Solo Travel For Women Over 50: My India Adventure At 58

Ladakh, The Taj Mahal, Kashmir

I started in Ladakh, the perfect place for me to find my solo traveling feet again. Being Buddhist and very isolated from the outside world – it’s still cut off apart from air contact throughout the winter – Ladakh feels like a very safe place to travel, especially as a woman. I felt completely safe there, safer than in other places I’ve travelled. Ladakh is in the Himalayas very close to the Chinese border and as soon as I stepped off the plane in its capital, Leh, I was reminded of Tibet which I visited a lifetime ago, in 1986.

I flew into Delhi on Sunday morning and stayed at the Ibis in Aerocity near the airport because I was leaving early the following morning for Leh, Ladakh. The Ibis has a pool which is always nice after a long flight. I hired a BluSmart taxi for 3 hours to take me on a quick tour of some major sites in the city in the afternoon. It was a good prelude to the full tour I did when I came back to Delhi at the end of my trip (see below).

The flight from Delhi to Leh, is quick and the view from the window is spectacular. Leh is at an altitude of 3500 meters and if you fly there, rather than getting there gradually by road, you need to take it easy when you first arrive. I took some altitude sickness pills, Diamox, with me which I got from an online travel clinic before I left. I only took one tablet, on the plane, as a precautionary measure, but I really don’t think I needed any.

I was planning a three-day trek as part of my stay but was advised to take at least three days to acclimatize before embarking on that. So, my first day was spent in my hotel just chilling. I stayed at the Rock Castle Residency which I highly recommend. There was a bit of a muddle about my room when I arrived, but I forgave them because it was such a lovely place to stay!

I noticed the altitude as soon as I started moving around and certainly when climbing stairs or steps. I was also very tired on the first day in Leh, but that could’ve been jet lag. I just took it a bit slower and I was fine. I didn’t have any headache or sleeping problems which are sometimes issues. The following day, I met a Peruvian family at the top of Leh Palace and they’d arrived very early that same morning. They were all somewhat younger than me but perhaps also being Peruvian they were used to high altitude!

Having taken it easy on the first day, I ventured out on the second to wander around town. Leh is quite remarkable. I’ve never been anywhere like it. The first thing that struck me was that there were stray dogs everywhere. There were also cows wandering around on the street and donkeys doing the same. Here’s a little video I made of a cow in the main market in Leh.

Leh

The second thing that struck me is how so many religions are represented in very close proximity in the main market. There are two beautiful mosques in the market street, one for Shia and one for Sunni Muslims. There is a large Buddhist monastery and a Gurdwara for the Sikh community. You could see people of these faiths all going about their business in what seemed like peace and harmony. I felt really moved by this.

The mosque in the main market in Leh

I confirmed my trek and paid my deposit to the travel company, carrying a lot of cash from the bank to the travel company which felt very weird. I don’t carry cash any more at home. I had huge problems with phone/ internet access and money when I first arrived in Leh, and I had to spend quite a lot of time sorting these issues out. More about that below in my sections on phones and money, but it was an annoying way to start my visit.

I was recommended to do my trek with Ladakhi Womens Travel Company by members of the wonderful Facebook group Solo in Style. I subsequently discovered this was probably quite an expensive option, but it was brilliant and I had a personalized trek with my own guide and porter. More about this later too.

After doing some admin, I went up to Leh Palace which was quite remarkable. The view of the city from up there was amazing. It’s a short steep walk from the main market up to the palace. There is a fort higher up but I decided not to risk my dodgy knee at such an early stage in the proceedings, and I was also feeling the effects of altitude sickness.

I was immediately grateful that I had brought my new trekking poles with me (see my recommended packing list for details of these). These were fantastic and I was so pleased I brought them. I used one for going around the sites in Leh and then two when I started the formal trek. I went up and down some very uneven ground and a lot of steps. The stick gave me confidence and enabled me to move freely without feeling vulnerable and in need of any assistance.

At Leh palace

On day three, I ordered a taxi through my hotel to take me to Hemis Monastery, Thiksay Monastery and Shey Palace. In India you can book taxis for an amount of time or a day or a specific trip. These were a fantastic way for me to get around and the hotels are happy to organize these. I don’t know if this is the case everywhere in India but in Leh, the Taxi Union had specific prices for specific trips, so that’s the price they used. It was good to know this so there wasn’t any need for bargaining.

Hemis Monastery, Ladakh

My monastery trip was incredible. The scenery was stunning and the monasteries were spectacular. I have always been fascinated by Tibetan culture and this felt so very similar. The Dalai Lama comes to stay in Leh for a couple of months each summer although recently he’s had health problems so hasn’t. There’s a big Tibetan refugee community and huge cultural links between Tibet and Ladakh. The Ladakhi written script is the same as Tibetan although the spoken language is different.

Thiksay Monastery, Ladakh

Shey Monastery, Ladakh

I discovered I’d miscalculated my days when planning my first week. I had an extra day! I thought I’d planned three days before I started my trek to acclimatize, but I found I had an extra one. I also discovered there were two other places I wished I had time to visit, Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake. I thought about trying to do the lake with the extra day available but then decided I didn’t really want to be rushing around. I wanted to take more time to savor this amazing place.

On the walk to Shanti Stupa, Leh

Instead, I spent another day in town, soaking up the atmosphere. I visited Shanti Stupa in the morning, walking there from my hotel and passing the cool truck above. Then I did something really amazing! I hitchhiked back down from the stupa – for the first time in over 30 years! When in the taxi on the way to the monasteries, I noticed that hitchhiking is a real thing in Ladakh. Even solo women were doing it. So, I hung around at the top of the hill the stupa is on and approached a taxi that was just about to leave with an older woman passenger.

Shanti Stupa, Leh

I asked if I could get a lift back down the hill and she said yes. I felt so pleased with myself for doing this! My knee was tired after the walk and I didn’t want to walk all the way back down again. I also had a coffee date because one of the women in the very fantastic Facebook group, Solo In Style had told me she lived in Leh and we decided to meet up. So that was very lovely too. She showed me the Leh Gurdwara (Sikh temple), also just off the main market, and the beautiful ancient tree growing outside it.

The following day, Friday, was the first day of my trek and I was picked up by my guide at 7:30 in the morning. It was also the day for the Leh marathon! We had to set off early and quickly before the road closed for the runners. Trekking is a big thing in Ladakh. I’d signed up for what I discovered was known as the baby trek, the shortest trek available, three days and two nights in the Sham Valley. Despite being called the baby trek, I found it quite challenging! I’d definitely recommend that you take trekking/walking poles when you do this. Mine saved my dignity, possibly my life, and definitely my knees on several occasions! You need a certain level of fitness for this also. But if you can, it’s an incredibly empowering thing to do.

I’ve written about my dodgy knee and I’ve had to give up running as a result of ongoing niggles. I’ve told several physios that if I can have multi-day hikes in my future, then that’s a sacrifice worth making. But for some time I doubted whether this would be possible and I was pretty heartbroken about it.

As soon as I got to Leh, I wore a knee support (see my packing list) as a precautionary measure and made use of one stick in the monasteries. A while ago, I discovered that using two sticks when hiking takes up to 40% of the load off your knees and this was certainly my experience. I could not have done the trek without the walking poles and by using them, I managed not to damage my knee any further. In fact on balance my knee held up remarkably well.

Ladakh

Before we started the trek, we drove past the incredible Sangam Point, the confluence of the Indus and Zanskar rivers and visited the Likir Monastery, the local center for the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Budhism. The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Yellow Hat sect. This was a lovely start to being in a more remote area of Ladakh.

The trek started with a pretty steep downward slope and I was immediately very nervous. I had visions of putting my knee out on the very first day, so I was especially cautious. But my guide (Rigzin) and porter (Padma), both young women, were very supportive and helped me stay upright as I navigated the uneven ground. Once I was back on fairly level ground I was much happier! We realized I could be the mother of both of them – Padma is the same age as my son and Rigzin’s mother is my age!

With my amazing guide Rigzin (front) and porter Padma (back), Ladakh

We crossed two high Himalayan passes on the first day and walked for about six hours. My knee held up well and reaching the top of the high passes was exhilarating. I got a thrill out of knowing that here we were, three women, trekking alone in the Himalayas. It was totally doable and I felt completely safe and supported. I can’t recommend the trek and my companions more highly. It did wonders for my confidence!

At the top of a high pass in Ladakh

Each night we stayed in what are called homestays. These are the equivalent of a B&B in the UK except there are other meals provided too. You’re staying with local people in their home and they provide dinner, breakfast and your packed lunch for the next day. The first night it felt a bit like a hotel because the family had constructed a separate building especially for guests slightly away from the main family home. But I got to spend time in a traditional Ladakhi kitchen at meal times, with walls full of big metal pans. I asked why the pans were so big and was told that at times of celebration, there could be 300 people sharing a meal, so the pans needed to be big!

The homestay in Ladakh

Everyone sat on the floor and ate food off low tables. I like sitting on the floor and do it a lot at home. It’s a great way to stretch out your body, especially after a day hiking. There was a slightly raised area for the special guests/older members of the family, so I sat there for my meals.

The most notable thing about staying in a homestay in Ladakh was the traditional Ladakhi toilets. These are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’m used to using a squat toilet from my time in China as a student, but those were often very smelly. Here the toilet was again just a hole in the floor but with a big drop to the lower level below. When you finish using the toilet, you put a shovel of soil down the hole and you’re making instant compost. This means the only smell in this dry toilet is that of soil, a big mound of it next to the hole. It was interesting navigating this at night and my head torch (see my packing list) came in very useful!

Even when the toilet is inside the main house, it’s still constructed like this. So much better for the environment and no pollution of the water supply! In my second homestay, there was a folding chair that could be used over the hole in the outside loo. This chair had a loo seat instead of a regular seat. It made life a lot easier for doing a poo! No stressing about maintaining my squat when there was little to hold on to! Something to consider when one’s Western hips are approaching 60!

Ladakhi dry toilet | Photo credit: https://www.himkatha.org/ecological-importance-of-dry-toilet

On the second day of the trek we climbed up and over the Sarmanchan La pass at 3750 meters before descending to the village of Hemis Shukpachu where there was a small temple and a massive Buddha to visit in the afternoon. The view from the Buddha was pretty spectacular!

Hemis Shukpachu, Ladakh

The third and final day saw us go upwards to another high pass. My guide Rigzin then gave me the choice of either going down into the valley and up again or to follow a not yet constructed roadway that lead around the side of the mountain. These days I’m making decisions based on how much I think my body/knee can tolerate. And what still lies ahead of me in terms of how long I need my knee to be able to function!

I didn’t fancy a scramble down a steep slope and then a scramble up another steep slope, so I opted for the roadway. I am so glad I did because the views were absolutely spectacular. And I don’t think I missed out by not following the actual trekking route this time. Sometimes it’s good to make decisions that keep us functioning rather than push us to our limit!

The view on the last day of the trek

At the end of the trek, the plan is usually to get a taxi back to Leh. But my plans going forward were to get a car from Ladakh to Srinagar. I also wanted to visit the monastery at Lamayuru which is surrounded by what is known as the Moonland – a landscape that looks very like the surface of the moon. So instead of going back to Leh, the car took me down the route towards Srinagar to Lamayuru, where I visited the monastery in the early evening and got to see a bit of the moon landscape before collapsing into bed.

Lamayuru, Ladakh

One of things I learnt on my trip was that travel in India needs to be flexible. I remember when I backpacked in my youth, plans would only ever be a few days in advance. I’ve got used to planning everything now that I’m in my 50s but on this trip, I relaxed and decided to go a bit more with the flow. I knew roughly what my plans would be for the three weeks but not the exact dates. And I also booked places as I went along. Having a mobile phone and internet signal (having finally got a local SIM that worked) means it’s possible to organize things on the go.

I’d been trying to organize a car to take me to Srinagar in Kashmir and it was astronomically expensive. Eventually, I had the idea to ask the hotel where I was planning to stay in Lamayuru and with a bit of bargaining, the owner of the hotel decided to take me himself! His daughter came in with a ridiculously high figure initially, but with the help of my friend in Kashmir, I was able to confirm this was ridiculous and bargain her down.

The drive was truly incredible and I recommend everybody do it! Again it wasn’t a cheap option but as once in a lifetime experiences go, it was pretty good value for money! I learnt a helpful lesson on the first leg of the trip. I found it was better for me to say I had a husband back home when asked. People, and especially men, are curious about a woman travelling alone. I found it shut down questions more when I said there was a man waiting at home. I didn’t appreciate flirtation from my driver! Yes, even at 58! He was staggered when he learnt I was older than him.

The hotel owner only took me as far as Kargil which was still in Ladakh. He told me the Taxi Union wouldn’t let him take me any further but I think this was actually his plan all along. To only take me part of the way. He did stop on route to show me this incredible 9 m tall stone Maitreya Buddha in one of the last Buddhist villages in Ladadh, before the villages became predominantly Muslim, as we got closer to Kashmir.

Mulbekh Chamba, one of the three Maitreya in the Kargil district in Ladakh

My first driver found me another one in Kargil, this time a proper taxi driver and while this guy was a little over familiar and playful at swerving the car at the top of the high passes, he was a better driver than the first one. So I was glad to be doing the most hair-raising section with him. He also took me to the Kargil War Memorial which was an interesting little detour. I had no idea that Pakistan and India were at war as recently as 1999. Seeing this incredibly peaceful valley in the Himalayas, it was difficult to appreciate that it had been the center of a warzone and a lot of deaths.

Kargil War Memorial, Ladakh

The road trip was very hair-raising at times but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It has to be one of the most spectacular drives in the world. We drove over very high passes, including Zojila Pass, in the Himalayas, around scary hairpin bends on a very narrow road. At one stage we were delayed for over an hour because the army was trying to drive two tanks up the mountain! They kept getting stuck round the hairpin bends and eventually they abandoned one of the tanks and the truck that was pulling it moved on.

Zojila Pass. Ladakh

But that meant everybody else had to go round this tank and its long trailer. At some stages along the route there were army directing the traffic, but at others it was a free for all. I didn’t like looking over the side too much because while the view was spectacular, the sheer drop was stomach churning. My stomach was in my throat for quite a bit of that part of the trip! Eventually we got over the most dangerous part of the journey and seeing the welcome sign to Kashmir was very exciting!

Entering the Kashmir Valley

As we came down into the valley of Kashmir everything turned from dry rock to Alpine landscape. We could easily have been in Switzerland!

On the road from Ladakh to Kashmir

When we came down into the Kashmir Valley, we were delayed by different obstacles, this time herds of sheep and goats. I much preferred them to tanks! Here’s a little video I made of them.

Entering Kashmir

This new landscape was again spectacular and such a change after the dryness of Ladakh. Eventually, in the early evening, we arrived at my friend’s house. I’d decided to go to Kashmir, to visit a very old friend of mine with whom I worked in the City of London over 30 years ago. I’d seen my friend in London in the intervening years but was keen to see where she’d made her life, having fallen in love with her trekking guide 27 years previous! It was wonderful to see her in her true element.

I travelled solo to Kashmir, but stayed with my friend for my week there. So I don’t have any experience of booking accommodation to share other than suggesting a good search online. Booking.com and Airbnb both appear to have quite extensive options in Srinagar at least and if, as most people want to, you plan to spend time on a houseboat on the very beautiful Dal Lake, I found options for that on Make My Trip.

It was lovely to stay in one place for a while. Srinagar is such a beautiful part of the world. It’s full of romanticism from the past and is stunning in the present. The British government still advises against travel there, but I struggle to understand why that’s the case. My travel insurance didn’t cover me while in Kashmir as a result. But all was fine. My time of living not so dangerously! There was a heavy military presence and as an outsider, it was hard to ascertain whether that was truly necessary in the present, a leftover from the past that wasn’t currently applicable, or just a heavy-handed political response to the region from central government. People have asked whether I felt safe there and yes I certainly did.

While in Srinagar, I particularly enjoyed the Mughal Gardens. I learnt a lot about the Mughals while I was in India – there were 6 prominent Mughal emperors (the first having come from Mongolia) ruling most of North India from the early 16th century to the mid-18th century. They built spectacular buildings, monuments and gardens. In Srinagar, there are several gorgeous formal gardens designed by the Mughals and kept up today. I went first to the Shalimar Garden and then to the Nishat Garden. I also visited the Chashma Shahi Garden and the Botanical Gardens. There were lots of plant nurseries around the place and it was clear that gardens are an important part of Srinagar life. There was even a Tulip Garden which is open for just one month a year.

Mughal Gardens, Srinagar, Kashmir

I also visited the Hazratbal Shrine and the enormous and quite spectacular Jama Masjid. I learnt that Jama Masjid means Friday Mosque. It’s bigger than the usual mosques because everybody goes there for Friday prayers. It was fascinating to note that in Kashmir there is less traditional dome Muslim architecture when it comes to the mosques (not the Hazratbal Shrine below). Instead the mosques are often almost like pagodas, reflecting the architectural influence and proximity of China.

Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar

Jama Masjid, Srinagar

I didn’t get to stay on one of the famous Srinagar houseboats, but I did go for a beautiful ride on a shikara on Dal Lake. This was stunning. We drifted in amongst the lotus blooms and through canals between small islands where the people make their living growing vegetables for the local markets. The bird life on Dal Lake was incredible and I was so excited to see not just my first kingfisher, but lots of them and three different species! I also saw a marsh heron for the first time and everywhere there was an abundance of black kites.

On the shikara ride, Dal Lake, Srinagar

An evening stroll rewarded me with a stunning sunset! Dal Lake, Srinagar

One of my days was spent walking in the hills which was equally spectacular. My host very kindly drove me to the end of the Five Lakes Trail and I walked upstream along the river. A local child accompanied me so I didn’t get lost. As I walked I saw the local traveler people with their herds of sheep and goats, their horses, and their tents on the riverbank. They were making preparations to move down from the mountains as the weather was changing. Trekking is also a very important activity in Kashmir and maybe next time I will do a multi day trek here. Ponies are used to transport goods, so you just carry your own day pack when you go on one of these multi-day treks.

Walking in the hills around Naranag, Kashmir

Finally it was time to leave Kashmir and fly back to Delhi for the final stage of my journey. I’d allocated five days to doing the Golden Triangle, tight time-wise, but doable I thought. This is where the new travel apps really came into their own for my solo travels. When I landed at Delhi airport, I was able to book an intercity Uber car from there to Agra. Again this wasn’t the cheapest way to travel, but it made sense for me and was the quickest and easiest way for me to get to Agra from Srinagar all in one day!

Just be aware when booking intercity cars, there will be taxes and tolls in addition to the fare. This wasn’t clear to me when I booked and I was asked to pay an additional ₹1500 on arrival which I wasn’t expecting. It was the same on the return journey, so I realized I wasn’t being diddled. But my first inclination was to think this didn’t seem fair. So my advice would be to check on the total price when starting the journey. Uber was good in that I could pay cash for the car. So I didn’t have to go through the process of turning on my UK phone to be able to get an OTP to verify my card payment! (See my section on money below for more details on my money troubles.)

I booked my Agra hotel using Booking.com. I already had an account on Booking.com making that an easy way for me to reserve things in India, not having to set up a new credit card arrangement from scratch. I didn’t pay for the bookings on there, but they were secured using my existing credit card stored within the Booking.com system. I was able to see on the app map where the hotel was and booked something near the Taj Mahal which was my reason for coming to Agra. I used the app Get Your Guide to book a driver and guide to take me to the Taj Mahal at 5am the following morning. This all worked surprisingly well and I even had time to have a delicious vegetarian meal at a local restaurant on the evening of my arrival.

I highly recommend Get Your Guide. I’d previously contemplated joining a tour for the Golden Triangle or having my own bespoke mini tour. Initially I wasn’t very confident about doing this stage of the trip solo. I knew it would be the most touristy, and where I might encounter more hassle as a solo female traveler. But I was also conscious of my budget. In fact, it proved to be completely doable using Uber, Booking.com, and Get Your Guide. I felt safe throughout, even if I was sometimes pestered a bit much by touts trying to sell me things and people asking to take a picture with me! There was another cheaper car than Uber that also seemed to do intercity rides but I couldn’t make it work, so I just went back to Uber even though that seemed a bit pricey.

I cried when I first saw the Taj Mahal! I’ve wanted to go since I knew it existed. This year I even completed a jigsaw of it in preparation for my visit. It certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s a monument to love and is truly spectacular. Even though the photos don’t do it justice, I think I’ll let them do the talking! It was lovely just to soak up the atmosphere. And of course get the obligatory me and the Taj Mahal photo.

Taj Mahal, Agra

When I could finally draw myself away, we went quickly to visit the Red Fort in Agra. This was also a very interesting place and the first of my red forts, of which there are several. The trip had been allocated for five hours but in fact by the end of three hours, we were finished with both the Taj and the Red Fort, so I went back to the hotel to get my rather delayed breakfast! I had another guide picking me up at 11 to take me to Jaipur. Because the first tour took less time, I was able to call the second and bring it forward, so I left Agra at 10. Brilliant!

The Red Fort, Agra

Using a Get Your Guide transfer was a brilliant way to travel between Agra and Jaipur because two additional stops were included. The first was to Fatehpur Sikri which is the most incredible red fort (again) built by another Mughal emperor. I would’ve been sad to miss this as it was stunning. My transfer included a guide who was very nice and helped me take some fantastic photos, but I did feel rather pressured to buy things from places he recommended.

Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh

There are two parts to Fatehpur Sikri, the first where you pay for a ticket and the second which is the spiritual centre, which is free to visit. This second place was very beautiful but I was bombarded by people trying to sell me things and my guide didn’t protect me from this as much as he could, especially as I was a solo female. But I think that’s because everybody greases everybody’s palm for introductions to the foreigners.

I was led to a particular place, made to sit down and wash my hands, and given a long spiel about how I should buy a piece of fabric to donate to the guru who was buried in the tomb on this site. People from all over the world visit this site to get help with any wish, but especially infertility. Apparently Nicholas Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni, visited the site shortly before she became pregnant at the advanced age of 44!

Having been post menopause for well over a decade, I didn’t have any interest in getting a blessing for my fertility! Nevertheless I was encouraged to ask for whatever I wanted, having first paid an amount of money to buy the gift to the shrine that would make this all possible. This heavy promo left me feeling uncomfortable and I was glad to get back in the car even though this place was really quite phenomenal. I later told my driver how I felt and that it really would’ve been better if the guide had just been a guide and not also a tout for the touts.

Obviously I understand that the amount of money these people have makes it important for them to be able to bring extra income by introducing other sales people. But I would’ve been more inclined to give him a reasonable tip if he hadn’t succumbed to the norms of local commerce with regard to foreigners. As I left this site, I bumped into a couple of older Spanish ladies and we lamented the fact that there was seemingly little respect towards White women and we all felt very pressured to spend money.

I suspected I’d be most likely to get unwanted attention when visiting the Golden Triangle, which of all the places I visited, was very much the tourist circuit. That was why I organized guides to take me round. But apart from this, people wanting to take my photo all the time, and another very small incident in Jaipur, which I will tell you about, I was fine throughout my trip.

My next stop was the Chand Baori Stepwell in Abhaneri . This was incredible. To allow easy access to the well, steps were built during the 8th and 9th centuries down to the water source. 3500 narrow steps are all around the well, going down 20m in depth and in perfect symmetry. This was a very quick in and out to see the site, but well worth doing.

Chand Baori Stepwell, Rajasthan

The drive from Agra to Jaipur took about eight hours, with the two stops, so it was pretty long, but still a great thing to do. I was pleased to finally arrive at my lovely hotel in Jaipur, the Hotel Arya Niwas. This hotel had been recommended by my friend and I was able to book it on Booking.com which made life easier! She suggested that I stay in a haveli, a traditional old mansion in Jaipur. This was easily the nicest hotel I stayed in and it was very beautiful. They also had a massage service and I was able to spend my evening getting a wonderful Ayurvedic massage (£14) which was very welcome after my long car journey.

The following day I again made use of Get Your Guide to order a Tuk Tuk all day tour of the major sites in Jaipur. This only cost me £8 ($10) and was great. My Tuk Tuk driver was lovely and drove me around the whole of Jaipur so I think I saw pretty much everything. I had to pay my own entrance fees, but as an independent traveler short of time, this was a fantastic way to see all the sites. He was even happy for me to add one site which was the main Hindu temple, which I’d read was not to be missed.

In the Tuk Tuk, Jaipur

First we drove into the actual Pink City – a walled area of the old city where it used to be illegal to use anything other than pink sandstone to build anything! We stopped at the Hawa Mahal, a particularly stunning building known as the Palace of Winds. My guide told me the inside wasn’t really worth it, I so just took a photo and then we moved on to the incredible Jantar Mantar, an astronomical observatory full of huge instruments built to observe the heavens in the early 19th century.

Jaipur

Then I crossed the road to visit the City Palace Museum – partly the home of the current royal family and partly a fascinating museum – and just a gorgeous complex to wander around. I was able to spend as long as I liked in each location, so I went to look at every exhibit. I particularly liked the early photography exhibit which was fascinating, and the transport section which included a whole suit of armour for an elephant! Sadly photos weren’t allowed in there!

City Palace Museum, Jaipur

Then we stopped off at a huge Hindu temple in the centre of the city and I was able to experience the group worship that goes on every morning and evening. I’m afraid I don’t know the name of this temple, but I did ask to go to the big important one in Jaipur!

Hindu temple, Jaipur

I also saw the Jal Mahal Palace in the middle of Man Sagar Lake but while I loved seeing all the water birds there, it was sad to see so much rubbish in the water.

Jal Mahal Palace, Jaipur

Then my driver took me all the way to the Amber Fort which was the most incredible place. It’s also called the Amer Fort as Amer is the local town. It’s a steep climb up to the fort and then lots to see at the top. There are two other forts nearby but I didn’t have time to visit those.

I probably should’ve accepted a local guide for the fort, as I’m aware I missed out on a lot of good info about it. I overheard one Indian mother and daughter with a guide and they adopted me for a while and translated some of the juicy stuff like the number of toilets (99), the preferences of the various wives and the number of concubines.

There’s a corridor which allowed the Mughal ruler to visit his favourite sexual partner on any particular day without anyone else knowing! The fort has six separate main sections, large ramparts, gates and cobbled paths and overlooks a lake where a garden was built in the middle. There’s a stunning crystal covered suite created for one wife who wanted to sleep under the night sky but as a queen couldn’t do that!

Amber Fort, Jaipur

One thing that happened at the fort I want to share. My lovely driver said walking up to it would be good for my stomach. And he touched my stomach. I ruminated on this while walking around the fort and decided to say something. I asked him if he would have done that to an Indian woman. He looked mortified.

“Oh no!”

“Then why do it to a Western woman? I didn’t like it.”

He said, most Western women don’t mind, only me. I said, I think they probably do, but they just don’t tell you. I’m 58 years old. It’s not appropriate. And inappropriate at any age. Bless him, he then couldn’t stop apologizing. I think the penny dropped. I asked him to pass this on to his friends – treating foreign women any differently to local women when it comes to respect is not OK. He said he would pass it on. Maybe. If something like this happens to you, try to point it out. That’s how change happens.

My last stop in Jaipur was Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan a series of very beautiful memorials. This was a lovely peaceful spot to spend some time. And where I learnt another important lesson. I mentioned above that people kept asking me for photos and I always said no. I did start joking that they could take a photo with me if they gave me 1000 rupees. No one took me up on that!

Gaitor Ki Chhatriyan, Jaipur

There was a group of four girls sitting on one of the memorials. They looked expectantly at me and started to speak. I interjected, “Let me guess, you want a photo right? “

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea how many times a day I get asked to take a photo? It’s exhausting. No.”

Another woman behind me said to the girls, “Do you want me to take it?”

I was mortified! I had wrongly assumed they wanted a photo with me. What they wanted was for me to take their photo. I apologized profusely and felt a wave of shame.

I learned a phrase many years ago: To assume makes an ass of u and me. Ass…u..me. I forgot that and needed a reminder!

After a slow start the following day and a visit to a clothing store (FabIndia) recommended by another friend, it was time to leave Jaipur and head back to Delhi. I thought about getting a train as I hadn’t been on one yet, but the times just didn’t work. I settled for another Uber to take me instead.

Back in Delhi I stayed at another place recommended by my Kashmir friend, Zaza Stay in a very nice suburb. The decor was gorgeous and I had my own balcony which was lovely. But the most exciting thing for me was that even though we were right next to an elevated train track, that was completely hidden by vegetation, and that was full of monkeys! There was a screen across my balcony, clearly to stop them getting in.

I was also able to wander around the area very comfortably and I quickly found myself in some dense back streets that had a very different feel to them – the buildings were so close together you couldn’t see any sky between them! It felt much more Old Delhi than New Delhi. With all the people out and about, it was a fascinating little walk by myself.

I was delighted to snap a monkey in Delhi!

On my last but one day in India, I had again organized a Get Your Guide driver and guide, to show me the sights of Delhi in double-quick time. With greater distances involved, I really appreciated the aircon in the car! We started with Qutab Minar, another jaw-dropping site and the highest tower in India with a height of 72.5m. The foundation was laid in AD 1199 and the storeys were added at various times by various different rulers.

Qutab Minar, Delhi

Then I visited Humayun’s Tomb which I discovered was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal – so that wasn’t an original building after all! It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, built in 1570. It’s also known as the dormitory of the Mughals, because over 150 Mughal family members are buried there.

Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi

Then to a much more modern site, the lovely Lotus Temple, a Bahá’í house of worship, standing for the oneness of humankind. Anyone of any faith is welcome to pray and meditate here.

Lotus Temple, Delhi

Then to India Gate for an obligatory photo and a quick look at the Parliament Building opposite.

India Gate, Delhi

Then we stopped for lunch and I was annoyed to be taken to a rather expensive German brewery and not given any choice about it. I either ate here – alone, without my guide or driver – or I didn’t eat. Lunch was more than I’d have paid for lunch in London – not that I usually spend much on lunch! But I did get to practice my Chinese with the leaders of a Taiwanese tour group – the first time I’d heard any Chinese spoken since I arrived in India. So that was fun. I learned that tourists from mainland China couldn’t get visas to India because of the ongoing problems along the border between the two countries.

I didn’t go to the Red Fort in Delhi because I’d seen it from the outside on my first day in India on that quick taxi tour and it wasn’t open to visit at that time. So after lunch we headed to Old Delhi for a visit to the huge Jama Masjid and a rickshaw ride around the Chandni Chowk market.

The Jama Masjid was enormous and spectacular, but sadly my experience was marred by being forced to wear a floor-length polyester robe. I was already sweating profusely from the early afternoon heat and I was completely covered up, including my head, unlike some Indian women inside, I discovered. Wearing the robe only applied to foreign women and didn’t seem to take into account what we were wearing, which I found annoying. I was also charged entry and this was the first time I’d been charged entry to a mosque. Muslim Kashmir had seemed far more conservative, but I could enter the Jama Masjid in Srinagar just by covering my head – a hat was fine – and by removing my shoes. It was so hot in Delhi, I had to put my socks back on to walk across the paving stones of the Jama Masjid!

The rickshaw ride in the market was also a sensory explosion! I wish I’d had more time to just wander around, there was so much to see and experience. It’s a crazy place! But the tour was coming to an end. But not before I’d been lead into a specially prepared spice stall to purchase their wares! I didn’t as usual!

Old Delhi

On the very last day, I headed back to the Ibis hotel near the airport, as I was leaving very early the following morning. An afternoon spent relaxing by the pool and visiting the local shopping centre was the perfect end to a jam-packed and incredible first visit to India! What an amazing three weeks I had. Solo for two of those!

I hope this mammoth post inspires you that solo travel in India is perfectly possible and actually not hard at all. There were times when I was sorting things out at the beginning, like the money and the phone (see below), when I felt rather alone, with no one to share the hassles with. But that was a very short time in an otherwise brilliant experience. Check out my recommended travel packing list to see all the great gear I took. I spent ages researching what I needed and the best items to get! I love good travel gear!

Traveling solo meant I could go where I wanted, when I wanted, do what I wanted and it was so liberating. I can’t wait for my next solo adventure!

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