I was pretty stoked to get my Bedouin shot chosen by Lyn Hughes as her photo of the week on the MyWanderlust website. Lyn is owner/editor of the independent travel magazine and recently visited Jordan herself, so perhaps my shot brought back a few memories for her!
MyWanderlust Picture of the Week Read Post »
This week followtheboat.com was awarded Wanderlust’s Blog Of The Week. This prestigious award recognises quality travel blogging from around the world and puts us forward to the Travel Blog of the Year award, which will be announced next February at the London Destinations Show.
FTB Wins Wanderlust’s Blog Of The Week Read Post »
[Jodhpur, Rajasthan] In this week’s podcast we’re going to get lost in the back streets of Jodhpur town itself. There are plenty of sounds to take in here, with the noise of market traders selling their wares. But first, a refreshing drink…
Blue City Back Streets Read Post »
The Mehrangarh Fort, one of the lagest forts in India, sits over 120meters above the city, surrounded by huge thick walls. Inside are a number of palaces and courtyards, the foundations of which date back to 1459, although most of what we see today dates from the period of Jaswant Singh – 1638 to 1678. Entry to the fort is through a series of seven gates, again built and installed over different periods. These have been offset so as to avoid being charged at by armoured elephants.
[S02E19] This is the second part of our podcast interview with Govind Rathore who set up and runs the Sambhali Trust, a non-profit, grass-roots charitable organisation based in Jodhpur, the Blue City of Rajasthan. In this episode we continue to chat with Govind on the rooftop of his homestay, Durag Niwas, and we take in two of the empowerment centres that help women who come from troubled backgrounds.
Sambhali Trust – An Interview With Govind Rathore – Pt 2 Read Post »
[S02E18] A couple of kilometres outside the centre of Jodhpur, Govind Rathore and his family run the Durag Niwas homestay, but that’s not their main interest. In 2007 Govind set up the Sambhali Trust, an NGO that helps women from the lowest castes in India escape their lives of hardship and empowers them with the skills necessary to operate their own businesses. Many of these women only speak a local dialect and don’t understand Hindi, so they learn to read, write and speak Hindi and English. They are also taught sewing and farming skills. The work Govind and the Trust is doing is so important, having helped over 600 women in its five year existance, that we are dedicating two podcast episodes to our time with the Sambhali Trust.
Sambhali Trust – An Interview With Govind Rathore – Pt 1 Read Post »
[S02E17] The Taj was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, and the whole complex was completed in 1653. It is a mausoleum using Persian, Turkish and Indian styles of architecture. The building needs no introduction, it’s one of the most visited tourist sites in the world. If you decide to go there, do what we did and get up really early!
Taj Mahal & Her Baby Sister Read Post »
[S02E16] Fatehpur Sikri consists of two areas: The huge Jama Masjid, the second largest mosque in India, and the Palace of Akbar. For a short while Akbar made Fatehpur Sikri the capital of his empire. He spent 15 years building the mosque, the palace, harems, courts, water features and other buildings and drew his influences from Persia. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not to be missed, but if you can’t make it, then listen to this week’s podcast to get a great idea of what the fuss is all about.
Snobs In Fatehpur Sikri Read Post »
[S02E15] In this podcast we take our first train trip. We learn of a king who locked his own father up until his death, the same man who built the Taj Mahal. We’re in Agra, home to the world’s most famous building.
[S02E14] If ever the sculptor Anish Kapoor received inspiration it must surely be from this ancient astronomy site, now a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. We admire the contours and angles of these intriguing objects before wandering round the impressive Amber Fort.
I know some of you simply don’t have the time or the energy to read all our stories, so as a special birthday treat I’ve pulled out all the stops and created an exclusive animated version of Liz’s tale, ‘Murder on the Kolkata Express’. Some of you may have read this brilliant short story already but wait till you get a load of this, this is quite unique. It’s a lot of fun too.
Happy birthday, Liz!
A Special Birthday Video Clip Read Post »
[S02E13] Captured in this podcast some proof that police brutality still exists in India. Thank god the officer wasn’t carrying any of the weapons we saw in the City Palace.
Brutality In The Pink City Read Post »
[S02E12] Over the next few weeks we do the Golden Triangle, a hectic and touristic rite of passage. To ease ourselves into this trip we start with a gentle wander round the cool backstreets of Jaipur, the Pink City.
Backstreets Of Jaipur Read Post »
[S02E11] Next week we head off on our classic Golden Triangle, where we’ll get to see the Taj Mahal and all those wonderful cities in Rajasthan. Before we do that, we head down to the backwaters of the south Cochin and rewards the youngsters for their sailing skills. We also get to meet a group of teenagers busily revising for an important exam.
Certificate Day For The Kids Read Post »
It was a real treat to go out and sail a carbon-fibre racing boat, even if there was no wind! For me, having not sailed for almost 2 years, it was refreshing to get back out on the water. Here’s a little video clip of that day, when we still managed to hit 9 knots with bugger-all wind! John is your skipper, Neil is the fisherman and Gladwin checks exactly how salty the water is.
9 Knots In No Wind – Video Clip Read Post »
