You are both very widely travelled, and I never imagined that you expected fish and chips or roast beef and yorkshire pudding on the menu , worldwide.By western pallets, I just meant that a variety of international and less highly spiced foods could be expected there.
Yep, take your point.
We all succumb
Do you still have your caravan? That sited somewhere which isn't home would make for an excellent change of scenery. What about a trip to the east coast, is that allowed at the moment?
Top of the list is it's a planning challenge to get anywhere at a fair distance without flying. We both love public transport too as so much life goes on there, and as you know well the unexpected often happens.
I'm not anti flying per se, it's efficient and most times speedy too (although with recent competition on short haul routes from city center to city center from high speed rail that doesn't always ring true). But there are negatives too. Airports to me are unpleasant and sterile, a plane certainly is sterile and in economy not as comfortable as a Greyhound. Boarding and leaving a plane can be a battleground, not a very attractive way to spend a day.
The enviromental cost of flying is starting to become a factor too, but maybe in the near future more effort towards mitigating that will be made?
Last but not least Is there ever a better way to travel than on a long distance train, if there is we haven't tried it yet.
If crossing Pakistan remains a problem I have a plan stolen from a Michael Palin travelogue (Around the world in 80 days) where he took a Dhow across to India from the Emirates or Muscat. Pretty basic, but if needs must so can we be. There used to be a ferry from the UAE to India but that stopped a while ago, so as this plan developes I'll start to make serious enquiries about joining a cargo Dhow.
Have to say though the idea is not only from Palin.
Years ago Rosie befriended a younger teacher Sonia who grew up in Dubai and wanted to teach in the UK, she was a bit of a lost soul as she knew no one in the area at all.
After a few years Sonia was travelling back to Dubai during a school holiday and asked Rosie if she wanted to go with her for the 2 weeks. Rosie and I had just met but the arrangements had been made so off she went.
On returning Rosie described a place most of us in Essex had only heard about, never seen, and because Sonia's dad was a man of influence Rosie met people and went to places only those living there would know.
Apart from the differentness (is that a word?) of this Gulf country two things really stood out., the gold souk and 'The Creek'. The Creek really grabbed her and me on listening to her tales. 15 years later and Dubai had changed out of recognition, but The Creek hadn't. We stayed in Dubai for 3 days on a stopover (ok we were flying), Rosie said The Creek was exactly the same as before.
It took my breath away seeing the big Dhows being loaded and unloaded, it would have looked the same a 500 years before. One ship was unloading (magic?) carpets from Iran, the men unloading were bare chested and and bare feet, some wore turbans. We rented a small ferry boat to sail all around that amazing harbour, all afternoon, seeing these fairly large wooden ships towering above you on the water was magical, that was the point I wondered if we could ever sail in one.
Putting Palin's film and our experiences in Dubai together with the problems crossing Pakistan by road and rail it seems an obvious method to investigate to get to India without flying.
Long long answer to a short question, sorry.
