India

Ashim and his native India

For me, India was first and foremost a great story of reunion.

Ashim, whom we met in Abu Dhabi in 1998, became a very good friend of my father and practically a member of the family.

After we left the Emirates, we hadn't had the chance to see him again.

During a visit to my mother in Brittany, she handed me a letter, saying it was certainly for me.

It was difficult to know where it came from because our address was barely legible.

Who knows how that letter ended up at our house?

It was Ashim, writing to my father (who was sadly already very ill with Alzheimer's).

Inside the letter was a barely legible handwriting and a phone number.

I immediately sent a WhatsApp message; deep down, I knew it was Ashim.

I got a reply very quickly and promised to come see him very soon.

The poor guy was crying and couldn't believe it.

In fact, he still didn't believe it until I was at his house. So much so that he wasn't even at the airport to meet me.

Kerala

So it was in Cannanore, Kanur for English speakers, that my Indian journey began.

I traveled dozens, even hundreds of kilometers by scooter in the city and hundreds of kilometers by 4x4 across this magnificent state of a thousand faces.

Always accompanied by Ashim.

He introduced me to his entire "family."

I visited dozens of homes where I shook hundreds of hands and drank just as much shai tea.

Srinagar

I then took a plane to Srinagar in the Jammu and Kashmir region.

This area is known for its conflicts with the Pakistani army and is heavily guarded, but equally beautiful.

Once again, I had some wonderful encounters there, including with Umar, the owner of Urban Den, where I stayed while waiting for my future biker companion, Junaid, with whom I would spend more than three weeks reaching the foothills of the Himalayas in Ladakh.

Unforgettable!!

Ladakh

This unique region of India, where the Pakistani, Chinese, Tibetan, and Indian borders meet, is breathtaking, literally so, as we climbed to over 4,700 meters altitude, and all this, for me, on a Royal Enfield, of course, a Himalayan.

It was also there that I saw the Himalayas for the first time in my life.

We spent a few days and nights with yak and goat herders.

Leh is definitely worth a visit and a stay.

It has a very pleasant, almost hippie vibe.

New Delhi

This city is teeming, vibrant, noisy, and fragrant, some would say.

Life moves at breakneck speed, and you'll find the richest, the poorest, the most resourceful, and even the most destitute and worn down by life.

Don't hesitate to venture off the beaten path and explore small alleyways and places where foreigners are rare.

The Indians of New Delhi are, for the most part, very welcoming.

Be wary of certain behaviors and attempts.

The key is to show that you won't be taken advantage of and to negotiate everything in advance.

Agra and the Taj Mahal

The unmissable Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is undeniably one of the iconic places to visit during your stay in India.

Its beauty, its dazzling whiteness (even on a rainy day), its grandeur, its aura, and its very purpose make this monument a true work of art dedicated to the love of a man for his wife.

Take your time

I arrived in Agra very early by train from New Delhi.

This allowed me to experience the famous Indian train stations and trains, and then to savor the incredible landscapes of rural India as the kilometers rolled by.

Arriving so early also allowed me to carefully choose my route to the Taj Mahal from Agra station, as it's not exactly next door and all sorts of unscrupulous individuals are ready to overcharge you.