Detail of inlay and carving, Taj Mahal

Random Posts

Money for nothing and your chicks for free ! (apologies to Dire Straits !)
The notion that working as a tour leader is one long paid holiday has in fact a proportion of truth in it, but only a relatively small one, comments Bob Cranwell. You do get to go to some fabulous places, many of which you might never have got to under …
Finis Terrae; End of the Earth
Waiting for the Oporto train to take us to Vila Nova de Cerveira, I’m, brought to musing, watching people moving around our planet. And years glide sweetly by, downstream; with many changes and many things the same, I sit again with pen in hand, with two houses and two girlfriends …
Drama in Tiger Leaping Gorge by Carl Welsby
In the mid 1990’s a company I was working for as a tour leader wanted to capitalise on the Channel 4 TV series “Beyond The Clouds”, the name referencing a mis-translation of “Yunnan” (South of the Clouds), a province of southwest China. I would be the first person from the …
Quetta, Train to Chaman – Bob
Quetta, train to Chaman, – Bob’s story. The following day, Jan 2nd brought us to the start of a minor adventure from Quetta, viz. a journey by train up to the Afghan border town of Chaman. The journey started promisingly enough despite us thinking we’d miss the train with the …
Story behind the Picture #3 The slowest camel in Rajasthan
Appearing much like a sprite, Durga Das was a willing helper and camel driver on a trip I took through the villages of Northern Rajasthan. We were following the old desert tracks from near to Bikaner the seat of a Princely State, to Jaisalmer, another fairytale turreted fortress town on …
Quetta New Years Day – Ceri
New Year’s day walk to Chiltan Hill, Quetta – Ceri’s story… Diary entry 3 January… The people at the PTDC (Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation have all been very nice and helpful to us. We go there every day, have tea and talk and generally disrupt the smooth flow of business, …