Despite not looking forward to Delhi it came as a pleasant surprise and relief. We stayed in the Tibetan area of Delhi where Tibetans have fled from their homes because of Chinese rule: the people in the area were quiet, polite and helpful and it could have been Tibet: prayer flags everywhere and lovely Tibetan food (Momos are my new favourite thing - steamed dumplings). It was very telling that the only people that bothered us and asked for money every time we s...

The jewel in the crown....pity we had to stay in a pit to see it! You could get so much at Shanti Lodge: sewage smells, ants, mice, fleas...the only thing not available was water. But the hotel did have a great view...we stayed one night in the "pit" and asked for a jostick because the smell was so bad. They gave us a packet, obviously realizing we were in the uninhabitable room and probably surprised we were staying at all! We changed rooms the next da...

"Happy Diwali, do you want a rickshaw" "No thank you" "Are you sure?" "Yes" Where are you going?" "WE DON'T WANT A RICKSHAW". Arriving in Jaipur we step back into the land of rickshaws and millions of people touting for business to sell anything. However, despite dreading the thought of landing back in a city, we have thoroughly enjoyed the tacky town that is Jaipur. Like Blackpool on curry powder it's got l...

Pushkar is the next stop heading north through Rajastan, northern India. The guide book describes this place as a hangout for laid back neo-hippy travellers. I've seen more loser hippy English people here than I ever have in England. But we've got stuck in and have been walking and cycling all over the place whilst the hippies think about crazy shapes and colours. Losers. It has been amusing watching them though, like the girl having a private yoga session on...

After the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and Udaipur we travelled to Ranakpur. We had planned on staying 3 nights but after getting there and seeing the view from the pool over the lake we decided to stay longer - money was a bit tight - there were no cash points or banks so we had to be careful! Electricity was on and off and the service laid back, shall we say, but after being ill it was the perfect retreat for convalescence. We went on a 6 hour trek to a temple i...