Located in the Western Ghats mountain range, Wayanad is one of the prettiest parts of Kerala with its sprawling spice plantations and luxurious green forests.
Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary
Macaque
Spotted deer
Snake eagle
Black faced langur
Irpu Waterfalls
Tank behind Thirunelly Temple
2,000 year old Jain Temple
Ginger plantation
Rice paddies in the foreground, followed by banana plantations with areca (betel) nut palms in the background
Pepper vines
Coffee
After the noise, pollution, people and traffic in Kolkata it was wonderful to arrive at clean, laid back Kerala. We stayed in the historical town of Fort Kochi which was a blend of influences from the Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British traders and explorers over the last 600 years.
Basilica Santa Cruz originally built in 1506 by the Portuguese, Fort Kochi
Saint Francis Church built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, Fort Kochi. Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, was buried here for 14 years before his remains were taken to Mosteiro de Jeronimos, Belem, Lisbon.
Dutch Cemetery, Fort Kochi
Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on the tip of Fort Kochi – the unofficial emblem of the Keralan backwaters
Sacks of dried ginger stored in a godown (spice warehouse) in Mattancherry (Kochi’s Jewish Quarter)
View of the water from an antiques shop at Mattancherry
Shop doorway in Mattancherry
One of the heritage guesthouses at Fort Kochi
Goats at the fruit stall in Fort Kochi
Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is one of the largest cities in India. It has strong links with the British East India Company and was the former capital of British India.
The British-era Austin Ambassador taxis and clunky trams are popular forms of transport around the city
Hand pulled rickshaws are still used for short distances
Or you can always catch the bus
Remnants from the glory days of the British Raj
The Victoria Memorial
Dakshineshwar Temple
Belur Math Temple
The Marble Palace
Moss covered Raj-era grand mausoleums in the picturesque South Park Street Cemetery
James Prinsep Memorial with Vidyasagar Setu Bridge in the background
Street food
Chai stall – these terracotta single use cups are only used in West Bengal
Wholesale spice vendor
One of the many shrines on the streets of Kolkata
For many Kolkata residents the pump in the street is the only source of water
Pigs, dogs and crows foraging for scraps in a rubbish dump in the city centre (there were people foraging there as well)
Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar after Yangon. Although the name Mandalay evokes romantic visions of bygone Burmese splendours, Mandalay is actually a relatively new city created in 1857.
We spent a few days walking around the city and soaking up the atmosphere.
Mandalay Fire Department
Local transport
Chanting nuns on their morning alms collection round
Walled Mandalay Palace complex which was surrounded by a moat – Mandalay Hill in the background
We visited the Gold-Pounders’ District where the one-inch square gold leaf sheets we had seen worshippers putting onto Buddha images were laboriously hammer pounded by hand.
Worshippers applying gold leaf to the seated Buddha at the Mahamuni Paya
Over the centuries so much gold leaf has been applied to the Buddha figure that it is now covered in a knobbly 6 inch thick layer of pure gold.
Shwe In Bin Kyaung, a beautiful teak monastery standing on tree-trunk stumps.
Locals manually loading open topped rusty metal drums containing jaggery (converted from sugar cane)
Cargo being loaded and unloaded manually on the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) riverside
Seated bronze Buddha in the Setkyathiha Paya
View from the top of Mandalay Hill
Golden Palace Monastery
