I first visited India in 1994. It was my first stop on a round-the-world trip. I did plenty of reading and research, but nothing can really prepare you for the sensory over-load of a busy Indian city! India can be a little over-whelming, but always fascinating. It took me a while to find my feet, call it 'culture shock', but then I fell in love with the place!

I have been back many times, particularly to Rajasthan, and I still get a thrill when I encounter an elephant, a camel, a peacock, some monkeys or even a vulture! I love the old Ambassador taxis and the constant presence of cows.

I am a keen photographer and sometimes it feels difficult to take a bad photo as there is so much colour and activity all around. There is rarely a dull moment, but it is hard to capture the real feel of India without experiencing all the smells, spices and sounds that go with the sights.

Even if you consider yourself a non-spiritual person it's hard to explain the mysterious, almost magical, mood that certain places can conjure from ornate Maharajah's Palaces to a desert view at sundown from a rooftop cafe.

There are so many reasons to visit India and I don't think once is enough as it's a huge and diverse sub-continent. I have always had a pull towards Asia, but in my experience India is in a league of its own.

I spent last winter backpacking around India for 3 months alone and I would go back in an instant. India is like nowhere else in the world. It is the craziest, loudest, smelliest, most wonderful place on earth. I have no idea how a place can be both completely insane but very calming at the same time - but that's all part of the magic. 

Over three months I found myself in the Thar desert with a cross-eyed camel, white-water rafting on the Ganges, taking 35hour train journeys, swimming in waterfalls in the Himalayas, and taking backwater trips through Kerala, not to mention a generous (potentially excessive) amount of hammock time in Goa. Just like everybody else, I was totally bewitched by Hampi. There's just something about it - something you can't put your finger on. And don't believe anyone who says that they were not impressed with the Taj Mahal. It is one of the most magnificent sights in the world and no postcard or documentary can even begin to do it justice.

Indian people are fantastic - so welcoming, warm and enthusiastic. The curries are out of this world, the sweets have kickstarted a sugar addiction that I fear I am stuck with for life, and the masala chai in the mountains is pretty unbeatable. 

It is far too hard to describe the wonderfulness of India in words- just go and see it for yourselves, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.