Rags & Riches in Samode
It’s not likely that you’ve ever heard of Samode village in India but it offers an eye-opening contrast between medieval Indian rural life and that of the old princely families. Situated 25kms north of Jaipur in the State of Rajasthan, it will be by-passed by those intent on a quick-fix ‘Golden Triangle’ tour of India and ignored by those now tempted by the more majestic attractions of the continent elsewhere. It would be...
Jehan Numa – Gateway to the ‘Tiger State’
We’ve long been fortunate enough to know the Rashid family, owners of the Jehan Numa collection of lodges and hotels – from the days when theirs was our only haven of respite from the jungles we lived in within India. In those days they were in the formative years of turning their ancestral home – formerly the palace of the Begum of Bhopal (the first female ruler of a principality) – into a charming and impressive heritage...
Samode Safari Lodge – a fine heritage
If ever there is an argument for visiting a wildlife park and never leaving your hotel then Samode Safari Lodge has to be it! It’s not often that we’re taken aback on entering an hotel room but at Samode Safari Lodge on the edge of Bandhavgarh National Park in India we experience a definite double-take! We should have expected a treat as Samode’s other hotels (beautiful heritage properties in Rajasthan) had, on previously visits to...
Picture pitching-up in Pachmarhi
On a road to nowhere, there’s nowhere more pleasant in India than this Queen of the Central Highlands. Set atop a 12sq mile plateau in the heart of India on a road to nowhere, Pachmarhi, in the central state of Madhya Pradesh has to be one of the most beautifully preserved examples of Indian rural life and colonial heritage. First ‘discovered’ in 1857 by Captain James Forsyth of the British Army, Pachmarhi, although historically...
Taking the waters – in Kerala
Our short photographic exploration of Kerala’s backwaters. For most people with any knowledge of India, the ‘communist’ state of Kerala, more than any other, is synonymous with high literacy, good education, above average standard of living and moreover, for its extensive brackish backwaters ecosystem that extends for over half the length of the state. Barriers formed by low islands created by the action of the sea...
