Saturday 27 June 2015

Destination guide: Snooty Ooty

In the time of the British Empire, Ooty in the Nilgiri hills was the hill station where the British administration in Chennai - then known as Madras - headed to in the summer to cool down. 


Nilgiri Hills
Being in India during the heat of summer ourselves, we could understand the attraction.

Wednesday 24 June 2015

24 hours in Mamallapuram

Arjuna's Penance relief
From Pondicherry, we caught a local bus 2 hours north to Mamallapuram.

Buses leave really regularly from the bus station in Pondi. Practically as soon as we got to the bus station, we were pointed to a Mamallapuram bus that was just pulling away. 

Saturday 20 June 2015

Our Pondicherry Top 5

1) Walking the streets of Pondi
The French Quarter of Pondicherry is where most tourists spend most of their time while in town. The streets are lined with pretty colonial buildings, mostly white or yellow, with ornate gateways and doors. Many of the buildings are also adorned with pretty plants and flowers. 


Pretty doorway


Friday 12 June 2015

The Bangalore Palace: In pictures


Owned by the Mysore royal family, the Wadiyars, Bangalore Palace was particularly used the Maharaja in the late 1800s and early 1900 as a getaway from the bigger and fancier Mysore palace. 

The audio guide includes stories from family members who have fond memories of intimate summers at the palace.

Tuesday 9 June 2015

Introducing Pondicherry



Pondicherry, affectionately known as Pondi, is a large town on the East Coast of India, about three hours drive south of Chennai.

Saturday 6 June 2015

Highlights of Bangalore

Bangalore is not a city filled with must-see tourist sites. Instead, it is a vibrant, lively and fairly modern place where people live and work, rather than visit and sightsee. And this was why we were here. Not to live and work ourselves, but to visit some friends, Sara and Mike, who are working out here and to see a snapshot of their new lives, living in India.


Eating out!
They looked after us very well, taking us to some of their favourite bars and restaurants, introducing us to their friends, hanging out with us by their rooftop pool and lending us their slightly bonkers dog, Joey, to play with.

Friday 5 June 2015

Photo Friday: the birds at Guatapé


While visiting Guatapé in Colombia on a day trip from Medellin, as well as enjoying the amazing views from La Piedra, we also enjoyed a spot of bird watching.