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The not so familiar... in Fort Kochi

Row the boat	Kerala Backwaters This is a must do activity in Kerala. House boats can be rented out to sleep in one of the lagoons, but this is obviously very expensive. The cheaper alternative is to go on a boat with other tourists. There are usually only 8 people on each boat, and plenty of peace and quiet.	Kerala backwaters
Palm trees I never get bored of them	Pardesi Synagogue The first synagogue to be built in the commonwealth.	Ferry
Vypen Island This island is just a 10 minute ferry ride away from Fort Kochi and is worth a visit if you want to go to the beach.	Kerala backwaters	Street Art Kochi was home to India's first Biennale Exhibition.
Lorries	Elephant	Chinese Fishing Nets The postcard shot that everyone takes.
Speed We hired a scooter to go around Fort Kochi and the neighbouring Vypen island. I took this picture while Isma drove - it shows a tunnel of fairy lights decorating an area in Fort Kochi where a new church was being inaugurated.

The grass is always greener... in Goa

Mother My beautiful Mom at one of the pre-parties leading up to the wedding.	Aaron My very cute nephew, Aaron.	Anaiya My cousin Jyoti's gorgeous daughter, Anaiya. Unfortunately a mini fan doesn't do enough when temperatures reach 35ºc.
Deyan The groom is always accompanied on the horse by his "sirwala", usually a younger member of the family. My cousin's son, Deyan, did the honours, although he didn't get on the horse because he was too scared! Poor thing.	Jyoti and Aiyla My lovely cousin and her younger, beautiful daughter, Aiyla, posing for the camera.	The horse Well, actually it's a mare. The white horse used to carry the groom in traditional North Indian weddings is always female.
Baraat The guests lead the horse and groom to the place where the ceremony will take place. The men from from the groom's side wear turbans of a different colour to the bride's counterparts. Nowadays, these are taken off after the families have officially met one another.	Pawan My cousin, Pawan, attending to business no doubt.	Mandap The wedding mandap, a pillared structure used for Hindu ceremonies, was set up on the sandy white beach.
Ceremony A rare shot of the bride and groom, Kanika and Kunal. With so many wedding photographers it was hard to get a pic of the lovely couple!	The Aisle	Sunset The mandap was placed so that the sun could be seen setting through the pillars.
Palm trees	The sun begins to set	Isma and I shamelessly taking selfies...
Ismika	Me, myself and I

Two sides of one rupee... in Mumbai

Rickshaw on the Beach	Ferry A ferry ride can be caught from the gateway of India to visit the Elephanta Caves. You can also just go for a round trip to get views of the city.	Rajiv Gandhi Sealink This bridge completed in 2002 connects Bandra and Worli
Haji Ali Dargah A beautiful mosque in the sea visited by and open to people of all religions. It was built in 1431 and is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture.	Juhu Beach Sunset Mumbai’s Juhu Beach stretches around 6km, and is where the locals hang out for snacks and a catch up.	Juhu Sunset

All that glitters... in Udaipur

The women wash clothes and bathe in Lake Pichola.	Jagdish Temple This intricately carved Hindu temple adopts an Indo-Aryan style of architecture and was completed in 1651. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe according to Hinduism. full of was completed in 1651.	Aarthi Women in the Jagdish temple singing in praise - this is known as "aarthi" and is the Hindu equivalent of "mass" / "la misa".
Lake Pichola	Rubbish Sponsored rubbish bins are scattered around the town. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop people throwing some bits of rubbish into the river.	Sunsets The sun sets every evening - it's a shame we never take (or have) the time to see something so beautiful until we're away from home.
City Palace The view from the Hanuman Ghat area - as a very good friend of ours said - "the buildings seem to be crying..."	Wonder Wall The Bagore ki Haveli Museum is definitely worth visiting. It's a cionverted Royal House that showcases majestic chambers from the 18th century. There is a very small entry fee and lots of information in return.

Taking a second look... in Jodhpur

Holy cow Oxen are used to generate water from the wells that provide for the villages between Jodhpur and Udaipur.	Grass is greener The lush fields we saw on this journey made us forget we were relatively close to the desert	Reflection
Tree	Monkey magic	Another wedding Baraat It seems to be wedding season in India - there hasn't been a night where we haven't seen or heard a Baraat (the Hindi word for a North Indian wedding procession consisting of a groom on a horse being led to the wedding and his awaiting bride by dancing wedding guests).
Cheeky monkey	Rooftop Laundry Women on every rooftop terrace could be seen drying saris together on Saturday mornings. This is the rooftop of our hostel; the fort can be seen in the distance.	The Mehrangarh Fort
Mehrangarh Fort The Mehrangarh Fort stands 400 feet and is around 5km wide. It is India’s largest and most impressive fort.	Clock Tower The clock tower in Jodphur is used as a reference point for directions, and is lit up in many colours at night - a very romantic sight when having dinner in one of the rooftop restaurants.	Bazaar There are stalls dedicated to ribbons and lace in the bazaars. It's very hard to resist buying rolls and rolls of the stuff!
The Farmer and his Wife. We saw lots of bright turbans when travelling from Jodhpur to Udaipur. Apparently the turban colour is an indicator of a man’s caste.	Pink

Romance is alive ... in Agra

The Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal's original meaning is "The Crown of the Palace". Mumtaz was the emperor's favourite of his three wives.	wasn't built in a day It took around 21 years to finish this masterpiece.	Geometry The four sides of the Taj Mahal are perfectly identical creating an astonishingly mirrored image on each side.
India's jewel The full height of the Taj Mahal is 171 metres (561 feet).	A homage to love Indians say that couples should never visit the Taj Mahal without one another as it brings bad luck to the relationship.	So much more... The Taj Mahal is actually made up of a complex of structures, although the white marble mausoleum is what people mistakenly refer to as the Taj Mahal.
Awesome	The Black Mahal According to legend it is believed that Emperor Shah Jahan had planned to construct another Taj Mahal in black marble on the other side of the river but the war with his sons interrupted his plans.	Taj after sunset The Taj Mahal takes on different colouring at different times of the day, from a pinkish hue in the morning, milky white in the evening and golden at night when lit by the moon. They say the changing colour resembles the changing mood of females - in particular the Emperor's queen.
Love lost It is said that the Emperor was so crushed by his wife's death that his beard and hair grew snow white within a few months after.	Precious Many precious stones were ripped off from its walls by the British during the Indian rebellion of 1857.	The Taj Mahal
Good taste Shah Jahan was also responsible for the Jamma Masjid mosque in Delhi.	World Wonder

How the other half live(d)... in Delhi

City Chaos Refer to the beginning of my post.	Chandni Chowk originally meaning "moonlit square", this is the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi.	Red Fort Straight out of a fairytale, The Red Fort Complex was built as the palace fort of Shahjahanabad – the new capital of the fifth Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan.
Red Fort	Outside the Red Fort	Qutab Minar Some of the detail to be found on the pillars when visiting Qutab Minar.
Qutab Minar Some of the amazing detail in Qutab Minar.	Qutab Minar	Parrot, Qutab Minar
Qutab Minar Standing at 73 metres, this is one of the world's tallest brick minarets.	Humayan's Tomb The Taj Mahal was inspired by this beautiful tomb.	Isa Khan's tomb This incredibly beautiful tomb was actually built for Isa Khan while he was still alive around ca 1547-48 AD. It stands next to Humayan's Tomb.
Humayan's Tomb This is the Mughal emperor's tomb, commissioned by Humayun's first wife Bega Begum in 1569 - 70.	Jamma Masjid This is the oldest mosque in India. Sikh Gurdwaras, Hindu mandirs and Islamic masjids all co-exist in Delhi's melting pot. Temples of different faiths are within metres of one another.	Government Buildings Central Secretariat is the area where all the government buildings and embassies are. It is the only part of Delhi where incessant beeping of car horns couldn't be heard.
Lotus Temple This building is known as the Lotus Temple. It is actually the Bahai House of Worship; a faith which teaches the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind.

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