The allure of the Indian Subcontinent

Ever since a young boy I have been fascinated by the Indian subcontinent. It has always seemed such a vibrant yet chaotic place where the normal 'logical' rules of society seem to co-exist at times with the odd an outright weird ways of doing things. I just thought that it would be a very entertaining and interesting place to visit.

I think was sparked by initial interest was watching Michael Palin arrive into India on his 'Around the World in Eighty Days' show. I swore to myself that one day I would follow in his footsteps or at least the Indian part! So it was no surprise to my friends and family that the first place I choose to visit outside of Europe was Nepal and India during my gap year.

Sri Lanka is very much part of the Indian subcontinent with strong cultural and historical ties and yet it has retained a certain sense of uniqueness which seperates it from the rest of the subcontinent. Historically it has been fundamental in the spread of Buddhism and to this day it is along with the small Kingdom of Bhutan one of only two predominantely Buddhist countries in the region.

So in many ways I have now embarked on the part of my trip which I have been most looking forward to the most. Over the next two weeks I will explore Sri Lanka, spend 6 weeks in India and 6 in Nepal.