After 13 days and 2,000 km on the back of an Enfield 500CC motorbike through the Indian Himalayas, I was ready for some R&R before having to launch myself back into work! So, a quick trip around India's Golden Triangle was planned, travelling through the nation's capital, New Delhi, the home of the Taj Mahal, Agra, and the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

My trip started with a tour of Delhi. Delhi consists of two parts - New Delhi, the city created in 1911 to be the British capital, and Old Delhi, the Muslim capital of India, dating back to the 12th century. In fact there have been at least eight cities on the site of modern Delhi. New Delhi is a planned city of wide, tree-lined streets. The hub of the city is the great circle of Connaught Place and many streets radiate from it, particularly Janpath.

Today Old Delhi is the 17th century walled city with city gates, narrow alleys, mosques, temples, bazaars and the enormous Red Fort and Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) built by Shah Jehan the Moghul emperor. Chandni Chowk (Silver Street) is the colourful main street and shopping bazaar of Old Delhi. At the east end is the Red Fort, built between 1638 and 1648 by Emperor Shah Jehan - the red sandstone walls extend for two km and vary in height from 18 to 33 metres.

The next day started at 6.20am on the bustling Delhi railway station for a two-hour train journey to Agra, 220 km away. Agra is home to India's most famous landmark, the Taj Mahal, and was the capital of the Mughal Empire in the 16th & 17th centuries.

Emperor Shah Jehan constructed the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (which is actually a title that means most beautiful of the palace) who died during the birth of her 14th child in 1629, after 17 years of marriage. Construction of the Taj began in 1631 and it took 20,000 workers 22 years to complete. Artisans and experts were brought from France and Italy and the main architect was from Iran. No photo or video will ever do the Taj Mahal justice - you just have to see it yourself - it is the most incredible monument I have ever seen.

Just outside of Agra is another amazing piece of Mughal architecture - the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri. Between 1570 and 1586 during the reign of Emperor Akbar, Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of the Mughal Empire. Legend says that Akbar had no male heir and made a pilgrimage to Sikri to see a saint. The saint foretold the birth of Akbar's son, the future Emperor Jehangir, and in gratitude Akbar moved the capital to Sikri and built a splendid city here. Then as suddenly and dramatically as this new city had been built, it was abandoned, most guide books say, mainly due to a difficult water supply, but apparently it had more to do with the Emperor being away at war for 16 years! Today it is a perfectly preserved example of a Mughal city at the height of the Empire's splendour.

From Agra I traveled by road in our air-conditioned car 5 hours to Jaipur. I arrived in Jaipur around lunchtime and checked into the fabulously luxurious Rajvilas Hotel. The Rajvilas is more like a sprawling Mughal Palace than a hotel. It is set over thirty-two acres of beautiful gardens, pools and fountains in the peaceful Rajasthani countryside. It is eight kilometers from the Pink City of Jaipur and is an oasis of elegance and luxury. Needless to say, a little quiet time by the pool was required before I retreated to my deluxe room and watched Gandhi on the in-room laser disk player. The butler, who is always less than 3 minutes away from a press of the in-room butler bell (yes, I timed him), delivered a delicious lunch to complement my movie experience!

The evening meal was served in the outdoor dining area where traditional Rajasthani musicians and dancers perform under the light glowing from four monster flame towers surrounding a raised stage.

Yes, I did leave the hotel to see the sights of Jaipur on a guided tour, although it was very difficult! One of Jaipur's best-known landmarks is the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of the Winds, which was built in 1799. It is actually little more than a façade, full of ornate windows so that the ladies of the palace could amuse themselves with the goings on out in the street. There is a City Palace and at its gates the Jantar Mantar observatory, which is a series of precise instruments built to measure the movements of planets and stars. Jai Singh (the founder of Jaipur) was passionate about astronomy. Only 11 km from Jaipur is the Amber Fort, a stunning example of Rajput architecture, located on a hillside overlooking a lake that reflects its terraces and ramparts. A ride to the Fort on elephant back is fun and in true Rajput style, the Fort is filled with wonderful temples, halls and palaces.

Then it was back into the car for the 5-hour drive back to Delhi. The driver delivered me safely through the oncoming overloaded TA TA goods trucks, camels, elephants, goats, dogs, rickshaws, motorbikes and cows.

The next day, even though it was 35 degrees Celsius in the shade, I took up the offer from a friend to have a quick 9 holes of golf at the Delhi Golf Club. This is a lovely short course with great caddies to tell hackers like me which club to use and when you are chipping and putting, if you are about to over or under hit.

Then there was just enough time to shower, change, and finish packing before making the trip to the airport for the flight home…goodbye again India, yes, I'll be back!