Only a week left now till we leave. Here is a map showing an overview of our trip. The pink numbers indicate there is more than one place we’re visiting in that area – you can zoom in to see more detail. If this is too small, a larger version can be accessed on the UMapper site.

If you couldn’t see the map, here is the text version:

1. Chennai – India’s fourth largest city. The first capital to the British Raj, examples of Indo-Saracentric architecture
2. Puducherry – A pretty former French colony complete with french breads, hard cheeses, and ratatouilles.
3. Thanjavur - Mathematically perfect Brihadisvara Temple.
4. Madurai – Bustling temple town.
5. Periyār Sanctuary – Set on an attractive lakeside, a major wildlife sanctuary.
6. Kerela Backwaters – Travelling and staying on a Kettuvallam.
7. Kovalam – Kerela seaside town.
8. Udaipur – Romantic white palaces, blue lakes and green hills.
9. Jaipur – Bustling capital of Rajasthan, with many historical monuments.
10. Agra – Home of the Taj Mahal, Red Fort, and Itmad-Ud-Daulah.
11. Delhi – Quiet, planned, colonial New Delhi and crowded lanes of Old Delhi.
12. Varanasi – One of India’s holiest cities, on the banks of the Ganges.
13. Darjeeling – Old colonial summer retreat, spectacular views of mountains and tea-covered hills.
14. Kalimpong – A unhurried hill town in the Lower Himalayas. Houses several Buddhist monasteries.
15. Gangtok – Capital of Sikkim, surrounded by the Khangchendzonga mountain range (third-largest in the world).
16. Kolkata - The intellectual capital of India.

Six weeks is actually nowhere near enough time to even scratch the surface of a place like India. In order to see as much as possible, we’ve tried to schedule every day. Whether it’s actually possible for us to stick to it is another matter. Travelling is so different now, everything is on the net. Even so we’ve still managed to accumulate three guide books.

3 x Guide books, 1 x Giant Map, 1 x Internet