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