The journey north through India took us next to the capital, Delhi, or Disgusting Delhi as we affectionately coined it. During the British Raj New Delhi was constructed - a fine mini city with wide tree lined streets, grand homes and offices. Unfortunately Old Delhi was left to rot and crumble and this area of the capital resembles how you would imagine medieval life, open-shop butchers, cattle and people living in piles of rubbish at the side of the road, dogs howling, flickering street lighting and misty alleys clogged with fumes and dust. Needless to say we took an instant dislike to the place and made a quick exit after only a day and a night.

Next stop Rishikesh, famous for playing host to The Beatles during the late sixties. The town is a magnet for spiritual souls on the hunt for enlightenment (although rumour has it that many are escaped convicts in a hairy disguise!). It's the perfect place for people watching, a plethora of fascinating characters and interesting religious ceremonies performed by the Ganges river, the Mother Ganga as it is affectionately known in India. Inspired by the whole spiritual ambience we decided to spend some time in an ashram, practising yoga and meditation. We lasted one day. The place was like a prison, locked gates at 10pm (much to James' disgust during the World Cup), sloppy porridge for breakfast and cleaning our own room/ bathroom was considered part of the 'yoga experience'. We drew the line at scrubbing someone elses crap from the toilet so one night was more than enough.

After a brief stopover in Chandigarh and a visit to the Nek Chand Rock Garden, an interesting mix of sculptures made from recycled rubbish and India's second most visited attraction after the Taj Mahal, we headed to Shimla. One of the pleasures of travelling in India is the train network, and a spectacular route is the toy train from Kalka to Shimla, a slow journey through the mountains. We were already feeling more relaxed here, the fresh air, the cooler climate, the people ready to return a smile, it was a refreshing change.

A fascinating place on our journey north to the Himalayas was Mcleod Ganj, the home of the Tibetan Government in exile. A mini Tibet in the Indian mountains, we gained a true understanding of the struggles the Tibetans have encountered at the hands of the Chinese. Unfortunately we didn't see the Dalai Lama, but we did meet many friendly and smiley monks and were privy to a number of spiritual ceremonies, very humbling indeed. Despite the unique vibe of the town, the ubiquitous muck of India followed us, the open drains, car fumes, public toilets and even the kitchen of the cooking school, some of the worst we've seen!

Our ultimate destination in the north was Leh in the region of Ladakh, nestled in the lap of the Himalayas. We started our arduous journey from the small market town of Manali. A jeep transported us and 8 others for two whole days through valleys, skirted around mountains, clung to cliffs and revved through roads of thick mud to reach the destination. The views along the way are worth the trip alone, ever-changing, from wide and dusty open plateaus to green valleys with snow-capped mountains, simply mind blowing - words or photos cannot describe the sheer beauty and magnitude of the Himalayas, it's a "see it to believe it" place.

Leh became our home for a week and we made the most of our time here with rafting, shopping in the artisan markets and visiting the Buddhist monasteries. An ambition for both of us was to test ourselves, our stamina, strength, map reading skills and patience with one another, so we undertook our own mountain trek. A thoroughly rewarding experience, with mist-clad mountains and fresh water running rivers, not a sole to be seen for miles around. The highlight was tackling the 4900metre mountain pass in the pouring rain, no mean feat, but we conquered it and even overtook some nippers en-route, so we were chuffed!

The clock was ticking and it was time to head south again. In an effort to save money and the environment we decided against flying from Leh and took a jeep west to Srinagar in Kashmir. The intention was not to stay here at all, to simply switch jeeps and continue further south...but sometimes things don't always go to plan...