Having travelled for over 7 months without any major losses it appeared my luck was coming to an end; when packing up to get off a night train at Delhi I had my handbag stolen containing all of my essential belongings such as passport (and visa), purse (cash and card), camera (irreplaceable pictures), ipod, jewellery, etc... Not exactly the best start to the day but, after filing a police report and making an appointment at the British Embassy, we soldiered on and went to explore the city. Surprisingly the theft didn't dampen our view of the city, which was quite nice and a good place to shop.
The next day we awoke to find at least 7 cockroaches (if not more) crawling around our hotel room; on the bed, floor, and even our bags. Another stressful morning! We left immediately, letting the incredibly rude staff know how we were planning on reviewing their disgusting hotel on trip advisor. We found a much nicer hotel and chilled out, trying to not the stress get to us.
During our stay in Delhi Jonny wanted to find a sitar, so we spent quite a lot of time looking around many different music shops and even some workshops / factories in people's homes where we were practically force fed chai tea and home made snacks. It was quite interesting, and I'm sure my Dad would have enjoyed seeing the different processes of manufacture.
Our meeting at the British Embassy went incredibly well and I was issued an emergency passport in just 4 hours! Unfortunately the visa has not been so easy to acquire, however it is currently being processed and I just have to make sure to pick it up from Delhi before exiting the country.
Even though Delhi has caused us stress and hassle during our stay, I still liked the city and would recommend others to visit.
We then travelled to Rishikesh on another night train. The scenery around our hotel was wonderful, surrounded by mountains. Poor Jonny was ill for a couple of days when we were unfortunately staying in a hotel room without television or wifi.. I read two books in three days!
When he was feeling well enough we rented a scooter to explore the area. It was nice driving around the peaceful mountains taking in the beautiful sights. At one point a donkey (or a mule - I'm not really sure what the difference is) climbed up a hill onto the road behind us and started chasing us! It was right behind us for at least a kilometre! We saw a man walking on his own so I shouted to warn him and he literally dove into the bushes at the side of the road to hide from it! I have heard a statistic that you are more likely to get kicked to death by donkeys than die in an aeroplane crash, but didn't actually think it was true until now..
We met up with Joe who is currently living there doing rafting down the Ganges along with some of his friends. We didn't actually do any rafting (not my sort of thing!) but it was fantastic to meet up with him for a catch up along with some vodka and card games.
I'm not sure if I caught it off Jonny or ate some dodgy food, but I got a stomach bug too.. Great.. After a couple of days eating plain rice and watching reruns on tv we got a taxi back to Delhi as all other forms of transport were booked up over the Easter weekend. We decided to get it overnight to avoid wasting time travelling, forgetting how dangerous Indian roads can be especially in the dark. I dozed for some of the way but Jonny, bless him, kept his eyes on the road the entire time to make sure the driver didn't get tired or make any dangerous driving manoeuvres and we have arrived safe.
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Varanasi & Bodhgaya!
Varanasi lived up to our expectations of being filthy and overcrowded. It is a popular tourist destination for foreigners who want to see the Hindu ceremonies on the river Ganges, yet at the same time a popular place for Indian people to go when they know they are going to die as Varanasi is a holy city making path to heaven easier. Funerals are conducted continuously through day and night on the burning Ghats by the river side. There are a lot of sick people begging on the streets making every trip or exploration around the river slightly depressing. However, Jonny very kindly treated me to a nice hotel with a spa which he had promised as a birthday present meaning we had somewhere lovely to go back to every night with Ayurvedic massage and a steam room.
Every day they conduct cremations on the ghats of the river, lighting each body with a fire which has apparently been kept alight for over 2000 years! We saw some of these cremations taking place but didn't look for long.. It felt a bit distasteful to go and see such a personal experience as if it were a tourist attraction.
We saw a few temples before getting a boat out onto the river at sunset to see the nightly ceremonies worshipping different Hindu gods. We lit candles on beds of flowers which we put in the river to watch them float and many other people did the same making the water look magical. This is called puja.
The next day, we got up before sunrise to take another boat out. The sunrise was beautiful and worth the early start as, like in Agra, there were fewer tourists around. We saw people washing on the banks of the river and others singing or chanting in their daily religious rituals. We were shocked at the rudeness of some tourists who were taking photos and videos of those washing! If somebody filmed me having a bath I would throw their camera in the water!
Next, we travelled to Bodhgaya to see the Bodhi tree under which Buddha apparently got enlightened. The town was a lot smaller and calmer which was a relief after the chaos of Agra and Varanasi. We were also overjoyed then we found a restaurant in a Tibetan monastery which served food which hadn't been drenched in a pint of oil! The further north we go the more often we have our food served swimming in ghee (the fat from butter Indians use as a cooking oil)
The temple was very calm and relaxing with beautiful gardens. Many Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Japan all make pilgrimages to this site to see the famous tree and there were people from all around the world. We attempted to meditate under the tree, but I don't think I am spiritual enough to embrace Buddhism just yet as I got distracted by an ant...
The leaves from the sacred tree are supposedly blessed and lucky, and it was amusing to see all the monks rushing around to grab them whenever the wind blew.
We met some boys who work at an orphanage who showed us around some other holy sites in the area, such as a cave where Buddha meditated without food or water for 6 years.
There hasn't been a lot else to do and unfortunately we have had to stay two days longer than planned as all the trains to Delhi were full but we have still had a lovely time and it has been nice to chill in such a relaxed place.
Every day they conduct cremations on the ghats of the river, lighting each body with a fire which has apparently been kept alight for over 2000 years! We saw some of these cremations taking place but didn't look for long.. It felt a bit distasteful to go and see such a personal experience as if it were a tourist attraction.
We saw a few temples before getting a boat out onto the river at sunset to see the nightly ceremonies worshipping different Hindu gods. We lit candles on beds of flowers which we put in the river to watch them float and many other people did the same making the water look magical. This is called puja.
The next day, we got up before sunrise to take another boat out. The sunrise was beautiful and worth the early start as, like in Agra, there were fewer tourists around. We saw people washing on the banks of the river and others singing or chanting in their daily religious rituals. We were shocked at the rudeness of some tourists who were taking photos and videos of those washing! If somebody filmed me having a bath I would throw their camera in the water!
Next, we travelled to Bodhgaya to see the Bodhi tree under which Buddha apparently got enlightened. The town was a lot smaller and calmer which was a relief after the chaos of Agra and Varanasi. We were also overjoyed then we found a restaurant in a Tibetan monastery which served food which hadn't been drenched in a pint of oil! The further north we go the more often we have our food served swimming in ghee (the fat from butter Indians use as a cooking oil)
The temple was very calm and relaxing with beautiful gardens. Many Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tibet, and Japan all make pilgrimages to this site to see the famous tree and there were people from all around the world. We attempted to meditate under the tree, but I don't think I am spiritual enough to embrace Buddhism just yet as I got distracted by an ant...
The leaves from the sacred tree are supposedly blessed and lucky, and it was amusing to see all the monks rushing around to grab them whenever the wind blew.
We met some boys who work at an orphanage who showed us around some other holy sites in the area, such as a cave where Buddha meditated without food or water for 6 years.
There hasn't been a lot else to do and unfortunately we have had to stay two days longer than planned as all the trains to Delhi were full but we have still had a lovely time and it has been nice to chill in such a relaxed place.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Jodhpur & Agra!
I immediately fell in love with Jodhpur on arrival. Our hotel room was gorgeous, with Indian themed interior design and yet still reasonably priced (900 rupees a night) overlooking a view of the beautiful blue buildings of the city and the fort at the top of it all. It was a good city for shopping for materials, however you need to be aware of shopkeepers lies such as that they produce scarves for Hermes and Burberry. One shopkeeper had even photoshopped a photo of Liz Hurley next to him and his staff!! (He has recently been found to be a fraud by a local newspaper).
We visited the fort which was gorgeous with exquisitely decorated rooms, where we learnt about the most recent Maharaja of Rajasthan who was crowned at just four years old!
The next day was holi; a hindu festival of colour, so after being kept up all night by people playing drums in the streets (we had joined them for a bit but didn't want to stay out too late) we put on some clothes we didn't care about and headed to the streets to find a place serving breakfast. Before we had even eaten we had been pelted by paint and water by children, as well as chased by angry street dogs who were obviously agitated by the festivities. Everywhere was closed so we ended up going back to our hotel for some food and spent an hour or so throwing water balloons outside our window. It was just like being a kid again. We threw some more paint around with the people from the hotel but had been warned not to go too far in the afternoon as the young boys who have had a drink get very touchy feely and rude to girls, using the paint throwing as an excuse to put their hands down womens tops. In the evening the hotel put on some traditional Rajasthani dancing and singing.
Next we travelled to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal! Somebody we met on our travels had told us that when they saw the Taj for the first time it was so beautiful it made them cry.. It didn't quite have that effect on me but it did make me stop in my tracks speechless for a second or two. There are lots of rooftop restaurants so you can get a good look without actually having to pay to go inside the grounds. When we did spend a day inside we got up before sunrise; meaning we had an early start of around 5am! It was completely worth it though as we got there before most other tourists and saw how the marble changed colour through different parts of the day. It is definitely the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Agra however was not so nice; the streets are so hectic, you can't walk a few metres without rickshaw and cycle drivers pestering you to take a look at their friends shop but I guess this is to be expected from the city with one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.
We then continued on the tourist trail to Varanasi to see the Hindu ceremonies being performed on the ghats of the holy river Ganges.
We visited the fort which was gorgeous with exquisitely decorated rooms, where we learnt about the most recent Maharaja of Rajasthan who was crowned at just four years old!
The next day was holi; a hindu festival of colour, so after being kept up all night by people playing drums in the streets (we had joined them for a bit but didn't want to stay out too late) we put on some clothes we didn't care about and headed to the streets to find a place serving breakfast. Before we had even eaten we had been pelted by paint and water by children, as well as chased by angry street dogs who were obviously agitated by the festivities. Everywhere was closed so we ended up going back to our hotel for some food and spent an hour or so throwing water balloons outside our window. It was just like being a kid again. We threw some more paint around with the people from the hotel but had been warned not to go too far in the afternoon as the young boys who have had a drink get very touchy feely and rude to girls, using the paint throwing as an excuse to put their hands down womens tops. In the evening the hotel put on some traditional Rajasthani dancing and singing.
Next we travelled to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal! Somebody we met on our travels had told us that when they saw the Taj for the first time it was so beautiful it made them cry.. It didn't quite have that effect on me but it did make me stop in my tracks speechless for a second or two. There are lots of rooftop restaurants so you can get a good look without actually having to pay to go inside the grounds. When we did spend a day inside we got up before sunrise; meaning we had an early start of around 5am! It was completely worth it though as we got there before most other tourists and saw how the marble changed colour through different parts of the day. It is definitely the most beautiful building I have ever seen. Agra however was not so nice; the streets are so hectic, you can't walk a few metres without rickshaw and cycle drivers pestering you to take a look at their friends shop but I guess this is to be expected from the city with one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world.
We then continued on the tourist trail to Varanasi to see the Hindu ceremonies being performed on the ghats of the holy river Ganges.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Gujarat!
Night buses are usually our preferred method of transport around India, as it is cheap, relatively comfortable and means that most importantly we don't waste days of our journey on the road. The trip to Ahmedabad however was one of our worst. The bumpy roads meant we were constantly being thrown around and there were several occasions I feared I would actually be thrown off the top bunk of the bus. When we woke up properly from our restless nights sleep we woke to what seemed like a different era. Instead if the British-Indian style architecture and hustle and bustle of the busy modern streets of Mumbai there were people riding camels and horse drawn carts. We were knackered, and relieved when we found a cheap, clean, quiet hotel. After finding some food we retired to our room to watch a film and drink the small bottle of Indian whiskey we had smuggled into Gujarat. (It is a dry state- no alcohol)
The next day we travelled to Bhuj in Kutch. It is renowned for it's handicrafts, so after seeing some amazing things being sold all over India from Gujarat we wanted to see where some of it was made and meet some of the talented workers. On our first day we saw some villages which are government funded to give people living in rural places which used to be self sufficient a place to trade their work and keep their culture alive.
We rented a moped and went on an adventure which took us to an ashram hindu temple. We sat under a tree in the shade and drank chai tea whilst chatting with the people who lived there. They offered us food and to sleep there, but as kind as their offer was we had to refuse as we wanted to continue exploring the area, and the next day we had a camel ride in the desert booked.
The camel ride was amazing. We rode out to the white desert; White because the ground is rich with calcium chloride. It looked like snow under our feet. We had a guide who led the camel out, but on the way back we were left on our own a be jumped in a car and left us to it on the way back. Afterwards we saw some more villages but it can feel awkward walking into somebodies home, often whilst they are busy working, eating, or looking after children, and so as we had such an early start that morning we called it a day to get some rest before our journey to Rajasthan.
Gujarat was an amazing experience. We saw beautiful things and great people.
The next day we travelled to Bhuj in Kutch. It is renowned for it's handicrafts, so after seeing some amazing things being sold all over India from Gujarat we wanted to see where some of it was made and meet some of the talented workers. On our first day we saw some villages which are government funded to give people living in rural places which used to be self sufficient a place to trade their work and keep their culture alive.
We rented a moped and went on an adventure which took us to an ashram hindu temple. We sat under a tree in the shade and drank chai tea whilst chatting with the people who lived there. They offered us food and to sleep there, but as kind as their offer was we had to refuse as we wanted to continue exploring the area, and the next day we had a camel ride in the desert booked.
The camel ride was amazing. We rode out to the white desert; White because the ground is rich with calcium chloride. It looked like snow under our feet. We had a guide who led the camel out, but on the way back we were left on our own a be jumped in a car and left us to it on the way back. Afterwards we saw some more villages but it can feel awkward walking into somebodies home, often whilst they are busy working, eating, or looking after children, and so as we had such an early start that morning we called it a day to get some rest before our journey to Rajasthan.
Gujarat was an amazing experience. We saw beautiful things and great people.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Mumbai!
I am currently reading Shantaram and so was excited to visit the city in which the book is set. Gregory David Roberts describes the first time he ever reached Mumbai (or Bombay as it was then) and how he smelt freedom and it was wonderful, but to be honest the first thing that I smelt was poo.
On the day of our arrival we visited an art gallery and wandered around the city, drinking beer whilst watching cricket at a local sports centre before going out for a nice meal.
The next day we decided to take a trip to Dhiravi; the slum area in which the film Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. It is absolutely huge and so we didn't explore too deep, but were surprised at how the area functions so well. Jonny was the only one to brave the public toilets, yet reported back that they were some of the cleanest he has seen in India. Despite this, it was very shocking to see the conditions that some people grow up in; watching young children running around playing with rubbish on the street wearing nothing whatsoever apart from a t-shirt. We also saw some of the toilets used in the film, dropping straight over the river. I have used some disgusting toilets on my travels, but all safe in the knowledge I can return home to a lovely clean white loo. These people don't have this luxury.
The next day we took a trip to Elephanta Island to see the ancient caves built into the hillside by monks, some over a thousand years ago. It was a nice day out, however a bit of a tourist trap where we were constantly having to pay more and more each step of the way. It also gets annoying when most tourist attractions charge foreign visitors so much more than Indians. We were charged 250 rupees whilst Indians pay just 10. I'm happy to pay a bit more, yet to pay the equivalent of 25 Indian people's entry seems a bit over the top.
When the ferry got back to the mainland we visited the bar Leopolds; written about in Shantaram for some beers and chicken before our night bus to Ahmedabad.
When we arrived for the bus it turned out it was delayed by over an hour leaving us stood next to an overflowing bin. The smell was unbelievable. I was angry yet felt bad to complain as we were stood where the travel office was situated. The people organising our travel had to put up with the smell every day.
When the bus finally arrived we were very happy to leave Mumbai.
On the day of our arrival we visited an art gallery and wandered around the city, drinking beer whilst watching cricket at a local sports centre before going out for a nice meal.
The next day we decided to take a trip to Dhiravi; the slum area in which the film Slumdog Millionaire was filmed. It is absolutely huge and so we didn't explore too deep, but were surprised at how the area functions so well. Jonny was the only one to brave the public toilets, yet reported back that they were some of the cleanest he has seen in India. Despite this, it was very shocking to see the conditions that some people grow up in; watching young children running around playing with rubbish on the street wearing nothing whatsoever apart from a t-shirt. We also saw some of the toilets used in the film, dropping straight over the river. I have used some disgusting toilets on my travels, but all safe in the knowledge I can return home to a lovely clean white loo. These people don't have this luxury.
The next day we took a trip to Elephanta Island to see the ancient caves built into the hillside by monks, some over a thousand years ago. It was a nice day out, however a bit of a tourist trap where we were constantly having to pay more and more each step of the way. It also gets annoying when most tourist attractions charge foreign visitors so much more than Indians. We were charged 250 rupees whilst Indians pay just 10. I'm happy to pay a bit more, yet to pay the equivalent of 25 Indian people's entry seems a bit over the top.
When the ferry got back to the mainland we visited the bar Leopolds; written about in Shantaram for some beers and chicken before our night bus to Ahmedabad.
When we arrived for the bus it turned out it was delayed by over an hour leaving us stood next to an overflowing bin. The smell was unbelievable. I was angry yet felt bad to complain as we were stood where the travel office was situated. The people organising our travel had to put up with the smell every day.
When the bus finally arrived we were very happy to leave Mumbai.
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Bangalore, Hampi & Goa!
It was lovely to meet up with Josh and Kieron, and after spending a couple more days in Cochin sunbathing on the beach and exploring antique shops we decided to continue our journey north. We had been recommended by many people a stay in Hampi, and when we were booking transport it had seemed a great idea to break up the journey by stopping in Bangalore on the way. We took a non air conditioned second class sleeper train which wasn't the most pleasant experience but travelling overnight meant we didn't lose a day exploring. Bangalore however was a bit of a disappointment. There was not a lot to do and the city was spread quite far apart. We also happened to stay in the most disgusting hotel I have ever seen with suspicious dark stains on the walls. We entertained ourselves with museums and aquariums but I definitely would not recommend visiting the city unless for business purposes. We were happy to leave the next day on a night bus to Hampi.
Hampi was gorgeous. The scenery is magical with huge rocks littered across the landscape. On our first day we rented bicycles to explore one of The nearby temples. The roads were so clear that by the following day we felt confident enough to rent scooters (I hopped on the back of Jonny's). We did this for a couple of days travelling down the country roads passing small villages and workers in fields and rice paddies. Every night the hotels and restaurants show different movies where we could recline on cushions on the floor eating and drinking beer. It is impossible to be stressed in Hampi!
We had been sleeping in some serious budget accommodation however me and Jonny moved to a much more comfortable hotel when we discovered squirrels were invading our room gnawing on closed packets of biscuits and rubbish out the bin. The price difference was definitely worth it as we had hot showers and woke up every morning overlooking some rice paddies. The only things wrong there were the frogs living in our toilet and the time a big poisonous spider came in our room.. Luckily we were saved by our friend Vishal who was not frightened to gra the spider with his bare hands!
After a few days we took another night bus to Goa. Our first stop was Anjuna which was great for lounging around on the beach in the day and partying at night. Unfortunately we chose a bad time to visit as it is election season and there is meant to be a curfew of 10pm. There was always still somewhere open until the early hours of the morning though. Walking home was always a mission after a few drinks on a night out. We inevitably got lost every night. The stray dogs take ownership of the town at night which was quite scary. I would walk in between the boys as they held rocks just incase we had to defend ourselves.
When we had enough of touristy Anjuna where we could not spend half an hour on the beach without being hassled to buy things, we travelled South to Palolem for a more chilled out beach experience. The beach was gorgeous and there were campfires every night. We were staying in beach houses right on the shore which were painted in bright colours making them look like doll houses. It would have been more fun living like barbie and ken if they had hot water!
We rented out kayaks on one day and went out on the sea to explore a nearby island but just made it around a big rock. Still a good effort though...
We took scooters out on another day and went to see a big fort nearby. When walking around there were loads of monkeys. They were fascinating to see in such a wild area, but I was scared if getting too close incase they felt threatened by us and attacked.
Me and Jonny then left Josh and Kieran to travel north to Mumbai. I had a great time with them and am looking forward to a reunion at an Indian restaurant when we get back to the midlands.
Hampi was gorgeous. The scenery is magical with huge rocks littered across the landscape. On our first day we rented bicycles to explore one of The nearby temples. The roads were so clear that by the following day we felt confident enough to rent scooters (I hopped on the back of Jonny's). We did this for a couple of days travelling down the country roads passing small villages and workers in fields and rice paddies. Every night the hotels and restaurants show different movies where we could recline on cushions on the floor eating and drinking beer. It is impossible to be stressed in Hampi!
We had been sleeping in some serious budget accommodation however me and Jonny moved to a much more comfortable hotel when we discovered squirrels were invading our room gnawing on closed packets of biscuits and rubbish out the bin. The price difference was definitely worth it as we had hot showers and woke up every morning overlooking some rice paddies. The only things wrong there were the frogs living in our toilet and the time a big poisonous spider came in our room.. Luckily we were saved by our friend Vishal who was not frightened to gra the spider with his bare hands!
After a few days we took another night bus to Goa. Our first stop was Anjuna which was great for lounging around on the beach in the day and partying at night. Unfortunately we chose a bad time to visit as it is election season and there is meant to be a curfew of 10pm. There was always still somewhere open until the early hours of the morning though. Walking home was always a mission after a few drinks on a night out. We inevitably got lost every night. The stray dogs take ownership of the town at night which was quite scary. I would walk in between the boys as they held rocks just incase we had to defend ourselves.
When we had enough of touristy Anjuna where we could not spend half an hour on the beach without being hassled to buy things, we travelled South to Palolem for a more chilled out beach experience. The beach was gorgeous and there were campfires every night. We were staying in beach houses right on the shore which were painted in bright colours making them look like doll houses. It would have been more fun living like barbie and ken if they had hot water!
We rented out kayaks on one day and went out on the sea to explore a nearby island but just made it around a big rock. Still a good effort though...
We took scooters out on another day and went to see a big fort nearby. When walking around there were loads of monkeys. They were fascinating to see in such a wild area, but I was scared if getting too close incase they felt threatened by us and attacked.
Me and Jonny then left Josh and Kieran to travel north to Mumbai. I had a great time with them and am looking forward to a reunion at an Indian restaurant when we get back to the midlands.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Kerala!
I was so excited to meet Becki and Tom in Cochin. We all get along so well I knew we were definitely going to have an amazing time. We met up in Fort Cochin which is a quiet, touristy area. We even found a really nice (and cheap) hotel called Tom's mansion! Perfect! This was a good place to visit first as we could catch up on the past few months apart whilst eating good food, and drinking alcohol from the government shop. The shop is a surreal place; as alcohol is (meant to be) illegal for sale in restaurants and cafes in the state of Kerala, the only place it is available is at the state shop. People visiting cover their faces, change their clothes and hide the alcohol in their trousers once they have bought it because it is seen as so shameful to be seen buying.
Poor Becki's luggage gad got lost on her flight over and sent to Melbourne!! But once we had it back we took a trip up the mountains to a town called Munnar. The bus ride there was so scary! The driver seemed to have forgotten he had other people's lives in his hands and was racing other buses up windey thin mountain roads. Even the locals were gripping the edges of their seats and gasping with terror. When we got there the views were worth the bus ride from hell. We had a couple of much needed beers before a meal and an early night ready to go on a 'reliable tour' the next day. Our tour guide was hilarious, and quite obviously making a lot of stuff up on the way but we didn't mind and had a wonderful time. We went on an elephant ride up a hill and saw scenery which I thought looked like something from 'the sound of music'. Afterwards we walked through some (snake infested... According to Becki hehe) tea plantations. We saw some kathakali traditional Indian dance performance which was quite odd and seemed to be based mainly around strange facial expressions.
The next day we decided to travel south to Allepey where we were going to see the Keralan backwaters. After our traumatic drive up the mountain we gave the bus a miss instead getting a taxi. The difference in cost was extreme (300 rupees for all of us on the bus or 3000 in a taxi) but we felt our safety was worth the money and it turns out we definitely spent our money wisely as we saw a bus crash on the way down. However, after seeing another crash on the roads it seems our luck was running out and we had a collision of our own. A drunk man was walking along a dual carriageway drunk and facing the wrong direction whilst on his mobile phone and despite all our drivers efforts our car hit him. He got straight back up without any serious injuries, and the most damage was done to the car behind us which hit our behind as our car braked. We were a bit shaken up but just glad to be safe and sound when we reached our hotel.
The next day we took a small boat out for the day and saw some beautiful sights. We saw lots of wildlife as well as people from smaller towns washing their clothes and dishes in the river whilst listening to fat freds. It was gorgeous.
After Allepey we took a train down to Varkalar to spend a few days by the beach. We met some lovely people who ran a restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the first night where we shared many cocktails and stories. The next morning Jonny woke me up early and we went for a morning stroll on the beach before breakfast. When we met up with Becki and Tom we all saw wild dolphins swimming in the sea from a cafe on the beach. They were beautiful!
We sunbathed all day before going back to the restaurant we had been to the night before for a snapper which they had caught for us that morning. They had kept it alive in a pond and sacraficed it along with a crab for our dinner whilst we were there; the freshest fish I have ever eaten! It was delicious.
The next morning whilst enjoying our morning stroll, me and Jonny saw some ceremonies going on at the far left side of the beach. It turns out the ocean is holy and many people have their funerals there, with their ashes being thrown into the sea. Afterwards the children of the family all danced in the waves. It looked like a lovely way to be celebrated. After another chilled out day on the beach, we all watched the sunset together before an open mic night. We had an amazing night. Jonny played guitar with some other musicians and we all drank cocktails and sang along until the early hours.
We spent another couple of days chilling on the beach enjoying each others company and swimming in the ocean before the sad day came when we had to travel back to Cochin for Becki and Tom to get their flight home. We went back to Tom's mansion and spent the evening listening to a sitar and tablar show. It was so relaxing!
The next day Josh and Kieron arrived and we went to a festival at a local temple where they dressed up elephants and put on a but of a performance. They then set off fireworks on the street which actually just happened to be pots of gunpowder. It was surreal!
I was very sad to see Becki and Tom leave, as we had such a fantastic time. Kerala has to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world I have been lucky enough to see.
Poor Becki's luggage gad got lost on her flight over and sent to Melbourne!! But once we had it back we took a trip up the mountains to a town called Munnar. The bus ride there was so scary! The driver seemed to have forgotten he had other people's lives in his hands and was racing other buses up windey thin mountain roads. Even the locals were gripping the edges of their seats and gasping with terror. When we got there the views were worth the bus ride from hell. We had a couple of much needed beers before a meal and an early night ready to go on a 'reliable tour' the next day. Our tour guide was hilarious, and quite obviously making a lot of stuff up on the way but we didn't mind and had a wonderful time. We went on an elephant ride up a hill and saw scenery which I thought looked like something from 'the sound of music'. Afterwards we walked through some (snake infested... According to Becki hehe) tea plantations. We saw some kathakali traditional Indian dance performance which was quite odd and seemed to be based mainly around strange facial expressions.
The next day we decided to travel south to Allepey where we were going to see the Keralan backwaters. After our traumatic drive up the mountain we gave the bus a miss instead getting a taxi. The difference in cost was extreme (300 rupees for all of us on the bus or 3000 in a taxi) but we felt our safety was worth the money and it turns out we definitely spent our money wisely as we saw a bus crash on the way down. However, after seeing another crash on the roads it seems our luck was running out and we had a collision of our own. A drunk man was walking along a dual carriageway drunk and facing the wrong direction whilst on his mobile phone and despite all our drivers efforts our car hit him. He got straight back up without any serious injuries, and the most damage was done to the car behind us which hit our behind as our car braked. We were a bit shaken up but just glad to be safe and sound when we reached our hotel.
The next day we took a small boat out for the day and saw some beautiful sights. We saw lots of wildlife as well as people from smaller towns washing their clothes and dishes in the river whilst listening to fat freds. It was gorgeous.
After Allepey we took a train down to Varkalar to spend a few days by the beach. We met some lovely people who ran a restaurant on the cliffs overlooking the ocean on the first night where we shared many cocktails and stories. The next morning Jonny woke me up early and we went for a morning stroll on the beach before breakfast. When we met up with Becki and Tom we all saw wild dolphins swimming in the sea from a cafe on the beach. They were beautiful!
We sunbathed all day before going back to the restaurant we had been to the night before for a snapper which they had caught for us that morning. They had kept it alive in a pond and sacraficed it along with a crab for our dinner whilst we were there; the freshest fish I have ever eaten! It was delicious.
The next morning whilst enjoying our morning stroll, me and Jonny saw some ceremonies going on at the far left side of the beach. It turns out the ocean is holy and many people have their funerals there, with their ashes being thrown into the sea. Afterwards the children of the family all danced in the waves. It looked like a lovely way to be celebrated. After another chilled out day on the beach, we all watched the sunset together before an open mic night. We had an amazing night. Jonny played guitar with some other musicians and we all drank cocktails and sang along until the early hours.
We spent another couple of days chilling on the beach enjoying each others company and swimming in the ocean before the sad day came when we had to travel back to Cochin for Becki and Tom to get their flight home. We went back to Tom's mansion and spent the evening listening to a sitar and tablar show. It was so relaxing!
The next day Josh and Kieron arrived and we went to a festival at a local temple where they dressed up elephants and put on a but of a performance. They then set off fireworks on the street which actually just happened to be pots of gunpowder. It was surreal!
I was very sad to see Becki and Tom leave, as we had such a fantastic time. Kerala has to be one of the most beautiful areas of the world I have been lucky enough to see.
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