Alice was pleased to be touching down in Beijing. Where in India she had been stared at incessantly, here she was just ignored. From lechery to indifference. Progress. My experience in India had been completely different. I had enjoyed the way I was taken in by the locals, the respect they had shown me during my time there and, of course, being likened to David Beckham. Whilst there had been many culture shocks to process, with some being more difficult than othe...

With no driver to pick us up anymore, we were forced to take a taxi from the airport to the hotel. The horror. Unsurprisingly, our taxi driver had no idea where he was going. And after about the fourth time of stopping to ask a random pedestrian for directions, I did start to wonder what happened to a good old fashioned map. Instead we were forced to rely on the word of men who, being men, almost always pointed straight, then gestured left before uttering somethi...

After the memorable camel safari tour, we had to deal with a few itinerary issues. Our driver advised us against continuing on to Udaipur because it would mean that when we eventually returned to Jodhpur, we would be travelling during Holi celebrations. He was concerned that drunken Indians would end up throwing stones at the car as we attempted to make our way down the highway or through small towns and villages. As you do. So, keen not to be attacked by inebr...

On the way to Jaisalmer, our driver told us that unless we went on a camel safari there was not much point in us being there. So,taking heed of his advice, we asked him to arrange an overnight safari in the desert for us the following day. With the heat of the day delaying our departure until the late afternoon, we still had time to visit yet another fort. On the wide spectrum of North Indian forts and palaces I would say that Jaisalmer’s offering was somewher...

Jodhpur When we arrived at our new hotel in Jodhpur, we were shown to a grotty, windowless square shaped bolt hole, which sported a mattress as hard as the mountain rock that overlooked the city. A total come down after the paradise offered in Pushkar. However, only a few minutes later, a manager insisted we moved to a deluxe room, free of charge. The one star Trip Advisor review is a formidable foe few dare to f**k with. After having switched rooms, we decide...