December 31, 2013, 2:52 pm
We are now in Kota with Vicky and Joy after a short stop at Chittorgarh. Travel and poor internet connection over the past couple of days mean we've missed posting blogs but we should be ok again now as we're here until 3rd January. We took to public transport again…Read more »
December 29, 2013, 1:05 am
Udaipur is definitely on the tourist trail - in our 5 days here we've seen plenty of people come and stay for one, maybe 2 nights, and then move onwards into Rajasthan. We have been here seemingly so long that the shop touts now just smile, say "hi, how are…Read more »
December 28, 2013, 8:05 am
Walking around India I think I'm much more aware of my sense of smell than anywhere else and I wonder whether we have downgraded confidence in our olfactory powers in preference to sight and hearing where other cultures are much more ready to trust their noses. Of course there's the…Read more »
December 26, 2013, 6:12 pm
I'm starting to really like Udaipur and I haven't really felt that about anywhere we've visited so far in India. I feel I've already become acquainted with the legless beggar who wheels himself to the end of the footbridge everyday and always says, 'See you later'; and the lady cooking…Read more »
December 25, 2013, 4:06 pm
Whilst in Jodhpur at the lovely Devi Bhawan guest house, I finished the book I was reading and swapped it for E. M. Forster's 'Where Angels Fear to Tread'. How apt as this exactly matches our approach to food related research in India. Before leaving and since we arrived a…Read more »
December 25, 2013, 2:15 am
Happy Christmas Everyone! Hopefully you are not too windswept, not flooded and have power wherever you are back in the UK. We left Jodhpur yesterday and took a 5 hour taxi ride South to Udaipur. We had booked a train but it was going to take about 15 hours and…Read more »
December 24, 2013, 2:18 am
In the Sardar Market earlier today we sat down to wait for our tuk-tuk. It was a shady spot with a man in uniform sitting there looking official so it seemed like a place to avoid the touts who'd otherwise be trying to drag you into their shops. This is…Read more »
December 23, 2013, 4:05 am
We appear to have acquired our own, private tuk-tuk driver who will be wherever we need him to be whenever we need him. We didn't ask for him, he just sort of happened. So far we have been on eight journeys. He's waited for us while we've eaten and today…Read more »
December 21, 2013, 4:16 pm
It's time to make tracks by taking the train from Delhi to Jodhpur. Outside Old Delhi Train station (which has the biggest facade to a train station I have ever seen) is a huge sign which tells you which platform your train will leave from and its expected time of…Read more »
December 20, 2013, 1:40 pm
We're now on our third day here and during that time we have taken 6 tuk tuk rides. Every time we've got into one I feel a degree of trepidation. Nothing to do with the crazy Delhi traffic but lots to do with the fee minefield. All tuk tuks have…Read more »
December 19, 2013, 5:56 pm
Today, as I walked towards Chandni Chowk metro station a beautiful girl literally threw herself at me and would not let go even though I was obviously walking with Holly and thus, you would have thought, off limits even to the most shamelessly smitten. Of course I like to think…Read more »
December 18, 2013, 4:50 pm
I really believe that if you're ever going to get to know a city, and certainly if you want to get to know one quickly, then the only way to do it is to spend a good proportion of your time on shank's pony. The only exception to this rule…Read more »
December 18, 2013, 7:29 am
Having got a taxi at 4am, a bus at 4:45, a plane from Heathrow at 9:45 and then another from Frankfurt at 1:30pm we finally arrived in Delhi at 1:30am local time. Sadly our luggage did not arrive in Delhi at 1:30 but may be coming in the…Read more »
December 16, 2013, 9:36 pm
I now feel like we're in a state of limbo and believe me it's not something you'd want to spend an eternity in. We left home yesterday morning and we are still in the UK 36 hours later as we sort out re-homing dogs, visiting family, parking cars and generally…Read more »
December 13, 2013, 6:55 pm
Our good friend Romy who is from Bengal and runs an excellent restaurant in Thornbury gave us what sounded like a great piece of advice ... 'don't eat rice, it may have been sat around for a while, but the bread will be fine'. Having worked with Romy for several…Read more »
December 12, 2013, 10:11 pm
I really adore spices; you'd realise this if you could see our larder which is full of jars, boxes and plastic tubs not all of which are strictly necessary even if we are a cooking school. Lately however, I've been wondering about spices even more than normal. Nerdy I know…Read more »
December 4, 2013, 8:21 pm
This getting ready to go to India business is proving to be interesting. Of course we've spoken to lots of people about it, in fact pretty much anyone standing still for thirty seconds in our vicinity has found themselves fully appraised of our intended route. The first thing most people…Read more »
