Category: India

What is it with India and cows? They’re everywhere, and nobody takes any notice. It’s completely normal to see a cow … … on a railway station platform – … wandering through the city centre – … having a quick kip in the road – … inspecting a rubbish pile – … and even on… Continue reading Swerving around cows

In the interests of research, I tried many different types of massage on this trip – deep tissue, aromatherapy, Balinese, to name but a few. The strangest was the chakra unblocking head massage, which I had in the Royal Palace at Bundi. The masseuse flicked and scratched my head and pulled hard on chunks of… Continue reading Yet another painful experience

… or at least I’ve peered murkily in the general direction, but the pollution-filled haze would have challenged even the oracle at Delphi to see anything clearly. The pollution in Delhi is appalling – a smelly, foggy haze hanging over the city. It’s just downright lucky, for all my blog readers, that I look so… Continue reading I’ve seen the future …

If you want a taste of a royal lifestyle, Rajasthan’s the place to go. It seems that there are as many royal palaces and forts in Rajasthan as there are branches of McDonalds in England; every little town has at least one. Very fittingly, the word Rajasthan means ‘land of kings’, and all the black… Continue reading Indulging my inner hedonist in Rajasthan

The reception on the final day was the most Western event of the whole wedding, and Western dress was the order of the day, so there were no more anxious moments, anticipating unravelling saris. We started with what is usually called ‘pre-drinks’ – and which I thought would be the only drinks at a dry… Continue reading An Indian wedding – day three …

Day two was actually straight after day one – but due to travelling and intermittent Wifi, this post has been languishing in my notebook for a while. Day two started for us with a ceremony for the groom, attended by his family and friends, to ask Ganesh to bless the marriage. Hursh, the groom, sat… Continue reading An Indian wedding – day two …

It was very exciting to be invited to a wedding in India, so we packed our bags and headed off to Rajkot in Gujarat. Gujarat is a dry state, so – following instructions from the groom – we had to apply for alcohol permits before we left – With our Brits-abroad priorities firmly in place,… Continue reading An Indian wedding – day one …