India. Incredible India, yeah sure!
A beauty waiting to seduce me?
My ;irst thoughts when I was
departing was; ‘India why did I
choose this destination? I was
sure it was going to be a dump’.
Arriving in Delhi just seemed to
af;irm my worst thoughts. It was
even worse than I imagined with
its depressing grey smog choking
you. It was so bad it was hard to
see more than 5 feet in front of
you; Jakarta now seemed a very
clean city in comparison. My only
remaining thought was “I have to
spend a week here?” Fortunately,
India is a large country that has
everything to offer from the worst
to the best. India is in fact a
beautiful and amazing country
with varying culture and diversity.
A LOVELY SUNSET AT THE RIVER CHAMBAL
PHOTO BY PARTH JOSHI
RAFTING ON THE RIVER BETWA
PHOTO BY PARTH JOSHI
A POTTER AT HIS WHEEL IN A VILLAGE NEAR CAMP BLUE-BULL
PHOTO BY PARTH JOSHI
INDIA: OPEN YOUR MIND
Photo on top: Sunrise at the majestic Camp Blue-Bull Photo on left: Sunrise at the entrance to the Taj Mahal
Text by Jonathan BeechPhotos by Parth Joshi
Other attractions in India, all near the camp site; Camp Blue-Bull
These gems are hidden to the tourist at ;irst glance.
The beauty of India is often subtle and goes un-‐
noticed by many foreigners, but is a part of the local’s
daily life.
It was 5.40am and the sun was not yet up, but for some
strange reason we were. Here we where, right outside
the gate to the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the
world. At this @me of the morning it is rather chilly. An
unexpected climate for myself, I stood there in a pair of
boardies and a regular shirt while I was repe@@vely
slapped by the cold winds. However I soon forgot my
discomfort as we walked through the gate and laid eyes
on the masterpiece that lay before us. Lying on the
banks of the Yamuna River, the Taj Mahal was a
incomparable beauty. Everything about the Taj Mahal is
amazing, from the type of marble used to how to the
actual design, absolutely impeccable. The Taj is very
beau@ful, don’t get me wrong. But if you want to
capture the most divine beauty of the Taj Mahal, then
the sunrise is the @me to do so. As the cool sunlight hit
the translucent white marbles on the taj, the sun
seemed to flow into the marble bricks, almost like
pain@ng the Taj. the effect was too much for a mere
photograph to capture and no one was fully prepared
for the majesty of the building and gasped in awe. It is
at this point where you find yourself surrounded by
others; all rushing to the plaNorm to take a picture of
the most amazing building in the world.
Moving out into the ‘country side’ of India, the climate
grew colder, but the flora and fauna was more
abundant. Staying a short drive from the river Chambal I
stayed in a lodge in a protected part of the forest. Inside
that small forest community lived many creatures. Bugs,
birds and animals were everywhere. It was like I was on
a safari but didn’t have to move and the animals
themselves were appearing for me. A rope hammock
was situated perfectly in the middle of the ‘hotel’ and
gave a perfect view of the orangey-‐golden sun as it plays
The first wonder of the world; the Taj Mahal in the morning sunrise!
Photo taken by Josh Parthi
tag with the horizon and then in an amazing show
of colours retrea@ng from the sky. However it was
not just the surroundings of the lodge that was
beau@ful it was also the hospitality of the hosts.
They were all so friendly and willing to help;
doing whatever you would ask them to. Then to
top it all off, the dinners by the campfire were
amazing. Arrays of different foods were laid out in
buffet style, and once you started ea@ng, you just
could not help yourself from returning. The flow
of food just did not seem to stop as they kept
bringing food out from the kitchen to your plate
and no maSer how hard you tried, you just
couldn’t decline it, you just kept ea@ng un@l you
felt you were ready to explode.
No trip to India should be completely focused on
culture and relaxing, as it’s always fun to do a
liSle bit of exercise. Staying in Orcha right on the
bank of a gleaming river, we were able to enjoy
raVing. The water was like a diamond; clear, cold
and invi@ng. The surroundings were truly
amazing. On both sides of the river there were mossy green
leaves peering over the bank, trying to spy on the rocks in
the middle of the river. The sunset’s reflec@on on the river
was so tranquil. The river looked to be on fire as the
reflec@on danced away un@l finally it was @me for bed.
No vaca@on is complete if you have nothing to whine and
complain about. The adjustments to your lifestyle you need
to get used to while you stay in the beau@ful camp ‘blue
bull’ is that you have no running water showers, but you do
a bucket to shower with while inside small canvas stalls.
AVer you finish showering you go to the mee@ng area and
grab a plate of authen@c Indian food and sit by the bonfire
where it’s nice and cosy in the cool Indian air. The days are
long and you are finally so exhausted that you just want to
go to bed. You return to your tent, throw on your warm
blanket and get a good night’s sleep. A great way to end
your day!
India as a trip is a great eye opener. I feel lucky to have been
able to go on such a great adventure and see things I would
never have seen with my family. The culture, diversity,
beauty and architecture in India are all amazing and are a
must see and enjoy. So don’t wait for the Taj Mahal to turn
yellow in the pollu@on, organise yourself a trip to India with
Snow Leopard Tours and see it now, gleaming in the
sunlight at the peak of its beauty.
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The river Betwa on a calm afternoonPhoto by Parth Joshi