The Upper Hunza Valley

Back in another Suzuki van, we had a short hop up to the village of Ghulkin in the Upper Hunza Valley. We’d heard good things about a roadside place called Rehman’s Backpacker Hostel so turned up there to be greeted by the hugely enthusiastic Mr Rehman senior – a game old bird with few teeth but a manner so infectious as to make him instantly likeable….

On the Karakoram Highway

Though our journey from Skardu to Gilgit was not technically part of the Karakoram Highway, to my mind it seemed like the quintessential image of the road I’d been dreaming about had been brought to life….

Rawalpindi jingle truck workshop

Our brief stop in Islamabad / Rawalpindi gave us an opportunity to seek out a workshop where so-called ‘Jingle Trucks’ are created and maintained. The term is a bit of an Americanism, but neatly describes the multi-adorned and extremely colourful lorries, trucks, wagons, any commercial vehicle really, that ply the roads in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Listless in Lahore

Undoubtedly the best of Lahore, in our opinion, is to be found in the shabby backstreets of the old town. Pakistan is renowned for its friendliness and nowhere is that more evident than here….

Amritsar and the Wagah border

We had a great experience at the Golden Temple, the reason most people come to Amritsar. Shoes off, feet washed, bright orange head-scarves on. We were hoping for a look that said ‘pirate’ but I fear we got ‘gnome’……

Chandigarh

We’d decided ages ago to pop into Chandigarh, a city mainly designed and built in the 50’s & 60’s by the renowned Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier to reflect Prime Minister Nehru’s ideal for a new, post-independent Indian reality.

The Little Rann of Kutch

The Little Rann (desert) of Kutch is a huge expanse of salt-flats and scrubland that form a 5,000 km sq wildlife sanctuary, best known for its diverse birdlife and the endemic Asiatic Wild Ass.

Thanjavur and across to Cochin

Leaving tranquil Tranquebar behind, we treated ourselves to a taxi to Thanjavur, one of Tamil Nadu’s larger cities, so we could visit the Chola temples of Kumbakonen en route.

Down the Coromandel Coast

We spent a few days on the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, visiting two towns that became colonies of France and Denmark in the scramble with Britain and the Dutch to establish trading footholds in the 17th and 18th centuries, namely the French enclave of Pondicherry – now Puducherry- and the previously Danish post of Tranquebar – now Tharangambadi meaning ‘place of the singing waves’.

Mysore

Mysore (or Mysuru as it’s known now) – our first port of call on the Big Trip and a chaotic, noisy re-introduction to India after an absence of 8 years or so. This is our 3rd time in India (my 4th) and we were instantly thrust back into the familiar swing of it.