Mark Probert - Journey through India: Two pensioners backpack their way across the subcontinent... what could go wrong?

Im indebted to so many people for enabling me to complete my Journey through India, and for helping me to turn my account of the adventure into my second published book. It wasnt just my journey, of course, because I shared every step, biriani and special iced coffee along the way with my great pal, Nick Lindsay. Without wishing to embarrass him (I probably did enough of that in the main text of the book), I have to shower him with praise for coming up with the idea for the adventure and for being such a bloody good mate. Everyone should have a pal like Nick.

The two of us owe a huge thanks to all the owners and managers of the hotels, hostels, homestays, B&Bs, and various forms of public transport in which we stayed overnight. So many lovely Indian people befriended us on our travels, and we could still be there now sharing their kind hospitality and posing for selfies. We still have several phone numbers of complete strangers who wanted us to know we could call them at any time if we got into difficulties. I might have to get back in touch if Southampton Football Club fail to reach thirty-five points by the end of April. To the all those tuk-tuk, taxi and bus drivers to whom we entrusted our lives well, somehow you did it; thanks for depositing us safely at the end of each journey. I didnt mean what I said about your driving; I was only joking. Whether he exists or not, Nick and I both feel that Ganesha should get a mention; he had some say in our wellbeing and the success of the adventure.

I am hugely indebted to Kirstie Edwards again for her editing and proofreading expertise. Once again, her professionalism, and a small pinch of magic dust, has turned my 84,000 words into something readable. Tom Probert is the creative genius behind the fantastic book cover and map, while Bill, Greg, Sarah and Nick provided crucial beta reader feedback and support. Special thanks also to Curtis Batterbee for his insightful feedback on several key sections of the book. My Indian former work colleague, Naina, provided valuable comments before and after the trip. Congratulations on your new baby, and I hope the Siberian gulls will fly south at their normal time this year. The envelope is in the normal place.

I continue to be inspired by other writers in the self-publishing community. The websites and podcasts of Joanna Penn, Orna Ross, Dave Chesson, Bryan Cohen, David Gaughran and Mark Dawson provide an ongoing stream of information, new ideas and encouragement. Id also like to mention Mariellen Ward, a writer, blogger and traveller whos award winning travel website https://breathedreamgo.com has provided me with much inspiration and practical information thanks!

Last, but always top of the list the biggest thanks go to Jan, who somehow continues to put up with a wandering husband, who goes off and does silly things.

Quoting from Nicks diary, he writes, Treating my phone loss philosophically, we arrived at Agra station to a beautiful sunrise at 8:30 am. And thats how it was. Wed arrived, and we were on a mission to report a theft. We had zero expectation of ever seeing the phone again, but Nick needed to get something in writing to support his insurance claim.

Reporting a theft cant be that difficult, can it? Life is too short to recount the process we went through. Both the planets stock of trees and the readers attention span would be too limited, so a brief precis will have to suffice. Nick and I soon identified the stations administration office and after a few enquiries, were escorted around several more offices and a car park before visiting more offices and finally the police station. After explaining the problem, the police officer on duty instructed Nick to write out a statement. Although youd think Nick would have known what had happened, the police officer insisted on dictating how the events unfolded to Nick so he could write it down. It had to be in capital letters and include the important detail that the theft occurred at Ambala. Presumably, that put the problem in someone elses patch. While the only person of authority was being distracted, I had a wander around and checked out the police cells. Had things not gone well at Gilbert Hill on our first full day in Mumbai, we might have seen the inside of one already. Lets say they were functional, and I had no desire to see one again, but anyway, back to the main plot. Report written, we were told to return at 5:00 pm. This would give the police department sufficient time to do the paperwork and provide an official document for Nick to give to his insurance company. After that, getting a taxi to our hotel was straightforward.

Agra is a city of over 1.5 million people, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and is another of the major road and rail intersections in northern India. The millions of tourists who visit each year, however, dont go there to admire its communications infrastructure. Keen followers of this books construction related sub-plot will be interested to read that Agra is home to Indias leading infrastructure company, with a market capitalisation of over sixty billion Indian rupees. Not even that, nor Agras renowned leather goods, cut stone, and handwoven carpets, will be the number one attraction for most tourists, however. They go to see the Taj Mahal.

To only visit the worlds most iconic and famous building, however, as many people do, is to overlook so much more not that Im one to preach about whistle-stop tourism. The city was the seat of Mughal Empire power from 1526 to 1658. During that time, they built the Agra Fort, Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, which are now all UNESCO World Heritage sites. I think a Mughal themed tour would be an excellent idea for a future adventure.

India is a country that depends on tourism. Supported by eleven million foreign visitors, the travel and tourism sector contributed over 9 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Profit in 2019, keeping over eighty-seven million people in work. Thats well over the entire population of the United Kingdom just employed in tourism. As well as the obvious tick-list of famous sights that Nick and I were working our way through in India, several niche themes have enjoyed rapid visitor growth in recent years. These include specialities such as adventure, medical, wellness, sports, eco, film, and spiritual tourism. The travel sector, like most, was struck severely by the global COVID pandemic in 2020. Tourist numbers dwindled, hotel occupancy plummeted and half the jobs in the sector disappeared within a few months. The most symbolic sign of the crisis came on March 17th 2020, when the Taj Mahal was closed to tourists. Just six weeks before that, not realising how the world was about to change beyond all recognition, Nick and I arrived in Agra to visit the worlds most recognisable building.

Our taxi driver dropped us off at our hotel in the narrow backstreets. We quickly stashed our backpacks in our room and headed for the hotels roof garden to get some breakfast. There was a glorious view over the city rooftops, and across to the Taj Mahal, about a kilometre away. Its huge white dome and minarets were bathed in mid-morning sunshine. We seemed to have chosen well again.

As is normally the case in India, the hotel staff included a fixer, complete with a comprehensive set of near relatives. Nick told the hotel fixer about the unfortunate phone incident and asked about finding a replacement. No problem, Sir was his instant reply. He then gave us a phone number to call at 6:00 pm that evening You will get new phone, Sir. It reminded me of our cloak and dagger money transfer on the Shimla roadside, and I couldnt wait to see how our evening rendezvous would turn out.

Our friendly hotel fixer then escorted Nick and me to a nearby travel agent, where we booked tickets for the next few days of our trip. He then recommended a taxi to take us on a tour of the city in the afternoon. We wanted to see some of the main sights of Agra but thought it best to leave the Taj Mahal for the following morning so we could see it at its majestic best at sunrise.