Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Paul & Jan in an Autorickshaw, Agra, India
Heidi met Paul Dwyer in Ruanda in summer 2011. Paul, together with his wife Jan, had been riding their motorbikes through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. After a few contacts through the Lonely Planet ThornTree, they met in Kigali and Heidi decided to join them and travel on Paul’s motorbike. An experience of a lifetime for her! Continue Reading →
Taj Mahal, Agra
What are the ingredients of its unparalleled fame? Millions of people who have never seen it get goose pimples when the very name is mentioned. Add myth and legends to supreme elegance and voilà! There it is: this unique recipe lifts it above all other Mughal tombs. Continue Reading →
Train from Agra to Jaipur, Rajasthan
Expectations were flying high when we arrived at Hazrat Nizzamuddin Train Station, one of the many in New Delhi… We had heard and read so much about Indian trains! Everybody will be after you, pushing their ware on you – food, drinks, porter service; they are crowded, filthy… Continue Reading →
In the streets of Delhi…
Half an hour drive into New Delhi and the smell became nauseating, a kind of mixture between sulfur and exhaust fumes. We were bursting to ask our driver if this was the normal odor around midnight. But he had not uttered a word, nothing, since he met us at the airport, holding up a piece of paper with our names. He only pointed and grunted. We came to the conclusion that his speech was impaired and we did not want to embarrass him by making him speak. Luckily, he proved us wrong when he rattled off asking a policeman for directions. Our first lesson: don’t expect people to speak English… Continue Reading →
In the streets of Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan
Upon our arrival in Delhi Airport, we were struck by the well-organized infrastructure. We actually felt it was an oasis of efficiency, with swift and friendly service and an inviting ambience. Within less than 30 minutes after touch down, we went through immigration, collected our luggage and retrieved money from an ATM. Continue Reading →
Procession in Jaipur, the Pink City, Rajasthan
India, although a backpackers’ paradise for decades, was never able to arouse that curiosity and passion we have developed for Southeast Asia, Latino American and especially Africa. Too big, too crowded, never the right season – all these were “excuses” that never made this trip happen… Continue Reading →