Fort Kochi Having endured the worst check-in queuing system ever devised by man we had to hurry to the gate to catch our early morning flight to Kochi in South India. It felt good to by leaving the mayhem of North India behind. We had seen fabulous things, met lovely people, enjoyed wonderful food and hospitality but we were happy to leave the constant noise, pollution and chaos behind. South India is very different. The sea breeze in Kochi keeps the air fresh,...

Varanasi The city of Lord Vishnu, the holy Ganges changed its course to bless its walls with its waters. The holiest city in India, Varanasi is mobbed with religious tourists intent on fulfilling their religious duty to bath in its waters. Holy dipping, as Jai refers to it, absolves the Hindu of all of his/her sins. It is also the most auspicious place to die and be cremated. Cremation followed by having the ashes disposed off in the holy river exempts the depar...

On that midnight train to Varanasi. We had spotted this on the itinerary months ago. Our previous experience of overnight train journeys in Asia had been OK but not the best nights of out lives. This time we were to be stacked three high in an open, mixed carriage for 60 with no privacy, food or water. Curtains have recently been removed from trains as a potential fire hazard. In a culture where people stare at you directly, continuously and without blinking thi...

Allipura Another village, another palace to sleep in. We arrived late and had sunset drinks on the roof accompanied by much waving and shouting back and forth with the village children. This time the owner is the local MP whose family have dispensed fair play and justice in the area for centuries. The Allipura Palace is a throw back to the early days of the Raj. The walls are covered with pictures of long gone family members wearing turbans, long coats, swords a...

Orchha Orchha is a little place with a big history. With only 10,000 people, it was for many years the state capital and boasts two impressive palaces. One of these was built for and gifted to the Emperor in honour of his state visit to the town. Unfortunately, he could only stay for one night - a bit like Obama's recently aborted tour. Our hotel was a bit different from usual. There was a man at the door playing a flute. He like to play Au Claire de la Lune. W...