3 nights in Delhi was chaotic yet fascinating and a great opportunity to explore the Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and several of the group took a 2 hour walk with former street kids from the Saalam Baalak trust which gave an illuminating insight into the darker aspects of city life. 

Continuing on to Jaipur the ‘Pink City’, we visited  the huge observatory, Amber Fort and of course more shopping!

Agra was our next stop for a dawn visit the stunning Taj Mahal built by Shah Jahan as a striking tribute to his wife. 

Then onto Varanasi, the sacred Hindu city on the river Ganges and at dawn a boat ride past the Ghats where Hindus ritually wash in the sacred river. 

A smooth border crossing from India and we are now in Nepal!  Until the next time ....

So Far...



We crossed the border from Pakistan into India at Amritsar, where we watched the border closing ceremony between the two countries.  With many high kicks and fast marching, it could have been taken directly from a Monty Python sketch.  Pure theatre, and very entertaining!   Then onto Mrs Bandari’s Guest House for our first beers since Turkey – a nice way to celebrate our safe passage through Pakistan and to welcome back the 7 members of our group who flew across Pakistan into India. 

 After two days in Amritsar exploring the stunning Golden Temple, shopping malls and the campsite swimming pool, we headed up to Macleod Ganj, the home of the exiled Dalai Lama where we enjoyed a cooler mountain climate before moving onto India’s exciting capital where we are currently exploring Delhi Old and New.

Until the next time! ...

Our final stop in Iran is spent exploring the ancient ruins of Persepolis and then on the the city of Yazd where we said a temporary farewell to 7 of our group who flew across to India whilst the rest of us travelled into Pakistan.  We all loved Iran and the Iranians and all are agreed this is definitely a country to re-visit.  But onwards we go  …..

Due to the current political climate our journey through Pakistan was under police escort.  We left Iran and headed into the state of Balochistan on our way to Quetta.  The dry and dusty landscape was brought to life along the way with many colourful ‘jingle’ trucks and their drivers and passengers  wanting to say hello and have their photos taken with us.   After two nights rest and relaxation in Quetta, we moved south towards Sukkur and things are really starting to heat up – around 50 degrees to be precise! 

We arrived safely in Lahore last night, this time without our police escort and we are allowed free reign of this wonderfully vibrant city to explore the sights and sample the local cuisine.  Tomorrow sees the start of our Indian adventure, so until the next time …