Day 1 Travel

A first ...almost - two brothers and a sister on holiday ! Gatwick
flights and we are off for two weeks ! Dubai to Kolkata ! Kolkata and trains to Amritsar and it will be warm and maybe cold in theRead more
Day 2 - Kolkata

The former British capital of India, Kolkata, is known for its artistic brilliance and exceptional architecture . It’s called the city of Joy or the city of Culture . It has been renamed as theRead more
Day 3 Kolkata train to Bodh Gaya

Well a quiet morning and unfortunately no taxi adventure before our first train trip ! Today Monday is a busy work day and cross town traffic is frantic ! We cross the Hooghly River and Howrah bridgeRead more
Day 4 Bodh Gaya

We are up early in Bodh Gaya -a village in Bihar and one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. Dominated by the ancient Mahabodhi Temple Complex, built to mark the site where the BuddhaRead more
Day 5 Varanasi 1 - Sarnath

Train to Varanasi less appealing as it was already full as we joining mid-continent and mid journey ! ....and we only have three hours on board ....while train goes onto Delhi for many hours ! We areRead more
Day 5. Varanasi 2 - Sunset and Ghats

For the evening we head again but on rickshaw bicycles !!!! to the centre of Varanasi (previously Benares and ancient name Kashi ) to reach the Ganges .
For followers of my blogs this amounted to aRead more
Day 6 - Varanasi 3 - Dawn

We are up at 5am to take our early morning tuktuk ride back to the river to catch the dawn and see the party scene the day after the night before ! It’s quiet but it’s still busy !
We park theRead more
Day 7 - Agra : Fatehpur Sikri & Red Fort

The overnight trip was good . 12 stops but slept on the raised benches and our fellow passengers were quiet ! I managed about an hour and a half deep sleep in about 5 patches so I did get some sleep .Read more
Day 8 Agra and Taj Mahal

Another early start of 545 for dawn and to beat the crowd !
There’s a chill in the air as we progress to the main entry gate as the sun begins to come up and then we witness over the next two hoursRead more
Day 9 Delhi - old and not so new

It was an easy coach drive across country .....farms and a lot of brickworks !
Delhi, India’s capital territory, is massive - estimated at 29 million ! (London is about 9 million I think)
It’sRead more
Day 10 Delhi train to Shimla

The early start - up at 515am!
The Delhi station is very busy even at this hour! It’s multi coloured sign is surrounded by a sea of Tuktuks . Our guide negotiated the porters- cum boy band who hadRead more
Day 11 Shimla

What!!! It’s not snow but rain ! It’s going to an interesting few days here -but so far no Delhi belly only head colds ! Nice hotel -it has a bar that actually has gin but it’s cold in the hotelRead more
Day 12 Shimla

So it snowed all night ! And Forest beat Brentford ! Great view out over mountains - maybe limiting options for sights up the hill though ! It turns into fabulous blue sky day so we mooch the RidgeRead more
Day 13 Travel to Amritsar

It’s a sunny start to the day . Bus and car down the foothills to Ambala for transfer to the train to Amritsar !
The drive is entertaining for naturally blind bends and some crazy driving by othersRead more
Day 14. Amritsar & Golden Temple

Last day ....here that is not Brexitxxxx...and it’s foggy and hazy just like politics !
Today is the sublime to the ridiculous ! The fog disperses and it’s just misty ! The Golden TempleRead more
Day 14 Amritsar Wagah Flag Event

To the ridiculous !
On the Pakistan-India border the army / border forces performed an elaborate theater of aggression and they do it each and every night and it’s free !!!
See Facebook posts forRead more
Day 15 Homeward Bound !

So the journey over and now to deal with the destination- we are back via Delhi and then Dubai overnight .
Country of contrasts !
The history ( mughals and religions and buildings) vs the now (Read more
I like the temperature - ‘Unhealthy’. Enjoy!
Wolfgang und HeidiEnjoy it