As the plane came into land at Sydney airport I couldn't prevent the smile that rapidly appeared across my face. So many happy thoughts rushed through my mind; clean surfaces, clean toilets, curry as an option rather than compulsory, no leery men, orderly queueing systems, I was so overwhelmed. I couldn't wait to get off the plane having been sandwiched between two fat, old Indian women who smelled a bit and every now and again tended to produce questionable bodi...

Delhi - what a contrast to any other part of India I had seen. This is where India's money is spent. The capital city is split into New Delhi and Old Delhi. New Delhi has been designed by the British and consists of fully functioning roads with traffic lights and zebra crossings, it was also clean which was a massive shock as I did not think this word existed in India. There's proper housing, people in suits going to work with mobile phones and mp3 players an...

Agra, more like Agro because that is all I seemed to get here; aggrovated. Constantly accosted by shop owners, rikshaw drivers, auto rikshaw drivers, restaurant owners, the lot. For a place hosting one of the seven wonders of the world, the locals really don't do it justice and as a result I have never been so happy to leave a place. However, the Taj Mahal itself was stunning and it did live up to all expectations.

Literally, a 200 metre walk took me from Nepal and into India and I noticed the difference instantaneously; the streets were so much more dirty and the men, so much more leery. Eleven hours and a numb and bruised bum later a bus brought me to the Indian city of Varanasi. The main attraction in Varanasi is the River Ganges and what an attraction it is. According to Hindus the River Ganga is sacred. It is worshipped by Hindus and personified as the goddess named ...

Following a journey from hell from Chitwan - which involved having to return to Pokhara to then head to the Nepal/India border crossing town of Sunauli - I finally arrived in Bhiarawa, a small town 4 km from the border and an hour from Lumbini. Lumbini is a small, quiet place that is known for being the birthplace of Buddha. It was almost like a country park; it covered a large area and within the grounds stood many different Buddhist monastries; all intricatel...