In April 2025, the BBC announced that the new season of Race Around the World would start at the Great Wall of China and end at Kanyakumari, in India. Kanyakumari is not a name which instantly springs to mind when someone mentions India. Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi. Yes, all these plus perhaps Pune, Shimla, Agra are…

After two months in India, overnight buses no longer phased us. The only tricky bit is finding the bus stop.  Keep the faith. Speak to as many locals as you can find, someone will know where you need to stand. We had made a random decision not to fly from Kochi to Goa as we…

If I had to work it out then it would probably be close on thirty years. A lifetime since I had flipped through holiday brochures for Kerala; and the glossy enticement to spend a few days cruising the backwaters in Kerala. Year after year we had returned to Goa having decided against it.  There had…

At the end of October we were lounging our days away in Palolem.  But we had to make a move south.  With a heavy heart we made reservations for a train to Kochi. With the early start this necessitated we grabbed a taxi to Madgaon and its mainline station. An hour later we arrived at…

Surprisingly our 26-hour train from Goa to Delhi arrived on time.  Then having negotiated the very efficient and spotless Delhi Metro we came above ground just yards from our home for the night.  We were never under the illusion that we were staying in a well-heeled area of Delhi, but the smell of urine on…

We needed Varkala to fix us. Travelling for around six weeks, we were a bit sick.  We had suffered from back-to-back colds. We had both been ill in Kochi and were now also sick of moving about.  Having reached the end of the world at Kanyakumari we were heading back north. Ultimately back to Delhi…

At the end of October, we were on the move with what seemed like the rest of the Indian population.  We were fast approaching Diwali and we were on a local train from Kochi to Kanyakumari.  Seven hours in an Air Conditioned carriage in ‘Chair’ seats.  The seats weren’t together. After a couple of hours,…

I am infrequently delighted with my room choices.  On this trip, only Ahmedabad was an exception.  I spend hours pouring over accommodation options, checking out the reviews and where possible cross-checking with other sources.  We are driven to keep to the ‘budget’. But I always hope that we will stay in the room we booked. …

It’s becoming a ‘norm’ that buses in India depart from the most seemingly, random of places. Having paid an extra RS 500 (£5) to remain in our room in Calangute until 4 pm. We had an early supper then took a taxi from the restaurant to the side of the main N66 highway. The ‘travel…

After boarding our overnight train from Mumbai, we awoke in Southern India.  A rattling night on the rails made sleeping not much more than a doze. It was however, an improvement on the Amritsar to Agra train we took some weeks ago. We pulled into Tivim 40 minutes late. We were beginning to think that…

Agra and our first Sleeper train experience In mid-September, we had our first experience of Indian trains with an overnighter from Amritsar to Agra.  It left on time but was two hours late by the time we disembarked at 10 am the following day. We booked our 1st class tickets online. Booking train tickets can…

It was mid-September, and we were in Agra.  Sitting atop of our rooftop palace, locally known as the ‘Vacation villa’.  We had been discussing the bed, the most comfortable hotel bed I had ever slept in.  We were packing away the Kurta, respectful clothes purchased for our wonderful early morning visit to the Taj Mahal….