We chose to stay for 7 nights at Hotel Staywell DX  (Ranked #805 of 1,222 B&Bs / Inns in New Delhi on Tripadvisor) to for our last hotel in India while we get our Vietnam VISA sorted. The hotel is clean, comfortable, and in a great location. Staffs are friendly and speak enough English to get on by but advanced conversations or requests are could to be misunderstood. Continue Reading

Disclaimer: The following are my own opinions and are not intended to offend. We spent a little over 3 weeks in India during July 2014 mostly with a guided tour Ain’t no mountain high enough by Geckos Adventures. The India government air an advertisement campaign “Incredible India” “Incredible India” is one way to say it, India is both incredibly great and incredibly annoying at times too - I will explain in this post. Continue Reading

Before leaving India we wanted to ship the souvenirs we have purchased over the last month back to the United Kingdom. TL;DR Don’t think shipping your items from India will be easy, simple and cheap. Most souvenirs you buy will likely be rejected from main stream carriers for some silly reason. If you’re flying back home, take your souvenirs with you, don’t buy anything too big that you will have to ship (you might be disappointed). Continue Reading

We booked a street food tour with (Ranked #2 of 290 Shopping in New Delhi on Tripadvisor) I liked the foods we sampled but honestly noting really blew my taste buds away. Was expecting food being prepared by simple means, popular with the locals (like the street food Rick Stein’s sampled when he visited to India in search of the true India flavours). Most places we visited are established vendors, except a couple local ‘out there’ vendors. Continue Reading

We went to Barbeque Nation Connaught Place (Ranked #135 of 12,646 Restaurants in New Delhi on Tripadvisor) for what we expected to be a simple meal. We did not expect an all you can eat buffet with a real BBQ in the middle of the table. We got given a table and hot coals were placed in the centre, then skewers of cooked chicken, fish, and prawns to be additionally cooked to the our liking. Continue Reading

We booked a tour with Geckos Adventures “Ain’t no mountain high enough” as it’s tour route from Nepal to India, and lowest price (£760.75 per person). Ain’t no Mountain High Enough - Geckos Adventures - Pre Departure Information (PDF) I shared this tour experience with 11 others. Leaded by Bikash Nepal (Nepal leader), Sukhjot Singh Gill (India leader) TL:DR; I enjoyed the stress free passenger experience of visiting many places which I may not have thought of. Continue Reading

We visited Gurudwara Bangla Sahib to learn a bit about Sikhism religion. We were shown around the kitchens where mass food production was in progress to feed those who come. We sat and listened to a prayer ritual and walked around Bangla Sahib Sarovar (a pond to wash way sin). Continue Reading

We ended our guided tour of India at Hotel Perfect in New Delhi (The capital of India). The stay was not so perfect, the much needed air-conditioning unit did not work. The room was tired (needing some TLC). Wi-Fi worked, but only outside the room doors. Luckily we stayed here for only 1 night. Only advantage to Hotel Perfect is it is in the perfect location for retail, loads of shops to buy cloths and stuff. Continue Reading

India gate is a war memorial which has inscribed the names of the Indian citizens who served and died in the first world war. India Gate Continue Reading

Raasta is a Caribbean Lounge in the Haus Khas Village, New Delhi (Ranked #693 of 12,646 Restaurants in New Delhi on Tripadvisor) . We had drinks, and food. The atmosphere was fun until karaoke started. The prices seemed a bit overpriced for India, especially after calculating Tax and Service Charge, that aside I likely would go again for quiet late afternoon drinks. K Boulevard HKV 30 A, 1st Floor, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi Address: 30 A, 1st Floor, Hauz Khas Village, Deer Park, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi 110016, India Phone: 091558 48484 Continue Reading

We joined the hotel owner Shakti Singh Inda in his group cooking kitchen to learn the roots of Indian cooking. We made Chai Masala Tea, Pannier Curry, a Korma type dish, aloo biryani and Roti. We head great fun cooking and joking with Shakti and we got to eat a large lunch too. Continue Reading

We visited the City Palace and had a guided tour around the paid-public sections of the palace. This palace is a neat sized building that engulfs a hill as part of its architecture so a roof top garden with large trees and a pool can exist. The palace features beautiful coloured glass, brilliantly maintained rooms and triumphant artwork. The grounds are wonderful to walk around and there are no pocket-sellers within the grounds. Continue Reading

Udaiper as seen from Lake Pichola. City Palace Taj Lake Palace Jag Mandir Continue Reading

Hey, just a quickie letting you all know we are OK. Kim got discharged from the hospital from food poisoning after two nights and we instantly started our tour across Nepal and India. Currently in India and have not had a great WiFi and time while on a guided tour. Have so much to share, apologies for the mass update next week. Continue Reading

We stopped for lunch at Aranyawas. Ordered Chicken Sandwich and French Fries (a order which should be simple enough anywhere). It was awful, the French Fries tasted like they were re-fried from the last nights batch. The chicken sandwich had a small amount of chicken in bread only, and the chicken was awful tasting itself. Overall not a great place to eat, would recommend to “keep on driving”. Continue Reading

We checked into Pratrap Bhawan  (Ranked #26 of 353 B&Bs / Inns in Udaipur on Tripadvisor) which is a convenient short walk from the City Palace and Lake Pichola. The room we got was clean, and comfortable with a four-post king-size bed. Hot water is always available, air-conditioning is powerful and there is cable television. Wi-Fi is not available in the rooms. We had the view of the lake and palace from our top floor window. Continue Reading

On our way to Udaipur we visited Ranakpur, because there where so many rules for this temple we decided it best not to enter and instead admire the temple from outside. [gallery link="file” columns="3” orderby="post_date”] Continue Reading

Leela Villas Guest House  (Ranked #41 of 149 hotels in Jodhpur on Tripadvisor)  a basic clean comfortable hotel with air-conditioning, cable tv, beautiful balcony views and hot water. Wi-Fi is only available in lobby area. We slept very well here. No problems to report. Leela Villas Guest House near Circuit House, B 36, Umaid Bhawan Road, Behind Maharani Art,, near Circuit House, Jodhpur Address: B 36, Umaid Bhawan Road, Behind Maharani Art,, near Circuit House, Rai Ka Bagh, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342001, India Website: www. Continue Reading

 Mehrangarh Fort is a large towering fort in Jodhpur sitting 400 ft above the city. The view from the fort is spectacular and worth the climb up the hills and stairs. Continue Reading

We visited Pukhraj Durry Udhyog for a few hours in the morning, having breakfast and shown how rugs are made by hand. We loved the hospitality, the simple cooking, the brilliant flavour of the rice and pancakes. We seen a couple of rugs that taken our eye and could not resist to buy them.  As an attrition, this village also has a clay pot makers which we also had the privilege to experience. Continue Reading

We stayed at Rawla Bagh for some village relaxation time, there is a pool and well-kept grounds to relax around. The room we were given was huge, high ceilings with colourful decorative paint, have air-conditioning and hot running water. The power rarely failed. We enjoyed staying here, highly recommended. [gallery link="file” columns="3” orderby="post_date”] Rawla Bagh, Nimaj, Tehsil Jaitaran, Pali 306303, India Tel: +91 094 13 371461 Email: bhuvan@rawlabagh.com Website: www. Continue Reading

We visited Amber Fort in Jaipur (a grand fort kingdom that once held 20,000 residents). This fort is remarkable to walk around, and discover hidden secret rooms. The view around is breathtaking, seeing the wall snaking up and down the hills. There are many annoying pocket vendors trying to sell you stuff you disrupting your enjoyment of the place. As long as you have a good “GO AWAY” face you should have no problem. Continue Reading

Recommended by our tuktuk driver, taken us to Mughal India Crafts & Textiles and shown the fabrics they stock. As I ripped my shorts in Tordi Grah I could do with a sturdy new pair. We were shown how hand printed fabrics were made (could watch these guys work all day) I chose the same sort of cotton and colour, got measured up for my shorts that were made that same day. Continue Reading

We stopped by Palace of Winds formally known as Hawa Mahal. We decided to not enter and climb the palace as we where tired from Amber Fort. The place is a beautiful tall structure overlooking Hawa Mahal Road, it allowed women of the royal household to see the street festivities without being seen from the outside. [gallery link="file” columns="3” orderby="post_date”] Continue Reading

While at Hotel Bissau Palace, traditional live indian music was performed while we ate our dinner and had drinks. The stringed instrument (sitar) filled the room with homonymous sound, and the instruments were not amplified. I got to try the percussion drums (tabla), the instrument has to be played very hard to get the volume of the sound.   Sahil Khan performing Nikki and Jenn Dancing Continue Reading

Hotel Palms is a basic hotel in Jaipur. The hotel did not hot running water, and weak connection wi-fi was only available in the lobby. Staff service were difficult to communicate with. The hotel was difficult to navigate, it seems there was three hotels connected together via sky tunnels. Could not find the gardens or pool pictured on the website. A basic stay in Jaipur. Rooms cost about ₹1799 per night on Agoda. Continue Reading

We watched Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (A modern Bollywood film) at Raj Mandir Cinema. The experience was different than what I was expecting a Bollywood film to be like. People in the audience cheers, whistled, took photos, and talked throughout the film. Raj Mandir movie poster. Continue Reading

We went to Raj Mandir Cinema to watch Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (a bollywood movie). The cinema screen was nearly as large as an IMAX screen and featured a large red curtain that would present the screen when the movie starts. The cinema is grant with decorative lighting and large foyer. The cinema appears to show one movie at a time multiple times a day. Raj Mandir Cinema, C-16,Bhagwandas Rd, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302001 Continue Reading

Tordi Garh Hotel (the only hotel in Tordi Garh) is a breathtaking hotel that the entire village welcomes you to. Families and children around the area all wave and greet you with open hearts and smiles. We are grateful to give our short time to the people here. The hospitality was exceptional, water, food and drinks all available. The rooms are spacious with air-conditioning, and own water heater. Our stay was very pleasant indeed. Continue Reading

We were given a guided tour around Agra Fort, We learned how this fort was protected by a moat of crocodiles, a valley of tigers and a ramp of boulders and burning oil to stop any attacker attempting to take the fort. Apparently it was never attacked. This breathtaking fort as a wonderful place to walk around and learn the luxuries kings and queens enjoyed. Views: Diwan E Aam by Kyle Welsby Continue Reading

While in Agra we stayed at Hotel Royale Residency (Ranked #34 of 285 hotels in Agra on Tripadvisor) . The stay was pleasant, there was hot water, cable TV and in a clean comfortable room with brilliant lighting. Would stay here again when in Agra. Hotel Royale Residency official room photo Hotel Royale Residency - Hotel - Bar Fatehabad Road Near TDI Mall, Agra Address: Fatehabad Road Near TDI Mall, Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh 282001, India Website: hotelroyaleresidency. Continue Reading

A trip to India is not complete without visiting the grant Taj Mahal, we could not miss the opportunity to visit this wonderful mausoleum. We were given a light guide introduction about the history of Taj Mahal. We leaned this white marble building designed and built within 22 years and emperor Shah Jahan ensured no other replica is constructed by retiring all the workers (paying for them to not work again). Continue Reading

Located in the alleyways of central Varanasi, this little shop specialise in only Lassi (a popular, traditional, yogurt-based drink). The milk is churned by hand to a thick yoghurt consistency and served with flavouring and a layer of clotted cream. I had coffee flavour Lassi, it was nice but I did not like the texture of the clotted cream. While we where enjoying our Lassi, about 5 bodies were carried though the streets to the Ganges. Continue Reading

Pizzeria Vaatika Cafe (Ranked #23 of 348 Restaurants in Varanasi on Tripadvisor) overlooking the River Ganges we expected this place to be really good. It hosts a clay wood oven to cook the pizza’s with. However the pizza was the most horrible pizza I have tasted. It tasted like the cheese was churned with Ganges water. I would never eat here again. Pizzeria Vaatika Cafe - Pizza Restaurants in Varanasi B-1/178, Assi Ghat Road, Varanasi Address: B-1/178, Assi Ghat Rd, Shivala, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221005, India Phone: 094513 97331 Continue Reading

We visited the Ganges river for an entire day, there was a lot of activity to take in. We watched cremation during the day and in the evening we taken a boat ride along the river. We gave lantern offerings to the river and watch the evening ceremony from a boat. Views: Ganges River boat ride by Kyle Welsby   Locals bathing in the River Gangies Continue Reading

Hotel Surya is the first hotel we stayed at in India, the rooms are clean, spacious with cable television, hot water, paid Wi-Fi (₹150) which is mostly available around the hotel. The staffs are friendly and willing to help. The hotel includes a pool, but we did not have the time to take a swim. We ate at the comfortable restaurant one evening and we were rather pleased with the food that they served. Continue Reading