chapatitrailsandcoconuttales2025

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Trains, Toilets & Taj Teasers: A Day in Agra

Today started with an early taxi ride to Delhi train station, where we braved the chaos, wrangled our own suitcases, and found our assigned seats. I made a tactical toilet stop, wanting to be the first, and assumed squat toilets were the only option.  I did become the first passenger to cause a mess that I was trying to avoid, the bin was bottomless and my paper came out the bottom and onto the floor🥴 Tania later informed me there was a Western-style toilet on the other side. Good to know after the fact.

The two-hour train ride was smooth—breakfast, water, and tea included. On arrival, we met our bus for the week, where I briefly (and unsuccessfully) tried to claim Raj’s front-row seat. Apparently, my karaoke dreams weren’t a compelling argument.

At Agra Fort, we wandered through its grand red sandstone walls, once home (and later prison) to Shah Jahan, the mastermind behind the Taj Mahal. From here, we caught our first glimpse of the Taj, more a silohuette n the distance—a teaser for part two of today.

Before that, though, a stop at a local cottage industry store, where we watched beautiful hand  knotted rugs being unfurled before us. Not expecting to buy another rug, I couldn’t help myself, nor could most of my fellow travelers. It’s being made and will hopefully make its way home. While admiring the rugs, we had our first samosa of the trip (delicious) and more chai before heading to the hotel for a quick check-in.

On the drive, one sight that stuck with me was the street barbers—just a chair, a mirror strapped to a fence, and the open air as their salon. Simple, efficient, and completely fascinating.Then, finally, it was time for the real deal: the Taj Mahal. But that deserves a post of its own!

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Like Chips to a Seagull: A Day in Delhi

Delhi woke us early, it was the pigeons outside my window that finally got me up shortly after 5am. After fluffing around, we ventured out before 8am to very quiet streets. Coffee was the mission, but the men of the city had other plans. From the moment we stepped outside, we were magnets for "helpful" men eager to warn us of the hazards around the corner or across the street, guide us, sell us something, or whisk us away in a tuk-tuk sometimes wanting to take us to their family store. We felt like chips to their seagulls, no escape, just relentless attention and chaperoning.

Only 3.2 kms away, but 90 minutes later, we finally reached Blue Tokai Coffee via a $1 tuktuk, where lattes and breakfast gave us some respite....until the man two tables down interrupted our conversation. Another helpful chaperone to a day spa which wasn't open! The coffee shop was so good, we returned for croissants and more coffee at lunch.

Of all the stores we really liked the wares at Loom market and we also stumbled into an heirloom exhibition. One spontaneous buy later, I had a handmade multicolored Kashmir scarf, which was very different to any others I'd seen today.

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Buckle up people 🇮🇳🪷💜 ☮️

Day Zero: Chapati Trails & Coconut Tales

After a year of planning, packing, and possibly over-researching, Tania and I are finally off to India! This trip has been on my bucket list forever, and now it’s actually happening. I’m currently in the Singapore lounge at Brisbane Airport, not quite mid-air yet, but already salivating at the thought of my first dosa. Priorities!

Tania and I go way back—Townsville, 1992! We’re diving headfirst into an Intrepid food tour, where I fully intend to eat my weight in dosas, naans, thalis, and anything else that smells even remotely delicious. If I can find a dosa and not get sick before the tour starts, I will consider it a personal victory.

Beyond the food (yes, apparently there’s more to India than just eating), I’m buzzing with excitement for Goa—everyone raves about it—and, of course, the Taj Mahal, which I assume will be breathtakingly majestic, even if I’m viewing it through a samosa-induced haze.

I’m also planning to indulge in Ayurvedic therapies inviting inner peace—if that’s even possible between the spice sweats and traffic chaos.

And Tania shares my audacious love of lattes, so she will (hopefully) be very patient as we scour the streets for specialty coffee roasters. Is that even a thing in India? I sure hope so. Otherwise, we might have to make peace with chai.

So, here we go—two friends, one food tour, and an unreasonable amount of carbs ahead. Stay tuned for all the delicious chaos. Namaste 🙏