The roads, if you can call them roads, were single track hairpins, pot hole ridden often with signs of mud slides and collapse. At one point we came face to face with JCBs and tipper trucks carrying out repairs. We had to wait about 20mins for them to finish loading and move out of the way as the road was completely blocked while they were working but it didn’t stop various locals trying to push past beeping their horns as if that will magically make the blockage disappear.

We were lucky if the jeeps ever got above 10mph on the rough, uneven hairpin roads. On one sharp corner, we met a truck coming the other way and had to reverse quite a way back to find a relatively safe passing point, but we were literally on the edge of a very high drop. To add to the excitement, there was still some lingering mist and fog in patches. I really enjoyed this drive and it was a complete highlight. It felt like I was genuinely on a real adventure, not just a passenger.

In contrast to the roads, Karmi Farm is more of a tranquil homestay than a farm run by an English man and his wife who also set up the Karmi farm clinic bringing much needed medical knowledge and supplies to the this remote region in the foothills of the Himalayas in India. I was happy to donate some of the medication I was carrying as have been like a mobile pharmacy which has helped various people on my travels.

The building, location and views were simply breath taking and I was extremely envious of the place. It was a very remote setting, water from a spring, no WiFi, open fire places, clean fresh air and it had a warm healthy wholesomeness about it. Very difficult to describe.

During the days spent here, we went off on various guided hikes. Nothing too strenuous and none that lasted more than 3 or 4 hours.

It got dark around 17.00hrs so was back showered and changed ready for dinner which was really good. The beer was on an honesty tab system which worked really well. All vegetables were home grown and tasted so good. In the evening we moved to one of the lounges which had a roaring fire to keep more than a chill out of the air and played a few games and quizzes. It was a really nice relaxing few days and I would recommend anyone who visits this region to come here if you are able.

It was a shame to be leaving Karmi Farm. I could have quite happily spent the rest of my days there, but needs must. The jeeps were waiting for us for another exciting adventure drive along those narrow and dangerous roads. Instead of heading to Darjeeling, we moved on to Gangtok. Before we got there, we stopped by a tea plantation for a quick brew. The view wasn’t bad either…

Gangtok was nicer than Darjeeling but still similar. It had a nice pedestrianised shopping road which reminded me a little of Shanghai but on a much, much smaller scale. On one night we found a little bar and hauled up there for the night, drinking and getting free popadoms and mo-mo’s (steamed dumplings). It was really reasonable too. On the way back to the hotel found a statue of Mahatma Gandhi so had to have a photo with it, “Andy and Gandhi”…

On the walk back to the hotel, we decided that it should have been Andy and Mandy eating candy, reading the Dandy with Gandhi, which would have been handy… We had had a bit to drink.

Early start leaving Gangtok, meant to get the jeeps at 05.00hrs but after a couple of people slept in, we actually left closer to 06.00hrs. Not a major issue, but it was quite quiet and chilly at the time but still warm enough to get away with a t shirt. By the time the jeeps were loaded and we finally left Gangtok, the place was starting to come alive, with various traders setting up their stalls, taxi drivers looking out for customers in anticipation, rubbish collectors etc. But it wasn’t long before the roads started getting busy again. Sometimes it was difficult to tell whether the on-coming traffic was a scooter or motorbike or a lorry with one light. Trying to avoid various pot holes and rough surfaces often meant driving on the opposite sides of the road too and swerving in at the last minute to avoid a collision.

It was a drive of a couple of hours before we stopped somewhere for breakfast , nothing fancy but the coffee was good and well needed. It was also an opportunity to stretch the legs for a wee while. After breakfast it was another hour or so before we reached the truck park in Siluguri and we rejoined the Dragoman truck once more. Seemed strange getting on board again, like seeing an old friend, but the last couple of weeks I barely gave the truck a second thought.

Soon underway, perhaps the most noticeable thing is the change from peaceful tranquil, clean mountain scenery and fresh air to the heat, noise, litter and busyness of Silaguri. It was about an hour drive to the Indian / Nepal border which seemed to go by in a flash. Once parked up it was only a short walk to the immigration office to get the exit stamp in the passport. Was actually quite relieved to be leaving India. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, especially from Delhi to Mumbai and then from Pondicherry all the way up the east side of India, but south of Mumbai on the west coast am quite happy to forget and not just because I was ill then.

Crossing the bridge at Kakabitta in no mans land between India and Nepal was uneventful and I was surprised by the efficiency of Nepalese immigration and was expecting to have to wait for hours, similar to Morocco, but it was a quick in, fill out a form, pay $25US for a 15 days visa and there you go.

I couldn’t believe I was now in Nepal, the 5th country on this walkabout, and it didn’t look anything l ike what I was expecting. I had visions of high mountain villages, snow capped mountains, glacial rivers and forests lined with all sorts of prayer flags. I’m sure within the next 15 days I will see these, But for now, it was flat, hot enough to make me wish I was wearing shorts, and had quite fertile farm land.

The sun had just set by the time we arrived at the campsite. The safari tents were a permanent fixture with thatched roofs, electricity, comfy warm twin beds and a fully plumbed bathroom (complete with frogs). Not at all what I was expecting when I heard that we would be camping. This was glamping. In the evening we had a delicious vegetarian Nepal dinner but it was early to bed following a very early start as wasn’t able to have an afternoon nap.

In the morning after breakfast, there was a 3 hour walk with two guides. It was hot and flat, enjoyable but along a raised path and back, with the guides pointing out each and every variety of bird they saw from vultures and eagles, to kingfishers and woodpeckers. I was quite chuffed to spot the python in the grass that everyone else missed until I pointed it out.

Yet another early start to catch the train to Calcutta. It was quite a relief to leave this hotel, but not Puri, and head to the station, even at 05:00 hrs. It was seating only which was OK but like most train journeys in England there were several noisy, annoying local passengers with loud mobile phones and screaming kids, etc. Still, I was able to sit back, relax and watch the scenery go by for about 8 hours. There are worse ways to spend a day, especially when I think about my friends back home working…

Calcutta station was a welcome site. I was anticipating chaos, noise, overcrowding and and people jostling for position but it was really civilised, with people quiet, queued up in straight lines, luggage set out all in a line with several employees guarding it – not at all what I expected. Outside the station however, a completely different story. We lugged our bags to the pre-paid taxi park and must have been accosted no less than 20 times by various taxi drivers offering their services but nice to see the old Hindustan Ambassadors. It was about a 30 minutes drive through heavy Calcutta traffic around some parks, and through underpasses before we arrived at the hotel.

We had a few days in Calcutta which was enough time to try and find the black hole – really difficult and it is split in to two or three different places, including in a working post office! There was also Mother Theresa’s home but I didn’t visit that. Instead I did a walking tour around some of the city which was great and it took me to places I don’t think I would have ordinarily visited if I were on my own, where some of the locals were washing themselves in the streets.

Once again one of our original tour guides was leaving the trip here and was heading over to New Zealand. So we had another great leaving meal as a group in ‘Oh Calcutta’ restaurant. I am not sure if that’s a chain but I really enjoyed it.

The next day  I explored a few of the local parks that were not too far from the hotel and ended up back near Oh Calcutta. Feeling peckish I tried a restaurant next door and whilst it was quite disappointing they were doing 2 for 1 on drinks. Later on in the afternoon, met up with a few of the others and as there was 2 for 1 on drinks it seemed like a good idea to spend the afternoon there 🙂 Later at night, we found a jail themed restaurant where all the serving staff were in prison uniforms and our table was in a cell. It was quite interesting and fun.

Taxis dropped us off at Calcutta station around 21:00 hrs as we were to board the 22:05 hrs night train to Siliguri, arriving around 09:00 hrs the next morning. The bunks were in three tiers not just two, but there just enough space, even with all our luggage to lay down. I had the top bunk again and although there wasn’t sufficient space to sit up, it was more than comfortable enough. I actually had a pretty decent night’s sleep as the train slowly trundled its way, rocking us to sleep. I was woken up early-ish as some sellers board the train to sell tea, coffee and breakfast. The coffee was pretty good, but quite bizarre given that we were about to enter tea territory.

There were several jeeps waiting for us at the station to transfer us up to the mountain town of Darjeeling, famed for its tea. The roads were narrow and winding, not dissimilar to the ‘death road’ in Bolivia, often single track on the edge of a mountain with blind hairpin bends which the drivers seemed to take with casual abandon and a blast of the horn. We stopped for tea along the way which had nice views over the valley and a waterfall in the distance.

Continuing up the mountain, the temperature was dropping quite fast and it felt very different to the heat of Calcutta. I was still wearing shorts and T-shirt, but could see some of the locals in hats and down jackets, so it must be cold. This is the first time since leaving England that I have experienced single figure temperatures so it was a little culture shock when I got out of the jeep. Darjeeling seems to be a collection of villages huddled along hairpin roads on the mountainside rather than one large town. As we drove up the road, the views through the valley were obscured by thick heavy mist but periodically, there would be a little clearing and you realised how high up we are. The road also zigzags across a narrow gauge railway too. This belongs to the famous steam Toy Train that runs approx 79 km from New Jalpaiguri and rises over 6,400ft to Darjeeling at 6,812ft and this is one of the must do activities in Darjeeling.

The next day, following breakfast in the hotel was about to venture out, but still wearing shorts and t shirt, I saw a local man done up with down coat, hat, gloves etc. go outside, shiver and mutter a few words in Nepalese or Tibetan and come back in, so it must have been really cold. At that point, even after a warming bowl of porridge I thought it best to go and get changed…

Darjeeling itself wasn’t as picturesque as I was anticipating but I found a little tea shop, Glenary’s, that reminded me of the one by the old clock tower in St Albans.

They served great tea, coffee, cakes and snacks and they even had a red telephone box inside too. It was a nice town with plenty of things to do and a pedestrianised area that helped. Visited the Happy Valley Tea Plantation which is the highest tea plantation in the world and the tour was only 100 Nepalese rupees and lasted about 30mins. The tour only went around the factory, rather than out amongst the tea plants themselves but still quite interesting.

Later visited the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute located in the zoo. Very interesting to see some of the old mountaineering equipment used on previous expeditions including Sir Edmund Hillary’s and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s tools and clothes, etc. Outside the from of the institute is a memorial statue of Tenzing Norgay and his grave too.

We later had afternoon tea which included sandwiches, scones, biscuits and cakes at the Windermere Hotel which maintains the tradition from the old colonial days. The good news is there was a roaring open fire in the room which kept it all cosy and warm. There were a couple of pianos too but we weren’t allowed to play them. It was getting dark by about 17:00 so not much of a view from the top of the look out. Even if it was daylight, the hill was completely surrounded by mist anyway.

Eventually managed to get a ticket for the Toy Train and only rode it for a couple of hours, to Ghoom and back. I was really looking forward to this and it was good fun. However the train seemed to constantly blow its whistle all the way warning any road users and pedestrians that it was coming – as if a big blue stream train in the road wasn’t a big enough giveaway…

While we were watching the snakes the heavens opened. Within seconds the roads turned into rivers. Honestly, you would be drier if you fell into a swimming pool with the amount of rain coming down. The truck was parked about 200m from the snake park and because of the rain, we all ran back. I can only imagine the terror for anyone passing by, assuming that all the snakes and crocodiles were escaping, seeing tourists run for their lives.

Didn’t really do much in Chennai. The hotel wasn’t great, nor was the food but was completely soaked through. There were options to go and see various temples or museums but by this point I really couldn’t be bothered. So I just explored the surrounding streets which looked pretty much like any other Indian town, with the same advertising hoardings, litter and smells. The station in Chennai looked a little like a smaller version of St Pancras.

Once out of Chennai, the north east side of India really started to improve. Instead of being dusty, dirty, and crowded, it was becoming far more lush with a lot more vegetation. The twisty roads were becoming narrower as they rose up into the mountains, with small remote villages dotted along the way. The air was starting to feel a little cleaner too. Pretty soon jungle started to hug the mountain side and it felt a little cooler in the shade of the trees, but it was still in excess of 30 degrees. It’s weird, but I had a feeling of being ‘alive’ whilst here. Some of the turns on the road were so tight, that the truck could not make round in one go so we ended up having to do a 5 point turn just to make it around. At one stage the hairpin was so tight that we all had to get off the truck just case the turn wasn’t successful. It was quite an achievement but it was a good excuse to stretch the legs and have a jungle loo stop.

We were now entering the Odisha Tribal region of India were very few tourists visit so it was as real privilege to be able to go here.

In Goudaguda we stayed at the Chandoori Sai Guesthouse which is owned and run by an Australian guy. The food were was terrific and it was a pleasure to eat some ‘western food’. Roast Chicken dinner with chilled wine and apple pie for desert – it was just what my taste buds needed.
We were here for a couple of nights but I could have stayed much longer. During the days we walked to and around local Paroja, Mali and Kondh villages which were lovely and are renowned for earthen pottery.

We watched them effortlessly create the most ornate pots within seconds from nothing more than a lump of clay collected from the river and a spinning wheel controlled by the operators feet.

Diwali, the festival of light, happened while we were in this region. Originally were meant to stay in Baliguda but due to some local political disruption, we weren’t able to make the planned accommodation. I don’t actually know where we ended up staying but it was relatively off the beaten track and know the lift played really loud music when the safety doors were open which you could hear in the room. For Diwali people were letting fireworks off in the street left, right and centre. Health and safety was right out of the window, just like some rockets and bangers… Some landed really close and my ears were ringing from the bangs that I could hardly hear people shouting’ “Happy Diwali!” These are much louder fireworks than the ones you get back home. There was a meal laid on in a street side restaurant and one of the highlights was ‘chicken 65’, very similar to a Chinese sweet and sour chicken and very nice.

The next few days were in a town called Puri, one of the holiest pilgrimage places in India. We arrived mid afternoon but it seems most shops and restaurants close after lunch and re-open in the evening. I was really hungry but the only thing I was able to find to eat was a packet of crisps. Still it tidied me over until dinner later that night. The hotel had a pool, but my room wasn’t near it or that great. The bed was warped and the mattress U-shaped. I was on the front, ground floor of the hotel right by the road side so had car horns going off until the very small hours and despite travelling since July, this is the first and only time I have had a squat style toilet in a room. I tried to change rooms but there was no availability.

Late in the afternoon, we had a cycle rickshaw ride to visit various Ashrams, temples, monasteries which was nice. I did feel sorry for the guy having to pedal me around but I guess they are used to carrying two people in the rickshaw.

We stopped at one of the craziest markets I have ever been to and it was pandemonium. What should have been a 5 min walk took 45 mins, due to the volume of people and beggars, to get to the library where palm leaf manuscripts are kept. We were able to access the roof here and see the Jaganarth temple at sunset. Not being Hindu, were not able to access the temple itself.

The next day was fun and very gentle. It was a 1 hour minibus drive to Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in India famed for its birds and dolphins. We boarded long tail boats and had a very pleasant ride with everyone keeping an eye out to see if they could see the dolphins but no joy.

Soon we arrived at, not sure if it was either an island or a spit of land on the other side, but we disembarked and had a nice walk for a few hours and saw various wildlife including kingfishers, eagles and water buffalo. There was a very nice BBQ lunch laid on which had all the usual suspects there including giant prawns. However not liking fish or seafood, I donated my share to the group who were grateful. A quick hop onto the boats for the ride back to the minibus, once again everyone was keeping their eyes peeled for dolphins and this time it paid off, albeit far off in the distance.

The last day in Puri was a cycle ride. Initially we were all apprehensive about cycling in India due to traffic, cows, the state of the roads etc. but the route itself was off the beaten track and on quiet well maintained roads and cycle paths and was really enjoyable even with speed bumps that I would take quickly as if I were still riding at Swinley Forest. At one stage we got stopped by the police, not for dangerous riding or anything, but they just wanted to have a selfie with us. Seemed bizarre, but not going to argue with the Indian police. The ride lasted all morning but I could have quite happily rode all afternoon too, but we were there to visit the UNESCO world heritage site of the Konark Sun Temple, conceived as a giant chariot, believed to be one of Indias greatest temples.

Taking plenty of rehydration medication, I am back on my feet but energy is still lacking and I don’t have my appetite back yet. Fortunately it was a short drive, only 4 hours, through some amazing scenery and tiger habitat which is well protected. There was an option to take a jeep safari leaving at 05:00 to go and spot tigers. However, the rains arrived and I have never seen rain like this. It was an easy choice for me to skip the safari as am still not 100%; an early start and heavy rains – so the chance of seeing a tiger in the wild are practically zero here.

We stayed in a community home stay in Wayanad. They seem quite common here in India and as nice and as hospitable as they are, I just wanted to retreat to the room and catch up on rest until I was feeling better. Although clean, there was little hot water and no heating so it had a slight damp musty smell to it – even the bedding and towels had a damp feel to them and the mattresses were wafer thin and offered no support, so not a comfortable couple of days, but nothing really in the grand scheme of things.

After the breakfast while there was a gap in the rain I wandered down to the town, had a coffee and then found a market selling all sorts of tat – perfect for decorating the truck. Using a silicon gun, I stuck a couple of plastic flower pots to the dashboard and a really hideous Ganesh statue too, not to mention some plastic garlands to attach to the bull bars. It felt like a Top Gear episode where they ‘sabotage’ each other’s cars just to annoy them. Will see how it goes…

The decorations seemed to go down well and they all stayed in place as we drove another full day’s drive to Cochin. This morning we had a 20 minute ferry ride for 4 rupees to an island which is famed for its Chinese style fishing nets.

We then hired tuk tuks for a 3 hour tour for 150 rupees.

It was quite scenic and it filled the morning, but by 12:00, I was flagging and needed something to eat. Having had enough of Indian food for the time being, I was pleased to see some western fast food chains which, thankfully, seem largely absent in India. I stocked up on a couple of mixers from a local shop to go with the rum but as I did so, the heavens opened again and there was torrential rains for a few hours – enough to turn some side roads into mini rivers.

As we drove off the next morning in the sunshine, the water which had pooled on the roof from the rains overnight streamed down the windows as if someone was tipping buckets over each window for what seemed like half an hour. Thankfully it was only a short drive to Kerala and we arrived at lunchtime. Here we purchased a few emergency snacks and split into smaller groups and each boarded a traditional Kettuvallom, a sort of house boat.

Once on board, lunch was served and it was excellent and there was loads of it – no need to have bought emergency snacks. In the afternoon we cruised down the Keralan river backwaters and saw first hand some of the flooding that still remains. The rivers were a mixture of wide open paces and narrow canals, some lined with houses and shops, mostly just vegetation though.

We moored up just before dusk and had a delicious evening meal and spent the night aboard doing a quiz, drinking and listening to music and then slept in comfortable cabins. It was very tranquil on the river and had a good nights sleep. In the morning, after breakfast, there was a short cruise before returning to port to disembark and rejoin Daisy for the drive to Vakarla.

Varkala is a beach resort, similar to Goa but perched on top of some cliffs. The beaches are sandy but once again there were red flags flying so if you wanted to swim, had to use the hotel pool, which was pleasant enough. We had three nights here and it was a decent enough time to unwind and relax as well as checking out a few of the local bars and restaurants. I really didn’t do much here other than swim, eat and drink but there wasn’t that much more to do.

The next couple of days sees us reach the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari, also known as Cape Comorin, and stay in a hotel that was undergoing renovation work with hammering and drilling going on. Regardless, it was a bit of a milestone as if we kept heading south, we would end up directly in Antarctica but fortunately ran out of land. Now we start heading north up the east side of India and stop off in Madurai to visit the Sri Meenakshi temple which was quite impressive. However I’m growing tiresome of temples; have to dress up in certain clothes, remove shoes and not being allowed to take cameras in. Think I’m all ‘templed out’.

After Madurai, it was a pleasure to visit Pondicherry for a few days. It’s a French influenced town and is one of the few places in India where it’s possible to buy steak. As a pre-dinner snack we had some cheese, french bread and some decent wine on the roof terrace and then went out to a fabulous hotel restaurant that served an absolutely brilliant, juicy, flavoursome fillet steak. It was so good, we went back the second night and I ate the same. Perhaps I was getting a protein deficiency but those steaks certainly hit the spot. The only down side in Pondicherry were the bedbugs as I woke up with quite a few bites over my back, shoulders and legs. Remember I am in India so standards are lower than back home and insects, bugs etc. are to be expected in some places. Still didn’t dampen my spirit over that steak though! 🙂

The train was over 1km long and had several classes but fortunately our A1 carriage wasn’t at the other end of the platform. The train took 15 hours to reach North Goa and although it was a ‘day train’, there were bunk beds in our air conditioned carriage so I was able to catch up on some rest.

Surprisingly the train left on time, was smooth and wasn’t overcrowded which was all unexpected but it seemed that every 5 minutes, someone would walk down the carriage selling various food items from “chicken lollipops” to “mixed fruit” and “chai”. All of which looked and smelled very good. I had some mixed vegetable noodles for lunch which were nice and not bad for 70p.

The time passed quickly on the train, even with two 1.5 hour unexpected stops along the way. I couldn’t help wonder how people would have reacted back home with these added delays. No doubt people would have taken to social media citing ‘outrage’ and ‘travel chaos’, and demanding compensation but here it’s part and parcel of the adventure and we didn’t really notice the delays.

Arriving in North Goa in the dark, we got taxis to the hotel which should have been a 45 minute journey, however the taxi driver must have thought he was on a Grand Prix circuit as it only took 20 minutes. We dropped our bags off at the hotel some of us wondered up the street to a little restaurant called The Mango Tree which had a good mix of food on offer. I ordered a margarita pizza as I just fancied something simple and plain. When it arrived there was hardly any tomato on there and it had at least a 1.5cm thick covering of cheese all over. I managed to eat about half of it but had to admit defeat before retiring.

Next day we walked to the fort above Vagator beach which was ok, very hot and sweaty. You could see several beaches from the fort but the smog seemed to dull the colours a bit.

Walking back to the hotel later, we went a different way passed some local houses and down some steps to cross a small river. Five people had crossed ahead of me and then it was my turn. Just as I was about to cross the river something caught my eye to the right, a movement in the undergrowth, now at head height. It was a snake! I only saw it because it moved. It was about 2 ft long and about an inch thick, brown with a yellow stripe the length of its body. Googling the description when I got back to the hotel, the closest I could find that resembled it, was a garter snake which are usually found in USA. But the good thing is nobody got bitten and it was non venomous.

A couple of days later, we caught a bus to South Goa and to perhaps one of India’s finest beaches (so they say), Palolem Beach.

We stayed in beach huts that were set back from the beach in a holiday park resort complex but they were more like portacabins than beach huts. Still, beds were comfy and the air con worked. I think we are about a month too early to see it at its best but even with slightly overcast weather and sand in suspension in the sea, it was pretty nice. There were two fantastic beach front restaurants though and the caipirinhas were excellent 🙂 We had no plans here, it was just free time to relax so had a wander up and down the beach and went for a paddle. Red flags were flying so couldn’t go for a swim even though some locals did.

While having lunch and overlooking the beach, I downloaded the November 2018 edition of Wanderlust magazine (the 25th anniversary edition) and was flicking through and was pleased and surprised to see me on the top left of page 9. I had submitted a photo to their ‘from the road’ section and they published it. 🙂 There’s also an article about Dragoman in their – one of their guides won guide of the year, an article about Mumbai where had just been and a few other articles about either were I’m planning to go or when I have been so quite an enjoyable read.

Was actually quite glad to move on from South Goa, it wasn’t as stunning as I expected, maybe various brochures had built it up too much. We left South Goa at a reasonable time after breakfast and we split into two buses to take us to Hampi. While we were on the train from Mumbai to North Goa, the truck developed a couple of technical issues which couldn’t be fixed roadside which is why we are using chartered buses. It was another long drive but the seats were large and comfy and there was ample leg room too so the journey wasn’t too bad.

Once again it as dark when we arrived in Hampi, but the restaurant at the hotel served good food and beer. The rooms were little round bungalows with thatched roofs and a hammock on the porch. Small but comfortable and the beds had mosquito nets which worked and were necessary. In the morning we walked down a little lane, crossed the river, which looked as if it belonged in a Tarzan film, in a little boat powered by a spluttering outboard motor and visited the ruins of Vijayanagara which was the ancient capital of the Vijayanagara empire, now a UNESCO world heritage site. The site as huge and took until mid afternoon to explore.

On the way to Mysore, we stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant, like we had most drive days, and I ordered a paneer tikka masala. But on the bus later in the afternoon I didn’t feel quite right. There had been a cough going around over the last few weeks and I was fortunate enough to not have it but suddenly it started. Still full from lunch, I skipped dinner and went straight to bed, but at 02:00hrs was up with sickness and diarrhoea, mixed with a cold and a fever now in full swing. Needless to say I got no sleep and with energy levels depleted, I just stayed in bed switching between full sweats and uncontrollable shivering with visits to the bathroom. I took various medications but my body just rejected them, so it was a case of let it settle for a bit and then take some. Even a week later am still ‘delicate’ and I have got some strong cravings for some English food, or anything without a curry flavour. Just the thought of curry makes me feel sick still, which is frustrating as still have over a month in India to go.

So didn’t see much in Mysore, only the hotel room and that wasn’t much to write about. But I seem to be on the mend now. Am able to keep food in and am keeping hydrated. Still, given I have been travelling since the beginning of July and have been in India for over a month already, this is the first time I have been what I’d call ill which isn’t bad.

It was fascinating to see a ‘portable cage for trapping and keeping tigers’ in the palace garden. The cage was really big and there looked nothing portable about it. So I took the opportunity to sneak inside it, at least it not being used nowadays, except for maybe the odd tourist photo…

After a spot of lunch at a rooftop restaurant, it was back to the hotel to pick up laundry and pack ready for an early departure the next morning. The truck was parked a few kilometres away from the hotel due to the narrow streets so we got a tuk tuk transfer back while most of the city was asleep. Strangely it looked dirtier without all the hustle and bustle.

Once loaded onto the truck we drove 400 km to Mandu, an ancient fort city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The accommodation was camping in a hotel grounds but I decided to upgrade as I fancied a comfortable bed (after a 7 hr drive). Dinner was a camp cooking vegetarian option and it was really good, but it didn’t take too long for mosquitoes and dogs to come out. I was so glad I upgraded to a room and was not sleeping in a tent. I was really surprised to see how green and lush the vegetation had become – a stark contrast to the dry, barren sandy desert further north of Udaipur. Equally, I had noticed how much healthier some of the animals looked, as if they were very well nourished.

In the morning, we visited an abandoned hill top fort consisting of many palaces (mahal’s), including Jahaz Mahal and Hindola Mahal.

It’s surrounded by stone walls dotted with darwazas (gateways).

Leaving Mandu behind it was another few hours in the truck passing various Indian settlements which now all look the same, driving to our overnight bush camp near Kharwand Dam. It was getting quite late by the time we arrived and the sun was ready to set. Fortunately there were still some cold tonic waters in the fridge to go with my gin 🙂 The bush camp was fun, gathering firewood and camp cooking. Despite a slight risk of a shower, the rain held off which kept the temperature up. It was a fairly remote location with zero facilities, but thankfully nature didn’t call.

Continuing next day, we drove to Ellora where there are ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Jain caves which were hand carved into the rock and contain several temples back dating back to between 6th and 11th centuries. Some of these caves go in excess of 100m into the rock so it must have been a real effort to produce. Outside every cave there seemed to be a family of monkeys waiting for any opportunity to grab some food of unsuspecting passers by.

The next evening we arrived in Mumbai. Well, we arrived at the city outskirts by 15.00hrs. By the time we negotiated the traffic and dodged a few low hanging cables it was close to 19.00hrs before we arrived at out hotel. It wasn’t the best hotel, but it was a comfy bed for a few days and we said goodbye to three of our group and hello to two more, so there’s a fairly constant number on the truck.

Mumbai is a pretty interesting place and had some free time to explore. In trying to find an ATM I ended up stumbling across cricket training grounds so actually spent the morning watching the locals play. It all seemed very civilised, albeit roasting hot. In the evening we had a fabulous meal at Leopold’s Café made famous by the novel Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts which is about an Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escapes from jail and flees to Bombay, as Mumbai was formerly called. The cafe was also an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the November 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists. The terrorists sprayed fire inside the restaurant from outside killing 10 persons and injuring many others. The restaurant was extensively damaged and you can still see the bullet holes in the restaurant walls.

The next day we did something very upmarket and had high tea at the 5 star, internationally renowned Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It was a luxurious buffet for 3 hours without a sausage roll or cheese and pineapple on a stick in sight. I don’t know if it’s just because I had been on the road for so long, but the tea was amazing (tasted like proper tea back home).

Next morning was quite an early start, on the road by 06.00, which meant getting up about an hour earlier. Unfortunately it was raining hard and where the truck, Daisy, was parked was muddy. There was a tarpaulin down to put bags on but where some locals helped to load, the bottom of my my bag was dropped into a muddy puddle. Luckily everything inside is packed in vacuum bags so was kept dry. But as it dried out, it became quite dusty. The truck, built by Tata, used to be a South African safari truck and seats 20 passengers, has two tables and a fridge on board. Underneath the main cabin are various cubby holes which contain everything for life on the road; a drinking water tank, chairs, cooking equipment, maintenance equipment, luggage storage, and also camping equipment which is stored on the roof. All passengers are assigned a job to do on the truck and mine is ‘stairs out’. This doesn’t mean my job is to stare out of the window, but every time we stop, I have to pull out the stairs from underneath the truck to allow everyone to be able to get out. They weigh an absolute ton and are heavily greased but the good news is, it’s someone else’s job to put the stairs back. I share the ‘stairs out’ job with an Australian fireman as it takes two people to do it safely.

It was a ‘drive day’ to Bikaner, 460 km from Delhi. It was estimated to take between 8-9 hours but it ended up being close to 14 hours, excluding stops because of the Indian roads and traffic. By now the rain had stopped and it became dry and hot as you would expect in India. The hotel (Harasar Haveli) was quite nice and there was an excellent buffet dinner laid on for us of mostly familiar Indian food. The paneer (cheese) tikka masala was especially good.

Next day we stopped off at Karni Mata – the rat temple where thousands of sacred rats are worshipped. The legend goes that Karni Mata’s stepson, Laxman, drowned after falling into a pond when trying to take a drink, and Karni Mata convinced Yama, the god of death, to allow him and all of her other male children and descendants to be reincarnated as rats. We had to hand our shoes in and wear foot covers, but the smell in the temple wasn’t great as you may imagine.

After that visit it was back on the road again, driving almost 400km to Jaisalmer – the ‘Golden City’ as it is built from yellow sandstone, dodging cows, tuk tuks, on-coming vehicles and people along the way. The scenery so far looked more African than Indian, quite desert like despite the huge amounts of litter strewn on the sides of the road.

Once at Jaisalmer we checked into a really nice hotel (Golden Haveli) which served great food, cold beer and had a lovely pool in which we cooled off in, just the job after a long day on the road. Shortly after, we got tuk tuks to the main town, although it was less than a mile away, it was really too hot to walk and as the tuk tuks were dirt cheap, it seemed the obvious choice. Explored the markets and found a decent bottle of gin for only 650 rupees (about £6.50), some tins of tonic water for 60 rupees each and some oranges too as nowhere seemed to sell lemons or limes.

The reason for buying the gin is that night would be a bush camp in the Thar desert after a 1-2 hour camel trek. Am not a huge fan of camels and have ridden them before so elected to skip the camel safari and go in a 4×4 instead. Watching the sun go down over the dunes was very similar to the Sahara experience.

There was no need for tents as it was too hot. Just as the sun had set, with no light pollution, you could clearly see the Milky Way and millions of stars and a few planets. However as the moon rose, it shone so bright it was virtually impossible to see the stars. At one stage I though I was going to get a ‘moon tan’ instead. Quite difficult to sleep as it was so bright and various noises from the camels. It was fun watching the dung beetles do what they do all night. In the morning, after sun rise and breakfast it was back to Jaisalmer to the same hotel and back to the same pool 🙂

After a wash and clean up, we took tuk tuks into town again and explored the old fort.

Just as we found our way to witness sunset, a sandstorm blew in from the desert and obscured all vision. We held up in a small bar waiting for it pass before getting back to the hotel. Fortunately it didn’t take too long to pass.

Leaving Jaisalmer the following morning, we drove to Jodhpur which is roughly 300km, and on the way stopped at a local charity (Sambhali Trust) which teaches life skills to girls and young women of Rajasthan in a safe environment. It was quite nice to see all the crafts they make and that it gives them a good opportunity to work in the future.

Up until arriving in Jodhpur, I didn’t feel as if I was in India. Difficult to describe why, but what I had seen so far is more similar to North Africa except maybe the food. But when we turned down this one street it was pandemonium, huge volume of traffic, cows, litter, shops and stalls, people, heat, smells, and here it felt more like the India I imagined. The truk went down another small side streets, where cows were eating plastic rubbish, and took out an overhead cable – apparently the locals are used to it and it was back up in under 5 mins.

We stopped immediately outside the Mandore Guesthouse which was a real garden oasis where we stayed for two nights. Once again there was a great buffet dinner laid on, cold drinks and a great pool with a waterfall fountain.

In the morning we visited the Mehrangarh Fort and Palace which was really nice. We had an audio guide so could wonder around at your own pace and was there for about 3-4 hours. It was good we got there when it opened as by the time we left it was really busy with big queues of people outside.

Then it was about a 30min walk down the hill to the town centre clock tower. The square was busy and quite an intense experience so quickly moved on and found the Omelette Man, recommended in Lonely Planet, who has been selling omelettes in the same place for over 18 years from a single frying pan / burner so had a quick snack, and it was really nice and then found a cafe for a decent cup of coffee – something have been craving for a while.

I was disappointed not to have found a pair of Jodhpurs in Jodhpur as thought they would be quite prolific due to its namesake. As it was, it was time to load up the truck and hit the road again, this time driving about 260km to Udaipur. On the way, stopped off at Ranakpur and visited a Jain temple. It looked like something out of Kipling’s Jungle Book, especially with all the monkeys around.

I had a bit of an argument with security here as you must be covered up to go in and although I was wearing shorts and had ‘hired’ a pair of over-trousers, they didn’t fit. So they weren’t going to let me in. So I went back and forth to various huts to try and find a pair that would fit me, eventually they produced a pair of khaki trousers that vaguely fitted so I was able to go in. Seems silly to me.

I was really looking forward to Udaipur mainly because it was where the Bond film, Octopussy, was shot. There was a couple of days of free time here and found roof top restaurants to have a drink, something to eat and enjoy the views.

We had a boat ride on Lake Pichola around the floating palace and our hotel, The Tiger Hotel, was literally minutes from where most of it was filmed including Jagdish Temple where the tuk tuk jump was done.

Obviously there were a few places showing the movie, so took the opportunity to watch it again with a beer and was surprised by how much of the immediate surrounding streets were used in the film.

In the evening we caught tuk tuks up to the Monsoon Palace on the hill. The drive up there on very steep and tight, twisting roads was more interesting than the Palace itself as it had fallen into a lot of disrepair with most of it boarded up for renovation. However, it did offer a uninterrupted views over Udaipur, even with large crowds gathering for sunset.

The flight was only just over 5hrs long, so it wasn’t really cost effective or worth upgrading to business class for this flight. If it was in excess of 10hrs, then yes I would have. Still, dinner was served and alcoholic drinks included free of charge and managed to watch two films on the flight too.

Arrived in Delhi, collected my bag and found an ATM to get some Rupees. There was a driver waiting for me to transfer me to the hotel I had booked, Claridges. The transfer only cost about £8 through a company called getyourguide.com. If I had booked the transfer through the hotel, it would have cost me £30, albeit in a luxury car, not a beat up Suzuki Swift. It was about a 30-40 min transfer and the traffic was actually ok. I was expecting utter chaos and bedlam, similar to Morocco and Egypt but there seemed to be order, not dissimilar to England.

Checked into the hotel about 22.30 and pretty much went straight to sleep as am still on Chinese time (+2.5hrs from India). Next day just spent it at the hotel enjoying the service and facilities available. For dinner I had perhaps one of the tastiest meals have eaten in a long time, it was a butter chicken tikka murgh. Although the food I have eaten in Morocco, Egypt and China was good, this seemed to tickle every taste bud and was on another taste level. Afterwards headed to the Aura Bar and had a couple of ‘Old Fashioned’ cocktails which were an absolute treat, if a little expensive.

It was an early start next morning as had booked a tour to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Given the amount I am travelling in India, it would be wrong to come here and not visit the Taj Mahal. This would normally go via train for a couple of hours, but there is some festival going on and all trains are full and delayed. So instead, a driver picked me up (again in a beat up Suzuki Swift) and we drove the 3hrs to Agra where I met a local guide, Deepu. The roads reminded me very much of English motorways, and the M6 around Birmingham in particular. He showed me around the Taj Mahal and was a very informative guide as well as taking a few pictures for me.

The Taj Mahal is amazing and does not disappoint, even when the weather is a little overcast. It lived up to all expectations and even with thousands of visitors there, it did not feel crowded or rushed. Can certainly see why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Everything at the Taj Mahal is in perfect symmetry, even some of the pigeons were in equal numbers on each side.

After about 3hrs, time to move on to Agra Fort. I wasn’t expecting much from here but it overdelivered. It is a fort, a palace, a prison, and a garden in one.

After the tour, headed to a local restaurant for a late lunch / early tea and then it was back in the car for the 3hr drive back to Claridges in Delhi.

Explored the local area yesterday, Lodi Park, usually where a lot of married couples pose for photographs but the heavens had opened and I got drenched. Hoping the camera hasn’t got too wet. So came back to the hotel and had a lazy day in the spa and bath.

Checking out today and moving to a hotel in Karol Bagh district which is where I join an overland tour with Dragoman. Have used Dragoman before, 10 years ago when I travelled Nairobi to Victoria Falls. Hoping it will be as good as some of the other tours I have done and am looking forward to it.