Dusty Sandals and Backpacks

In 1989, Carolyn Daniels and her mother Joan embarked on a journey of 5,000 miles through India in a bogie: a specially converted train carriage.

Little do they anticipate the culture shock waiting for them on arrival in Delhi. Encounters with Gandhi's daughter-in-law, yarn-spinning gurus, an amorous Air India pilot, thieving monkeys, adorable elephants and more surprise and delight along the way.

Leaving India and the train, they head for Nepal to trek the Himalayan foothills; then on to Kashmir where rogues abandon them on Dal Lake during a violent storm, the sound of gunfire ringing at night across the water in Srinagar.

Despite the crazy rickshaw drivers, heat and dust and the occasional bout of 'Delhi belly', they fall in love with India and its people, and Carolyn meets her future husband.

This affectionate memoir is a record of wonderful experiences that will live with them forever.