Everything there is different from what it is with us and excels in both size and beauty. They have no fruit the same as ours, no beast, no bird. This is the consequence of the extreme heat. They have no grain excepting the rice… Marco Polo.

Marco Polo, son of a Venetian merchant family, together with his merchant father, Niccolo and his uncle, Maffeo travelled the length of the Silk Road, an ancient trading route linking Europe to China in the 13th Century.

He wrote those words in his book Travels after returning from his trip through a number of countries including northern India. His book is still in print.

India! As it did then so it does now; the idea of India catches your breathe and captures the imagination. I, too, am going to India. I’m flying out this Wednesday evening. Marco Polo’s voyage took him 20 years including a lengthy sojourn at the court of the emperor of China. Mine is considerably shorter, less than 2 weeks, but I’ll take them!

I’m going with an open heart and an open mind. My bags are packed – well almost. My visa is in order. I have converted some dollars into rupees and I’m so excited I’m jumping out of my skin.

I expect it to be a truly amazing experience – a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I look forward to sharing with you beginning next Monday.