Hey Reader,

We've swapped the rain in the UK for the rain in Thailand, but it hits different here. After five dry, smoggy days in 43ºC Delhi, we welcomed Thailand's 30ºC moist air.

Grab a brew and settle in for this month's travel journal! ☕️

Ugh! Life Admin

Before heading to Asia, we had loads of life admin to tackle. Sam took care of Eleven, ensuring she was serviced, MOT’d, taxed, insured, and rust-proofed. Rust is a common issue with Sprinters, something we wish we had known before our conversion.

If we had known, we would've sent the van to a rust specialist to have all the panels removed, ground down, treated, and resprayed with protective paint. Now, with wires, insulation, and cladding inside, it's tougher. Sam took El to a rust specialist who transformed and protected the underside and bottom panels. Once she was back, he ground, treated, and painted the upper rust spots himself. 🚐

He needed dry weather for this, which is why we left the job until June. However, the UK decided summer was on hold this year, so Sam had to rush the rust treating during the only one and a half dry days in the forecast.

Our travel plans are often last minute, making life admin alongside travel planning a challenge. While Sam handled El, I attended a travel blogging summit, secured all necessary visas, vaccinations, and international driving permits, and arranged our plans for Delhi and arrival in Phuket.

It wouldn't be a day in the life without a Schwoopsie (a Sam whoopsie), he did a great job of patching up El but late in the day when the monotony of the task got the better of him, he managed to kick over the can of paint. 😆

Nothing a hard bristle brush, a hose and a drain couldn't fix!

Our First Time In India

Arrival

Our flight to Delhi was smooth, but getting an Indian SIM card was a lengthy process. Despite my research and having what I thought were all the necessary documents, we encountered different rules at the Airtel desk.

I didn’t need to bring a passport photograph, a copy of our Indian visas, or proof of address from home. Instead, we needed a local number to receive a one-time passcode. All I managed to say was “Oh” before a lovely couple next to us offered to use their freshly acquired number for our OTP. 📱

The young woman assisting us noticed we were hot and tired, and asked if we’d like to wait at Costa next door while she took care of everything. This was a great idea! Two much-needed coffees and 45 minutes later, we were hooked up to the Indian network.

I spotted a sign saying "App Taxi Pick Up" and asked the woman at Airtel if that was where we should order an Uber.

"No, no, walk down to pillar 1 and order from that pick-up spot." Off we trotted with our loaded backpacks (thankfully only 28L and 38L) into the 42°C heat of Delhi.

After some back and forth with the driver, we realised we were in the wrong pick-up spot. The correct one was, in fact, the App Taxi Pick-Up area I had spotted earlier.

Sometimes it's best to trust your instincts and the very clear signs written in English, rather than the locals. 🤭

As soon as we arrived at our accommodation, I knew we’d have issues. Travelling on a budget can be hit-and-miss with accommodation and I had no experience with Indian hospitality.

The problem with booking online is that you’re drawn in by photos, often taken when the place first opened. And you wonder how a place with lots of good reviews can be so disappointing.

The manager told us he was overbooked, despite my booking a week prior through Booking.com and communicating with the hotel before our arrival. He took us to one of his “other” hotels, which was definitely not his and not somewhere we wanted to stay. 😳

Thankfully, we had no plans for our arrival day and landed in the morning. So, I cancelled the booking free of charge through the app and searched for something new, spending a little more and ensuring the review rating was higher.

After our first experience, Sam turned to me and asked, “Is this normal?” I laughed and replied, “Yes, when you’re budget travelling anything can happen. Budget travel requires graft and adaptability, it's not for everyone" Sam replied, "hmm maybe India and budget travel is not going to be for us either." We laughed and hoped things would get better from here.

Our new accommodation was a breath of fresh air. With friendly staff and lovely rooms, we instantly felt much better. Our host prepared omelettes for lunch and veggie and chicken thali for dinner, which was delicious. This also allowed us to unpack and book our train tickets to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. 🚂

Old Delhi

On day two, with the weather at a stifling 43°C, we noticed the heat affecting our appetite. My hopes of devouring yummy street food were quickly shattered. The solution was to find traditional restaurants nearby with AC.

Sam found a great spot close by that served traditional Northern Indian Naga Thali. We headed there for a late lunch before making our way to the Chandi Chowk market. Given the temperature, we happily travelled by air-conditioned Uber instead of traditional rickshaws. 🛺 And when a 40-minute journey costs only £3, it was the right choice.

Every local who spoke good English told us the best time to visit was winter. They said this almost with a smile, no doubt thinking, "stupid tourists, why are you here at the hottest time of year?" 🌶️🌶️🌶️

But our choice to visit India in summer, was purely as a stopover to Thailand. To get to Phuket from the UK, you need at least one layover, so we decided to spend five days exploring Delhi and visiting the Taj Mahal.

In the UK, Sam is of average height and build, as we walked around the crowded streets of the Chandi Chowk market, we were surprised to find that Sam is a giant in Asia. So much so that none of the shirts would fit him, XXL too small? Unheard of!

Visiting The Taj Mahal

To visit the Taj Mahal, we decided to skip the tours and take a train to Agra, staying overnight to explore the Taj by day and during the full moon.

Train travel in India can be tricky. You may have seen images of old-fashioned, crowded trains with people hanging out the sides and on the roof. While that still happens, India also has trains similar to European ones, fully equipped with AC carriages.

The main issue is reliability. Booking a train that starts its journey 10 hours away is risky if you need it to be on time. For short trips, it's best to take short-distance express trains.

Our problem was not leaving ourselves enough travel time to get to the Taj. The express trains between Delhi and Agra only ran super early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

We're not fans of early starts unless we're already in an early morning routine, which we weren’t; we were still adjusting to the time difference and heat.

So, we decided to risk it. The express train starts in Delhi with the first stop in Agra. If it left on time, we’d have an hour and a half to enjoy the Taj before sunset. This should be plenty in the sweltering heat. 🥵

Thankfully, Hazrat Nizamuddin station in Delhi is easy to navigate, with all signs in English and screens displaying platform information and train status.

The AC lounge, which costs 10 rupees per hour, was full, so we grabbed some snacks and headed to our platform. This turned out to be a great decision, as even though we were an hour early, the train was already there, and we could board straight to our air-conditioned seats. Ah. 😌

Luckily, the risk paid off. We arrived at the Taj with plenty of time to stroll around, snap the typical tourist shots, marvel at its beauty, and get stopped every five minutes for photos with locals.

If you're Western and wonder what it's like to be a celebrity for a day, just head to the Taj Mahal. We were constantly asked to pose for selfies by people of all ages. So, around 100 Indian people now have pictures of two very sweaty Westerners. 📸

After our brief stint as movie stars, we headed to our hostel to check-in. We’d been in such a rush that the staff told us to store our luggage and check in later.

Hostels are great for budget travel, not just for the cost. I always find hostel staff more on it with information and creating fun activities than those in budget hotels. Plus, it's an easy way to meet other travellers, and there's always a fun, inclusive vibe. 🤗

This hostel had all that and more. The rooftop terrace was home to the Hippie Cafe, with a great menu, good vibes, and most importantly, a view of the Taj Mahal. It cost £10 for two people for a private room with an en suite and views of the Taj from both our room and the terrace. What a bargain.

We settled into front-row seats to watch the sunset over the Taj Mahal. 🌅

Much of the area around the Taj looks like this rooftop view. It's striking to see the contrast between the poverty surrounding this wonder of the world. But, as with most man-made wonders, it's not surprising what can be achieved with unlimited funds and an army of slaves.

Out of all our views of the Taj, including up close and inside the mausoleum, this free, realistic view from the nearby rooftops is my favourite. It's a true depiction of life and the unfair ways of human nature.

Once the sun set and the skies darkened, we headed back for the night viewing. This happens five days a month during the full moon period. During the day, thousands roam the grounds, but at night, only 50 people are allowed into a specific area in front of the Taj for 30 minutes.

On a clear night, this would be a magical experience. Unfortunately for us, it was so cloudy we couldn’t see a single star or any part of the moon 🥺

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast on our rooftop terrace with a view of the Taj Mahal, while monkeys wandered about the surrounding rooftops.

Facts About The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is not a religious temple, it was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, as a symbol of eternal love. It cost the equivalent of almost $1 billion in today's money and nearly bankrupted India in the process.

From 1632 it took 22 years and over 20,000 workers to complete.

The entire building is made of white marble, it features inlay work with precious stones like jade, crystal, turquoise, and amethyst.

The Taj Mahal's appearance changes colour depending on the time of day and weather, appearing pinkish in the morning, milky white in the evening, and golden at night.

The entire complex is symmetrical, except for Mumtaz Mahal's tomb, which lies centrally under the dome, while Shah Jahan’s tomb was placed beside hers after his death.

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, it's also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
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New Delhi

Once back in Delhi, we had another budget hotel debacle. You really can’t trust online reviews. We were blessed with a dribbling shower, barely any toilet paper, a non-working bum gun, an extremely loud AC unit, and cleaners who played loud music and slammed doors past 1 a.m. 😅

Indian budget hotels: 100% do not recommend.

For our final day, we wanted to mix things up and visit what's known as the more progressive area of Delhi.

We headed straight to the arts district in Lodhi Colony, where you can find some of Delhi’s upmarket worldwide cuisine. The original plan was to try Carnatic Cafe, a popular Indian restaurant, but after four days of Indian food and poor sleep, we just needed comfort food.

Luckily, Elma’s Brasserie serves a great selection of Western dishes. Sam ordered a full English breakfast, and I had a pancake stack. As a foodie, I never thought I’d be that traveller, but the stomach wants what the stomach wants. 🥞

From Elma's, we wound our way through the arts district in search of street art. Lodhi Arts District boasts over 50 murals by local artists.

Unlike the chaos we’d seen so far in Delhi, Lodhi was much more chill. We were pleasantly surprised to wander the streets with barely any vehicles or people—though, of course, there were plenty of cows roaming around.

After two hours of meandering, we made our way to Lodhi Park. This little haven in the center of the world's second most populated city is untouched by Delhi's chaos. We saw people picnicking, playing cricket, doing yoga, and relaxing near the ruins.

It's an insane juxtaposition between Old Delhi and Lodhi Park.

Leaving India
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Travel days are often tough for Sam and me; our bodies have a knack for keeping us awake on nights when we need sleep the most.

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It's like kids waiting for Christmas Day, but that might be romanticising what is probably just anxiety 😆

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After another poor night's sleep, we skipped the horrendous hotel breakfast and headed straight to the airport. Have you ever flown through Delhi airport? If so, please let us know if this is a normal travel experience. To avoid boring you with an insanely long newsletter, here’s a quick summary:

• International travellers need to go through domestic gates to enter the airport (make it make sense).

• At security, you have to take nearly every single item out of your bag—chargers, cables, and all. More than any other airport, where they usually just ask for laptops and tablets.

• No one smiles. Ever. As a Brit who worked in hospitality and tourism for two decades, this is hard to understand.

• The woman scanning me at security grunted and stared at me like I had committed a heinous crime.

• We sat on our Air India plane for 1.5 hours before having to debark and switch planes.

• Absolutely no one told us what was going on or where we had to go. We just guessed and hoped we were following the right people.

• We received another boarding pass but weren’t told if it replaced the original or was an addition. Still no smiles.

• Then we had to go back through security, even though we had come straight off a plane that hadn’t taken off and hadn’t left departures. So we went through the whole everything-out-of-the-bags saga again.

• Our original flight was at 11 a.m. The departure board stated a flight to Phuket from gate 20 at 1:30 p.m., so we guessed that was ours, even though it was now 1:40 p.m.

• Indian passengers seemed as confused as we were, so it wasn’t just a lost-in-translation situation. There was a complete lack of communication.

• Eventually, we got on the new plane and took off 4.5 hours late. Not a single apology. Definitely no smiles.

• Indian people completely ignore the seatbelt sign. In fact, I'd say more people got up during turbulence than when the plane was flying smoothly.

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By this point, we were absolutely ready to leave No Smile India and head to The Land of Smiles Thailand.

We weren't sure how we were going to feel about India, we expected the overcrowding, dirt, begging, constant stares and having to be extra careful not to pick up Delhi Belly. But we were more surprised at the general attitude of most of the hospitality and tourism staff and how rude some of the local men were.

We concluded that if we ever go back to India, we'll head straight for the mountains and give the cities a wide berth.

Our arrival in Thailand was as carefree as expected, with lots of smiley helpful people, from the woman who issued us our hassle-free Thai sims, in no time at all, to the hotel staff checking us in. If anything, our intense experience in India will make us appreciate Thailand even more.

Have you ever been to India? Reply to this email and let us know about your experience!

Take care and see you in a couple of weeks! xox

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✈️ Save a huge amount on flights with FareDrop​

❤️ Use our discounted link for the best travel insurance with HeyMondo​

🥾 Choose from tonnes of tours on Viator​

🚗 Get the best deals on car hire at Discover Cars​

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