Agra: One Hell of a One Hit Wonder #blog21

  Hello Lovelies, welcome to my pictorial blog of Agra and its one and only real purpose, to house the Taj Mahal. Like an 80s pop band that never matched its three minutes of musical splendour again, Agra grabs the heart and soul but has little else for the bottom of your stomach. It knows …

Pushkar Festival: Buses, Blessing & Camel Fair #blog20

Hello Lovelies, it has been 16 days since my last blog and I can only say that I have been distracted by new countries, of which more to follow. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I bring you the delicious and sacred town of Pushkar whose population of 20,000 odd is swelled by 200,000 visitors …

The Desert City of Jaisalmer #blog19

Hello Lovelies, we've now reached days 16, 17 and 18 of this around the world ramble and the most westerly point of the journey around Rajasthan. Jaisalmer is less than 100km from the Pakistan border as the crow flys and the military presence is noticeable. I arrived at the city's train station after midnight and …

Pretty In Pink, Jaipur #blog17

Hello Lovelies, did I ever tell you I once bumped into Molly Ringwald in a hotel in Miami, loved her freckles but she has nothing to do with the wonderful city of Jaipur (or City 4 in my weaker moments). Jaipur gave me post-Diwali festivities, an old colonial hotel to visit, a smelly toilet and my …

Udaipur, The Venice of the East & Diwali #blog16

Hello Lovelies, now what a splendid City was Udaipur (I still can't pronounce it correctly) and hopefully you've enjoyed the video I pretentiously produced below. Special thanks to Nicky, a young local artist who was press-ganged into becoming an impromptu Ambassador for his city. He'll be in Birmingham in December to sell his miniature paintings on silk …

Delhi 2: Ambassadors, Lodi Gardens, Bangla Sahib Gurudwara & Red Fort #Blog14

Hello Lovelies, not sure of the new rhythm yet. I have enough going on to fill a blog every day but I cant spend all my time writing or I will miss life going by. A friend of mine said I should have more photos so perhaps that's the answer, more picture fewer words. Also, …

The Vestal Vegans of West Yorkshire #blog12

Hello Lovelies, I return from the North having dropped my beautiful, brilliant daughter to the University of York and I am full of joy and Abyssinian food (but more of that to come). The Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta, Goddess of the hearth. They were protectors of a way of life in Rome and literally kept the home fires …

EXODUS #blog11

Open your eyes and look within, Are you satisfied (with the life you're living)? Hello Lovelies, back again to more mundane pursuits after the excitement of Lincoln and the seductive Steampunks.  During London's Carnival, I heard the song Exodus wafting in through an open window sent from a neighbours barbeque on the smell of burnt chicken and drunken …

Steampunks & the Lincolnettes #blog10

Hello Lovelies, Back sooner rather than later for a change, following a scamper to the petit and bijou City of Lincoln. A veritable cornucopia of visual delights was to be found but due to poor timing, I kept my shoes on on Friday night (don't you just hate private jokes in public blogs). I will …

The Big Five-O (Or Common Sense Dressed Up As Eastern Mysticism) #blog9

Hello Lovelies, No, it's not "that" significant birthday, or a Steve McGarrett Appreciation Society, Annual Convention, it's the number of days before I climb on my Etihad flight to Delhi via Abu Dhabi. Did I mention that I politely wrote to the airline to ask for permission to film on the flight and they said no...rude. …