Recent content by Elizabetonth

Which areas are you looking at? I went to Nepal for a while, which included going to Lumbini, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and a few other places, but I only saw or even heard of elephants being around in Chitwan National Park. Is this a new development? In Pokhara etc. there were lots of guides who...

I took the bus from Varanasi, and, although it must be said that it was not very comfortable, it was perfectly simple and convenient. @Aadi's advice is spot on - I need add little else! I shall, though, echo on points 3 and 4. It's definitely worth visiting for less than a week. It's...

Whaaaat?! I'm so glad I didn't watch that video before I went to India for the first time. Why wasn't anyone looking before they turned or pulled out or crossed the street?! The number of bus and rickshaw drivers who turned into oncoming traffic without looking would actually have made me...

Oh, Jaynee, that is so interesting. So interesting! Thank you very, very much - I had idly wondered about this for a long time. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were the case in Ethiopia and Nepal as well, given the little I know about their history.

You're welcome.

Oooh, that's a good question. I was so intrigued that I googled it. There's a McAloo! And a McSpicy Paneer! And also a Chicken Maharaja Mac. Amazing. There are also chicken mcnuggets still. I wonder what they taste like. Has anyone tried chicken mcnuggets in many countries? That's a blog...

Ah, yeah, I was worried about this the first time I went, too. They made a big thing about how they could refuse the visa, as well, and there was no guarantee, so although I was playing it cool, I was quietly worrying that I'd be refused, or that I wouldn't get it for long enough, and that...

I brought back Indian sweets for my cousin's wedding on a flight from Delhi to London, and it was fine. Not an eyebrow was raised. I can't say for sure that it would be the same going to Toronto, but I don't think you'll have a problem. Two weeks on, though, have you already flown back? Did...

I found that saying 'Namaste' with a bow of the head went down well. The way you dress can show respect. The other main thing that I remember is that, in India, as in other countries in South Asia, people use their left hand for various personal ablutions, so they eat with their right hand. I...

Goodness me, that's a beautiful photo. Where is the Ramanathaswamy Temple?

It depends where you're going to be. In Bangalore, for example, they speak Kannada. In other parts of the South, Tamil. In the North, you can usually get away with Hindi - if you travel from Jaisalmer to Varanasi in a roughly straight line, you'll be able to speak Hindi in all of those...

! Paul! I would LOVE to be in India on Holi! I think you've picked a brilliant, brilliant time. Holi looks like such a wonderful festival. Check out pictures of it - so many of them are just full of smiling, grinning, laughing people, who are clearly having the time of their lives. My...

The time I remember eating foreign food best in India was on my first trip, when, about two weeks after we got there, my friend and I took refuge in a TGI Friday's. We'd both been in India for a week or so separately, she far in the north, and I in Bangalore staying with a friend of mine, so...

I went to the branch of Mother Theresa's Mission in Varanasi, to volunteer for a day. I don't know if they'd allow people just to visit. Does it say on their site? Perhaps if you want to go to see it, you should ask to volunteer for a few hours as well. You can go and just help out for a...

I took a train from Varanasi, which was fine, and fun, but then, I really enjoy taking trains in India. On the way back, I took a bus, and I would not recommend it. It felt loooooong. It wasn't the most comfortable bus, and so by the end of the journey, it was REALLY uncomfortable. Plus...