Arabic is spoken by about half a billion people around the world and is the language of the Islamic religion – from Jakharta to Casablanca, the reading of the Qu’ran and prayers are in Arabic. Muslims revere the Qu’ran as the literal word of God as recited to the Prophet Muhammad, so the written book […]
There is much discussion in the shell-shocked world of the travel ‘industry’. What’s lost, what’s coming back, what’s never to return. Goodbye to the city break? Good riddance mass tourism! Farewell fly-and-flop. Well, I don’t know the answer to all that, but I do know that there is one journey I currently cannot get out […]
When visiting India’s premiere palace and desert state, the grand, gilded, maharaja-strewn state of Rajasthan, you’ll probably find yourself enjoying the pleasures of the Pink City (Jaipur), the Blue City (Jodhpur) and that romantic, cinematic city on the lake, Udaipur. However, key to understanding and enjoying this state of rajas is to get off the […]
Kochi (or Cochin) is a wonderful coastal town in India’s colourful southern state of Kerala; a smiley, happy spot with rather lovely locals and some of the best curry this side of Manchester. It is a place to park your self for a wee while and soak in the local flavour, strolling the streets and […]
I adore the cultural aspects of India; it is the ultimate culture shock trip, and a sometimes overwhelming and intense experience. However, it is possible to suffer from temple fatigue, or sightseeing ennui. There are so many amazing things to see that sometimes you need to mix it up with something different, to keep you […]
Apart from Goa, India is not known for its beaches; even there it tends to focus on the backpacker or party-goer wanting to, how shall we say this delicately, have a very good time with the aid of sun and substances. Calmer, luxury-seeking beach lovers may despair at the lack of options in a country […]
When a tour guide invites you into her home and makes you a special herbal elixir to heal your cough, you have probably made the leap from travel client over to friend. Or maybe you’ve just met Hemali Talsania, the kindest Trufflepig guide of them all. Trufflepig is built on experience. We don’t plan in […]
For most people, just the trip to India would be adventure enough. In a country where crazy is the norm, simply wandering around on foot can provide a full day’s worth of diversions and interactions more than entertaining enough to blog home about. But Anton Lynch is not most people. Anton is our go-to man […]
It is easy to suffer from temple fatigue in India, regardless of how amazing they are, (and they are incredible, whether they are Jain or Hindu Temples, mosques or Brahma Temples). However, the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar (Punjab) restores the faith. It is a glorious gold edifice sitting in sparkling water in a fabulous […]
There are a lot of reasons to fall madly in love with India. It’s a land of ridiculous cultural and historic depth. The optimism and spirituality of the people is captivating. And it sure is gorgeous. But I’ve always been smitten with what’s written. India has a way with signage that’s unlike anywhere else I […]
As the month newly known as Movember (formerly known as November) draws to a clean-shaven close, I thought I’d tip my turban to the nation that first put fur on the facial map. Okay, so India may or may not have invented the moustache. But they’ve certainly perfected it, raising the lip dog to remarkable […]
What happens when music icons venture to an ashram in India to study meditation, write some of their most famous songs, and unwittingly inspire a radical shift in western spirituality? The holy site becomes wholly forgotten. In 1968 The Beatles put Rishikesh on the map, and om on the lips of the world. Their stay at Chaurasi […]
How can it be that a town of two thousand people (give or take a thousand), a hundred temples and shrines (give or take a dozen), and a 350 ft high granite rock (give or take an elephant) doesn’t feature on Google Maps? You can zoom in ‘til the holy cows come home, but you […]