India 2024

2024 kicked off in style with our 5th visit to India. Despite being in the area previously, we hadn’t visited the Taj Mahal. So we decided that this time we would go over there and see what all the fuss was about. We were based in Candolim, which was nice enough, but not as peaceful as our previous trips to Goa. A dodgy Achilles kept me at bay for a lot of the trip, so Kathryn did most of the walks on her own. Flipper shack became our go to place for lunch and lounging by the sea. Lovely food there.

The highlight of this visit was the trip up North. We flew with Indigo again and managed to get a car from Delhi to Agra where we stayed at the lovely homestay “Orchid Retreat” where Vikrant and his family looked after us. We managed to visit Mathura, the birth place of Krishna. Unfortunately no cameras or phones are allowed in the complex at Shri Krishna Janmabhooni, so the photo we have is nabbed from the internet. We also spent time in Vrindavan where there are 5,500 temples dedicated to Krishna. We visited the Banke Bihari temple where monkeys stole our glasses in a flash and we had to pay a guy 100 rupees to get them back by bribing them with food!!! It was very late by the time we got to Prem Mandir with its impressive temple. We also spent time in Fathepur Sikri, atmospheric in the mist, and it was interesting to see the similarities with Uzbekistan. Finally, on the last day, the sun shone through and after visiting Itimad Ud Daulah and the fort we finally got to see the Taj. So worth it. A truly wondrous building in a fabulous country. We will be back.