2024
  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    12

    Day 2 - First taste of Dehli

    November 1, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Arrived in India’s capital during Diwali Festival. Whisked off in style to Oberoi Gurgaon. Hit the ground running visiting local market on the way to posh kebab place, ranked in world’s fifty best restaurants.Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    23

    Day 3 - Touring Old Dehli

    November 2, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Aanchai Sethi (Angel ) our guide for the day got to sit in the front seat with our driver Kalyan. Jama Masjid Mosque, built 1660. Largest mosque in Delhi which can hold 25,000 people and is constructed of marble and red sandstone. Rickshaw ride through spice markets and back alleys. Politely declined the offer of tea.

    Hailey Lane outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat, followed by Agrasen ki Baoli, ancient 14th century water reservoir or step well 60m long and 15m wide, hidden in back streets Delhi.

    Chaotic, unhygienic and fascinating.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 3 - Afternoon Sikh Temple Dehli

    November 2, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Gurudwara Shri Bangla Sahib, Sikh house of worship with golden dome and large pool of water with purported healing qualities. Associated with the eight Sikh Guru and rebuilt in 1783. Community kitchen (langar) offers simple meals to all visitors, around 25,000 free meals served each day.

    Returned to hotel with guide and driver.

    Skipped the opportunity to add to the air quality with a frightfully expensive Cuban cigar, obtainable from the dedicated cigar room.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    1
    11

    Day 4 - Last day in Dehli

    November 3, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Way too many breakfast temptations.

    Great day with our guide, Rajeev.

    Soaring Qutab Minar, erected as a victory tower by Delhi’s first Muslim sultan, Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and completed in 1360. It stands 73m tall and has five storeys, the tallest minaret in the world.

    The Qutb Minar complex also contains the 6.7m high iron pillar which stands in the courtyard and hasn’t rusted in 1600 years, due to the dry atmosphere and its incredible purity. Originally erected in 400AD and weighing 6,500kg.

    Humayun’s Tomb, constructed for Mughal emperor by his Persian born wife in the mid 16th century, predating Taj Mahal by 60yrs. The arched facade is inlaid with bands of white marble and red sandstone and the building follows strict rules of Islamic geometry, with an emphasis on the number eight.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    1
    111

    Day 5 - Dehli to Agra

    November 4, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Early start attempting to avoid traffic for the 4hr / 240km trip to Agra.

    Oberoi Amarvillas, amazing hotel, definitely punching above our weight, especially after the free upgrade. Taj guide insisted we pose for novelty shots in city of love. 🤣

    Taj Mahal, exquisite tomb built by Emperor Shah Jahan in adoration of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. The white marble mausoleum is inlaid with calligraphy, precious stones and floral designs and completed in 1653, utilizing 20,000 workers. Beautiful setting on Yamuna River, where many locals were washing.

    Not long after the Taj Mahal was completed Shah Jahan was overthrown by his son Aurangzeb and imprisoned in Agra Fort, where he could only gaze at his creation.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    1

    Day 6 - Agra

    November 5, 2024 in India ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Up bright and early to witness sunrise through the fog in Agra with our guide Anil. Joined the queue at the eastern gate with masses of tourists.

    Diwali celebrations continuing with fireworks polluting Taj Mahal reflection pool. Sadly pool currently drained for cleaning.

    Agra Fort and Baby Taj. Friendly local tourists for some reason attracted to us.

    Agra Fort, one of finest Mughal forts in India lies on the banks of the Yumana River. Construction of the palatial red sandstone and marble fortress was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565, primarily as a military structure. Shah Jahan transformed it into a palace, and later it became a prison for eight years after his son Aurangzeb seized power in 1658.

    The fort’s double walls rise more than 20m with a circumference of 2.5kms. Centrally a maze of buildings form a city. A flight of stairs leads down to underground rooms where Akbar kept his 500 harem. Model photographed for jewelry shoot the the white marble octagonal tower and palace, Mathamman Burj, which is the location of Shah Japan’s imprisonment until his death in 1666

    Tomb of l’timad-ud-Daulah Maqbara, Mughal mausoleum and also known as Baby Taj, built 1622.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    4

    Day 7 - On the road to Rajasthan

    November 6, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, chairman of the drafting committee and considered the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, which is the longest written national constitution in the world. It was hand written by him in a flowing italic style, becoming effective on 26th January 1950.

    Hair raising four and half hour journey from Agra to Jaipur through farming area. Horses decorated with henna for Diwali festival.

    Fatehpur Sikri, 40km west of Agra, Indo-Islamic architectural masterpiece, capital of the Mughal empire 1572 - 1585.

    More deluxe accommodation at the Oberoi Rajvilas.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 8 - Out and about in Jaipur

    November 7, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    It’s all a facade. Hawa Mahal is an elaborate palace exterior without a structure behind. It was used by royal women to peep out of its 953 windows to observe the goings on at street level below.

    Jal Mahal, palace in the middle on Man Sagar Lake built 1699 which initially served as a hunting lodge for the royal family. Currently empty.

    Jantar Mantar, completed in 1734, is a vast complex which was used to provide accurate readings for both astronomy and astrology purposes.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    13

    Day 9 - Colourful Jaipur

    November 8, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Gaitor ki Chhatriyan, Royal crematorium, a cluster of marble royal cenotaphs in a garden setting.

    Fortunate to visit the Monkey Temple Galtaji during a holy month and observer streams of colourful women bathing in the holy waters.Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 11 - Udaipur - The City of Lakes

    November 10, 2024 in India ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The maharanas’ collection of vintage and classic cars, housed in the former state garage. Included are the 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom used in the Bond film Octopussy and another Rolls-Royce which has been severely modified for use as a hunting vehicle.

    Construction began in 1599 on City Palace, Rajasthan’s largest palace which towers over Lake Pichola. Elephants used by moguls in battle as they were capable of wielding huge swords with their trunks. Horses were adorned with fake trunks to confuse the elephants.

    Sajjangarth Monsoon Palace, built in 1884 by Maharana Sajjan Singh as an observatory also featured in Octopussy. Breathtaking views of the city and surrounding areas, where leopards roam.

    Lake Pichola, 4km long, perfect for evening boat ride.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 14 - Streets of Fort Kochi

    November 13, 2024 in India ⋅ 🌩️ 31 °C

    Simon suffers separation anxiety as tracker finds his bag miles away while Prue heads off for family reunion.

    Kochi lies on an estuary and has been attracting explorers and traders for more than 600 years. It forms an unlikely blend of medieval Portuguese and Dutch-era houses along with crumbling remains of the British Raj.

    St Francis Church, constructed 1503 by the Portuguese and India’s oldest. Explorer Vasco da Gama died in Cochin in 1524 and his tombstone remains.

    Dhobi Khana old public laundry has been operating for over 300 years, initially for cleaning the Dutch army’s uniforms.

    Mattancherry ( Dutch ) Palace, presented to the Raja of Kochi in 1555 by the Portuguese.

    Kathakali evening performance.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 15 - Kochi by the Sea

    November 14, 2024 in India ⋅ 🌩️ 30 °C

    Ancient Chinese fishing nets line the brackish estuary where Periyar River blends with the Arabian Sea. The nets are a legacy of the traders from 1400. Standing 10 meters tall and resting on bamboo poles, they require five to six men to operate their stone counterweights.

    Frenetic fish market observing the auctioning of fish direct from boat. Kerala version of curling.

    South to Marari Beach and back to hotel, Fragrant Nature. Delicious seafood dinner Brunton’s Boatyard.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    2
    1

    Day 16 - Head for the Hills

    November 15, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Scenic drive from Kochi to the hill station of Munnar, situated in the Western Ghats at an elevation of 1,524m. Munnar lies at the center of India’s largest tea growing region and has largely recovered from the devastating floods of 2018.Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    1

    Day 17 - Munnar and Surrounds

    November 16, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Loaded into a very crowded bus with lots of friendly locals to ascend the narrow track to Eravikulum National Park. The park was established in 1978 to protect the endangered Nilgiri Tahr mountain goat of which only 700-800 animals remain. Their favourite habitat is rugged rocky high ground with the park lying 2,000 to 2,600m above sea level.

    Kolukkumalai Tea Estate, the world’s highest tea plantation followed by Munnar market.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    2
    2

    Day 18 - Munnar to Thekkady

    November 17, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Three and half hour frightening scenic drive over mountains to Thekkady.

    Spice plantation tour explaining labour intensive harvesting of cardamom by nimble fingered women and discovering that red mace skin covers the nutmeg pod.

    Boat ride in Periyar elephant and tiger reserve. Plenty of deer, bison and boar but no elephants or tigers.

    Simon persuaded cafe owner to serve illicit beer.

    Evening Kalaripayattu, traditional martial arts of Kerala.    Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler

    Day 19 - Take me to the River

    November 18, 2024 in India ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Another ‘stimulating’ four hour car trip. This time we miraculously made it downhill from Thekkady to Alleppey where we enjoyed a relaxing Backwater Houseboat tour on the unhygienic yet picturesque Pampa River. (Just don’t fall in!).Read more

  • Billingtons Go Bush2024 IndiaTraveler
    1

    Day 21 - Goodbye India

    November 20, 2024 in India ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Last day chilling out poolside at Coconut Lagoon Resort, closely watched by egret. Only access to and from resort is by boat direct to reception.

    Big farewell to Saleel, our very cheerful and reckless driver for the past eight days.Read more