Journey to Udaipur & Those Curious White People

Palanpur to Udaipur, India – We woke up the next morning stiff from the cold. We weren’t prepared for a cold night so all we slept under were our sleeping sheets and when we woke up we could see our breath inside the compartment. It was definitely the coldest weather we’d experienced since leaving […]

Indian Wealth: How to Cook on a Moving Traing

Bhuj, Gujurat, India – Up at a reasonable hour and immediately took my swords to the tailor to have him sew me a bag so I could cart the damn things around with me (they were way too big for my pack). Once that was finished I met Rich and Nicky and we headed over […]

Festivals, Dancing on Floats & Temples

Bhuj, Gujurat, India – Up the next morning, when Nikki returned to our room to deliver the following news. Today was Shiva’s Birthday and all the locals would be drinking bhang lassis. We got up and left our hotel at 10:30 a.m. not really knowing what to expect […]

Bhuj Introduction

Bhuj, Gujurat, India – We woke up and got Nikki into our compartment, then after being accosted by a milkman and his pack of eight young, blue-vested assistants. We appeased them by letting them look at the maps and pictures in the India book.

We arrived in Bhuj later that morning. Bhuj was amazing. It […]

Commuter Trains to Bhuj

Ahmedabad to Bhuj, Gujurat, India – We had our usual prayers at 4:30 and 6:30 a.m. Then after we got up, we headed over to the GPO so I could post yet another parcel. Stitching, wrapping, riding, pasting the Indian Postal Service does love their arts and crafts. The easiest way to deal with the […]

Mosque Across the Street – Aaaaarghh!

Ahmedabad, Gujurat, India – We had a good sleep, that was, until 4:30 a.m. when the mosque across the street (the one with the 500 amp loudspeaker 20 feet from our window) began morning prayer. It really did sounds as though the priest , or whoever it is that catterwalls into the mic, was standing […]

Train Culture & Arriving in Ahmedabad

En Route to Ahmedabad, Gujurat – Both Rich and I were awakened at 5:00 a.m. again by the crashing and banging of the Indians in the adjoining compartments. God only knows what they do from 4:30-6:00 a.m. then then be completely silent for the rest of the day

We stolled at a station about two […]

Day 1 – The Train North

En Route to Ahmedabad, Gujurat, India – We both awoke at 4:30 a.m. due to the clambouring, bumping and talking of the Indians in the compartments on either side of ours. Laid in bed for a few hours until the sun came up, then we got up when we heard the calls of “chai” echoing […]

Boarding a 50 Hour Train

Trivandrum, Kerala, India – We woke up and judging by the temperature outside at 10:00 a.m. we declared a “Weather First No. 2” This was by far the hottest day we’d experienced in India. Our heat wave wasn’t going to last that long, for we were crossing out of the tropical zone for the first […]

Kovalam Beach

Trivandrum, Kerala, India – Rich had to go to the post office, so I arranged to meet him on the beach later in the afternoon, went to the bank to restock the coffers for the northern half of the country. Then boarded an Indian version of an African matatu down to Kovalam beach.

Looking out […]