Sadly, we are on our way back to the UK after a month of adventure. Thank you for following us and thank you for all your comments which made us feel that you were with us in spirit, if not in body.
If your impression is that we did a lot, you are correct. We’ve met lovely people, seen wonderful things and come to know more about one of the least explored parts of India. As friends told us last night, even Indians don’t go to Odisha and Chhattisgarh, as a rule. As for foreign tourists – I think we saw no more than a total of ten throughout the time we were away, until we reached the national park at the end of our holiday.
If you are tempted to follow in our footsteps, our six pieces of advice are:
- Make sure it’s not your first trip to India – it is quite full-on and you need to have some general familiarity with the country or else you may have culture shock for the whole time.
- Especially women, train your bladder to be as strong as possible, as loos may be far and few, and journeys are long.
- It is much easier and far more tasty if you are comfortable with eating food that is well-spiced: food is not super-hot and it’s delicious, but you do need to be able to tolerate spice.
- If you are offered ARO water (water purified by reverse osmosis), it will be fine – and it will save on plastic bottles of water
- A good pair of headphones and a couple of excellently-read books to listen to make all the difference.
- You can organise this trip yourself but we wouldn’t – there’s too much that can go awry and help is not always at hand, though the local people will try. English may not be widely spoken and Google Translate won’t work if there’s no signal! Use a reputable agent – and do get in touch with us if you would like TGS Tours details.
Brava! Bravissima! What a trip. We’ve enjoyed every moment. Outstanding photos and commentary. Safe journey and gentle re-entry to the less colourful, less spicy world of London, where the plumbing is better but the caste and tribal systems no less complex. xx
It’s been an absolute joy to be with you in spirit, and through your beautiful words experiencing the journey with you. Inspirational, truly. Much love V&A xx
Thanks for taking the trouble to share your adventures. We’ve enjoyed following you intrepid travellers. Looking forward to hearing more in person very soon. We’re back in UK on 8/2 xx
Safe travels and thank you for my armchair trip. I have a she-wee, that will suffice. See you very soon xx
Thank you for letting us stick-in-the-muds take vicarious pleasure from your adventures! Safe journey home! xx
It’s been brilliant following such an fascinating trip. I am very grateful for such an interesting insight into this part of the world, where the people are thoroughly engaged in their culture and traditions. Many thanks. I am sure you are both greatly enriched by such an adventure.
Great you sent again your last four posts. I was one who hadn’t received them.
So, you’re back.
All of this is wonderful.
I look forward to talking about much of your intriguing trip.
Photos so gorgeous. The one the girl took of Miriam looks great. Rewarding to the teacher? Still to see the one taken by the professional photographer? And good to have some of the two of you together – so rare (in a photo).