The moon was out

The stadium was fully packed

Day Two

I woke up late and decided to get breakfast at the hostel. Upstairs I met a guy named Joe, he’s a graduate from Ghana on his way to Vietnam to be a teacher. We chatted then I asked him if he wanted to come with me for the day he said yes.

We got the metro to Jama Masjid a Mosque in old Delhi. When we arrived Joe didn’t realise he needed to cover his arms to visit the mosque (my bad I forgot to tell him). So we went hunting for Kurta Pyjama. The streets near Jama Masjid are chaotic and definitely an assault on the senses. The streets are high and narrow and the traffic is relentless, there were alot of butchers on the street so you can see most parts of a chicken or goat if you are inclined. Seeing them cutting the brain was interesting.

My first attempt at \240buying Kurta Pyjama went quite wrong, I ended up paying 500 rupees for two metres of fabric which was quite useless and pretty heavy in my bag. I did however get the Hindi word for purple correct so a small victory. The second attempt went a lot better I tried to haggle by offering them the 2 metres of fabric this led to a lot of confusion but he dropped the price by 200 rupees so I guess it worked out.

Me and Joe in our kurta Pyjama

Delhi Jama Masjid

Afterwards me and Joe got the metro to Delhi gate. It’s surrounded by beautiful parks and is so far the most chilled out part of Delhi I’ve been to. \240

Delhi Gate

Day Three

Last night I met an Israeli guy, it was his first night in Delhi so I said I’d take him out for food. Turns out he was in the military (he left 2 weeks ago). Naturally I avoided the topic of politics but asked to join me on my trip to Akshardham in the morning. \240(Akshardham is a Hindu temple)

Akshardham was incredibly tight with security we must of queued for nearly an hour to get in. No phones bags or anything except cash and a water bottle is allowed into the temple grounds.

Once inside the scale of the temple was apparent it has halls that run all around it the site has over 20,000 statues everywhere you look is immensely detailed. The temple itself is white marble inside. Each corner tells the story of Bhagwan Swaminarayan who at the age of 10 preached his philosophies on life before going on a pilgrimage to modern day Nepal at age 11. His philosophy preached peace and equal rights for women so he seemed like a cool guy over all. He did climb the Himalayas practically naked which seems abit mental.

Afterwards I met Manu and his friend prakhar for some food he took me to a fancy hotel to eat lamb. The lamb was servered with roti, hands down the best lamb I’ve ever eaten.

Later Prakhar told me to sack off the hostel and stay with him, I met his room mate ‘Guru’ who made me Maggi(noodles).

Not my photo but this is Akshardham

Day Four

Woke up late after getting the best nights sleep I’ve had so far at Prakhar and Gurus flat. We had gobi parantha and aloo for breakfast (bread stuffed with cauliflower fried and served with potato).

I then got a moped Uber to the metro station which was pretty scary but a lot of fun. I then got the metro to Qutub Manir a UNESCO world heritage site. Its huge, in the 11th century it’s estimated it was the tallest tower in the world. There is also an iron pole which has been there for centuries and does not rust ( not really sure why). Side note I’m also a tourist attraction when I visit tourist attractions, its guaranteed that atleast 10 to 20 people will ask for a photograph with me. I’m happy to oblige and it’s pretty funny that all these people now have photos with me on their phones.

Qutub Minar tower

Ruins of the Mosque

Later I found my way back to the apartment eventually, paying for an auto rickshaw from the the station. I’ve got better at bargaining with auto rickshaw drivers. I go in with a low offer then walk off it tends to work. Also knowing the number in Hindi is useful as they tend to be more agreeable if they think you understand Hindi.” Ek sau pachaas bhaisaab” (150 bro)

Me in a rickshaw

Later on after food we decided instead of getting a train to Amritsar it’s easier for me to get a sleeper bus and I write to you from said bus.

The Golden Temple

On the way out I met two English lads around my age who seemed quite lost. Turns out they’d been in India for 2 months. Maybe I’m a monster but by the end of the walk one of them had bought a pen, 2 fridge magnets and paid 200 rupees for a 5 minute rickshaw. They were too British to say no more than a couple times, he’s probably single-handedly bought a years office supply of stationary off street sellers in the last two months.

Day Six

-Amritsar

In the morning I booked a tour to the Attari-Wagha border, which is a gate on the India/Pakistan border. We left in the morning and caught a rickshaw from the hostel, there were 7 of us in the rickshaw I sat up front with the driver.

On the trip were an Indian couple who had just got engaged, a man from Bhopal (a place I’ll be visiting later), a French guy and an Israeli guy. We stopped for food on the way I had bindi (lady’s fingers).

Upon getting to the border the seating is separated for Indians and foreigners and for the first time so far in India entry for foreigners was free and 20 rupees for Indians (foreigners usually pay up to 10x more than Indians for entry).

From entering the stadiums it’s immediately made apparent the differences between Pakistan and India, the Indian stadium is around 3 times the size of the Pakistani one and was almost completely full. The Pakistani one however was considerably less busy. The the music started on the Indian side and all the women were invited to dance on the road. The Pakistani side remained silent whilst around 200 Indian women danced to Bollywood songs surrounded by their border defence.

The Attari- Wahga border

Then the show began, it mostly revolves around BSF (border security force) members marching up to the gate fairly synchronised with the Pakistani military who did the same. Then the chants started “Hindustan Zindabad” was screamed by over a thousand Indians directly aimed towards the Pakistani border who shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” this went on for about 5 minutes. (Zindabad = long live)

After the show finished we rushed to the rickshaw just in time for me to get piss wet through for the entire ride home which was around an hour. Rickshaws are not very waterproof especially the front

Day Seven

-Chandigarh

Woke up early and caught my first train from Amritsar to Chandigarh. The train was supposed to be 5 hours however due to farmer protests in Punjab it was around 9. The Punjabi farmers have been sitting on the rail tracks naming the protest ‘rail roko’. This is due the to government importing far too much grain last year and leaving little space for them to buy any this year.

I got to my hotel around 4 after hearing by multiple rickshaw drivers the hotel doesn’t allow foreigners. I was quoted 200 rupees for a 1km ride so I decided to walk down the main road which in hindsight might have been a bad idea and I got some looks. My hotel did accept foreigners and they were very nice, compared to the horrendous reviews I’d seen online, I found the hotel to be alright. Maybe that says more about me than the hotel.

I soon set off towards Chandigarh rock garden a park designed by Nek Chand. The Google maps description describes the park as being ‘a sculpture garden for rock enthusiasts’ I’d never considered myself a rock enthusiast but after the park \240I’d put myself firmly in that category.

Nek Chands rock garden

The park gave off Gaudi esque vibes with intricate porcelain design across abstract forms of rock which shape the environment around you. It gives the same natural immersion that park Guell in Barcelona invokes. The sculpture park is towards the end of the walk and contains hundreds of rock sculptures from humans to oxen stood around in circles watching as you walk through.

At this point I realised I hadn’t eaten and off a recommendation by a uni student I’d met on the train I took a rickshaw to the mall. The mall had a Nando’s which was quite surprising. I did not try an Indian Nando’s but instead got a paneer wrap taking my times eaten paneer so far to 5.

Day Eight

-Delhi

Got the train back from Chandigarh and stayed at prakhar and Guru’s flat. Tried some mushroom momos. Very nice.

Day Nine

-Haridwar

At six in the morning I got a moped to meet Manu for our drive to Haridwar. We were joined on the trip by Vikas and Popli two of Manu’s close friends. We drove the 300km to Haridwar where the Ashram we would be staying at is located. Haridwar is considered very holy by Hindus as the Ganges flows through it.

Upon arrival at Haridwar we immediately took a holy dip in the Ganges. The current is extremely quick so you have to hold onto a chain at all time otherwise you’ll be swept all the way to Kolkata. The water was cold but very refreshing, before the dip I was tired and bloated. After emerging I felt completely refreshed.

Me and Manu taking a holy dip

We dried off and headed to the Ashram (a holy retreat for Hindus) the Beatles famously stayed in one before breaking up. We had lunch at the hostel which works similarly to a Sikh lungar. Each day someone will make a donation that covers the cost of the food and the guests dine together. All the food at the Ashram is vegetarian and alcohol is forbidden on the premises. The food was incredible.

Day Ten

-Rishikesh

We woke up at half five and drove to Rishikesh a city 30km north of Haridwar. We caught the sunrise \240when we arrived.

Sunrise over the Ganges at Rishikesh

Afterwards we drove further north to a view point over looking the rafters. White water rafting is very popular in the area, this time we did not partake.

North of Rishikesh

The scenery was breathtaking and we spent a while watching the river. Afterwards we headed back to the Ashram for breakfast.

Later in the night after a nap we headed to Dehradun for dinner. I had more momos, a new favourite of mine.

Day Eleven

-Delhi

We headed back to Delhi in the morning and arrived early afternoon. I met Varun who had just finished work, we caught the metro to south Delhi for bubble tea which was the best I’ve ever tried. Afterwards we went to a sports complex to play golf. Varun is a good coach but there’s only so much coaching can help me. I did manage to hit the ball in the air consistently by the end however which is the first time I’ve ever done that I normally just hit the mat or the air.

Golf

Anyway that concludes this weeks adventure. Tomorrow morning at 6 I’m off to Agra.

(Side note: if you check the link I’ve sent you, I’ll post every Saturday)

Sunset Taj walk

Day Thirteen

I woke up at 04:30 to beat queues and watch the sunset at the Taj Mahal. This probably didn’t make a good first impression on my room however I think it’s quite a common thing to do. I met the Irish woman and her daughter in reception and we stopped to drink chai on the way before buying our tickets.

The Taj Mahal costs 1100 rupees for foreigners and 50 rupees for Indian citizens. Quite the mark up, but I was pretty happy to spend the 11 pounds to see a wonder of the world.

Entering at around half five the Taj was busy but compared to what was to come quite empty. We walked through a small park before the entrance gate which leads directly to the Taj. My overall impression is the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful structures I’ve ever seen. It is without a doubt worth visiting. Just be mindful of the crowds of want to be influencers who haunt the area.

Afterwards we went for breakfast and I decided to have a nap. Later I walked around Agra with no clear direction. I got incredibly lost but ended up in a market mostly selling vegetables and later found a Starbucks. I’m trying to be cultured but in 41 degree heat an iced coffee was quite hard to beat.

Later that night I went to rooftop and played chess. I lost badly, taking my India chess statistics to W:3 L:2 a tough season so far but I’m hopeful for a lot of better results in the near future.

Day Fourteen

Spent my last day in Agra relaxing I’d met a guy called Dima the night before. He woke me up around 10:20 I’d been very lazy and my checkout was at 11, so I was very grateful for that. We had some breakfast and later he walked me to the metro to get towards the train station.

On the metro I met some Indian guys who wanted to to talk with me, they walked me from the metro to the train-station and wished me farewell.

On arrival to Jaipur I was greeted with the usual intensity of 10 rickshaw drivers calling out to get in. One guy would not leave me alone and after a-bit of me not being interested I agreed on a price. He walked me towards his rickshaw then ordered noodles so I decided to walk off.

It was only a 20 minute walk to my hostel so I thought why not. I followed the map and not before long I was in a slightly dodgy looking street. The houses turned to shelters and the floor to rubble. The people seemed nice and the kids spoke to me in Hindi so I kept walking. An older lady then stopped me and told me to turn around “no foreigners, very dangerous”. I took her advice and quickly walked back in the opposite direction. The same kids who initially said hello as I walked by the first time started mimicking slitting my throat which was incredibly disconcerting.

I walked away from that area hoping to never see it again, I found a rickshaw driver showed him my hostel on the map and we drove off. A few minutes in I checked the map as I always do and realised we were heading in the wrong direction. I made the rickshaw driver aware of this but he ensured me everything was ok he knew the way, I thought maybe it’s a quicker route so I relaxed.

A few more minutes passed by and after checking the map we were heading in the complete wrong direction, after me arguing with the driver for what seemed like an eternity he looked at the map on my phone and agreed to turn around. Upon the realisation he’d gone the wrong way he put his face into his palms frustrated by his mistake.

A few minutes went by and we entered a quiet alley, my map being constantly on at this point I decided it was relatively en route. He then stopped the rickshaw and walked to the back where I sat, he asked me for 500 rupees we’d previously agreed 200.

I explained \240“it’s not my mistake I showed you the hostel, you headed in the wrong direction. I shouldn’t have to pay any more”

This may have been foolish as his mood rapidly changed, an evil toothy smile appeared on his face as he stared me down.

“500 hundred dollars now”

I said no obviously I didn’t have 500 dollars and was unwilling to pay that amount even if I did. He did not appreciate me saying no.

“500 dollars or I kill you”

He gestured his thumb to his neck indicating his intentions. At this point I called manu, it was an empty street and i decided running was futile. On the phone to manu he seemed to calm down and whilst on speaker we agreed 500 rupees to complete the trip.

I then foolishly ended the call with manu and he immediately reverted to his prior deal 500 dollars or I die. I called manu and told him I’d pay it. He started driving, I gripped the side of the rickshaw as we drove on.

Around the longest two minutes of my life later we reached a more built up area and at the first sight of people I threw myself out of the rickshaw. He was driving around 10mph so it wasn’t too bad and I sprinted towards a hotel. Two men were stood outside, they could clearly tell I was terrified by the look of concern on my face and the fact I just sprinted into reception.

Thirty seconds later the rickshaw driver had followed me and on sight of the two other men changed his tone, he still demanded 500 rupees. I gave it to him, happy to pay that price for him to leave me alone.

The two men from the hotel, bought me inside and gave me some water. They then waited with me for an Uber, which kept cancelling. After ten minutes one of them told me to get on the back of his motorbike and he’d drive me himself. He did just that and upon reaching the hostel coming in all the way to reception and explaining my situation to the staff refused to take any money off me.

The hostel staff were incredibly nonchalant and asked me for my passport. I the phrase “give me a fucking minute” passed my mind, I checked in then chain smoked three cigarettes before getting dinner.

Day Fifteen

Woke up early today and headed towards the hotel from the night previous. On the way I bought some sweets to say thankyou and dropped them off.

I then caught an Uber (I have rickshaw ptsd) towards the city palace. I entered the city palace which is two courtyards each with various museums dotted around them. The museums included an armoury, clothes museum and gallery. I spent around two hours walking around before leaving. Two men playing music invited me to sit with them they put at hat on my head and played me a song whilst maintaining direct eye contact. It was uncomfortable to say the least. They then asked for a tip, I gave them 20 rupees as had everyone else by the look of the floor. They were not happy.

The eye contact

City palace

I then went to Jaipur Jantur Mantur, a collection of stone astronomical instruments. The instruments can be used to an accuracy of twenty seconds to tell the time of day. It’s the worlds largest sun dial, I wanted to climb it. Unfortunately it’s not allowed.

Jantur Mantur

Afterwards I strolled around central jaipur, know as the pink city most buildings in the centre are uniformly pink. It’s incredibly pretty and very easy to walk around. I stumbled into a clothes market which only sold sahris and got extremely lost ending up in a hardware market proceeded by a jewellery market. These must only be used by locals as I got a lot of weird stares.

I later returned to the hostel to rest before getting another Uber to masala chowk food court. This was the largest food court I’ve visited in India I had paneer tikka again and raj kachori. Both were delicious, raj kachori is a crispy ball filled with yoghurt, potatoes and chickpeas, topped with tamarind and a green chutney.

I returned to the hostel and spent the night chatting to two Germans who had come to India to teach, they were extremely friendly regrettably \240I forgot to exchange numbers or instagrams.

Day Sixteen

There was not supposed to be a day three Jaipur really as I had a train to Jaisalmer at 4pm, however I’ve been throwing up since 6am and have no inclination to get a 12 hour train through the night.

As you can imagine I spent most of the day either with my head in a toilet or in bed. Overall Jaipur has been problematic, might need to revisit one day.

I’ve completely changed my plans and I’m now flying to Mumbai tomorrow cutting out Jaisalmer and Ahmedabad. I don’t have enough time and I currently can’t face a train that long.

One thing of note happened today, on my one venture out of my room to the balcony I heard a large bang. I turned around to see a monkey staring at me from across the balcony, I went to walk back into the building to see a bigger one sat in the middle of the common room. So I sat for 30 minutes until they found the bin more interesting than me and quickly left.

Day Seventeen/Eighteen

Flew to Mumbai in the morning and was once again scammed by my Uber driver this time. When I first got in the Uber he insisted I tipped the maximum amount before setting off it was only 100 rupees so I agreed. Then upon arrival to the airport he insisted I hadn’t paid, ignoring the big notification on my phone saying I’d paid online and there was no need to pay anything else. This argument went on for 5 minutes as he’d locked my bag in the car before I gave him 100 rupees more.

Safe to say my opinion on Jaipur is mixed, it’s beautiful city I think I just got unlucky. Anyways the first bad experience in India and hopefully the last.

I’ll say one thing, for every bad person I’ve met in India I’ve met a hundred of the kindest people I could ever wish to meet. Compare this to the UK and for every nice person there’s a hundred indifferent ones. I’m not letting the prior experiences define my trip and you shouldn’t either.

Anyways I’ve spent the last night in my hotel enjoying some much needed rest and privacy as of current I’m getting an intercity Uber to a city called Pune around 3 hours away. Before you think I’m loaded it cost £20. My Uber driver speaks Hindi at around 200mph and I accidentally said I don’t speak English well, could be a fun 3 hours. He’s just let me DJ so I’m playing all the Hindi songs I know.

Osho park

I then walked down boat club road, an exceptionally green neighbourhood of Pune. In fact Pune itself is a very green city. I found a vegetarian restaurant and ordered masala dosa. Dosa is a savoury pancake served with different chutneys.

Then the heavens opened and the city descended into chaos, the restaurants power cut off and everyone from the street ran inside for shelter. I sat for about twenty minutes using my phone torch to finish eating my food before running to the metro.

Pune part two

I woke up late had a chai then braved walking past the local stray dog gang that hangs out on the corner by my hostel. They seemingly hate me and no one else, maybe they’re racists. Every time I leave the hostel they chase me up the street barking and growling.

I got the metro towards a fort in the centre of Pune. After seeing the queues and realising it cost ten times as much for me to visit than an Indian citizen, I decided looking at the gate was good enough.

After that failure I strolled into the centre of Pune, walked past the famous Hindu Mantir. An old lady gave me a sweet outside, I think it was almonds but I’m not sure. I then found myself in one of the busiest markets I’ve seen yet, personal space did not exist in this place and the current of people sweeps you along the colourful streets. Occasionally breaking its stride for the odd aunty who’s decided to stop in everyone’s way to look at some sandals.

Cow

I got lost in these markets for around 3 hours. It was extremely humid and I need to escape, I did buy two statues. One of Ganesh and another of a cow. After escaping I found a chai shop, the cheapest one I’ve found yet one chai cost 7 rupees that’s 7p.

Later on that evening I had some food at lovely restaurant, one thing they always insist on in restaurants is putting a fan directly pointing at me. I know I’m white but it’s usually so ridiculously close that it will blow everything on the table away including my food. I’ve just started picking them up and pointing them away.

Pawna lake

I took another Uber to lake pawna outside of lonavala, a small city outside of Mumbai. I stayed in a hostel on the edge of the lake, I mainly booked it to relax after the hectic few weeks I’ve just had.

Lake Pawna

I checked into my room and met a group of university graduates on a trip together, they invited me to the pool to play catch. I spent most of the day playing chess and pool.

Later in the evening I befriended a cat and we watched the sunset together which made me feel abit better being surrounded by couples.

Me and Felix

I’m the morning I got a lift I’m a jeep to lonavala then waited 2 hours for an Uber to take me to Mumbai.

Mumbai

I arrived at my hostel in Mumbai and met a British guy called Ollie, turns out he’s from Stamford and we went to the same school. Small world. We met two guys and went round the corner for food, I got a veg kebab and got told multiple times it’s not enough food. I’m struggling to eat anything heavy in the heat.

Later we returned to the hostel one of the women at the hostel from Germany is a garage dj, her and Ollie discussed garage music and smoked a couple joints. I just sat back and relaxed ended up staying awake till 3am by accident. The Mumbai hostel is by far the busiest I’ve been to so far, there were atleast 20 people in common area at night. A rare sight considering I came to India in the off season.

Mumbai part two

Met Srishti she’s an architect living in Delhi. She told me about this cafe she works at during the day whilst she’s in Mumbai. I joined her in the afternoon and spent most of it drinking coffee and sketching. The cafe has a board for guests artwork so I drew a cow for them and left my mark in Mumbai.

Art work near the cafe

Later that evening I stayed up in the hostel and watched 5 episodes of the queens gambit. Around seven of us gathered around a small laptop.

My cow drawing

Mumbai part three

I met a German guy in the maorming called Miron, I’ve become horrendous at remembering names due to amount of people I’ve been meeting. I accidentally called him bjorn about 10 times, he didn’t seem to mind.

We walked to a bakery in the morning with Shristi then went for a coffee before leaving her and catching a local train to south Mumbai.

I’ve been warned not to get the local train due to pick pockets and them overall not being very nice. I decided to be cheap as usual and ignore that advice. The trains were definitely an experience. They’re incredibly old with no AC and the doors don’t shut. The ceiling is full of metal handles that dangle down and shake along the tracks. Also I’ve noticed maybe because they’re so busy, people don’t wait for the train to stop before boarding and disembarking. This creates quite the action scene as 20 men to to jump onto a moving train. I tried to do this but got scared and ended up pathetically jumping off just before the train came to a halt.

Me an miron got off at chow party beach, probably the wrong part as it was a massive building site and not a beach at all. Either way besides the heat this was pretty fun, India has very little safety regulations so the builders let us climb everywhere.

A view of Mumbai

We decided an hours walk in the heat was a bad idea and my shirt had become transparent from the sweat so we caught a cab to India gateway. The gateway is under restoration so we didn’t pay to get in we just took pictures from outside. We strolled around the sea front and I bought even more fridge magnets. By the time I return home my bag might launch itself at the scanner, due to the sheer amount of magnets I now possess.

Me outside the gateway of India

We then strolled through oval maidan park in the centre of Mumbai, this is one of my favourite parks. It’s a large rectangle surrounded by the beautiful old university buildings and encased by rows of banyan trees. There’s 10 games of cricket happening at any moment here and if you’re lucky they’ll let you bat.

Later that evening I chilled in with miron and we went for some food, noting special just aloo mutter.

Mumbai part four

Met a Norwegian guy in the morning, so me him and shrishti went for coffee. I left them around 1pm and went to meet my dad at the airport. We decided I’d stay at the hoste and he’d get a hotel. We found a hotel in a nice area of south Mumbai dropped off his bags before walking through the park, up to the sea front and then to a Mexican place for a drink.

Later I got a taxi back to my hostel and met a large crowd \240at a night club. This was my first experience in an Indian nightclub and it was far better than the UK. The music is better, the people friendlier just an overall better experience and I didn’t even drink to enjoy it. Also I didn’t realise how big techno was in India. Both places we went to one being a lift ride up to a third floor of an apartment building overlooking Bandra and the other a social club were incredibly unique.

Unfortunately due to the elections the police came and shut everything down around 1am. I walked back with everyone and got more pista kulfi on the way. Met an India man who’s worked for the US government, the UN and Wall Street. We talked about drugs tests and how uncomfortable they are.

Mumbai part five

Caught the local train again in the the morning to Borivali national park it took around an hour. Met my dad there, we decided to walk through the park as it was mostly sheltered. We later came to regret this decision as the caves were a 7km hike away in 38 degree heat. We made it around 6km in before hitchhiking a lift from a family to the caves.

The caves are 1200 years old, they’re Buddhist and there around 100 of them scattered around the hills of the park. I trekked up to higher ones and was stopped by a security guard who proceeded to give me a guided tour. Despite me insisting I was fine walking on my own. He sang in the caves which was quite cool as they’re designed to echo the noise for prayers.

The main cave

We hike even further away from the rest of the tourists to an incredible view of Mumbai. Afterwards he took me into an empty cave then asked me for money. I’d ran out of change and only had 500 rupee notes so I begrudgingly gave him one. He then asked me for 1000 rupees I said no and walked off. He chased after me, apologised and shook my hand.

The view from the top

Later I got a train back from borivali, I met up with the hostel lot and got some thali at a local restaurant. I got told by a local to eat one of the chillis on the table which was a mistake luckily I’d ordered a lassi.

Flying over Goa

The driver whose name I’ve now forgotten taught me some Hindi on the way over to the airport and told me off for not eating enough meat. We also had a debate about me having kids he has three and was shocked that I didn’t have any.

Collected Hugo then headed back, by this point it was around 3am. We decided to go for a walk to the beach. The oceans been really choppy since arriving and it’s quite eerie at night.

Day Two Goa

Woke up fairly late, headed for breakfast in Candolim. Before getting a rickshaw to Calangute beach. They actually do nice iced coffee in Goa which I’ve been craving for weeks. Other than Mumbai I’ve really struggled to find nice coffee in India.

Me and Hugo decided to go into the sea, it’s nearly monsoon season so the seas ridiculously choppy. Some of the waves must of been 3 metres tall. It’s hard work and quite scary at times but as long as you don’t go too deep and avoid the riptides you should be good. We met a lot of Indian guys, most of them couldn’t swim which is slightly dangerous in my opinion. A coconut washed up and we played catch which was kind of terrifying having some random guy launch a coconut a 50mph at your head whilst your battling the waves.

Calangute beach

Calangute beach is incredibly busy you almost can’t see the beach through the amount of people occupying it. Its a strange place outside of foreign tourist season, mostly full of families and angry life guards in jeeps blasting megaphones at no one in particular.

Later that night we got back to the accommodation and went for a meal in candolim.

Day 3 Goa

Woke up earlier today and got a taxi to Panaji the current capitol of Goa. We started in the market area of the city, got a coffee and explored the markets. The markets were mostly fish, vegetables and fruit which was beautiful to see. The variety of produce in India is unrivalled to anything I’ve seen in the world. The indoor market is a vibrant landscape of exotic fruits and vegetables, stacks of dragon fruits, mangoes and coconuts.

Panjim market

Afterwards we walked to campal gardens a yoga themed park on the coast of Panaji. Statues guard the park, illustrating the different yoga poses. You can see the harbour from the park. The far side of the harbour is full of fishing boats, where as the centre is full of casino boats. There was a law banning casinos in India so businesses took their establishments to the sea where they’re governed by international water laws. I’m sure this law has passed as you do see land casinos now but it’s a nice gimmick.

We then got a lift to old Panjim, this area has the biggest Portuguese influence I’ve seen so far in Goa. The street names are Portuguese, the houses painted in pastel colours and decorated with painted tiles. We found a small bar for lunch. Insider were 4 tables in a dingy high ceilinged room. I had a paneer fry.

The colourful buildings in old Panjim

We later walked to the immaculate conception church which is an enormous white church in the centre of old panjon. It’s closed off but still beautiful to look at. I didn’t realise until reading a plaque in a park the the Portuguese occupied Goa until 1961. Everything about Goa has ties to Portugal from the architecture to the cuisine. To this day many locals speak Portuguese.

The church of immaculate conception

Afterwards we headed to a tapas bar, the food was incredible. I had fried tamarind lotus stem, masala fries and feta samosa.

Day 4 Goa

Me and Hugo went for a night walk yesterday and stumbled upon a really tranquil beach so we decided to head there for breakfast. It’s called sinquerim beach located a 20 minute walk south of candolim.

We had breakfast then me and Hugo went for a swim this time the riptide was a lot stronger. I stayed very in shore this time, the riptide drags you whilst you’re standing so it’s impossible to swim.

Sinquerim beach

We tried our best not to drown for a while then gave up with the sea and walked over to the fort. The fort protrudes into the sea and you can see all the way to candolim beach.

I found a stand selling coconuts I’ve been wanting to try a fresh one for ages now. It’s pretty reasonable it cost me £1.60 for 3 coconuts. They cut it infront of you using a machete then once you’ve drank it you can give it back and they chop it once again allowing you to eat the flesh.

Yum

It was my dads last night so we went to nice restaurant on the beach I tried a Goan vegetable curry. The sauce is made with coconut milk and it has quite a kick.

Day 5 Goa

Woke up around 9 and sorted my bags before getting my dad an Uber. Turns out you can get airport transfers but nothing else, however as it happens this is also not allowed. When the driver showed up he asked me to tell anyone who asked that it was booked through another app.

This all seemed abit over the top until two men on a scooter pulled up and started shouting at him. They tried to get me to cancel the ride, when I said no they went back to shouting at the driver. This all got abit silly, the taxi mafia eventually relented and let my dad go.

I’ve found my Hindi to be pretty useless in these situations, when someone starts shouting I find it quite hard to understand anything especially with the Goan dialect thrown in.

Me and Hugo then got a rickshaw to Vagator, in north Goa and checked into our hostel. This was one of the nicer hostels I’ve stayed at it’s also home to two dogs Yogi and Boxer, Yogis a very but very friendly. I think in my 3 night stay I’ve seen him stood up about 5 times, I don’t blame him it must be a lot of effort.

Me and Yogi

We met a woman from New York called Dina and an Australian guy called Alec. Dinas just finished her degree and become a doctor and Alec’s been a nomad for 6 years and is currently cycling through India.

We headed to the beach for a swim,Alec \240might be one of the strongest swimmers I’ve seen he went 600 - 700 metres out in 2-3 metre high waves. At first the life guard went mental whistling and shout at him, then he decided that Alec clearly want going to listen and he gave up.

Later that night we met a group of people and headed into chapora for food and drinks. I met a guy called Theo also from New York who I’d met in Mumbai, he remembered my name but I couldn’t remember his. We ended up chatting a good majority of the night before heading to a psychedelic trance rave.

Hostel friends

Psychedelic trance rave sounds either really cool or quite pretentious, it wasn’t really either to be honest. Goa is in its quietest season, there were still a good amount of people there but nothing compared to what I’d expected. Also most of the people were taking pills which made them quite hard to talk to.

I talked to a few of the DJ’s between there sets they didn’t have much to say probably because they spoke Russian. I got chatting to a few people then decided I’ll never see any of them again so I made up a personality for the night and told everyone I was from Mumbai. Unsurprisingly \240this was incredibly believable to people on drugs but not to the bouncer, we got into a debate because he said I can’t be from Mumbai because I’m white just as he couldn’t be from England because he’s brown. He refused to accept brown people live and are born in England, I decided to say sorry and leave as he was getting quite pissed off.

Everyone except Alec had left at this point so I got him and we walked back to the hostel together.

Day 6 Goa

After a late start a few of us from the hostel headed to Arjuna a town south of Vagator, we found a found a roof top cafe and had lunch.

Sometimes when you walk around with a larger group from a hostel it can be incredibly frustrating. I like to eat then explore, usually in fairly quick succession. However a lot of the people I meet at hostels like to sit, sometimes for hours at a time. This time we sat for three hours after eating lunch I was fed up and decided to leave them and walk back with Hugo.

They got a taxi and we walked around 4km back home, the walk was nice once you leave the beaches in Goa the scenery turns to busy tents made with tarp selling chai, street food and cigarettes. The bustles is different to that of the beach areas.

We stumbled down narrow country lanes avoiding scooters and taxis, gazing on luminescent churches that guide your passage through rural Goa.

Pachara harbour at night

Later that night we went for a stroll with Theo my favourite traveller I’ve met so far in Goa, he asked me for recommendations in Delhi and if I ever came to New York to hit him up. I definitely would.

Final day Goa

Decided in the morning to head to Arambol, a town 40 minutes north of Vagator. It’s famous for yoga training and from a brief search online appeared to be a spiritual retreat. This was not exactly the case.

Luke a British guy from the hostel decided to join us, we got a taxi and walked down the beach to find some food. I still struggle to eat in the mornings so I got an omelette. I people watched some Russian influencers acting like fools. The people here seem to hate Russians alot of their reasoning is they take over where ever they go building Russian resorts and restaurants. If only they could see Malaga, they’d have another reason to hate the British.

We took a quick walk to sweet lake, a fresh water swimming lake in the northern region of the town. Two Indian guys joined us on the way, they had strange vibes and I later found out from Hugo I was correct in my assumptions.

Arambol

I stayed in the lake a whole 5 minutes before something bit my foot and I evacuated to shore. Whilst Hugo and Luke enjoyed the lake , I exercised my limited cricket knowledge talking to a group of friends sat next to me. The best thing I’ve learnt about cricket in India is the use of the player Ben Stokes name as it sounds like a common Indian curse word. The curse word being ‘behenchod’ directly translating to someone who may of become too intimate with his sister. The words said frequently and is used more like an emotion than an insult in India, however saying Ben Stokes might be more advisable around older crowds.

Sweet lake

The beaches in Arambol, are probably my favourites in Goa they’re considerably quieter and nestled between green rock faces that cast shade onto the beach.

Our friend Luke then met some girls so me and Hugo left him to it and went for a meal. After Luke had nearly been scammed by prostitutes we took a taxi home. He was upset that the connection wasn’t real, he may be a little delusional. Hugo tried to comfort him, whilst I sat in the front trying not to laugh.

A rooftop view of Bengaluru

The cities a pleasant 24 degrees at night a welcome change from the Maharashtran \240humidity and heat. We strolled around the shops before heading to a restaurant to eat. India is full of these canteen style eateries, they’re simple in concept. A pay stand and a kitchen stand usually with the menu printed above it. The tables decorated with steel jugs and glasses. You place your order at the pay stand then deliver it to the kitchen.

I ordered dosa a new staple item and perhaps the best food I’ve found in India, a bold statement I know. It’s a crispy savoury pancake usually stuffed with potato or onion served with chutneys. You eat them off banana leaves on silver trays.

Later we strolled around the city and sampling its chai before returning to the hostel.

Bengaluru Day Two

Woke up early and headed to a market area to grab breakfast and coffee, found some book shops on the way. By far the best bookshops I’ve found anywhere in the world they have everything I’ve ever wanted to buy. It was tough not buying anything unfortunately my backpack can only fit a limited amount and books seem like a poor choice to bring home.

We walked into Cubbon park, a vast green area. It’s skyline full of banyan trees that dip their roots into the greenery below. Birds and squirrels exist in abundance, the people coexisting in their habitat. We walked around watching the families, lovers and professionals spend their lunches and days off with one another. It was incredibly peaceful but it did make me miss the normality and routine of my life back home.

Beware of snakes sign in the park

I don’t think you can truly appreciate your life without stepping away from it first, maybe not as dramatically as this. Everyone has their own definitions of meaning, for without meaning there is nothing. Taking a break and assessing what that meaning is could be the best thing I’ve ever done. I feel a refined purpose to my life where I once felt smothered by its existence.

Afterwards we walked towards the high court but weren’t allowed in. We then walked past the government building. It’s an enormous white structure guarded by golden horses that rise above its gates. The writing above the entrance reads “government work is gods work” a statement I couldn’t disagree more with.

We then took a stroll to Ulsoor lake, a large lake slightly north of the centre. On the way we found a cafe, I had veg thali. I didn’t realise it was unlimited rice until the mountain they put on my plate was immediately replenished. After eating we walked around the lake before returning to the hostel.

Ulsoor lake

Later that evening we met Aravind a friend of Manu’s and his neighbour Vijay for dinner. They took us to a open air restaurant, we ate and they told us to cancel all our plans tomorrow and go for breakfast at their favourite spot.

Bengaluru/Mysuru

We left around 9am for the breakfast spot, on arriving as per Aravind’s instructions. I phoned him up and gave the phone to the waitress who took the order over the phone. This was quite amusing, he definitely could have text me his recommendations. Before I knew plates of food started arriving idli samba, masala dosa and green sauces. The dosa was divine but it was a lot to get through at 9am.

After eating we got a lift to Vijay’s house and met his wife and son. His son is an engineering student at Bengaluru University. Vijays wife made us a mango drink before we all set off to Mysuru.

We took a detour on the way to Mysuru to stop at balamuri falls. The falls have been made famous by an old Hindi movie, the scene shows two men using bambu as snorkels whilst a group of women atop lotus leafs dance and sing infront of the falls.

The falls were down a series of rural roads, a completely different side to India I hadn’t seen up close yet. Small villages, coconut trees and rice fields.

The falls were incredibly slippy, I nearly went flying off the dam a few times. We walked all the way across waving at the families that probably found the sight of me and Hugo quite unusual.

Me and Hugo at the falls

After the falls we stopped at a local restaurant called “fish land”. The restaurant has a collection of vintage cars aswell as a collection of incredibly friendly cows who sit outside. I had water dosa with a tomato based curry and some of the thickest rice I’ve ever eaten.

The fish land cows

Later that afternoon Aravind dropped us at the hostel, an old colonial building built by the British. The architecture in Mysuru is incredibly unique. The buildings are all brightly coloured with abstract stairways and balconies. It creates quite the skyline when the oddly shaped buildings cast their uneven shadows onto the ground.

That night I met aravind and Vijay for dinner. We went to the green palace and ate on the lawns that surround it. I tried egg pakora for the first time, or egg bonda as it’s called in south India.

Mysuru

We woke up early and went for breakfast at a local dosa spot. The restaurant has lines of leather couches full to the brim with families. There’s no menu only dosa and coconut chutney. A banana leaf gets placed in front of you and before you know it a man appears from the kitchen with a tray containing around 30 dosas. They get served directly onto the leaf followed by a ladle of the coconut.

The dosas are incredibly soft served with a square of butter that you spread with your fingers before using it to soak up the coconut. I ate two before tapping out, there’s not even time to drink your coffee before you’re ushered into a corner to allow another family to dine. The place is chaotic but full of charm and the dosa is exquisite.

Afterwards aravind and Vijay left us to return to Bengaluru. Me and Hugo decided to climb Chamundi hill . A 3,500ft hill with a Tempe at the top. There’s 1001 steps to the peak and devotees will carry dye and mark every step on their pilgrimage to the top.

Me climbing the steps

Me and Hugo after seeing everyone else barefoot decided this must be the correct thing to do. We climbed three quaters of the hill barefoot before being told shoes are absolutely fine it’s just more religious people will climb without them. I honestly quite enjoyed walking without shoes for once and the hills very clean.

We stopped along the way for breather and a cold drink. Whilst sipping on my limca a family of around 20 people asked for a photo with me and Hugo. This took quite a while to get everyone into frame, they were very grateful however. Still not sure what they’ll do with a family pic containing two sweaty white boys, who knows they were very polite so I didn’t say no.

After that encounter a group of women sat with us and gave us some information about the hill before leaving us to walk. We met them again at the top and took a selfie together.

A friend we made on the way

Before you reach the main temple there’s a cow statue, hidden behind it is a tiny cave. Inside the cave an old man sits on a shrine. You have to crouch to get in but bowing is polite, I bowed and he gave me a handful of sugar. It all felt quite spiritual till I whacked my head on the ceiling walking out, hopefully he doesn’t know the word shit.

We made it to the top of the hill to the temple, an enormous gold pyramid that looms over the city. However the queue to enter was chaos snaking all around the peak so we decided an outside tour was satisfactory. We walked through the markets and caught a taxi back to the hotel.

Chamundi hill temple

In the afternoon I found an artisanal chocolatiers that also run a cafe, the cafe perched atop their workshop. An old colonial building with stained glass windows and wooden benches. The iced mocha was delicious.

That evening we headed to mysuru palace for the light show. We arrived late and couldn’t get in however it was still beautiful from the outside. The most common question I get asked in India is “where are you from?” sometimes I have fun with the answer but I usually say the Uk. To which some people misunderstand as Ukraine. This time a market vendor decided to guess, his first choice Manchester followed by London and Liverpool. When I’d said no to his three guesses he asked if I was from Glastonbury music festival, to which I replied yes and he remarked it must be very loud living there.

A temple near the palace

A train to Chennai

The train from mysuru to chennai is roughly 7 hours long. It stops at Bengaluru before cutting through the Karnataka landscape at 130kmph. The views are incredible disassembled mountains, their boulders neatly stacked. Rice fields that stretch for miles before descending into thick jungle.

A bad photo of one of the boulder mountains

We read, drank chai and watched this unfamiliar landscape flash by us like a trigger happy PowerPoint presentation. Arriving in Chennai just after the sun had set.

Descending into the chaos of Chennai central, a platform that feels like an eternity. We completed the parkour course around a sea of people with no spatial awareness. Aunties in golf cars try to squeeze their oversized bags down the narrow platform whilst families stand four abreast people weaving in between them.

After exiting we walked 15 minutes before hailing a rickshaw and making it to the hostel. We checked in our bags then explored the bustling streets, a predominantly Muslim area the smell of biryani came extremely close to breaking my promise of a vegetarian diet during this trip.

We walked to the beach which at night which is a depressing sight to see. Rows of homeless people use the beach to sleep, the beach several kilometres long they stretch out as far as you can see. We decided to head back.

The hostel had had a power cut. Our room already had no AC and now the fan had stopped, humidity hit 85% with the temperature at 35. Safe to say we didn’t sleep. The power returned at 2am and I got a cold shower before getting some sleep.

First day Chennai

Woke up late due to last nights power outage. We walked the streets searching for coffee, a rare find in this neighbourhood. I bought a disposable camera something I’ve been after for weeks now.

We failed to find a coffee shop so we trekked to the local mall for a Starbucks. Afterwards we tried visiting the museums which are all shut on Friday, so we found a board game cafe and played chess for an hour. I lost again, I’m considering retirement at this point. Afterwards we decided to walk back to the hostel.

It was a 35 minute walk nothing too crazy, except half of it must of been down the rickshaw repair street. Clouds of black smoke and sparks flying in every direction. A graveyard of yellow rickshaws being harvested for scrap. The smell and the heat was infectious. We made it back and chilled before heading out later that night for dinner.

Chennai rooftops

We decided on a trusty canteen and I once again ordered dosa, I’m not being boring they have multiple different types and it’s delicious. An old man started talking to me about idli samba a common South Indian dish. He said the idli samba here was the best he’d ever had. The waiter walked past and he ordered it to our table then immediately got up and left.

He was right it was good, I just imagine that interaction in the UK wouldn’t go down as well.

Day Two Chennai

We made it to the museums successfully this time, with a detour to a cafe first. The government museum is sprawling complex of buildings separated into sections such as geology, Hinduism and modern art. A real mix of Indian culture.

The Hindu and Buddhist sections contain thousand year old statues depicting Shiva, Buda and hundreds of other gods. A bronze museum shows hundreds of bronze statues of Shiva dancing over the demon Apasmara.

Shiva’s dance

We walked around for hours before calling it a day dehydrated and sweaty due to the museums lack of AC. One exhibit caught my attention a how each country dresses exhibit. Which was all quite normal until the UK portion which contained dolls dressed as the queens guard and a barbie from north Wales.

The north Wales exhibit

Whilst waking around the back of the museum I decided to have a sneaky cigarette. I lit it and looked at the trees surrounding me. I saw what I initially thought was a bird fly from one of the trees, then I realised hundreds of fruit bats were hanging above me. Not the small ones either, these bats were the size of seagulls. I put my cigarette out and quickly walked away, I’m terrified of bats. I called Hugo over and made him aware he found my fear hilarious.

Here’s a man with a cool moustache showing their size

We left the museum in search of Kapaleeshwarar temple an enormous brightly coloured pyramid temple. We deposited our shoes and headed in. The temples huge, people usually walk in a clockwise rotation around temples praying at each shrine.

Kapaleeshwar temple

We then caught a rickshaw to T.Nagar a bustling shopping district in the city, the streets are manic. Market stalls line the centre of the road and scooters would rather ride on the pavement than the road. You’re not safe from traffic anywhere in India.

Day Three Chennai

We woke up late after another battle with the humidity. We were supposed to visit a crocodile sanctuary an hour away but decided to get food instead and headed to a mall. We browsed the ridiculously big seven story mall before heading to the beach.

The beaches in Chennai are full of street food. We bought a chai from a stall called mud coffee I don’t think the name had any relation, I hope not atleast. \240There’s crowds of people, horse riders and cricket matches happening all around. It’s the best spot to people watch.

We then watched a game of ultimate frisby on the beach, turns out it was the India team practicing for a tournament in Japan next week. The amount of people that tried to walk through the pitch was incredibly amusing. At one point a horse stormed into the game.

Now I want to talk about the hostel, it’s beautiful. An incredibly old run down building, it’s sun bleached blue and cream walls paint chipped and overrun with trees. The rooms have high ceilings rocksolid beds, no ac and padlocks on the doors.

Broadlands hostel

Three courtyards separate the complex you won’t see many guests, mostly cats. It’s incredibly peaceful especially the rooftop, it feels like you shouldn’t be up there. Two chairs sit abandoned on the concrete roof. The hostels not \240fancy by any means the showers have corrugated steel doors with gaps you can poke your head over and lizards and frogs run freely around them. What it doesn’t lack is character it’s one of my favourite hostels so far, I want to buy it.

The cat who sleeps in my room

Hyderabad skyline

We walked down a street busting with life, aunties sat atop trailers selling vegetables, fruits and all the fried food you could need. The smell of masala popcorn overpowering yet delicious. We found the chai stand at the usual 10rs per chai, the cheapest I’ve found has been 7rs.

Afterwards we found a restaurant, the dish of Hyderabad is biryani. Now being vegetarian makes this unavailable to me. Veg biryani is on the menus, however I’ve been told many times that veg biryani may exist in name but it’s a crime to call a biryani without meat a biryani. I had my paneer biryani regardless and thought it was delicious, sorry biryani lovers.

Hyderabad Day One

We woke up late me waking up at half 10, Hugo being woken up by the Nepalese workers who come into the room every morning at 11am. They turn on all the lights then harass everyone out of bed citing it’s late and they must wake up. I found this hilarious some of the more sleepy guests maybe didn’t.

We then went to breakfast I found a cafe by the lake. We had planned to walk around the lake but it’s closed for majority of the day opening at 6pm and closing at 9pm. We managed to find the rooftop cafe unfortunately it’s next to a sewage treatment plant. You can avoid the smell in the centre of the restaurant but the flies are relentless. Otherwise pretty good.

We then caught a taxi to Golconda fort towards the centre of Hyderabad. The city has a dramatic contrast between the hyper modern “Hi-tec city” and the older parts with their Mughal archways and forts.

The fort is enormous perched atop a hill, once entering you have free roam of the place. One thing I love about India is the lack of health and safety, anywhere else I’ve visited would have cordoned massive sections of this fort off. Not in India you can climb freely around the forts complex. Me and Hugo did just this scrambling into caves, loose walls and anywhere we could fit.

Golconda fort

As with many tourist attractions I’ve visited Golconda fort is a hotspot for taking a photo with the white guy or Gora the Hindi word for white person. Gora Pakora being the favourite name I’ve been called in India even if it is slightly racist. I must of posed for around 30 photographs by the time I’d explored the fort. Everyone’s polite about it and you can say no, my policy is if asked nicely I’ll happily take a photo. “Hey Gora one photo” and I’ll probably walk off.

A view from the fort

We explored for around 3 hours in the baking heat ducking into any shade the fort provided. Before leaving and getting a taxi back to the hostel.

That evening we decided to walk into the hyper modern tech city its skyscrapers looming over old Hyderabad. Tech start ups, finance groups and empty offices illuminate the streets. This area was clearly not built with pedestrians on mind, it feels incredibly American with 8 line highways and no real footpath. Its buildings gated and guarded. We found our way into the maze of restaurants, pubs and cafes that keep the corporate machine running.

The tech city is split into sections called Orwell’s which seems pretty ironic. Given the the 24/7 surveillance, restricted entrances and never ending work hours. We found a restaurant and ordered our food and mock tails. The sale of alcohol is banned on voting and results days of the elections.

We ate and watched the unexpected loss of a BJP majority government. The party requires 270 out of 540 seats to claim a majority something they’ve achieved the last 2 elections and were polled to do again. This year they managed 240 meaning Modi will have to form a coalition to remain in power. He will still be president, but his control may be reduced.

We ate before deciding walking home was a bad idea and getting another taxi. We ventured out again for chai an evening ritual at this point. We’ve given any money below 50rs the title chai money.

Hyderabad Day Two

Another late start, my insomnia is getting worse in India and I frequently find myself not falling asleep until 3am. This morning I was awoken by the Nepalese guys who gently woke me up before asking for help applying for a UK visa. A subject I am completely unfamiliar with.

We took a leisurely stroll to Subko my favourite cafe in India a chain that has branches in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and probably more. It’s expensive but delicious. We didn’t eat I had an iced mocha and a cigarette, a hearty breakfast I’d say. Hugo then convinced me that eating is good and we should find food. My eating habits are not compatible with most people I’ve found. I usually eat once a day at around 7 to 8pm.

We found a cafe thats also a craft shop, I got a sandwich and a mirror. We then walked back and caught the metro to the lake. I bought some Birkenstocks on the way as my shoes have disintegrated. I heavily regret this decision and curse the designers of Birkenstocks. Which genius decided making sandals with the texture of sandpaper was a good idea and why does everyone claim they’re the best thing ever. Me and what’s left of my feet feel betrayed.

My mirror

We made it to the lake exploring a nearby park first, the queue to buy a ticket to the park turned into a wrestling match with \240Hugo completely out of the picture and me eventually barging my way to the ticket office. This is common place in India and it feels incredibly wrong as a Brit to break the sacred rules of a queue.

We walked around and I had a go at an archery fair ground game, surprising to my self hitting the bullseye twice which meant I earned a teddy bear. I gave it to a man, so that he could give it to his son. He looked at me confused, I insisted he can take it free of charge for his toddler. He took it off me still looking confused about the whole thing before I awkwardly walked off.

A view of the lake

Once we had left the park the heavens decided to open up, stranded on the other side of the street from all the shelter we ran until we found a rickshaw. Who drove us in a loop before dropping us off 200 metres down the road in a puddle. I gave him 20 rupees for the tour of the motorway.

We then got even more drenched before giving up on Uber and walking to the metro. Maybe I should correct this to wading as portions of the street were submersed in rain that goes up to your knee. This was pretty good fun and most people seemed to find it hilarious. Everyone soaking wet carrying their shoes, with their trousers rolled above their knees. We reached the metro, the busiest metro I’ve ever caught and feeling like a tin of sardines we made our way back to the hostel.

Monsoon

We mostly dried on the metro, enough to go to a restaurant atleast. We found a vege place on a rooftop near our hostel. You sit on mats on the floor and the waiters won’t let you do anything except eat. They serve everything, I tried to spoon some daal onto my plate and as my fingers touched the spoon the waiter spawned in immediately taking over. This was quite uncomfortable, I’m not sure why rich people enjoy this. I felt more like an old person at a nursing home than anything else. The food was delicious though.

Hyderabad to Lucknow

I said my fairwells to Hugo over text as we got separated at the airport, an unfortunate end to an amazing three weeks travelling together. I hate goodbyes so in all honesty it worked out rather well for me.

I landed in Lucknow before catching the metro towards my hostel and walking in the blistering 45 degree heat in my sand paper sandals. I reached the hostel before realising I had no cash they didn’t take card so I walked all the way back to an atm.

I decided no more walking that evening and chilled out in the hostel. I met a man in the smoking area who invited me out for chai, he was driving so I accepted. We drove into Lucknow down streets not intended for cars his wing mirrors verging on being wiped out at every corner.

We got to chai place, Indian hospitality is the best in the world. Do I have the experience to make that statement no, will I make it anyway, yes. He insisted on paying for everything despite me insisting, for reference I met this man 20 minutes previous to this. We had chai and sweet buns covered in butter with glacier cherries. The bread tastes divine when dunked into the chai.

We then headed back and I met my room mate a woman called Mia from London. She’s studying Anthropology in Mumbai and currently making her way around cities and towns in India for her research.

Lucknow Day One

I woke up and decided to head to a book store. It was a labyrinth, multiple floors containing every subject you could wish to study, I bought a book hoping to learn how to write Urdu before heading to a cafe.

I ordered a coffee and began trying to write in Urdu, this is quite the challenge and considerably harder to write than Hindi.

A group of friends heading for brunch peeked over at my books and began chatting to me about Urdu. They bought me a coffee and sat with me for 2 hours teaching me some of the language and script. I got their numbers and promised to meet them in the morning. Saif one of the friends lives near the famous mosques of Lucknow Bada Imamabara and Chota Imamabara. We decided to meet at them tomorrow and hang out.

I then went shopping around the markets buying a Kurta from a stall and chatting to all the old men at the chai shops in my broken Hindi. These conversations are usually pretty wholesome and often very amusing as we both navigate broken Hindu and English frequently completely misunderstanding one another before eventually making our points.

I then walked back to the hostel before later that evening waking into town to eat. The most unsafe I ever feel in India is around dogs, I’ve been chased multiple times now and it doesn’t get any less frightening. I walked down the road past a dog he ignored me at first then chased me up the street snarling and barking until if left his territory. It’s best to keep waking without looking back and definitely don’t run.

I made it to the restaurant and ordered daal makhani and roti my comfort meal. I then walked back to the chai place meeting a group of guys who wanted to chat. They told me to go up to women and ask them for choom. The Hindi word for kiss or as they told me a polite greeting. Luckily I knew this word so I didn’t end up getting slapped.

Lucknow to Delhi

I woke up early and headed towards Bada Imambara a famous Mosque in Lucknow. I’d agreed to meet the friend I’d made yesterday there at half 10. I was running late and arrived at 11:50, this ended up being a blessing as he didn’t arrive until 12:45. Punctuality is not as important in India, I’ve come to realise when I’m late I’m usually on time or early.

I walked around and got chai before Saif arrived on his moped and told me to jump on. We rode through the city towards Chota Imambara, Bada means big and Chota means small in Hindi. So the big and small mosque. Chota Imambara is considerably quieter and an overall better experience than it’s larger counterpart. The mosque is full of antique chandeliers from all over the world. It’s decor incredibly unique and unlike any mosque I’ve visited before. We walked around a patron of the mosque gave me a guided tour explaining the different paintings and carpets.

Me outside Chota Imambara

We then got back on Saifs scooter and headed further out of Lucknow to his community. We stopped and got Lassi, afterwards Saif took. Me on a scooter tour of the city, we weaved through dirt roads. Occasionally slowing down for a goat or cow that had wandered into the street.

After the tour we headed to a shisha place. Saif ordered us a grape and mint shisha . We smoked and chatted waiting for Mariam and Vuaina to show up, we drank coffee and took hundreds of photographs before I had to leave for the airport.

Me and my new friends

I got a rickshaw back to my hostel, none of the rickshaw drivers in luck now seemingly know where they are going so I had to give directions in broken Hindi. We made it back eventually. I then got a taxi to the airport I should have got the metro but I really didn’t want to walk 30 minutes in the 45 degree heat.

I arrived in Delhi at around 8pm and caught the metro to Paharganj where my hostel is located. It felt strange heading back to where I started my trip, nothing has changed but my perception. I walked to the hostel with a new found confidence in Paharganj a street that initially put me on edge. It’s narrow roads overflowing with rickshaws and bikes, the hassling from shopkeepers trying to sell you SIM cards and elephant trousers. I don’t feel the stress anymore and besides the odd person who won’t take no for an answer I get left alone. Maybe I don’t look as lost anymore.

Paharganj

A Day in Delhi

I had no real plans in the morning except for meeting Manu at around 6. I decided to head to Connaught Place the centre of New Delhi full of shops and cafes. I’d seen a post online claiming an iced coffee stand outside of the main ring was the best in town and set out to find it. I found it eventually located just outside a clothes market on the bottom floor of a residential building. The coffee cost 80 rupees and comes in a plastic bottle reminiscent of the 20p sugary drinks you can buy from Poundland. It was pretty good.

Depauls coffee

After wards I set out to buy an Indian cricket shirt for the game in the evening. I mistakenly found my way into a tourist shop and paid too much for a fake. They gave me a good Hindi lesson though and a free chai. The woman who ran the shop called me a yapper, the highest of compliments.

On the walk back to the metro a holy man grabbed my hand, he reached into a bowl he was carrying then filled my hand with ash and ripped some of my hair out. I was pretty uncomfortable and tried to release his grip. But he wouldn’t let go, my hand now covered in ash and him angrily shouting at me in mumbled Hindi the situation was quite tense. Luckily a group of lads walking by stepped in and pulled my hand free walking me away from the holy man.

They told me it’s a scam and that he had now put a curse on me, I’ve never knowingly been cursed before so that was new. I really hope the ash wasn’t human. I found a coffee shop and washed my hands before heading back.

Later that evening I got the metro to meet Manu, I met his mum and dad. We spoke Hindi all the way to the restaurant before me and Manu got out and they returned home. Me and Manu then walked to the rooftop bar to watch the game. Meeting Vikas at the top we left after India had finished batting and I caught an Uber home.