The last thing I expected to be doing in Allahabad was singing for my supper. Staying with Ivan and his wife, Purnima, at their fabulous homestay, offered us a window into a rarely seen side of Indian culture. As well as cooking for us and taking us for pista kulfi (a pistachio-flavoured sweet similar to ice cream), they regaled us with stories of their lives.Every community has a centre, a heart. This historic home, pushing 90 years old, is undoubtably that. The...

Nothing's forgotten... ... nothing is ever forgotten.*Including, it would seem, the true art of archery. Forget your carbon-fibre bows, your counter weights and your sights; the true art of archery is firing an accurate stream of arrows at a man-sized target, in rapid succession. This is the way they still do it in Shillong.We've just had the pleasure of watching a unique local 'sport' that doubles as a system of local lottery: Sita Khnam involves...

When asked to share his thoughts about seeing Rhinos, David offers: "they're big". A slight disservice, I'd say....They're friggin huge! And stack one-on-top-of-another they form the most colossal road block I've ever seen!! It was amazing actually: we're being driven down this dirt track and I'm trying to puzzle out the enormous silhouette in front of us, as our guide gets really excited. Apparently, catching Rhinos mating is really rare....

I sometimes think we're like hobbits going on an adventure:"What is finer than flying?" said his eagle. Bilbo would have liked to say: "A warm bath and late breakfast on the lawn afterwards".As we sit here, taking a leisurely afternoon tea on the veranda, my gaze drawn over the tea estate by a pair of dancing butterflies, I can't help but approve of David's analogy. Waking up to views over the Himalayas, while trekking in Nepal, was awe-inspiring -- a...

We've been a tad remiss. We're still to write up our blog about the Singalila Ridge Trek: our five-day hike along the ridge that forms the India-Nepal boarder. So, rather than keep you in suspense, our fellow traveller and budding author, Little David 'The Tea' Bear, has kindly stepped in. We present to you an extract from The life and times of a travelling bear: "...And so it was that I was forced from the creature comforts of Darjeeling and manh...