Our travel highlights for 2015

Following our career break in 2014, when we spent 7 months travelling around South America, 2015 was always going to be a little less travel-ey. However, we still managed to get in some great trips. 

Here are our highlights:

5 things every traveller should know about India

1. Watch out for the Indian paparazzi!

As a (white) westerner travelling in India and particularly when visiting sites that are popular with Indian (rather than foreign) tourists, you will at some point become a tourist attraction yourself. 

So it starts ... with one baby

Being vegetarian in India

I considered leaving this blog post blank, as its so easy to be veggie in India that unlike some of our other posts on eating as a veggie (particularly in South America), I wasn't sure what I'd actually say, other than 'go forth and eat'.

However, I did really enjoy the food we ate for our two weeks in Bangalore and Tamil Nadu and so I didn't want to miss the opportunity to talk food! So, without further ado, here's a selection of some delicious foods that we'd recommend you try on a trip to India.

1) Masala Dosa
A staple of South India, dosas are a type of pancake made from a fermented rice and lentil batter. They are served filled with vegetables and/or alongside various chutneys or sauces. Commonly, they are served stuffed with a mix of potatoes, onions and spices. This is known as a masala dosa. It's really very tasty and became a firm favourite of ours, while on the road in India.

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.

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. 

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

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.

Introducing Pondicherry

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

At the temple in Bangalore

Shiva statute at the temple

I might become a Hindu! 

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.