From the category archives:

India

The Bollywood Border

June 14, 2011 Asia
The Bollywood Border between India and Pakistan

The enthusiasm of the crowd is infectious. Families and school students are rushing, many even running, from the road, where trucks wait in a long line to cross the border, to the entrance to the small stadium. In the distance, close to the Indo-Pakistan border, I can hear a thudding – not cannons or gunshots, [...]

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Books about India you should read

June 12, 2011 India
Books about India

I don’t think there’s any other country that has inspired as much literature than India. From travel guides to award-winning novels to investigations into the country’s heart, mind and politics, ‘books about India’ could be a standalone genre.

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Taking a breather in Rishikesh

June 7, 2011 Asia
The Ganges at Rishikesh

Almost 1,000 kilometres or 600 miles up-river from Varanasi is Rishikesh, the gateway to the Indian Himalaya. Here, the Ganges runs clean and clear. Some consider the small town that lines the riverbank the birthplace of yoga – others know it for its association with the Beatles or for its proximity to the holy city [...]

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A matter of life and death in Varanasi

June 5, 2011 Asia
Visiting Varanasi

I’m not going to lie to you. Varanasi, the holy ancient city of Benares, is grubby and rough. It’s muddy. It’s either oppressively humid or bitingly cold. It smells and the water at this point of the river Ganges is probably radioactive. It’s not uncommon to come across the body of a dog or some [...]

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My room in Varanasi

June 2, 2011 Asia
My room in...Varansi

Budget guesthouses in India can be…pretty grim, to say the least. Don’t get me wrong – I did find some gems, like the charming place I stayed at in Pushkar. But unless I wanted to spend a large chunk of my budget on accommodation, as a solo traveller my options weren’t great.

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Photo Friday: Family Portrait at the Taj Mahal

A family portrait at the Taj Mahal May 20, 2011 India

In India, sometimes local tourists get so excited to see foreigners that they forget what they’ve come to see.

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Photo Friday: Candles, flowers and wishes

May 13, 2011 India
Evening ceremony on the Ganges, Varanasi

In one of my most favouritest travel photos ever these two boatmen prepare offerings of flowers, candles and woven baskets.

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