Riverside Rest

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Grace Loveday

We were in need of a break. A few days to pause and rest, ideally in a place with some space, greenery and please … a bit of quiet. Ideals don’t always exist in India and the images that I create in my mind from reading travel guides do not always match the reality. But on this occasion the description of Orchha fulfilled the hopes I had harboured. A mediaeval city, with a magical tiered palace, soaring temple spires and grand sandstone cenotaphs. A wide boulder strewn river, green fields and refeshingly clean air. An India I had yearned for but feared did not exist. Continue reading →

Mostly Sweet With a Dash of Sour

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Grace Loveday

It can’t be said that traveling in India is easy, but there are grades of hardship. In the last week or so we have been following the well trodden, hence pretty easy, tourist trail through Rajasthan. It’s been fantastic and places like Jaisalmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur deserve to be well visited. However, we were ready to get off the beaten track again away from menus with Nutella and noodles and Continue reading →

Golden City Glory

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Grace Loveday

In the eerie light just before dawn David and I climb the steps to the Mirage Hotel. We find a thin, wiry man wrapped in a shawl against the cold breeze. He is sweeping and tidying the roof top terrace, getting things ready for when his guests wake. We call “namaste” and he turns, a bright white smile punctuating his dark features and he welcomes us in. He is Mr Ba who Continue reading →

All the Fun of the Fair

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Grace Loveday

Having so enjoyed the gentle and rural authenticity of the Nagaur cattle fair I was in two minds about the Jaisalmer Desert Festival geared as it is to pageantry, entertainment and tourists. It was all these things and I loved it!
It began with a procession celebrating desert life. We gathered and jostled for the best view with the other goggle-eyed tourists at Continue reading →

Chai and a Pink Blanket

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Grace Loveday

It’s quarter to five in the morning. We have arrived in the desert city of Jaisalmer in the far west of Rajasthan just 100km from the Pakistan border. It has been dubbed the Golden City due to the honey coloured sandstone from which the glorious Fort is built, but it is far from golden at this moment. The dark and cold envelop us and everything is shut, unwelcoming and unfamiliar. Continue reading →