Once we realized the heat was just too much for us, we planned a bee line route to the mountains from Udaipur. But, no trip to India would be complete without a visit to the Taj Mahal, so we braved 43 degrees for one more day to see this wonder of the world. 

We arrived off the train and were immediately pretty overwhelmed by the heat (expected), but also the overall vibe (unexpected). We were now in Uttar Pradesh, which is unfortunately known as one of the more unsafe states in India, it's also the most populated state in India, making up 16.5% of the country's population, or 3% of the total world population!!! There was definitely more hassle and staring, and although I wouldn’t describe it as feeling unsafe, I also didn’t feel as comfortable as I have in other places. We walked down to the Taj Mahal for sunset, and were met with a number of relentless street sellers and auto drivers, and lots of kids begging us to buy a fridge magnet, which always breaks my heart especially when it's the afternoon on a school day.

Once we got our tickets and were in the complex, we were totally in awe and any misgivings we had previously totally melted away. It’s hard to describe the beauty of this building, it feels more like poetry, a love story or a piece of art. It was busy of course, but you can absolutely see why. Coming at sunset was really special, as we got to see the marble change as the sun set; from a bright white, to a rich gold and then a more muted grey as it got darker. They say in the morning it looks pink with the sunrise light which we didn’t see, but I can only imagine. We got the obligatory photos, and enjoyed walking around and exploring the different angles, colours and views. The sheer manpower that must have gone into building the Taj is impossible to comprehend, as is the design work to create such a perfectly symmetrical building. The marble itself is surprisingly cool to the touch, and has a luster that reminds me of pearls. Pair this with the precious stone details embedded into the walls, the intricate carvings and the immense scale and it's easy to understand why it's considered the most beautiful building in the world. 

We also met a group of girls that were travelling on a group trip, and got chatting to a couple of New Zealanders who were our age and knew Josh! A homely reminder of the size of our lovely country, and so nice to hear a familiar accent. We traded Instagrams, travel stories and future plans and have stayed in touch since. For our one evening in Agra we found a super fun restaurant called Mama Franky House that served famous Franky Rolls, chicken and momos. We hadn’t eaten a lot of northern Indian food yet, so we loved these deliciously smoky wraps and chicken drumsticks, slathered in thick sauces with chutney on the side. We were exhausted from the heat but very pleased we made the trip out for dinner! 

Another key site in Agra is the Agra Fort, which we did a guided tour of the next morning. This amazing, sprawling complex is actually used by the army today, but you can still visit the historic parts. Our tour guide gave us great context on the family dynamics of the ruling Mughal Dynasty who built the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and other tombs, palaces and forts. I won’t go into the details as I am desperately trying to keep this brief but let me tell you - more dramatic than any episode of the Kardashians!!!! There was more incredible marble work, intricate gardens, whole wings of offices where society was run from, two moats (one that used to have crocodiles and one that had tigers - no joke), and amazing brick work too. The architecture from this era is mind blowing. It’s hard to imagine the power and wealth of the Mughal Empire, at this point in history they controlled an area of 4 million square kilometers, including areas of present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. 

By mid morning we were on the hunt for AC, and I had found a cafe that was run by survivors of acid attacks, called Sheroes’ Hangout. Unfortunately acid attacks are still all too common in parts of India, often for things that seem so trivial such as a family rivalry or marriage dispute. It then impacts these women’s lives forever, with medical expenses, societal shame and often total estrangement from their families. Most of the time, the perpetrator is someone in the victim's own immediate family, or their partner. It was a real privilege to support this cafe and hear stories, not only of pain but also of hope. I got some amazing henna which I had wanted to do the whole time we were in India, and this felt like the perfect place to do it. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon hunting for a movie with English subtitles (no luck), and buying a few bits and pieces before we left the city for the mountains. Our toxic trait somehow seems to be always sprinting to catch our train, but once again by some miracle we made it. The journey from Agra to Manali was long and full of surprises… which I will detail in a separate post!

Imagine an ancient royal Indian city in the desert and you have Udaipur. Fantastical palaces situated right on the picturesque waterfront of tranquil lake Pichola, temples, havelis and countless narrow, timeless streets add the human counterpoint to the city’s natural charm.

We were finally starting to feel normal again after our neverending sickness, but we were still exhausted from a lot of long travel days and a busy schedule. We decided to use our time in Udaipur to rest and relax. Massive shoutout to Alice’s parents Jo & David who treated us to some nice accomodation in Udaipur out of the kindness of their hearts. We stayed at a place called Jagat Niwas and it was by far our nicest accommodation on this trip. There was a rooftop swimming pool, buffet breakfasts and live music in the restaurant every night. In India you can get luxury for relatively cheap, we were paying what you might pay in New Zealand for a run of the mill motel.

As we were staying in such a nice place, we didn’t really do much sightseeing in Udaipur. We spent a lot of time reading our books by the pool and escaping the heat during the afternoon in one of the many nooks and crannies of Jagat Niwas. As our appetites were finally returning we made the most of some incredible north Indian restaurants, but had to be careful as it’s a touristy town and some places were very overpriced.

By our last day we were starting to feel a little guilty about being so lazy, so we finally ventured out to do some sight seeing. The City Palace looks out over the lake and is only two doors down from our accommodation, but on a much grander scale. We got a tour guide for this and it was well worth it as we learnt a lot about the royal history of Udaipur. The palace is incredible. It is built on a natural hillside, so the top level actually has a garden with trees and flowers. There are some incredible glass mosaics and paintings inside the palace.

Udaipur was a romantic respite from a busy travel schedule and we took the opportunity to relax and rest. It was also an exciting moment as we were starting to feel healthy again for the first time in a couple of weeks. We were both a little sad that we didn’t see much in Udaipur and Rajasthan in general, but we realised that Ragistan at this time of year is not really possible with the heat. We will have to come back and explore this amazing part of India properly one day.

Since we had gone out of our way to reach Aurangabad, we needed to backtrack in order to get to our next destination, Ahmedabad. This would be our longest bus ride to date, a 600 km overnight trip that took us 15 hours. Surprisingly it ended up being quite a pleasant experience. We binged some episodes of The White Lotus, slept for about 7 hours or so and woke up to watch another episode before arriving in Ahmedabad around 9:30 AM. Ahmedabad was originally going to just be a stopover between Maharashtra and Rajasthan, and as we worked on our plans we realized that the timing aligned with an IPL game, something that was high up on our India bucket list. The more we looked into the city though, the more excited we got. The home of Mahatma Gandhi, its thriving textile industry, Gujarati food and a UNESCO world heritage protected city! We didn’t have long and daytime temperatures were peaking at 40+ degrees, but we were excited to explore. 

Our first stop was a restaurant for a Gujarati thali, our first serious Indian meal in a while. We’ve had a lot of thali while in India, but this was seriously delicious. They lay an empty plate in front of you and then a constant stream of over ten men come past loading your plate up with different items including curries, pickles, breads, sweets and sauces. You have to be quite aggressive in your ability to say no once you're full, but if you like something, you can just eat plate after plate!

We also had the privilege of visiting the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram. This is the ashram where Gandhi honed his teachings and spread the word about his revolutionary non violent approach to conflict resolution. Between the gallery, exhibitions and grounds we learnt so much, a highlight being quotes from other influential world leaders about his truly global, intergenerational impact. It was a very peaceful place, and it was very interesting to learn more about the life of this man and his impact on modern India. 

The morning of the cricket game we spent some time wandering the old town, which was steeped in a rich and varied history. There were tiny passages and alleyways everywhere you looked, chai wallahs on every corner, cows, chickens and goats everywhere (dead and alive…), and architecture full of intricate carvings, decorative archways and very creative wiring. Walking through this part of town felt like we had stepped back in time, and sipping an Iranian chai and enjoying a Bun Muksa was a really special experience that felt like it could have been the same 50 years ago. 

One more memorable stop before we reached the cricket game was the Kasturbhai Lalbhai Art Museum that we stumbled on very unexpectedly. Gujarat is known for its textiles and the first part of the exhibition, the Indigo Gallery, was a masterclass on the creative use of dye. Indigo, which is traditionally used to dye denim and other fabrics a deep, rich blue has a long history in India. The exhibition was beautiful, the color had been used in so many ways and it was set in the most amazing building in a lush, green garden. This was just the precursor, the main event was a (free) guided tour through an influential Gujarati family's private historic art collection. We were really taken back in time and learnt so much about the art history of India. It was all preserved so well and was heartening to see the effort and love that has gone into maintaining this collection.

And finally it was time for the main event! The IPL match between the Delhi Capitals and the Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modhi Stadium, the biggest stadium in the world. With a capacity of 132,000 people, the atmosphere was electric, even without the stadium being totally full. We knew that Indians loved their cricket, but to be there in the flesh was a totally different experience. Everyone was dressed up, chanting, dancing, cheering and just having the best time. We were nervous about the heat given we were at an afternoon match, but thankfully our seats were in the shade for most of the game so it wasn’t an issue. I definitely felt for the players though, I can’t imagine doing what they were out there in 40+ degrees. Highlights were seeing Mitchel Stark’s speed bowling, the anticipation that comes with seeing live catches, and of course, the Titans bringing home the win!!! It was a super close game in the end, won in the last over, which was exactly what we wanted for a live cricket experience. Before our trip to India I don’t think I had ever watched a full game of cricket, but now I am completely converted. It is such a fun game, especially in the T20 format. Shane and Gretchen watched the replay at home in NZ, and we even made it onto the TV! 

Gujarat is also a dry state, which meant everyone at the game was sober. This was a refreshing change from sports matches at home, and created such a safe and friendly atmosphere, despite the crowd being predominantly male. The only part that was a little hectic was leaving the stadium. The streets were swarming, and outside of the match the energy felt a little darker. Thankfully we met the most wonderful couple, Hardick and Posiya, who helped us get in a car back to our accommodation. We met them again later and spent the evening with them. The most generous hosts, we were driven around the city and taken to a number of spots for dinner, dessert and our first experience of pan. Not the tobacco kind, just a mix of spices and dried fruit that people take after a meal. It was a very overwhelming flavor, not my favorite, but good to try!! As always, it was so special spending time with local people our age, and trading stories about our lives, work, families and relationships took us into the early hours of the morning. 

The next day we went for a morning walk along the river and reflected on how much this city had surprised us, in the best way. The cricket game was easily one of our India highlights and it felt so cool to be immersed in local culture in that way. We definitely want to come back to Gujarat!

Hellooooo everyone, we just want to give a quick update on our plans considering recent events in this part of the world. For those who haven’t heard, on the 22nd of April there was a terrorist attack in northern India. The attack, carried out by a shadowy militant group, targeted non-Muslim civilians in Pahalgam, a town in Jammu and Kashmir. Sadly, this is part of a long-standing and complex conflict in the Kashmir region, which has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan ever since the two countries gained independence in 1947. Tensions remain high in the area, with sporadic violence often tied to the broader territorial dispute and religious divisions. This attack is the worst in many years and has further intensified tensions between India and Pakistan.

In the aftermath of the attack the Indian government immediately accused Pakistan of supporting terrorism while the Pakistani government denied any involvement. The Indian government responded with a number of actions including the closure of the Wagah border crossing, suspension of the Indus water treaty, and cancellation of all direct flights from India to Pakistan. Although it is still unclear if the militant group was actually linked to Pakistan, India's prime minister Modhi vowed that India will take firm and decisive action against Pakistan for their role in the attack (namely allowing supposed training of these groups in Pakistan). Hyper nationalist Indian media coverage has also narrowed the space for de-escalation, and Modhi’s government was under intense political and public pressure to respond forcefully to the attack. This week, on the 6th May, India fired a total of 24 air strikes on locations in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir killing civilians and suspected terrorists. Since then Pakistan has responded with its own strikes and continued deadly artillery fire across the Line of Control.

So where are we currently and are we safe? For the last week we have been staying in a small town in northern India near Dharamshala doing yoga teacher training (YTT). We are tucked away in the mountains safe from any of the conflict. However, some drone attacks have been close by as the actual border with Pakistan is only around 5 hours drive away. A cricket match was evacuated the other day in Dharamshala due to concerns about air strikes and many of the airports in the north and west of India are closed. We feel safe where we are and plan to continue the YTT. We are monitoring the situation daily, and if things start to escalate into a full-fledged war we plan to pack our bags and get out of here. 

Unfortunately this makes it impractical for us to continue with our original plan of heading to Pakistan to meet Clara and Julian, and continuing on to China from there. It would mean breaking our no air travel rule significantly as we would likely have to fly to Bangkok or Dubai, and then back to Pakistan from there, if the airspace was even open (as of now it is temporarily closed). Additionally and more importantly, on our assessment it is no longer safe enough, the risk feels too high. This leaves us with limited options if we want to continue our no flying goal. Our new plan is to go to Nepal next and then make our way through Tibet into China. Although it is not the best time of year in Nepal now, there are still some treks you can do which are in the rain shadow and we are also planning to complete a stay in a Buddhist Monastery near Kathmandu. 

In some ways it feels reductive and menial to discuss the impact of this conflict on our trip, when we compare this to the impacts on the citizens of both Pakistan and India, especially those in the Kashmiri regions of both sides. As with all conflicts, so much of this feels absolutely senseless. Political posturing from the governments on both sides is resulting in the deaths of civilians and the disruption of daily life for so many. Every day we hope for peace for the incredibly resilient people caught up in this conflict who have already been through so much. 

We really enjoyed our luxury executive chair train seats (the bathroom had toilet paper, soap and a hand dryer!!). We were deep in the brain fog stage of the sickness from Mumbai so with the additional chaotic energy from our earlier train mishaps we were in a crazy mood. The train ride was a 6.5 hour journey and we didn’t write any blog posts, read any of our books, or do anything productive. 

By this point we were no longer bedridden with constant trips to the toilet, however we were still in a bad way. Neither of us had an appetite and we still needed urgent trips to the bathroom semi regularly. On our first night in Aurangabad we forced ourselves to eat some steamed rice with a bowl of yoghurt for dinner in the hopes that it would help our poor stomachs.

Aurangabad was a bit of a detour for us as we had to go inland to get there, and to get to our next destination we would have to backtrack on a bus. So what were we doing in this hot and arid city in the middle of India?? While we were in Sri Lanka I had loved visiting some of the ancient Buddhist cave temples such as the Dambulla caves. I had heard about some of the earliest and most incredible Buddhist cave temples in the world known as the Ajanta and Ellora caves located in the hills surrounding Aurangabad. So we had two days allocated to exploring these special places in 40°C temps while still suffering from the shits. It was going to be a real test of our resilience, and hopefully still an enjoyable experience.

We visited the Ajanta caves on the first day. It was an early start at 5am as the taxi from Aurangabad takes about 3 hours each way. We met another couple from our hostel who split the cost with us which helped. The Ajanta caves are a valley of 30 rock-cut caves dating back to around 200 BC. They were once home to thousands of Buddhist monks, who used the caves as a monsoon retreat. Some of the caves still include remnants of mural wall paintings depicting the life of the Buddha. Some of the caves are huge and intricately carved on the inside. It is so hard to imagine the time and effort required to chisel these caves out of the rock by hand. The time of year we visited was not the best as it was extremely hot and dry so the valley was very dead looking. After the monsoon the whole valley comes alive with a lush jungle and waterfalls cascading over the caves.

We spent the following day at the Ellora cave complex which is about an hour's drive from Aurangabad. To be honest, I knew less about these caves and didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived other than the famous Kailasa temple which is on the 20 rupee note. Safe to say this temple alone completely blew our minds. It is the largest monolithic rock structure in the world. As well as this, the entire temple was carved from the top down and is over 30m high, 90m long and 50m wide. An estimated 200,000 tons of rock were removed by chiseling downwards. It has multiple levels with bridges, towers, balconies and life sized elephant statues. Inside the central part of the temple some of the paintings from Hindu mythology are still visible, and carvings of gods are visible everywhere. The temple was constructed around 750 CE and likely took around 100 years and many generations of carvers and laborers.

Over an hour had passed by while we were exploring this incredible temple when we remembered we still had 30+ caves to explore. So first we started with the 12 Buddhist caves, which were similar to the Ajanta caves, however more recently built. The next 17 caves were Hindu caves, some of which were enormous multi-storied complexes filled with intricate stone sculptures of Hindu gods. Last but not least, there was a section of Jain caves which were some of the first Jain temples we have seen. Something I really loved about the Ellora caves is how three separate religions coexisted in the same area. It is common to see temples desecrated when a different religious group arrives in the area, but at the Ellora caves this was not the case.

Now don’t forget we were both fighting a nasty stomach bug this whole time, so there were many quick visits to some very gross public toilets (Alice had frogs in one of her toilet bowls). This combined with 40°C temperatures, made it very tough but also very rewarding. I was so glad we stuck to our original plan of going out of our way to see these amazing caves as they really are one of a kind.