My Indian odyssey: tales from the subcontinent
Join us, your friends and followers at Not Quite Dead Yet, on a journey through the vibrant heart of India. This page is dedicated to sharing my personal stories, vivid photographs, and unforgettable moments from my travels in India. Get ready to explore the magic of India through my eyes – with many more sections to come!
The vibrant embrace of India
From the moment I arrived, India was an explosion for the senses. The sounds, the smells, the incredible colours – every corner held a new discovery. This is all about those initial impressions and the personal stories that truly capture the essence of stepping into a world unlike any other. Friends, these are the tales I can't wait to tell you.
Unearthing stories in ancient places
Beyond the bustling cities, India holds centuries of history in its ancient temples and forgotten palaces. Each brick, each carving, tells a story.
Moments that linger: reflections and connections
My travels in India were filled with unforgettable moments – from quiet contemplation by the Ganges to conversations with locals.
My first time in India - December 2025
As you know, I always start my travels with an adult beverage. It was early in the day so I chose cider as it's more of a breakfast drink in my humble opinion,
Delhi: 9-10 December 2025
Delhi hits you like a smack in the gob.
It's chaos embodied and never stops. There's always a horn blowing somewhere. It's impossible to avoid bumping into people in the crowds. Someone is always trying to sell you something.
Delhi does smell. However, mostly it smells quite nice. Usually, Delhi smells of spices and incense. But when you walk past something stinky, guess what? It's stinky. When you walk down a busy road, you won't believe this! It smells of exhaust.
The people are crazy and beautiful and fun and brave enough to live in the fourth largest city in the world.
Here are some pictures of my first day.
A journey by train: 11 December 2025
The railways of India. lasting remnant of the Empire, tie together 1.5 billion people in this vast nation. Overcrowded, usually running late but always eventually arriving at their destination, people become friends and families for a time. If you've never been on an Indian train, you've missed one of the greatest travel experiences in the world.
Here are a few snapshots of my first journey with Indian Railways and the people I met: a happily drunk squaddie, on leave and heading home, eager to share his bottle of whiskey with me. And, a group of Hare Krishnas who generously shared their meal with me (Yum!) and wanted me to come and join them. They promised me a wife within the first month if I came along.
Add comment
Comments
Agra and the Taj Mahal: 12-14 January 2025
Well...it is the most beautiful building I've ever seen.
Add comment
Comments
Varanasi: 15-20 January 2025
The ghats and mother Ganga.
The streets of Varanasi
Add comment
Comments
Back to Delhi and home
A quick visit to the India Gate, a Maharaja Mac, Bhutanese beer, and boom! I'm home in time for Festivus.
Add comment
Comments
Back to India - February 2026
India is often too much for my mind to handle. It's vast, it's beautiful, it's chaotic beyond belief and I love it. So after my trip in December, I turned around and came straight back. This time I went to the south, where I visited the village of Gokarna on the coast of the Arabian Sea, and the cities of Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Udupi all in the state of Karnataka. I'm sure my love affair with India is going to last for years to come and I will be back soon.
In the beginning.
As always, a drink in the airport.
This journey started with a pint of London Pride in Heathrow Terminal 2.
Bangalore: 10-13 February
Bangalore (Bengaluru in the local language, Kannada). Historically the "Garden City" of India; now, the "Silicon Valley" is a lively, modern vibrant city that mixes tree-lined streets with modern high tech offices and beautiful houses and buildings from the time of the Raj, and of course beautiful south Indian temples everywhere.
The traffic is insanely busy, but somehow the pace is relaxed and chill. It's home to loads of IT techie-type people, so I felt quite at home. 100 Feet Road is home to dozens of pubs and restaurants. I spent a couple evenings in a cozy pub and on my last night in Bangalore...a metal bar for thrash night.
I could actually live here.
A bus trip: 13-14 February
All good things come to an end and I had to leave Bangalore for Gokarna on the coast of the Arabian Sea.
A crazy scene at the bus pick up site, the Indian Oil station on the side of Mahatma Gandhi Road at 11pm. Dozens of busses stopping at the kerb, all clearly marked if you can read Kannada. Anyway, I got one one that looked like it said Gokarna (ಗೋಕರ್ಣ) and off I went.
I awoke at about 6am at a little roadhouse in the middle of the south Indian jungle and a couple of hours later hopped into an autorickshaw for the trip to my perfect hippie commune in the middle of a coconut farm by the sea.
Gokarna: 14-21 February
I finally arrived. Gokarna! The destination of my journey. A busy little village on the Karnataka coast. Beaches like Goa, tropical forests like Kerala, and very few tourists (most of them from India). A most fantastic place!
Beaches
The hippie commune
My home for the week in Gokarna was HostelExp, a "A backpackers hostel set in a coconut farm, living alongside local tribal people just like in a village...open to all age groups. [Offering] simple stays, a relaxed cafe, daily drop-in Yoga classes & local experiences". And it was just that.
I loved my time there and recommend it to anyone.
Namaste!
Gokarna village
The village of Gokarna is a beautiful ancient place and a very holy site in the Hindu religion.
Riding my scooty about
I managed to hire a scooty (it's a scooty in India) for 450 rupees a day while I was there and spent loads of time just riding around the countryside and blasting my horn like a good Indian road user.
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri in Gokarna is a major, multi-day festival celebrating Lord Shiva, featuring the grand procession of the Shiva idol, traditional rituals, and unique customs like throwing bananas at the chariot.
Sadly the main event, the procession, is also the day I got my phone nicked. So, I lost all of my photos of that.
Here are some pictures of the tower that gets pulled up Car St by the worshippers I did get the day before.
And of course, evenings by the beach
A train ride: 21 February
Time to leave Gokarna and head to Udupi, the next stop on my journey. Yes that's a cow on the train platform.
I made some friends. A really nice family from Mangalore heading home. I wrote their names down but lost the slip of paper.
The friendliness of the Indian people absolutely amazes me...always. I've never been anywhere where so many people genuinely want to get to know me and are always ready to help. I've had people refuse to let me pay because I'm a visitor to their country and guests shouldn't pay.
Udupi: 21 February
Udupi is a small city near Mangalore. Famous as the home of the Dosa, a crispy pancake that's about the best food in the world, and the temples to Lord Krishna.
The streets of Udupi
Temples of Udupi
And my new friend - Donnie
Add comment
Comments
Where the candle and flowers on the Ganges for Eric?