It’s hard to adequately convey what Delhi’s roads are like. Being driven around looking for Ganesha confirmed first impressions. There are few rules. Even the unspoken one of ‘no touching’ was twice ‘relaxed’ by my taxi driver who was completely sanguine about “little kisses”. Though he knew the size of his car down to the inch, others weren’t…
In the older, northern half of New Delhi, the streets are full of life and enterprise: a busy roundabout transformed into a cricket pitch by a column of bricks hosts a dozen lads’ game, strangers spotting and intercepting you in the street to propose a tourist tour. Though some advances are without agenda, just friendly and kindly intended,…
Unlike its nefarious namesake, India’s golden triangle is tipped by Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, and cultivates tourism. From Agra and the Taj Mahal it’s 250 miles to Haridwar and the foothills of the Himalayas: 2 days ride to the mountain leg. Rajesh who runs Tony’s bike shop in Delhi says: – “Agra towards Haridwar the roads are in mixed condition…
Gotta love the dudes strolling round the roundabout: esp’ the Sikh guy in white :o)
About this time 11 years ago we travelled as a family to Malaysia and Thailand. We were lucky. Though the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 swept the beach we were on at Batu Ferrenghi, thankfully, it caused no casualties and only slight damage. After that we went to Kho Phangan in Thailand where Theo, who…
I had thought to head North to the hills, but it’ll be chilly there this time of year, so now instead, the prospect of a 220km ride SE to Agra and the Taj Mahal, meant to be most beautiful at dawn (6:30). Across from the Taj, the Agra fort is also a Unesco world heritage site; so that’d…
That’s the advice of a mate who’s travelled around india. I guess they’d better be biodegradable. Can’t one exist just on Pranha and lassis? Oh well – three packets ordered from Amazon. Air temperature in Delhi looks to be 21C, a decent summer’s day here and double what it is outside, despite the mildest solstice on record and blossom…
I watched the Top Gear Indian special the other night, then came across this little beauty. Reality’s probably going to be somewhere inbetween.
I fly to new Delhi Tuesday week, that was a mistake. I was heading for Mumbai, but somehow got diverted in the process of booking a flight. From a mate’s prompting, I’ve now sorted out visa, currency card, typhoid jab, and reserved one of “Yes Please’s” rooms for the first few nights. (Air Bnb is developing into a really useful…
A friend suggested keeping an account of this trip to India, so, to avoid scattering musings around like eggs in a farmyard, this old blog rides again. An account of two halves separated by a six year gap. More often than not, work can be a tough compromise, a tedious trade to keep a crust…
