Vaidehi's India

20/09/2022

Waterfalls. And monasteries near Pelling.

19/09/2022

In Pelling in south Sikkim. The phone camera isn’t able to do justice to the view of Mt Kanchenjunga out of my hotel window.

18/09/2022

18/09/2022

Stopped at a little trout farm on the drive back to Gangtok where we ate an amazing local meal of the trout caught and prepared for us.

18/09/2022

Partying in Lachung at a new friend’s place. Not sure if we could really call it a party with 4 of us... but I think the addition of the karaoke machine made it a party!

18/09/2022

In Lachung. North Sikkim. This is as far north as foreign nationals can go. The road here was bumpy... its 6 hours from Gangtok. But the landscape and destination make it worthwhile.

13/09/2022

The Rumtek Monastery, the Institute of Tibetology - learning about the Mahayana version of Buddhism.

13/09/2022

Days 2 and 3 in Gangtok, capital of Sikkim. Breathtaking scenery. Yaks. Waterfalls along the drive. Misty mountain roads. Carpet weaving.

12/09/2022

My first day in Sikkim. Before that it was West Bengal - which is where the larger airport is to fly in. Am now in Gangtok, the state capital. Sikkim was awarded the title of first organic state in the world back in 2019. It is amazingly clean and gorgeous here. Chemical fertilisers are banned. And the drive here was breathtaking. Am staying at a heritage 4 star hotel called Elgin Nor-khill.

10/09/2022

Day 2 in Kalimpong was quite leisurely. Visited a lovely garden called Deola Hill, and passed by some interesting stuff, like a giant statue of the monkey God Hanuman (in my favourite colour orange, for those who know what I drive!). I was taken by the driver to another temple or two, but already felt templed out, and they weren't of great significance, so I won't include them in the tour!

09/09/2022

Doing my first reconnaissance trip since COVID for Vaidehi's India... for a trip to North East India. If it all goes well, I plan to deliver it late October 2023. I am currently in a little town called Kalimpong, in West Bengal, at the foothills of the Himalayas. Buddhist monasteries, amazing views of the mountains, and quaint streets.

09/09/2022

I am now doing a reconnaissance of Sikkim, a north eastern state of India, bordering Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal. But to get there I go through Kalimpong which is part of West Bengal. This is a beautiful town in the foothills of the Himalayas.

18/11/2019

Wandering through the streets and bylanes of Kolkata with Martyn Brown of Travel East India who takes walking tours of Kolkata.

18/11/2019

In the eastern state of Odisha we spend time in the temple town (and Odisha's capital) Bhubaneshwar. The state is also the home of many arts and handicrafts.

09/11/2019

Old Delhi

09/11/2019

Varanasi

09/11/2019

In Varanasi, on the banks of the River Ganges, with Sita Sargeant and Deb Lewis (aforementioned trusty sidekick!)

09/11/2019

Wandering around Old Delhi... that ever present haze is soot pollution caused by crop burn off in surrounding agricultural areas... had the pollution at alarming levels. Old Delhi is somewhat (!) congested but boy, is it full of history. And shopping!

09/11/2019

I am now in the middle of conducting my reconnaissance trip of my Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 trips which will cover Delhi-Varanasi-Bhubaneshwar-Puri-Kolkata with my trusty sidekick Deborah Lewis... photos and stories to follow...

23/06/2019

I didn't get any interest from folks to come on my Tamil Nadu trip in January 2020... but I got quite a good response for my January 2021 proposed trip to Delhi/Varanasi/ Bhubhaneshwar / Kolkata. Such a big response that I'm now doing two trips for that itinerary:
- 2-23 December 2020
- 3-24 January 2021.

There are 5-6 spots available on the December tour if you'd like to join me.

I'm going in November 2019 to do my reconnaissance and check out the best hotels and restaurants so we have an amazing trip when we do it together!

And I'm not doing the January 2020 trip to Tamil Nadu - I shall instead spend the time soaking in the sun and the sea down the South Coast where we just bought a beach house!

11/03/2019

My next tour is 3-23 January 2020 to Tamil Nadu again. The detailed itinerary is here: http://www.vaidehisindia.com/tamilnadu

If you are interested in joining me please let me know by the end of April so I can finalise bookings.

22/01/2019

An afternoon spent learning about the different types of pottery practised within Madurai, old and new.
Photography: @ Madurai, India

17/01/2019

The same bull that was being washed (Nandi, Shiva's mount and guard) now decorated with fruits and vegetables for Cow Pongal - part of the three day Pongal harvest festival.

16/01/2019

This was the bull being washed last month.

13/01/2019

Wandering through the cleaner, less cluttered streets of Pondicherry.
Photography: @ Pondicherry

11/01/2019

Visiting Mahabalipuram, an ancient heritage town south of Chennai.
Photography: @ Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India

07/01/2019

A few shots from yesterday’s bazaar story trail. A colourful introduction to what goes into making South Indian cuisine.
Photography: @ Chennai, India