Geylang to the Ganges

Last day in India Checked out of the Holiday Inn, which took a while since the reception desk seemed totally disorganised, a shame since the hotel did well on everything else. Although I did get a bit of a shock when I walked  outside to find myself on a wet, muddy service road with no obvious access to the main road. Luckily a passer-by showed me the route through the Samsung building forecourt next door. Then back to real India for a few hundred metres, a few modern buildings interspersed with squalor, garbage and a couple of cows on the way to the "City Centre Mall, which was quite civilised. It may not have been up to Singapore standards but it would pass muster anywhere else. Realise I have been in Singapore too long when I judge the world by the standards of shopping malls! Obviously malls are where middle class Indians come to do their shopping, not the city centres. It looks like, as in the US, there has been a flight to the suburbs leaving the city centres looking ble...

Jodhpur to Delhi My journey started after breakfast with a chilly tuk tuk ride to the airport along almost empty roads through the more modern part of town. The airport looks more like a railway station than a typical airport. And it doesn't open until 0930 so I had a sweet, milky tea at the little cafe outside. The only other passengers here are a couple of backpackers, guess they didn’t realise it would be closed either. Although the airport opened at 0930 it was after 1000 before the check-in counter opened; I could have had another hour in bed! Nothing much to do in the departure lounge and then walked across the tarmac to the plane, an ATR-72,  a turbo-prop, which  was pleasantly quiet inside. Jodhpur is a military airbase so outside, the air was pierced by military jets screaming overhead and we were warned not to take photos from the plane. The in-flight magazine shows a different India from the one I have experienced, of luxury home interiors, glamping safaris,...

Jodhpur day 1 Had breakfast on the rooftop terrace, porridge with fruit, toast and black coffee since I have given up on getting white coffee that isn’t almost pure hot milk. Climbed up to the fort behind the guest house and bought my ticket and camera permit which includes the audio tour which I thought was pretty good. The fort and the palace within it are run by a trust which seems in turn to be run by the Maharajah, just like Jaipur. It's all in brilliant condition and obviously well looked after. As with Jaipur, the beauty and workmanship are stunning.  The Fort The Fort The Fort Palace inside the Fort Typical Window Style There was a small display of a hookah and opium paraphernalia. According to the audio guide the opium wasn't smoked, as we are all taught, but drunk as a tea.  The Rajput kings, such as the Maharajah, were a warrior class who believed in death before dishonour and built up their courage before battle by taking opi...