Category: Travel

The CSMVS, as it’s known, is a museum of the history of India as seen via art, archeology and natural history. It also has exhibits from around the world. It’s a sort of combination between the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in London. My main reason for visiting it was to get some … Continue reading / view photos Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

This curious museum tells the story of India’s people throughout the ages. It animates past lives and living by creating miniature scenes with models, as well as by using more conventional means such as paintings and artefacts from the time. View photos Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Khotachi Wadi is a heritage village in Mumbai. I decided to walk around the small, quiet alleyways of this small enclave from the 18th century in Mumbai after I’d seen the new Mumbai of high rises. Children and adults played cricket on the streets, as every day life continued around them. They didn’t seem to … Continue reading / view photos Khotachi Wadi

It was a highlight to have been at the Golden Temple complex. There was an incredible calm atmosphere there. Helene and I were humbled by the experience of Sikhs happy to open their most holy monument and personal spiritual experience to all. To add to that, Sikh temples (gurdwaras) provide free food to people of … Continue reading / view photos Golden Temple, Amritsar

Every day, at the border post between Attari and Wagah, there’s a ceremony to lower national flags and formally close the border between India and Pakistan for the night. To watch what should be a sombre affair, both sides provide seating. The Indian side has a stadium now, with a new tier being built. As … Continue reading / view photos India Pakistan Border, Wagah, Attari

The three and a half hour cab journey to Shimla, full of twists and turns to ascend 2000m, was a dizzying experience. Shimla is built on a mountain side. Its high street is called Mall Road and is at the top of Shimla. Vehicles aren’t allowed on it. The main access road is 100m below … Continue reading / view photos Shimla

My nephew’s wife, Sharon, has an uncle in Chandigarh. Her uncle, Jasbir, and his son, Angad, have given me much advice during this trip, as has Sharon. I’m very grateful to all three. Without their advice, my trip would have been very different. I spoke many times to Jasbir during my trip. His sense of … Continue reading / view photos Chandigarh

The night train from Varanasi to Delhi was comfortable. We got a good night’s sleep. The trains have been generally better than I thought they would be apart from their timeliness. It’s rare for a train to get anywhere on time. For some trains, that’s not surprising because routes can be several hundred kilometres, running … Continue reading / view photos Hounded in New Delhi

One of the benefits of staying at a homestay is that sometimes communal breakfasts and dinners are arranged. This is a great way to have home-cooked food in India and meet other travellers. In Varanasi, we had generous hosts. The food was very good and the chef, once I explained vegan food, made some very … Continue reading / view photos Varanasi homestay

After Agra, I went to Delhi to meet Helene who was flying over from the UK for two weeks. I didn’t see much of Delhi because we flew to Varanasi on the same day that she landed. For some people, Varanasi represents real India. All the icons are here: snake charmers, people begging (with and … Continue reading / view photos Delhi to Varanasi