Just when you're thinking things over!!

And in a flash of light there you have it.....4 months, 1 continent, 2 countries, 13 states, 35 cities/towns/villages, 37 hotels.....of varying standards, 13 trains, 33 buses, 2 camels, 1 moped, 6 Metros, 5 boats, numerous rickshaws....& an unimaginable number of kilometres on foot....often to get places & quite fequently to retrace our lost steps!!

So what can be said of India! It is impossible not to be enthralled, mesmorised & baffled by this great country.....but almost as impossible to sum it up in words. To fully appreciate it in its entirety one must take the plunge & make the visit themselves. Between the 2 of us having done fairly well in recent years at covering the globe we found India to be unlike anywhere else on our fascinating planet. A crazy blend of love & hate, old & new, rich & poor, sun & rain which all contrive to stimulate, frustrate, excite & confuse albeit at the same time!! And in our 3 months there we still only managed to see a fraction of this wonderful place, from the mayhem of Mumbai to the deserts of Rajasthan.....the fresh mountain air of McLeod Ganj & audiences with the Dalai Lama to the mind boggling events of Varanassi......35 hour train rides along the East coast & to the hippiness of the Goan beaches!

Then of course you have Nepal, just across the Northern border & into the Himalayas, where the madness of its neighbours disappears immediately upon entry. A land of smiling faces, happy people, jaw dropping scenery, unsurpassed beauty & endless festivals.....from the tranquility at the lakeside town of Pokhara......to the vibrant capital Kathmandu......to the mesmorising towns of the Kathmandu valley. If you do nothing but do nothing in this country to us it would be time well spent & should be on every travellers must visit places!

No amount of planning could have prepared us, or anyone, for the events that took place over these past 4 months & although some situations were at times rather harrowing I would not change them for the world.

I have returned home an exhausted & satisfied traveller, captivated by both the people & places, who has accomplished a dream & is of course now awaiting the next adventure!!

One love. Namaste!

Goa.....India for some.....but perhaps not for others!!!!

So here we were, after 4 months of ups & downs, loves & hates, swings & roundabouts, heartaches & happiness, on the beaches of Goa. Was this to be the idyllic setting we were hoping for to end our journey?

As ever it took a solid & hard 15 hours by train to reach the Southern most tip of the Goan province.....Palolem beach. Arriving at night we even splashed out on a £15 a night hotel.....A/C, TV, hot water & terrace.....true package tour style......aaarrrghh it was painful......until my head hit the pillow, which culminated in a poetic night with the dreamweavers!!!! (although it is not like I hadn't slept well prior to this occasion). Eager to find out what was awaiting us on the shores of the Arabian Sea, I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn.....well around 11, & then took advantage of the fine breakfasts on offer......ah Goa....such fine foods, yet nothing of India.....funny eh!! So finally we got to the beach, & a pretty good one it was......a mesmerising, palm tree surrounded, crescent of golden sand, accompanied by clean crisp luke warm waters which were attacked at the soonest moment. All was good, Martina & I overly content & not even the young souvenir sellers could get to us, or the remainder of the not too many tourists. So 3 days flew past as we took our place on the beach with the cows, fruit sellers, armed police, & the odd, to be expected, letchy local. However there must have been more to Goa than a beach & surely it couldn't all be so pleasant.

Never ones to spend too long in a destination, we left the holiday makers and moved North to Panjim & Old Goa......where did all the people go!! Panjim has to be without doubt the quietest town in India & it was a pleasure to wander the streets amongst the pastel shaded buildings of Mediterranean influence. As with the most of Southern India we were treated to an array of fascinating churches & cathedrals, particularly in Old Goa, however viewing was cut short as we had a Goan Party Cruise awaiting us, with live music, folk dancing & singing.....hahaha......4 kids doing the oki koki in Goan dress & a DJ was not quite what we bargained for, although entertaining it was & allowed for Martina & I to demonstrate our Bhangra dancing skills, much to the delight of the adoring Indian audience!!!

Fearing we'd be asked to join the on-board team for future events, the following morning we made tracks back to the beach......next up Anjuna!! The home of the famous flee market, trance parties & middle aged Italian & Russians in thongs.....aaarrggghh too many men in thongs....am still traumatised!!! We found refuge in a small guesthouse, in which we could hear the sounds of the ocean from our window......marvellous, & remained at the sane end of the beach. Quiet & peaceful again, however the beach was not as pleasant as Palolem & Martina was once almost swept away by the nasty undercurrents of the ocean. Fortunately I was on hand to enforce full Baywatch procedures.

The days were now disappearing & seeing as our train out was further North we chose to spend the last few days in Arambol, the first beach to which the hippies of the 60s era landed. To this day the hippy vibe can still be felt with its laid back style & flower power so far beating off the property developers. But cant be long before Benidorm syndrome takes over!! It was here that we were to witness one of the most bizarre events of the trip, & there had been a few!! Having spent a wonderful day lazing on the beach, watching the world & cows go by, enjoying the odd beer & whatever hippy products may or may not have been available, the unbelievable was to happen. The 2 of us had pondered over how the beaches appeared relatively clean, with Palolem being immaculate, however as we sat enjoying a beer in the cool evening air a young gentleman came out from a beachside cafe, proceeded to dig a 3 foot hole in the sand, empty the full contents of his trash into the hole & then refill with sand......an amazing disregard to the environment & all the poor little fish of the sea!!!! Dumbstruck with confusion the only plausible answer to this we could find was..."hey this is India, & thats just how it is."

Beside this strange incident Arambol proved to be a fine end to our beachtime, but it was now time to board the Indian rail network for the final leg & trundle 12 hours North to Mumbai & back to the start again!!! Was a pleasure to take these 10 days & enjoy the sunshine amongst the holiday makers & a fitting end to an overly interesting adventure!!!!

Kumily & Kerala.....a refreshing change!!!!

Onwards again we moved, further South, & inland a little, to a small town by the name of Kumily. Martina & I were slightly concerned at the ease of travelling by bus here, as we had the luxury of 2 seats to ourselves and a placid driver who calmly sped his way through the hilly tracks to our destination. For sure there were no complaints!!!

Kumily is home to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, and so with our bodies recharged we decided to set out for some tiger spotting. Arising at 6am we made the 4km walk from town to the park which we were told would be a fine opportunty to view wildlife. Tigers maybe not as we'd have been in for some trouble. Unfortunately any chance of animal viewing was crushed by the constant flow of traffic pounding into the park with horns honking & bhangra pop blaring at unappealling decibels. Keeping our spirits high we joined a farcical queue for the boat cruise and fought our way in to purchasing tickets. However, the sum total of animals on show was zero......could maybe learn a thing or two on game park etiquette from our African cousins!!!

The day being Mr Gandhi's birthday & an alcohol free day across the nation we decided to celebrate by watching the sunset from the fine balcony of our homestay.....accompanied by the odd Kingfisher picked up on the sly from a restaurant ever eager to sell to tourists.....good work that man!!!

Time to move on again & a standard 6 hour bus ride brought us to the West coastal town of Fort Cochin (Kochi)......the home of fine fresh fish, crazy Kathakali dances & fascinating disco churches!!!! Was also from Kochi that we ventured out into Keralan backwaters, a number of inland lakes connected by a network of canals. Aboard our man powered house boat we cruised leisurely along, taking in the tranquility, which we so often had to search long & hard for in the North, observing the daily goings on of its inhabitants. Back in Kochi we were to stumble across a fine choice of fresh fish, brought to shore through the use of ancient looking Chinese fishing nets, cooked to our liking at a small but delightful shack by the side of the street.......no need for knives, forks, plates.....just a bowl of fine ocean fodder & our able fingers...naturally we were to return day after day!! What else of Kochi? Of course, the disco churches, with the finest, the Santa Cruz Basilica, located in the centre of the town and yet another religious site with a Disney facelift. This is Kerala, "Gods Own Country" afterall, so why not show it in style!!!! And then the Kathakali, an extraordinary blend of song, dance, poetry, drama, make-up application & traditional ritual......all of which combines to provide a mesmerising experience.....have a look should you ever get the chance!!!!

When the times are so relaxing & events run so smoothly it is sometimes harder to put it into words.....or am I lazy....or have I just forgotten.....writers block perhaps.....am I even a writer???....think I need a holiday!! Regardless, for this past week I feel the experience is best viewed in the photos.....note the smiles & cleanliness of the two of us (well me anyway, as compared to usual).

Next stop Goa & the beach.....should be interesting.....very interesting!!!