I’ll be honest, I was a little anxious about this trip. For the main reason that I had nothing but fear at the thought of having food poisoning. A result of hearing every single travellers account (in detail) of their Delhi belly. Spoiler alert…I didn’t get sick once!

I went to India nervous but within hours of landing was utterly mesmerised. I didn’t want to come home.

We set off on the adventure for my dear friend @RoopGill’s wedding and quite frankly it was the most sensational event(s) I have ever been to. The colours, the smells, the flavours, the parties, the PEOPLE. Everything about this trip was such an excitement. Following the wedding we ventured on for a Friend-moon to tackle the bottom half of the golden triangle, Jaipur and Agra. I absolutely fell in love.

In celebration of my love-affair with this country, here are my tips for visiting:

1. Forget what you think you know and embrace the magic and chaos. – The place is a wonder – so many times I sat in awe as we watch monkeys commute across city buildings and cows stop 60MPH traffic on the motorway because they fancied crossing…
2. Travel around to explore different cities! But be prepared to have long car journeys. Driving in India is a rollercoaster of a ride but they know what they’re doing so forget your highway code and road rules. Some times you’ll need to stop at motorway restaurants/shops to pee. Take toilet roll on your journeys as well as hand santisers. We visited Jaipur (Highly recommend staying in Shahpura House.)
3. Eat the food and prepare to eat a lot! Indian food is generous and so delicious you can’t stop eating. I avoided ice, tap water, raw foods and salads, ate mostly vegetarian. I didn’t get food poisoning at all, despite lots of people telling me I would. I can’t tell you how sensational the Punjabi and Rajasthani cooking was! My absolute favourite dishes were the Dal Makhani (black dahl), Paneer Masala and Keema curry. If you’re in Jaipur I highly recommend grabbing a bite to eat at Baradari restaurant and bar. It’s more spenny than most restaurants you’ll come across but nothing out of question for London. It’s a great spot to stop at before going in to City Palace next door. P.S. don’t order western food here. Their Indian dishes were awesome.
4. You MUST visit the Taj Mahal. At first I wasn’t keen on hitting up the tourist hot-spots so (I’m ashamed to say) I toyed with the idea of not going to the Taj Mahal. I am SO glad we did. It was one of the most breath-taking buildings I’d ever seen and it was a marvel to explore the grounds. Everything about this visit had charm. From the monkeys being thrown bananas by the security guards to the Arabic script that graced the marble tiles.
5. Say YES to a wedding invite. If you ever have the honour of being invited to a wedding in India – don’t think, just go. It will be one of the most memorable and special things you will experience. An absolute RAVE of a party! Make sure you pre-order enough traditional clothing for each event (there may be four or more). I wish I had ordered more as it made it so much more special when everyone is dressed in the beautiful, bright colours. Prepare yourself for the time of year you’ll be there. I went in December and wished I’d taken warmer clothes. Layering is everything at that time of year.