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James Graham
James Graham

James Graham

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  • 2024 Adventure
    The forest
    My ears were getting coldMuch needed snack breakWhen it started flattening offLunch timeThe mountains flanking us either side1Feelin the burn, our guide and porters in the back thereGetting into the clouds nowPassed some more pack mules taking supplier to the villagesThe avalanche that distroyed LangtangOur tea housePeeling off our socks at the end of a hard day2Enjoying some warm Seabuckthorn juice, a local juice drink grown only in high regions

    Day 3 of Langtang Trek

    23 maart 2024, Nepal ⋅ 🌫 -2 °C

    This was probably the hardest day of the trek. It started with a steep uphill, and then towards the middle of the day, it got flat, then went steep again, but when it got steep at the end, it became extra difficult due to the high altitude and reduced oxygen.

    The scenery didn't disappoint, though. We continued hiking through the forest to begin with, me always thinking I might see a red panda at any moment, which I didn't (they're extremely rare to see), and then finally seeing the landscape change into open rocky grassland. When the view cleared, we had a magnificent view of the white peaks of the mountains in front of us, and roaming around were many enormous hairy yaks, who turned towards us photogenically every time we took a photo of them.

    It was a relief to arrive at our teahouse, which was a beautifully painted three-story brick building with amazing views from the windows and rooftop common room. We climbed to 3,438m above sea level for 7 hours to the village of Langtang. This village was entirely destroyed in the 2015 earthquake which caused an avalanche and killed 310 people. The remnants of the avalanche are still visible, and we hiked over it to reach the newly built town where we stayed that night.

    After an amazing hot shower, we had a warm tasty dinner and settled down for bed. We felt a little funny from the altitude, needing to take bigger breaths when going up the stairs, and we did have some unsettled sleep, which is also a symptom, but when waking up, we felt pretty good and a bit more accustomed.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Let the walking begin!
    Our lunch stopViews of the valley belowAll ready for bed

    Day 2 of Langtang trek

    22 maart 2024, Nepal ⋅ 🌫 4 °C

    We started our day at 6 am with a hearty breakfast and packing up our bags. It turns out all the men suffered through the night because of the Momos we'd eaten at a rest stop. It must have been a sexist stomach bug because I was totally fine. 😆

    The start of the trek was through a rough road that was being used to get to the new hydrodam that was being built, so not the most pleasant start. However, after about 2 hours of this, we got onto the original path which was quieter and immediately beautiful. With rocks and trees lining the fairly steep path, we felt like we'd entered into a different world. We saw lots of bamboo and the river looked gorgeous blue from the glacier it had melted from. We even spotted some gray langur monkeys on the rocks eating the flowering trees.

    Our first lunch stop was at a typical Buddhist tea house with all the traditional coloured flags flapping. The food was all very carb-heavy, perfect for a tiring day's hike. We gobbled down some basic chow mein noodles and headed on. I came to love my hiking poles; after mastering the rhythm, I found them invaluable in helping me haul myself up the larger steps when my legs just couldn't do it. I realised I have a slow steady pace, which Fredrik, who was also struggling, enjoyed greatly.

    We arrived at Lama Hotel, our teahouse for the evening, after a 6-hour hike, reaching 2380m up (from 1550m). This was the most basic place we stayed, with just simple wooden walls, a shared squat toilet, and no WiFi or plugs. We think the view was good, but the clouds had rolled in so much that we couldn't see anything. After eating our meal in the common room, which was a largish room with benches all around the outside, with a hot stove in the middle and the kitchen just off this, where everyone came together to eat their meals and chat. Pretty tired but not too uncomfortable, we headed to bed early and fell asleep straight away.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    The view coming into Langtang valleyThe streets of Syapru BesiView from our balcony/window

    Langtang Trek - Day 1

    21 maart 2024, Nepal ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Our first official day of the Langtang trek, our guide Dil Man met us at our hotel and accompanied us to the bus, where we met our fellow trekkers; son Nicolas and father Fredrik from Denmark. We all loaded up onto the bus which seemed pretty comfy with good seats and glass in the windows. Once we set off the conductor turned on the huge TV screen right in front of us which began playing Nepalese music videos at the loudest volume possible. Some of them were bangers, such as "Namaskara" performed by Nepalese Captain Jack Sparrow while swinging from chains in a boxing ring. Half of them seemed to be your classic romance the other half were seemed to be a dark social commentary, such as the music video about famer man who goes to work in Dubai on a construction site and misses his wife terribly and then gets his arm chopped off in a work accident and comes home to his wife and their all sad, the end. Or the women who is in love with a man their happy, then she sees a doctor who's wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket and gives her some bad news. Next moment she's on a hospital bed and the doctor and boyfriend are around her crying then the boyfriend is scattering her ashes, the end. Reminder these are music videos and people are singing throughout.

    As we acquired more people and deliveries, both of which eneded up in the aisle, the road conditions got steadily worse. With most of the main roads having been eroded by landslides or still under construction we had the bumpiest ride of my life, all while going down hairpin bends. After this 9 hour driver we arrived at Syapru Besi and checked into our rooms. The view was already gorgeous with a steep mountain view outside out window and the sound of rushing water accompanying out every moment.

    We ate our dinner while getting to know eachother and went to bed for our first day of hiking tomorrow.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Sitting on the Agra platform
    The view as we flew into NepalTesting our rented sleeping bags for the tripTesting my new hiking polesEnjoying a delicious pizza at Fire & Ice

    Bye India. Hello Nepal

    19–21 mrt. 2024, Nepal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Today we're heading to Nepal, via Dheli airport. Indian had one last present for me, when I woke up: I proceeded to get rid of last night's meal through both ends.
    Right before checking out I popped an imodium and was ok apart from some mild nausea for the rest of the day. We got a fancy new 2 hour train from Agra to Dheli which didn't disappoint, with monkeys on the station platform, the guy sitting next to me trying to speak fluent Hindi to me and confusing signage after arriving at Dheli station while trying to find the metro and more.

    Once we'de navigated leaving the station to then walk a mile in a construction site to get to the metro station, we then bought your ticket and went through security to get on to metro (their crazy on security here it's too much) after getting off at the wrong station we finally made it to our correct connection and then walked in the longest walkway I will ever experience. We walked above the city for actually 10 + mins hearing the traffic and goings on bellow. It was sad that we weren't seeing the city on our walk but it was also really nice to be somewhere simple and not get hassled.

    At the airport we had to get into another queue for security before even getting to the check in desks, but once inside the airport was modern and comfortable with lots of western shops.

    India has been amazing I'm sorry to leave but the constant hassle when you step outside, the constant horns and other little inconveniences were begining to grate on us.

    When we arrived into Katmandu and got picked up by our taxi, the first thing we noticed was how quiet it was and a lot colder. No shade, but the streets were cleaner too and there were a lot less cars about (TBF it was 21.00). Our room was comfy and clean and we settled down for a good night's sleep. After being verticle for 5 minutes, I rushed to the bathroom to be sick and then ended up staying in there as everything tried to escape me. I thought I might end up having to sleep there but finally everything was empty and I crawled back to bed hoping I would not need to go back in there.

    Our first day in Katmandu was spent speaking to our trek provider who gave us the full low down of what to expect on our trek of the Langtang valley and the route.

    We then hit the town and stocking up on all the extra warm layers and hiking gear we'de need which included, gloves, a day bag, hiking poles for me and warm hats. It was fun seeing all the knock-off brands displayed and seeing how similar or different they were the the originals.
    In the daylight the traffic is still a bit crazy with pedestrians and motorbikes/cars sharing the road but there we some sidewalks and there was very little garbage and the best bit; when you said no you didn't want a taxi/come into your shop etc they stopped asking, it's amazing 😍

    After lots of shopping we heading to Fire & Ice a highly rated pizza restaurant and it didn't disappoint. The pizza tasted as good as anything you'd get in London and the drinks were delicious. Overall Katmandu was just what we I needed.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Touching the TajThe view looking back at the view from the TajThe shoe covers to enter the upper floor and tombThe backside of the Taj after you exit the inner tombMy Diana pose the OG bench was gone1Best lassi of the trip!Chicken tikka! Yummy yum!Good old alou tikkiMonkeys in the parkOur final Indian feast

    Agra and the Taj Mahal

    17–19 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We arrived into Agra after only a short journey of five hours where we had to be moved after asking for help because my seat would stay sat up.

    We checked into our hotel which was a bit of a let down after the glowing reviews in the guide book and online, but it did have a clear rooftop view of the Taj Mahal. Also the reviews said it had delicious food but the chai masala was the worst we'd had the whole trip and they some how made a chocolate banana pancake taste disgusting. We actually only ate half and then walked to a neighbouring restaurant and ordered the same thing, which was an improvement.

    The next day we woke up at 6 am and headed to see the Taj Mahal. Even though it was super early it was still quite busy, but not as busy as it was when we left so I think we did beat most of the crowds.

    Verdict: it actually is very impressive in person as it is in the pictures. I think it is very photogenic but it still impressed to see it in the flesh. I still can't quite believe we actually saw it in person, I kept having to pinch myself. There are large gardens around the whole if the front which we walked around enjoying it from all angles, we also walked around the back (where there's a wide river). To go inside and in the upper floor you have to pay extra and wear these like booties to keep everything clean and respectful. Inside is just two tombs stones with nice decorative bits but nothing that special. We then also stopped off at the little museum onsite service I would recommend having a look at.

    After taking it all in for about 3 hours we got a lazy breakfast, where we had the best lassi of our trip so far. After that we chilled in our room and then heading back out into Agra propper to get a final taste of all our street food favourites before we left India the next day. These included chicken tikka and alou tikki. We then found a large quiet park, which only cost 10 cents to get into, to stroll around in and enjoy the wildlife and fauna. The path took us all the way back to entrance gate of the Taj Mahal which was right next to our hotel. After a bit more digesting we then went to a proper nice restaurant and got more curry and food that we'd miss when we left. We stuffed ourselves silly and got taken back in a rickshaw blasting loud Hindi music which seemed like a perfect ending to Indian culture.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    The building from the front cover of the lonely planet guide book!
    The facade of a building inside the city palaceOne of the courtyard buildings inside the city palaceA gateway inside the city palaceAn ornately decorated doorway in the city palaceAnd another oneThe star sign section of the ancient astrological garden.1The same picture 15 years agoOur favourite meal, alou tikkiMy third favourite noodle rollMy favourite dessert, milk cakeVery happy but very stuffed at it or street food tourCow eating food scraps by the side of the road, next to some purple flowersA nice grave memorial to the Maharaja's family that Rishi took us toThey had elephants that could take you up and down the Amber fort stepsThe most beautiful courtyard in the Amber fortOne of the building in the court yard of the Amber fortA step well that Rishi took us toAt the Amber fortThe waterfall palace. It's actually a temple that's only holy people can go toHow handmade prints are made

    Jaipur

    13–17 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    We arrived into our hostel "Mustache" with a good amount of time to make full use of their rooftop terrace bar and cafe. I was so thrilled when I was able to order pesto pasta with grilled chicken, something I'd been craving since Mumbai, and it was really tasty!

    The next day we went to the city palace and enjoyed the beautiful pink and ornately decorated architecture. We then popped over to the Jantar Mantar, an ancient observatory that boasts the largest sundial in the world. We spent most of our time there try to recreate a picture James had taken in the same place 15 years ago.

    That evening we booked a street food tour, where we were shown what and how to eat like a real Indian by Diksha. The food was immediately so good and we tried so many things. Our favourite item was the Alou Tikki and in close second for me was the chicken momos and the noodle wrap. By our 9th dish we were struggling to even put a bite in our mouths but luckily she took us on to dessert where we suddenly were able to eat a little bit more. My favourite dessert was the milk cake, which was basically milk boiled down until it had no liquid left and then mushed together. Diksha then offered us a lift back to the hostel, where she coinsidely worked in the mornings, stopping on the way at apartment where we played some Uno and a version of bingo before heading back.

    We spend the next day digesting and planing our next few weeks. With regular visits to the rooftop of food and drinks. In the evening we went into the old pink city and ate a delicious meal out using some of our local food knowledge. Afterwards we followed the guidebooks walking tour of the markets and saw shoppings selling clothes and jewellery and even managed to find a place selling milk cake! My new favourite dessert!

    For our final day in Jaipur we booked a rickshaw driver named Rishi for the day to take us to the Amber Fort and any other important sites. The Amber Fort was the highlight with beautifully decorated courtyards and a maze of rooms you had all access too it was a lot to explore. After lunch Rishi took us to textile wearhouse where they make handmade prints and we did get upsold to buy stuff which was didn't have the budget or the bag space for. After another stop off at the Albert museum and another upsell at the jewellery sellers before heading home and resting while we planned for our next day's travels.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Our breakfast overlooking the fort
    The fort!View from the fortThe Maharajas bedroomThe party roomThe maharani's bedroomThe room where they discussed important stuffThe rooftop cafe after a day at the fortFirst stop on our heritage blue city walking tourA piece of city commissioned street art showing all the things people played with before phones4Our dinner restaurant view

    Jodhpur

    10–13 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We took a 5 hour bus to Jodhpur from Jaisalmer. After the mega long rides in the south anything under 10 hours seems like a short journey. The bus was a funny combo of half seats and half beds. The bus made some random stops which also saw a family get on with a 3-4 year old child who wasn't wearing any bottoms. Not sure what was going on there but they didn't stay on the bus long.

    Jodhpur is the Blue City due to a lot of the houses being painted indigo blue.
    We settled into our cleanest and loveliest homestay yet, which was also the quietest and most peaceful, which afforded us the most hours of uninterrupted sleep so far on the trip.

    On our first full day we went up to the city fort/palace which looms over the whole city. The palace was in use until roughly the Indian independence but the existing Maharaja's family have turned it into a museum. It was pretty good and we explored every room we could, seeing some impressive stuff.

    We then wandered down the old Indigo city and watched the 100+ eagles get fed on high on the Fort from a lovely rooftop cafe. (Something that happens everyday at the same time)

    Our second day we took a heritage walking tour of the Blue city which gave us more insight into why the city was blue and which took us to all the best sites. We ended by being taken to a old spice shop where the clark sat down with us and showed all ALL of his spices, from teas to cooking spices, and explaining what each of them did and how to prepare them. We only wanted a little bag of masala chai mix.

    We then rested in another rooftop cafe to whittle away the time drinking chai and reading. We've come to accept two things, not doing anything is lovely and we shall be doing it as much as we please and not feel guilty. And we need to eat half our two meals a day as western food in order to then eat Indian food for the other half, to save our stomachs and taste buds. The rich spices and heavy food can get to us a bit sometimes.

    We spent that evening at a lovely rooftop restaurant where we indulged in some delicious Indian food and a beer and then had an early night to catch a train to Jaipur, the pink city.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    I thought the camel had died cuz of how weird the angle of its neck was! But no just sleepingI was scared to get closer11Saying our good byes. I called my camel spot

    Camel safari

    7–9 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I think I just had my favourite experience on the trip so far. We arrived for our camel safari nice and early at 8 pm, when it turned out he said 8-8.30pm James' British intuition kicked in and so we had 30 mins to kill.

    After a tea and some biscuits across the way we saw we were being joined by a 3rd member who said he'd only wanted to do one night but had to do two with us because that's all that was available. He was a cool guy who we got on well with but we both couldn't remember his name and then left it too late in the trip to ask again without seeming rude.

    We started with a 1 h car ride to the camels and who were waiting patiently beside the road for us. We'd heard you should lean back as they stand up because you get thrown forward, even with this advice in mind it was still a huge lerch forward that I was sure would take me straight over the camels head, but I survived.

    The main thing you realise when your on the camel is how tall they are. At almost 12ft off the ground it afords a great view of the surrounding scenery but also seems like a long way to fall.

    We begun and we all quickly got uncomfortable, the movement of the camel quickly chaffed our sit bones and our tailbone. At a quick village stop to get supplies we all gingerly got off the camels and got to know the local children who kept asking for pens. James said they did that 15 years ago too when we went on a similar safari.

    After another couple hour we stopped by a shaded tree and had lunch which our guides cooked over a open fire and consisted of masala chai, some puffed rice items, and curry with rice and chapatti, all freshly made right there.

    Once the heat of the day died down we got back on the camels and on to the dessert dunes. We arrived and went for an explore while our guides set up the sleeping tents and roles to sleep outside and made dinner. (These two guys did everything! It was hard not to feel bad, hopefully our generous tip at the end made up for it).

    After another tasty meal by the camp fire we headed to bed which was warm and comfortable, even if it smelt of camels. I had a great night's sleep but James got bothered by his stomach again, as did our other guest we found out in the morning.

    After a nice breakfast spread of toasts, fruit and tea we got back on the camels and spent the day much the same as the previous one, arriving in the afternoon into another area of sand dunes which was even more scenic and peaceful. We all felt more confident on the camel with each passing day even if we were still all very soar after a 2 hour ride.

    The best thing about the trip was the peace and quiet, there was barely anyone around and the wildlife was so bountiful and came so close it was so enthralling. The morning sparrows got very close to our breakfast blanket and the birds with red butts playing right above our heads into the shady tree on our lunch break.

    On the last night under the stars it was almost an effort to close my eyes, as I didn't want to stop the beautiful view, but watching the sunrise over the dunes from the warmth of our sleeping matt's was almost as good.

    On our return journey back our guides got the camels to trot which was great fun and bounced us around even more! It was really hard to say good bye, even though they camels stank, farted and pooped a lot the whole of the day without them I left myself longing to be back in the wild watching the world unfold on their little backs.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    2At the front you can see the van with bright party lights and a blasting sound system.

    Jaisalmer - Indian weddings

    4–7 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After another few uneventful days of recovering from colds and James getting another boat of food poisoning, we booked our camel safari and retreated back to our room.
    Our lovely family hosts had invited us to their cousin's wedding, which we missed the first day of because of James' illness, but the second evening we managed to attend the ceremony of the groom, and his family, going to the bride's family home. He does this on a white mare and with a lot of pomp and ceremony and of course loud music and lots of dancing.

    Every night if our stay we'd heard very loud drumming and music playing until 3am so it was nice to actually witness the events it was coming from. We were told it's wedding season so that's means multiple wedding every evening in Jaisalmer for many weeks.

    It was a sight to behold. The horse was elaboratly decorated and so calm in the face of such loud drumming and music. Well wishers would circle money around the grooms face and then hand it to the man at his side who'd keep it safe for the happy couple to star their matrimonial life with. All the family members were in their most beautiful elaborate finery, making me feel the most under dressed ever. As we moved away from their house the procession got bigger and bigger and the pictures and donations kept flooding in. If you think UK wedding photographers take a lot of photos, wait to see you a Indian wedding photographer. They pretty much dictate the whole event. Making sure they get every moment looking perfect and not missing a single second.

    We followed the procession only part of the route as we had to be up early the for our camel safari, but I definitely got my wish to see part of an Indian wedding.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Jaisalmer
    1Breakfast in AhamabadOn the flight to JaisalmerView from the rooftop cafeEnjoying a cuppa chia on the roofArchitecture of all the buildings is stunning. Super old worldyOur second hotel here.4Our private balconyIn the background is a Jain templeA view of the front of our building with our balcony right in front thereA newer building built in the same style as the surrounding buildingsOur rooftop sunset viewEnjoying our tastiest meal so far in some awesome surroundingsWatching the pigeons try and roost fire the night

    Jaisalmer

    1–4 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    We left Ahmadabad to catch a quick 2 hour flight to Jaisalmer. Before we left we had a beautiful breakfast in the flower courtyard.

    After a super short flight we arrived and we got picked up by the hotel's taxi. We're staying inside the old fort at the top of Jaisalmer as you're guaranteed to get a great view from your room and/or their rooftop restaurant. We didn't sleep due to both having pretty heavy colds our first night but had to change hotel anyway because they were full and we'd only initially booked one night.

    It was a blessing in disguise as the next place we booked was 500 year old family home still owned by the ancestors who served the city's Maharaja and who now have three beautiful heritage suites their booking out to guests. Our room is stunning with beautifully carved pillars and a tiny balcony to relax on. Our host is also super attentive and so helpful, plus very knowledgeable to boot. The perfect place to lay low and ride out our colds.

    We haven't done a great deal since arriving due to illness but we have watched the sunset from the roof, our host gave us a free walking tour of the town and we ate the best food we've had so far this trip. As we're starting to feel better we hope to venture out and visit some other sites and book our camel safari.

    In the meantime we'll keep watching the pigeons trying to roost on our wall and watch the sunsets.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    The front balcony of our hotel
    The main courtyard that our rooms window overlookThe view from our windowThe main bedroomOtherside2The monkeys chilling on the rooftop terraceLight from the stain glass pouring onto the bed 😍The cafe at the toilet museumThe garden of toiletsA flock of peacocks on a construction siteGandhi's room at the ashramThe museum all about Gandhi3These ladies wanted a picture so I asked if I could also have one of them tooThe newly developed riverfront walkOur tasty veggie burgersThe beautiful Jian templeJames had to wear some trousers provided because he was wearing shorts. I think they suit him

    Ahmedaba

    29 feb.–1 mrt. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    After a fairly good night sleep on the overnight bus, with our own comfy bed. We arrived into Ahamedaba at 8am and quickly made our way to our hotel. We managed to secure an early check in and also an extra breakfast for that morning and thank goodness we did because this hotel is beautiful! It's a renovated historic building that has 3/4 suites and the same number of beautiful hallways and galleries, including courtyards and roof terraces. We figured after a potentially uncomfortable bus ride we needed one night of luxury before heading on to Jaisalmer.

    We caught up on sleep and pottered about until the afternoon. Then we heading into town to see the toilet museum which included a toilet garden displaying lots of different types of toilets (not functional). We then headed to the Sabarmati Ashram where Mahatma Gandhi lived from 1917–1930. It was a lovely serene place where we learnt a lot about Gandhi and spoke to a lovely guy who wanted to practise his English with us.

    We then walked along the riverfront and headed to a popup veggie burger place before getting a taxi to a famous Jainist temple. It was beautiful and had lots of happy pigeons, crows and chipmunks running around, which was proof that their practice of non violence against all things works in harmony with nature. We then headed back to our hotel in the old city for a rest.

    We've developed a small flu/soar throats, which may be COVID from the people coughing with masks on one of our train journeys. So we only ventured out briefly that evening for some fruit juice, which we were craving, from the oldest fruit vendor in the city, and then came back for bed.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    1

    Aurangabad Day 2

    27–28 feb. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We spent our second day in Aurangabad exploring some alternative spots.

    Most notable was the Taj Mahal copy-cat monument, Bibi Ka Maqbara, which was commissioned in 1660 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's son prince Azam Shah in the memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begum. But his dad didn't allow all the same expenses as used on the Taj Mahal so it's considered the poorer cousin. We got A LOT of photo requests while here, which you can get a feel for in the photo by how many people are staring at us. After a point we had to start saying no, which felt even more awkward and led us to do more research as to the motivation and purpose of the photos later on. We'd of been there for 30 mins taking photos with everyone if we'd said yes to then all.

    We then went for a lovely evening meal of grilled chicken, nann bread and dessert at the Canary Wharf equivalent neighbourhood based on the number of collared workings there.

    On day 3 of Aurangabad we were getting a 5.30pm overnight bus to Ahmedabad, so we killed time by visiting the local park which had a great display of "superhero" status and where we got talking to a guy who didn't speak good English but who we managed to learn was a graphic designer and had a daughter and was sleeping in the park.

    We then got caught in an almighty rain storm, which started in strong dusty winds and then thunder, while trying to locate our bus stop. Amazing we found it and sheltered in time to completely miss getting wet and it stopped on time for us to step out for the bus.

    The bus was a 15 hour journey arriving at 8 am. It was quite an experience and pretty comfortable. After you got used to the rocking of the bus as we overtook any vehicle in our way, it was really relaxing and much more comfortable sharing this than the single hard beds in the train. Next stop Ahmedabad.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Was so great to meet Modi
    2Competition was fierce in the word search a Churchill cafeThe dessert counter at Leopold's cafeOff to Aurangabad on the fancy new trainMumbai skyline by trainOur dessert snack on the train1Our thali dinnerEllura cavesCave 162Finally captured one of the instances when I was asked for a selfieAnother caveAmazing Buddhist caveWalk between the caves

    Bye Mumbai. Hello Aurangabad

    25–28 feb. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We spent our final day in Mumbai not doing too much as our stomachs were feeling a little delicate so we had a chill day planning our next moves and preparing for Aurangabad. We did visit Churchill Cafe for dinner which served excellent pasta and pizza (better than some places you'd get in the West) and our placemats were a crazy word search of American states, that could go in any direction and which missed a lot off. Didn't stop our competitiveness though haha

    Our next day we packed up and ate a final breakfast at Leopold's Cafe and picked up some desert snacks for later. Our train was a fancy new one with all the high tech features, which was lush and meant we arrived into Aurangabad at 9 pm comfortable and happy. After checking in to our homestay we went around the corner and walked into a thali restaurant. This is where they serve you 5 different dishes in little pots, with side bits, and two are sweet, and dip your chipati in them. It was delicious and they kept refilling our empty curry pots.

    The next day we visited the 1,200 year old Ellura caves which consist of about 32 caves of various sizes all dedicated to Hindi, Buddhist and Jain gods. They're carved directly out of the rock all in a monolithic fashion and we're amazing! It took 7,000 people 150 years just to build the most impressive cave 16.

    After this we headed back for a chill evening catch up with family & friends and tried to keep cool and entertained through a 2+ hour power cut, which was probably due to the really loud festival taking place somewhere nearby.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    The Big Ben of Mumbai!
    At Leopold CafeBeautiful building and tickets at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya museumJust love the brand name of this hand sanitizerThe fanciest Starbucks ever. There's a breakfast bar to watch them make coffee 😂Beautiful Floral Fountain on our walking tourBig Ben of BombayWhen past the old millionaires row and can't not get over how stunning these dresses are.Wanted to shower you that they don't use metal scaffolding here they use bambooThe Gateway to IndiaAnd the The Taj Mahal Palace hotel on the right2

    Mumbai

    22–25 feb. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Well our start in Mumbai was a bit rocky. After getting in at 5 am we spent most of our first day sleeping and recovering. The only thing we did was get an Uber (for £2!) to a fancy mall to buy some stuff we missed in Decathlon. Hilariously we did get passed between 7 different members of staff and two revolutions of the shop, trying to locate the quick drying boxer shorts 😂

    As we're now in a major city we also now have access to some of the same eating establishments that we have in the west. After my stomach troubles it's been a god sent being able to eat some familiar foods. The most surprising one was Pizza Express!?
    Also note that all the Starbucks here are where the rich 1% of India go. They are the fanciest Starbucks I've EVER seen! I saw actual business deals being conducted.

    Our second day was SO much better, beginning with a morning breakfast at the hot spot Leopold Cafe, and then headed to the catchily named Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Historical museum. 🙃 It was excellent, beautiful artifacts that taught me a lot about Hindu and Nepalese religion and craftsmanship and an excellent collection of old photos of Mumbai and what it used to look like. All with a FREE audio head set to boot! AND in a beautiful building too!

    In the afternoon we did a walking tour which focused on the Fort area and walked through the history of Mumbai from before and after the British were here. It was also excellent and we learnt so much! The funniest thing we discovered was the Horniman square here is named after the same guy who created the Horniman museum near our house. The multitude of links this city had to London architecturally was astonishing. Including Ulster Terrace houses by Regents park, Oval cricket ground, and even a Big Ben!

    We finished at the gateway to India where we were constantly being asked to take photos of. If we'd stood there any longer a qué would have started forming to get photos with us, it's like being a celebrity and it's quickly becoming not that nice. Especially when you're stressed and hungry and trying to find somewhere to eat 😩 (and when people don't even ask 😡).

    We finished the evening with some drinks and some more western food and a walk along the promenade which was a beautiful end to a lovely day.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    2

    Travelling to Mumbai

    21–22 feb. 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We checked out of our homestay at 9 and then left our bags and went to breakfast. It was very pleasant killing time drinking masala chai and eves dropping on other travels until our train at 2 pm. As we were paying an old lady who worked there motioned to James asking him to help lift a full basket of papayas with a younger lady, who was going to carry it on her head. James and her struggled to lift it it was so heavy, but as soon as she got it utop her hair she glided past, as if it weighed nothing. It's insane how heavy the stuff women are able to balance on their heads here.

    At the station we got chatting to some local children who are always keen to know where we're from and get selfies.

    Train travel sells out quickly these days and although it was a 15 hour ride to Mumbai all the sleeping bunks were sold out. So we sat in fairly comfy chairs AC class for the journey. A few hours in I got very hungry and went in search of the food trolley. I came across some food boys selling samoas and purchased two.

    Three hours later I was not feeling so good. I'm not sure if it was the food or the rocking of the train, but I had waves of nausea that would not let up. I considered a tactical sick to alleviate the feeling but with one wester toilet completely covered in poo and a decent, but urine smelling squat toilet I just couldn't bear the extra discomfort. I did manage to get some sleep, but James stayed awake the entire trip.

    We arrived in Mumbai at 5 am and after being hassled by the taxi drivers who would not let up, we got into our hostel, used the bathroom (both ends for me) and flooped into bed. Welcome to Mumbai.

    I've decided to not eat train food any more.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    225

    Final Day in Hampi

    20 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Today was our last full day in Hampi. We started off the morning by going to the Royal Palace ruins. They had a few fun surprises but weren't as good as the first days, simply due to the lack of detail compared to the first day's structures. Highlights included the underground passage which was seriously creepy and dark (felt like a mummy would jump out at any moment), and the elephant stables.

    Instead of rickshawing it back we decided to walk back via the old historic path, which was lovely (but quite overgrown in parts). We saw more wildlife on route including a ruddy mongoose and wild peacocks!
    By 10.30 it was already so hot walking that we flopped into the nearest cafe when we returned and drank lots of water and ate a hearty breakfast. (I got porridge with papaya in it!)

    After an afternoon rest which also included doing our laundry, we headed out for a late lunch on a rooftop cafe.

    After lunch I got an ice cream and we decided to wander to the temple and watch the monkeys. As soon as the monkeys saw me from across the street a huge male started bounding towards me at which point I start saying "Shit, shit, shit" knowing full well I was about to get roughed up by a monkey for my ice cream. To avoid this I quickly threw my ice cream to the floor and backed away. The money immediately jumped on it and greedily enjoy his spoils. Lesson learnt don't eat treats in front of monkeys.

    After this we gave up on our original plan for the evening and decided to settle down for a comedy film in bed.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    Prayers at the temple
    Inside a temple which had bats asleep in the roofLots of good rooftop restaurants & cafes in HampiA family of holy cows hitting the town😂 Only in India you get a request like this

    Happy Hampi

    19 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    After an amazing sleep we got out early and headed for the Vitthala temple, one of the many monuments that comprise the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire, which sprawl all over the Hampi area. On the way we passed functioning temples, caves, gateways as we walked down the paths that would have once been roads of the old city. At its peak the city had half a million inhabitants, second only to Beijing in the 1500’s.

    Since we were out early there was no one else around. We felt so lucky to have it all to ourselves! The temple was beautiful. By 10am we’d seen most of the stuff so headed back got breakfast at another rooftop cafe, and then slept through the hottest hours. We emerged in the afternoon, had some lassis, our new favourite yoghurty beverage and headed for Mantanga Hill for sunset. After a pretty sketchy final ascent on hot slippery rocks we made it to the top, a family of monkeys joining us there chomping away on an impressive array of food, fed by the local Indian pilgrims.

    We then went for the sound and light show, which told the mythical story of how Hampi got its name. Basically lots of fighting between various gods with plenty of love and treachery in between. We were then walked down the road as they recreated a local festival through sound and light as drummers from a local village played for us. It was so cool! Ended the day with dinner. Kyri got a cashew curry and because my stomach is still feeling super weird went safe and got a pizza which was the strangest pizza I’ve ever eaten, totally uncooked dough with a mountain of paneer cheese on the top.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    722

    Traveling to Hampi

    18 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    After a very delayed few trains from Arambol beach station, Thiva, to Madgaon Junction and then a very early morning train to Hampi taking about 5-9 hours we made it. (I'm definitely now addicted to the tea here. Not sure how il survive when we leave.)
    Having not pre-booked our accommodation we were at the mercy of our auto rickshaw driver, who in the end took us to the right place we wanted, even though it was not initially obvious given the sign only had two letters still attached to the front of the building.
    After a refresh we explored the monkey temple right next to us, which is still an active temple where we had to take off our shoes to enter. We just managed to see the temple's elephant departure to bed for the day.
    Given it's getting up to 35°+ most days it was nice exploring while it was cool and didn't have the sun beating down on us. Even so the floor stones were still super warm to walk on.

    I'm looking forward to seeing more tomorrow.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure

    Arambol part 2

    16 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We spent a relaxing few days in Arambol beach, sitting on the sun loungers and eating tasty food with a view.
    Highlights include meeting up with Archis, and is girlfriend Anusha, who is an old colleague and friend of Tom Dexter's. They were so helpful in giving us tips and it was so cool discussing film culture in India.
    We met them in a 'club' which played meditation techo, which was a first.
    Hopefully we'll be able to host them when they visit England or Greece some time.
    I saw my first Hari Krishna's.
    The flexibility of people was just insane.
    The crabs in the rocks and berried in the sand were so cool.
    The water was 28°!

    Our next stop is Hampi with some old ruins from a huge Hindu civilization. I'm pretty excited for this bit.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure

    Arambol Beach

    14 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Yesterday we arrived at Arambol in Goa for some relaxing beach time. Our 2 hour bus strip involved a blessing of the journey before we arrived at the main bus terminal. 

    The beach is long with umbrellas and bars lining the tropical tree line. For lunch we ordered a "Greek souvlaki" which was actually mexican spiced chicken in an Indian parantha haha 😂 the tzadziki was also too minty, but it was a good try considering they'd probably never been to Greece. 

    The water is a cool 28°C and the sand is super soft. We already seen some very questionable goings on. To name a few: as the garage men were collecting waste bags they were taking photos of a lady in her bikini, and back straps untied asleep, lieing on her front. The street hawkers are particularly prevalent here, one lady in a bid for our money asked how long we'd been here but then said, "probably not long because your so pale". Haha thanks 😆. The wild dogs here can giving you the sadest eyes and the full size cows just wandering around with the banging bass coursing through the air it just so weird. 

    In the evening we strolled along the beach and got some beers at a bar with a live band. It was a lovely evening and at the end they let off fireworks right next to us for the owner birthday. 

    There are bars/cafes covering every inch of available space, each one has neon lights and is loudly playing Tecno music. With the beautiful waves and the lush hills in the background all I can do is laugh at the extreme juxtaposition. 

    This morning we woke up and walked down some narrow paths to a eatery over looking the shore, for some simple breakfast. While exploring the Sweet Water Lake we got our first photo request, posing with a bunch of local guys who seemed like they were on a lads holiday. We then walked SO FAR to get cash out. It's a real rush and rullet as to weather the machine will work and or give us cash but thank the heaven it paid off this time. 

    Now we're doing our daily laundry (it's so hot your clothes get smelly with one wear) and will hit the beach umbrella soon to hopefully stop being so pale.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    3

    Getting local in Panaji

    13 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    First achievement of the day was we both got a full night's sleep and felt well rested when we woke up.
    We then spent most of the morning figuring out how to post back some things back to the UK that we really shouldn't have packed. Despite all the bureaucracy of the Indian post, we managed it. It should arrive at our place in 1-2 months 😆.
    We then planned our next journey to Hampi, which has some amazing old ruins and then Mumbai. We then went to a very western cafe for a late lunch which was delicious and then went on a evening walking tour of the Indo-Portuguese neighborhood that we're staying in. It was an excellent tour. The guide knew everyone that we passed in the streets and also hooked us up with local sweets, drinks and a serenade by Fernando, a local OAP who won a national music competition 🤩.
    We ended the evening in a local bar where the owner gives all the ladies a mini red rose.
    Tomorrow we're off to the beach to catch some sun 😎🏖️ and stop being so pale.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    3

    Arrived into Panaji, Goa

    12 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After a pretty good sleep on an overnight train (I got the bottom bunk and got to see out the window) we arrived into Goa and got a very plush taxi to our accommodation (see view from room in picture). The whole neighbourhood is an old Portuguese settlement and is gorgeous and makes us feel like we're not in India.
    After roaming the Carnival grounds, which will be going on for the next few days, we decided to watch a Bollywood film and take a stroll beforehand hand. Going into the film we were warned it would be in Hindi but we're super surprised to find it had English subtitles...did they put them on just for us? Surely not...right...    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure

    💩 💩 💩

    11 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    I think the emojis here tell you everything you need to know. It happened. And what a day for it to happen, with 24 hours of travel ahead of us without access to a good toilet. The 5 hour bus down to Kochi was about 3 hours of hairpin bends in 30 degree heat on tiny little seats, feeling sick the whole way down. We changed seats and I immediately threw up into a little transparent bag that praise the lord had no holes in. We had nowhere to put it so ended up holding it the whole way back, my first real souvenir of the trip, a goldfish like bag full of sick. Being on that bus was literally top 10 worst moments of my life 😅 Got to Kochi and retreated into a hotel, to recover before we got on the train. Kyri was so good at looking after me ❤️ Feeling slightly better now but basically had 4 small bananas in the last 36 hours. Hopefully get some appetite back tomorrow! Think it was some mango juice I had that had been prepared with ice, as Kyri is fine. We are in good spirits now though as we enjoy our first experience of an overnight train, as we make our way to Goa.Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure

    More Munnar

    10 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    After our exhausting day yesterday we took it easier today, just did some laundry, drank too much chai masala tea and got buzzed, and visited the local rose gardens. I swear all the plants in this garden were the ones you find in the exotic section of Kew but here just growing casually in some pots. It's mad.

    Side note: worth mentioning we got awoken at 4 am to someone doing a sound check and then moments later an Indian version of Ed Sheeran's Shape Of You playing so loud across the whole town the stage could have been right outside our window. It was worse than the sound from a festival campsite. What the actual fuck.

    Tomorrow and tomorrow night we'll be traveling back to Kochi ( 5 hour bus) to then get an overnight train to Goa, so it's nice to have had the day to rest before the intensity of tomorrow.    Meer informatie

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  • 2024 Adventure
    12

    Day hike in tea plantation

    9 februari 2024, Indië ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We booked to go on a day hike through the trees plantations in Munnar that cover vast swaths of the area. We learnt a lot about the trees spaces and plants in the area from our guide.
    I was told when booking at reception it be easy and I could wear my sandals. Given my ankle was still a little swollen to be wearing hiking shoes I wore my Birkenstock. Worst idea ever. See photo of my feet at the end. The walk was really intense on top of this, in the heat on very narrow paths through fields with just the food our guide bright on his backpack. While us foreigners were dying he was cruising through it with no hat, and no proper walking shoes. My app said I did 24,000 steps over 16km. I now am starting to see what people mean when they say India will chew you up and spit you out.
    The delicious dinner healed most of it though.    Meer informatie

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