VADOULOU

Our transport came to pick us up at 9h45 & take us to the airport for our 13h30 flight. We then spent the next 45 mins going round in what seemed like ever decreasing circles getting nowhere. It was a mixture of heavy rush hour traffic plus some road closures. 26th Jan is Independence Day with lots of parades, pomp & ceremony. It seems that from now till then there are lots of preparations to do that involve closing roads. We eventually got out of town & made it to the airport. The international departures is very new & it was a very slick operation getting checked in, through immigration/passport control & into the lounge. I managed to spend our remaining rupees as it wasn’t worth trying to change them into sterling or euros ‘cos of the commission they charge. Technically you are not supposed to take rupees out of the country but I don’t suppose they will miss the few hundred that we have got.
The flight was un eventful & I managed to sleep for a lot of the time, not so Doug who is really too tall for the seat/ bed. We landed at Heathrow at 17h30 & again got through passport control & luggage pick up very easily & quickly. We made it to the hotel at Terminal 5, had a light snack & hit the bed at about 9 pm.
We need to be up early for our 7h50 flight for Toulouse, so here I am wide awake at 3h45 writing this last bit!!! No doubt it will take a while to get back into European time.
Judging from the emails that we are getting, we have had quite a few followers. I’m glad that you’ve all enjoyed our trip & we have hundreds of photos if anyone is interested!!!
Love to all Louise xx

As we get ready for bed, on our last night, this trip has made me wish that I knew more about my maternal grandfather, F JV Hansom, who lived and worked in India a long, long time ago. In fact, my mother was conceived here in India, although her mother insisted on being back in the UK for her birth. I can see why she might have felt like that in the early 1900’s! But finding out more now could be really difficult – there’s no-one left to ask.
And so it’s goodnight from me and it’s goodnight from Louise.

Last night we went to a Restaurant here in the hotel called the Spice Route. It has won awards— Conde Naste for example. it is deemed to be a ‘destination’ restaurant. The idea behind the name is that it follows the trade route taken by the spices through India/Asia—-starting in Kerala & moving on to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia & Vietnam. They serve food from all these places & delicious it was too.
Even more special though, was the decor & we discovered that it took 7 yrs to decorate the interior & that it had been done by a renowned Indian artist ( whose name we can’t now remember). The staff were lovely & after we had finished eating one of them walked us round explaining the concept to us. The whole idea of the place is like a journey through life, from birth to fulfilment following the Hindu concept. Each part of the restaurant represented a stage in life & the decor/materials used throughout were representative of this. There were reclaimed wooden pillars from a derelict Temple, symbols of Sun & Moon, gold leaf, stone pillars & the prow of a ship. It was truly amazing & a wonderful finale to a cultural day.
We had a leisurely start to today & ventured out into New Delhi. Several friendly pedestrians later & a very exciting ride in a tuk-tuk, we got ourselves back in one piece. We have just had afternoon tea in the Atrium & I will have to start packing soon. We will be leaving here at 9h45 tomorrow for a 13h30 flight to London & another night in a hotel. It will be sad leave here but nice to be back in Vaour & It will be good to see Theo’s friendly face on Sat morning when we get back to Toulouse.
I will post a few photos of the hotel.

Well, it’s our last full day in India. Where’s it gone?
Firstly, Delhi. It’s not at all what either one of us expected. As we approached, about 30 kms out, we’ve never seen so much building going on. Huge blocks of apartments, offices, sports stadia, roads etc as far as you can see. It was like the pictures you see of Shanghai!
And then there’s old Delhi, which was like a more hectic Mumbai, if that’s possible. Narrow streets/alleys with scooters, carts, people, monkeys etc, colourful, interesting, exciting and feeling safe. Everyone buying, selling, carrying, fetching, washing, sweeping. But nonetheless, like a lot of India.
Then there’s New Delhi. Imagine a planned city, designed, engineered and built by the British on a par with the boulevards of Paris or the avenues of London. Buildings courtesy of Lutyens, with style and panache. It’s glorious, and only spoilt by the mist that is here at this time of year. It’s got the Indian equivalent of the Menin Gate at Ypres-the India gate with the tomb to the unknown soldier, the Viceroy’s house ( now the “pad” of the President ), parliament buildings on a par with anywhere else. It’s splendid. Just a shame that it’s cool and misty. We’d love to see it in it’s glory!
Then there’s the Imperial Hotel — it is!! It is a masterpiece, easily on a par with Raffles. Beautifully proportioned, glorious public rooms, restaurants on a par with the best ( more on that ) , undergoing it’s annual spring clean around the pool and gardens whilst they’re not in use. But even asking for an explanation of their tipping policy from a member of staff seemed to be a tippable event!! We much prefer the hotels ( in the majority ) where you tip at the end of your stay, and it’s shared out with all the staff.
Like Raffles, the Imperial is clearly a relic of British Colonial rule, with statues, plaques, paintings of the royal family everywhere. But interestingly enough, when you ask, the British era is explained as follows. At the beginning, with the East India Co, the Indians were exploited and abused, but once the British military arrived, so did the police, law and order, the legal system, sanitation, roads and railways etc. in fact, the foundations for a free, democratic society. That might sound a bit glib, but there is still a respect here for the British — especially for a cricket playing Yorkshireman!
That’s not to say that there aren’t problems. The caste system is alive and well, and our guides have been able, through clothes, colour of turbans etc to pick out the warriors, the farmers, the traders, the craftsmen etc. Generally, with only one exception, we have not sensed any problems there, but it is ingrained. The exception made us uncomfortable a couple of times, and it was evident that the Sikhs, like the Irish and the Belgians in Europe, are the butt of Indian jokes. ( no offence to ALL our Irish and Belgian friends who we know are reading this! )
The biggest single impression is the size of the Muslim population here. We’re told that it’s 80% Hindu, 15% Muslim and then Sikh, Buddhist, Christian etc. but the Moghul/Muslim influence on architecture and design is immense. Just to see the fabulous buildings, with the evolution of the craftsmanship, the inlay work with marble, the design and building of domes, the symmetry, is astonishing. And Indians are proud of this mixed heritage. Apparently, the Moghuls did not use slave labour, but paid well for the best craftsmen, who travelled from Persia, Turkey etc to work. This in the 1500’s! Brian, Sean and our architectural friends would really love this, and all built with bamboo scaffolding. Now we know why Sean grows bamboo!
Our driver Vikram deserves a mention — in 14 days not one accident with Vikram. He dropped us here at the hotel last night at 17.30 and was on a bus this morning at 04.00 for an 11 hour trip home to the Himalayan foothills, which the Indians call the Himarlias Interestingly enough, we’ve only seen 4 females driving cars all the time we’ve been in Delhi, and one of them was a US amazonian marine! Is it cultural, because it’s not forbidden?
In summary, India is unlike anywhere else that we’ve ever visited, and has been incredible. But as lots of people we’ve met have said — ” welcome to Incredible India”
Doug and Louise.
Ps. I’m writing this on the wc, but it’s nothing that I’ve eaten. I’ve just had my 1st Delhi tuk-tuk ride!