I have just returned from nearly six weeks in India. On 10th March 2022 my fifth book India-ji was published in Delhi by Sabre & Quill and is available on Amazon India. Very soon it will be available on Amazon UK and Amazon worldwide.
This book covers my journeys through 20 States of India from 2008 to 2020. It has Forewords from HH Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur Marwar and Mr Amitabh Kant.
There are over 100 of my coloured photographs in the centre.
We flew out to India and arrived on 9th January to a temperature of 3c in Delhi! We swiftly transferred to Jodhpur by plane where the sun shone, and we received a very warm welcome at Balsamand Lake Palace as guests of HH Maharaja of Marwar Jodhpur. We were his guests for his 75th birthday celebrations and had a most wonderful memorable time.
To sail in the Ionian, one needs to fly into Preveza to the small modern airport of Aktio on the mainland of Greece adjacent to the island of Lefkas. Our yacht is moored at Nydri which a charming little town with a beautiful beachfront on Lefkas and acts as a gateway to the Ionian islands for sailing and visiting by ferries; a taxi ride takes about fifty minutes to reach the Iris Hotel at the far end of Nydri.
Aline invited to reflect on her experiences and love for the Land of her birth India.
“Thirty-five years after leaving India the Land of my birth and where I grew up the aircraft touched down in Delhi. I was back. It was an emotional arrival and very soon filled with all the charms and challenges of India at midnight at an international airport in gentle chaos that astonished and overawed my husband Graham. The friend who had promised to meet us was not there – as it later transpired poor old darling she came and gave up on us as it took so long to emerge from immigration and luggage collection.
Relaxed, skinny dipping in the favourite courtyard pool I looked up at the clear blue sky, listened to the rippling sound of the kingfishers in nearby trees, spied a drongo darting onto a branch, and counted the bee eaters swinging on a palm frond. I was back exactly seven weeks ago at beloved Kumarakom Lake Resort. The water temperature was like cool bath water and I was recovering from two long flights that were without incident: a two-hour drive to Kumarakom with the affable Johnson at the wheel, and now absolute bliss at the very end of January.
