http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34708 If, Withnail-like, you demand the finest wines available to humanity to wash down your fluffy scones, don't worry, they have a wine menu too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34708 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34659 If you turn right off the ferry follow the chessboard of tiny roads through the village. Catch the flash of a kingfisher, butterflies the size of your hand and egrets daintily perching on buffalo under the shady tropical trees. You may feel like you are walking through people's gardens, but no-one will mind and they'll probably invite you in for a tea if you stop and chat. Under the bridge on the eastern shore of the island lives an extended family of Harijans (Untouchables) from Mysore. They make their meagre living by fishing from saucer-shaped woven coracles.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34659 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34658 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34658 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34656 But Thrissur is an interesting day trip for anyone staying in Kochi at any time of the year. It's a pleasant introduction to Keralan town life: not too busy, dusty or crowded, and small enough to walk round in a day. The two hundred-year-old Shakthan Thampuran Palace is now an elegant archaeological museum set on a hill among painstakingly landscaped gardens. The building was closed for refurbishment at the time of my visit, scheduled to re-open 1st April 2012 (but don't hold your breath). Thrissur is also famous for its magnificent churches, their colourful stucco façades peeking over the town's roads in every direction.
Don't be afraid to join the workers for some roadside food. But watch the amount of sugar they add to the delicious fruit cocktails, Keralans have a sweet tooth.
Get there by train from Ernakulam Junction (any visit to India is not complete without a train journey) which lasts around one and half hours, and costs a mere 28 INR for a one-way ticket.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34656 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34636 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34636 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34633 As with all restaurants in India, get there early so you can pick up the food while it's still fresh and before the best dishes run out.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34633 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34632 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34632 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34631 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34631 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34630 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34630 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34629 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34629 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34371 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34371 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34296 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34296 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34260 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34260 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34256 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34256 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34218 The 5000-year-old Harappan city of Dholavira lies in the northernmost reaches of the Great Rann of Kutch, on the floodplain island of Khadir. The Harappans were part of the spectacularly successful Indus Valley Civilization and possessed the same high intelligence as their better-known western counterparts in Egypt and Greece. Dholavira is one of the five most notable Indus Valley settlements, the best known being Mohenjodaro, a Unesco-listed site in Pakistan. Many of Dholavira's unique artefacts are in showcases at the National Museum in Delhi, but a few ancient seals, beads and other small items are on display in the small circular visitor centre and museum on site.
The excavation stretches over 100 hectares, most of it within a hillside fortification. Visitors are left without supervision to scramble through the citadel, cemetery, two stadia, many dwellings, several monumental gateways (including one with the first 'sign board' in the world above its entrance) and sturdy walls. To get to this unique city, which has stood for thousands of years, you must walk across a concrete bridge over one of the two rivers which flow round the hill in the monsoon. Built in the 1990s, the bridge is already crumbling.
The settlement was hewn from the rocky hill on which it sits and is unique among Harappan cities for its innovative engineering methods in collecting and conserving water: the site is dotted with dams, covered channels, perfectly preserved (and still working) reservoirs and storm water management systems. There are no guides, no touts and no-one there to sell you trinkets. If you persist you might be given a small pamphlet about the site, but it would be wise to bring your own information.
During my one-on-one tour with the caretaker, I asked him how many people he saw a year, “about 200” was the reply.
“What about foreign tourists?” I said.
He laughed, and indicated with a shrug that we were the first he had seen in a long time.
This is a shame, because the drive from Bhuj alone is an adventure, and worth a two day detour from the honeypot textile villages around Kutch's capital. The area is a naturalist's paradise. We saw flocks of demoiselle cranes and three species of ibis, as well as harriers, spoonbills, pelicans, storks, kites and countless other birds in the shallow waters which sprinkle the plain. This startling and unique habitat is also home to the nilgai, the largest antelope in Asia, of which we saw plenty.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34218 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34209 The Bluebell Stepney Club for under eights dishes out badges, membership cards and other paraphernalia. If children turn into real enthusiasts they can graduate to the 9F Club, where they will be able to get involved in the preservation of this living piece of British history.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34209 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34094 Rather than taking the full bum-numbing eight hour journey from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling, I recommend the half day "Joy Ride", a comfortable return journey from Darjeeling to Ghum. We were lucky to purchase a ticket for the same day, but if it's a busy time you may need to book in advance. The 83km journey costs 360rupees each and includes entry to the railway museum in Ghum.
The windows in the first class carriage were enormous, giving us close up views of the mountain on one side and the valley on the other.
We stopped at Batasia Loop, where we were suitably humbled by the memorial to the Gorkha soldier and stunned by the view of Kanchenjunga, India's highest mountain (the third highest in the world).
When we arrived in Ghum it was swathed in a blanket of cloud, illustrating the reason for its nickname of “Gloom”.
We strolled through the small railway museum, and learned all about the history of the mountain railway system. When the driver was happy with the train's health we all piled back into the airy carriage and with another surge of steam, hoots, hisses and chug-a-lugs left Ghum, Ghoom or Gloom.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34094 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34093 A precarious jetty juts out from what is essentially a farm homestead, owned by a family who keep sheep for most of the year, but during the peak tourist season open up their home as a restaurant. When you arrive a family member will take the boat's line and ask you what you would like for supper. If home-grown lamb is on offer jump at the opportunity: cooked until it falls off the bone, it melts in the mouth. Sitting under the stars in the silence (no banging beats here), will be a memory to cherish.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34093 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34092 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34073 There are no houses or hotels in the bay, but a couple of enterprising local families from nearby villages have set up restaurants. They get their power from antediluvian generators and bring water in by boat every day. The best of these is the eccentric Sailors House in the north western corner. Serving the best mezzes in the whole of Turkey (well, at least the best we found in the four years we lived around the southern coast) Ali, with his son Mustapha, go to great lengths to make your stay memorable. Sublime food, excellent hospitality and ad hoc entertainment combine to make every visit unique.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34073