Master Parker's final entry before his & Nikki's mums swift exit back to the UK! Thursday 3/4/08 Early breakfast again, and left the hotel by 6.30am to get to the bus station in time to catch the 7.30 'local bus' to Delhi. Total journey time was about 6 hours, including a brief rest-stop about half way there. Interesting to note that the closer you get to Delhi, the more notice people take of the rules of the road - it was rather nice to see lines on the road...

Author Ian Master Parker cont'd........ Tuesday 1/4/08 Reasonably civilised start to the day, then out to catch another 'local bus' to take us on the 4 ½ hour journey to Jaipur, where we were dropped somewhat in the middle of nowhere. However Abhi soon arranged a fleet of tuk-tuks to transport us to our hotel, which was hidden away just off the city centre, and was a really quaint place that had loads of 'character' (including having a power cut every evenin...

Author - Master Parker Monday 31/3/08 Caught a 'proper' local bus (with people other than our group on it) which dropped us a couple of hours later at a hotel somewhat outside Bharatpur, with very little else about. Still feeling wobbly, so retired to the room and slept whilst everyone else went on a local village tour, where I understand that general feeling of the place was really nice, and the children actually didn't beg at all! Sue joined the others for dinn...

Author Ian Parker! Saturday 29/3/08 - Overnight sleeper (if you can call it that!) train to Agra.... Carried the bags over the bridge to the appropriate platform, and then walked what seemed miles (in the blazing sun) to the place where our 'sleeper carriage' was due to stop. At this point Sue decided that she wasn't getting enough attention, and she duly passed out on the platform - not once, but twice in short succession. This is quite spectacular when half the...

Friday 28/3/08 - Sunrise on the Ganges! Up at 5am and off on a short coach trip to get as close as possible to the Main Ghat on the banks of the River Ganges in order to watch the sun rise. Paused a while on the bank to see hordes of people arriving to perform their morning devotions - which for many included not only washing in the river, but cleaning their teeth in it as well. We discovered later that this has to be a hazardous exercise, as a local newspape...