Painting the Town... Blue
Getting Lost in Jodhpur
We take the train again, this time to Jodhpur, swapping the pink city for the blue one. After a terrible night's sleep I suffer through another 4am wake-up and hasty dash for the railway station and arrive to the city exhausted. Luckily we've pre-arranged a pick-up and it isn't long before we find ourselves at the beginning of . . .
Jaipur
And That One Time I Broke a UNESCO site
Most of our trips by Indian Rail have been characterized by punishingly early starts, discombobulation when faced with the multitude of trains and tracks, last minute platform changes and a scramble for the right carriage as the train pulls in. Our trip to the pink city of Jaipur was no different.
Up at 4:45am, out the door by . . .
The Taj Mahal
A Visit to Agra
It was with impatience that we left Delhi for Agra, only a short 4h taxi ride south-west of the capital. Known as the home of the most recognized building in the world, the Taj Mahal, Agra is close enough to Delhi to be caught in its orbit and a lot of the things that irritated us in Delhi were in evidence here. Nevertheless, the Taj Mahal is . . .
Never Again New Delhi
Fool Me Once...
After breakfast, we leave our hotel early, and arrive at the train station 2h before our scheduled departure. My parents are nervous travelers and, eager to escape Chandigarh, I don't protest too much at leaving the hotel (and its speedy internet connection) behind. Our next stop is New Delhi where we'll be spending seven days . . .
Chandigarh
Bringing Order to Chaos
Chandigharh's claim to fame is that its urban design was planned by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, the very same man whose lamp design inspired egotistical maximalist Kanye West, to become an egotistical minimalist.
Of all the cities we've visited in India thus far, it is one of the most organised and therefore least . . .
Shimla: A Highland Oasis
And a Wonderful Discovery
Conceived by the British as a summer getaway for its greenery and elevation, Shimla is a hill station town popular amongst domestic tourists. Built into the side of several westward facing hills, it is a lovely and progressive town where smoking is banned, littering is a punishable (and strictly enforced) offense, traffic is seriously . . .
The Swindling Salesman
The Silver Fox Gets Outfoxed
Leaving Amritsar at 6am in anticipation of the 11h drive, we make our way deeper into Uttar Pradesh on the way to our next stop, Manali. Like Pokhara, Manali is also nestled in the Himalayas but at a higher altitude which accounts for its cooler climes and popularity as a honeymoon destination with domestic tourists during the unforgiving . . .
