Day 0 - London Heathrow > Doha > Delhi - Sunday the 7th of JanuaryThe journey to London was okay, I managed to fall asleep a little on the way there, although that meant I felt a little sick from sleep deprevation at the airport, however I was cured by drinking a lot of water before I got on the plane.
The plane journey its self went smoothly. Qatar airways provide a comfy service, with tentative hostesses and the inflight entertainment isn't bad at all. Watched The Queen and Jaws, for old times sake.
I thought The Queen was very good and interesting. Great casting as well. Jaws was funny as ever, but I managed to gasp really loudly when this dead body popped up, that I wasn't expecting, causing some people on the plane to turn around, haha, whoops.
We arrived at Doha airport (where we had to change, to go to Delhi) at 9PM GMT/12am local time.
A very clean, but small, airport. One of the first things Jay and I see is a Costa! You go all this way and that's what I get.. And yes, for those that know my Costa fetish, I did have a frescato.
Doha to Delhi was a three and a half hour flight. I managed to sleep a little (as well as on the flight from London to Doha), but still felt very tired when we did eventually get to Delhi. The second flight wasn't very exciting. I put the Hulk on, on the inflight, to fall asleep to and what I did see of it was utter pap. Glad I didn't bother to rent that one.
They served us breakfast on the plane; my first taste of traditional Indian food, as I went for the trad breakfast. It wasn't bad for plane food, I guess.
Day 1 - Delhi - Monday the 8th of JanuaryFinally we arrived at Delhi 9:10am local time (3:30am GMT!), i.e. Monday morning.
Our luggage took ages to come through on the belt, which was minorly stressful (would have been more so had Jay and I not been too tired to worry). We didn't have any tags on our luggage with our name on, so had they gone missing we may not have been able to get them back.
After our lugagge drama we met our driver, Ram, who told us we needed to wait for the agent, who was stuck in traffic (they arrive separately), so we had a sit down in the airport. A stark contrast to Doha! Doha all new, shiny, clean and quiet (at night). Delhi old, somewhat dirty and extremely busy!
Pawan, our agent, arrived after a short while and he went through the details of our trip to Varanasi, as well as giving us the relevant vouchers.
Once we were all clued up Ram took us to the car park where our car awaited us.. A fantastic old ambassador classic, in pure white! One of the best cars I've travelled in so far. The design is so lovely and its very robust. Just what you need on the India roads. I'd heard they were mental and that's putting it lightly.
Its fascinating, but you are taking your life into your own hands. All of the cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, tuc tuc's and some 4x4s continously nearly hit each other. Often missing each other by an inch, sometimes less. I have also discovered that the Dutch are relatively normal, compared to Indian's, in their bike antics. During the car journey from the airport to the hotel I saw:
1) A man carrying three gas bottles, strapped to the back of his bike. Subsequently I have seen bikes with 5/6 on the back!
2) Someone cylcing up the wrong side of the road.
3) Three people (a family) on a moped. (Subsequent to that there have two or so occasions where I've seen 4 family members on one bike - two adults and two children)
The roads are very noisy as everyone beeps at each other, but unlike the UK it is far from aggresive. More of a friendly way to let other drivers know that you are there.
We got to our hotel alive, thanks to Ram and his fairly careful driving.
Its mediocre, but not as simple as I expected. Situated in the busy area of Karol Barg. We had a little nap, after we arrived, because Jay and I knew we wouldn't make it through the whole day without one.
Afterwards we ventured to an emporium on a tuc tuc. If cars are unsafe then tuc tucs are a little like riding a rollercoaster with only a bit of rope to keep you in. Despite this it is an extremely exhilarating experience, so long as you don't worry too much about dying, or falling out.
The emporium was interesting. A nice introduction to what to expect.
Somehow we got back to the hotel (via tuc tuc, again) despite the tuc tuc driving taking us to the wrong hotel to start with. Jay and I both slept a bit more but unsurprisingly I was still tired.
That evening we walked down the road (another mega dangerous thing as pavements are a rare find) to the market(s). It was very busy with hundreds of people milling about, lots of sellers shouting to try and entice people to buy their goods and most of them particularly trying to lure Jay and I to buy something. We stick out like sore thumbs and its obvious we have more money to spend than your average local.
Most of the time, when on the street near markets/sellers, you have to bat off every one of them, as they are so eager to sell you something. Unfortunately this is the product of poverty, but its become second nature, after only a few days, to remain unfazed.
Jay and I stopped for a bite to eat in a cafe. We ordered two meals (pakora), a coke and fanta for less than £1. It was the first pakora, so far, and I wasn't very impressed, although the filling was nice.
After that we wondered around a little more. I saw a small boy sitting in a pile of rubbish being very particular in putting on his new pair of shoes, bless him! There are so many ironic sights like this that I would like to photograph but its difficult to whip out your camera all of the time.
Weather report:The pollution here is terrible. It is a constant mist everywhere!
Delhi is also much colder than anticipated. According to the news north India is experiencing a particularly cold January. Temps are up to 7c below normal. Thankfully down south is still toasty, so I may come back brown after all.
Day 2 - Delhi - Tuesday the 9th of JanuaryManaged to get to sleep at 9:30PM, slept until 12:30am, then woke up briefly but went back to sleep not long after, only to wake up once more, before Jay and I rose that morning. Felt very refreshed from sleeping, after all that traveling, and had high hopes for keeping jet lag at bay.
We ate breakfast in our room because the restaurant was closed, for some reason. Jay and I had toast (much sweeter than bread in the UK), tea (tasted mostly of chlorine, yuck!) and an omlette (thankfully yummy).
Then we made our way up the road and through some back streets of Karol Bagh. A little more different than going via the main roads as you see more of peoples lives, going about their routine.
After we were fed up with walking Jay and I got a tuc tuc to another emporium (mostly because the driver was desperate to make us go there, in case we bought anything he gets commission, but we figured we might as well have a browse), although I think I have seen enough of carpets for now.
Finally we got to the centre of New Delhi, a complex of circles. We walked around these for a good few hours. I got a pair of levi jeans from the Levi store for the equvilent of 22 pounds (Rs 1599), a bargain since they'd retail at £40+ at home. Everything is so cheap here anyway. Its incredible.
Lunch was spent at a chinese restaurant called Zen. I had sweet and sour crispy fried noodles, so yummy. But the portions were ridiculous. Jay and I ordered a dish each but the amount of food we got would have easily gone around four people and in total it cost about 5 pounds for everything.
I also tasted the delights of a 'Fresh Lime Soda' for the first time and have subsequently become addicted.
After we decided to leave the shopping in New Delhi in favour of a tuc tuc to the Red Fort, the Ghandi part of town (his gardens and also the memorial place where he was burnt) and then go back to the hotel, but our tuc tuc driver didn't have great English skills, so we only got to see the sights from the road. We nearly made it to the Ghandi bit but they won't let tuc tuc drivers stop near there, so it was useless. One of the perils of tuc tucs is the lack of communication and their eagerness to take you to another bloody emporium.
Somehow we made it back to the right hotel, had a quick snack at a cafe (where I ate pistachio ice cream that came with [radioactive?] neon green goo), collected our stuff and went to New Delhi station, by tuc tuc. We had been advised by the agent to get a coolie. This is someone who carries your baggage and sees you onto the right carriage, on the right train, like a porter. So we took his advice and hired a chap for Rs 80, who carried Jay's suitcase on his head. As we walked into New Delhi station Jay and I realised how insanely complex, and big, it actually is. 12 platforms in total, with most instructions in Hindi, not forgetting the few hundred Indians milling about!
Thank God for our coolie. What a pro. Instantly knew which platform that we needed to be on, for the over night train to Varanasi, and he got us onto the right train, safe and sound. He even carried our baggage on. A mighty fine service for just over £1.
The train journey was quite an experience. We had a brief chat with the two guys who were next to us, as well as watching the world go by. At 9:10PM we pulled down our bunks and by 9:30PM I was cosy in bed. I slept until 12:30am, but woke desperate for the loo. Something I was eager to avoid because it was just a hole on the floor. I braved it, and hooray, I found a 'western' hole, i.e. a toilet, but no flushing system. Fine by me - was hugely relieved in both senses of the word.
Went back to bed quite elated (from relief) and I couldn't sleep for a little while, so I made use of my iPod and played Zuma under the bed covers.
I nodded off after a while, only waking up once more, before getting up at 6:30am. I use the term 'getting up' loosely, really I lounged in bed until gone 7am, because noone else was being very active. I watched the world go by, through the window, looking at rural India. I saw countless people squatting in the fields, peeing or pooing. An interesting sight to wake up to!
Day 3 - Varanasi - Wednesday the 10th of January:We arrived at the station and set about finding our transfer and agent. Whilst we waited we got harassed for money by begging children. You have to keep refusing until they go away, because if you give to one many then flock around you wanting some.
After a little while we found our agent, and transfer, who took us to our hotel, which is only a few minutes down the road from the station. Jay thought the place in Delhi wasn't up to scratch and I could see what he meant when we arrived at our hotel, in Varansi. It's like a palace in comparison! We had some breakfast, which was the best meal I'd eaten so far. I ate various things, including an extremely delicious omlette.
After our lovely breakfast we ventured into town on a tuc tuc. There seems to be a little more poverty (and rubbish) here, which is what I expected. But our hotel is in a less busier area, which is nice. We got back safe and sound to the hotel and watched the world go by from our hotel window, as it faces the busy street below.
At 5PM we met our guide in the hotel lobby who took us on a mini tour. We went, by car, to the very holy and scared, Ganges river. There was to be the daily prayer and burning ritual. The guide took us in a boat, rowed by a lovely boy, down the river, where the scared cremation takes place. Bodies are first dipped in the river (as its holy and cleansing) and then burnt on individual fires which are made. You couldn't see any burning body parts, just the clusters of infernos. Definitely not as horrid as I expected!
We rowed back up stream to where we started as the prayer session was about to take place. Hundred of hindus (and tourists) gathered to pray (and watch). Seven priests conduct the service which includes chanting, clapping, music, fire and, of course, prayers.
Got back to the hotel and attempted to eat some dinner, but I didn't feel very well, so I only ate a bit of rice. I was in bed by 9:30PM again and this time managed to sleep through. Woke up feeling alright, thankfully! No illness, so far and I'd like to keep it that way.
Day 4 - Varanasi - Thursday the 11th of January:Met the tour guide in the lobby at an ungodly hour of 6am, who took us by car to the river again where we got a boat down the opposite way to where we went yesterday. Loads of people bathing in the river, of a morning its seen as very cleansing and as I said before; very holy. Its chilly in the mornings but everyone was undeterred by the freezing water and some were even swimming. After our boat trip we took a brief look at the golden temple, which is what it says on the tin; a temple made out of gold. You can't get very close to it though because they are trying not to ruin it. We saw just one peak!
Afterwards we picked the car up again and drove around particular places of interest, in Varanasi, including a busy wholesale fruit and veg market and a Hindu temple, inside there was a carved map of India, made out of marble, which was pretty amazing.
Eventually we got back to the hotel at 8:45am (the streets get busy at 9am) and had another scrummy breakfast.
We relaxed in our room until it was time for the second part of the tour, at 1PM. First we went across town to
Sarnarth, the place where Budda gave his first sermon. It's considered one of the four holy places in relation to Budda and Buddism, often visited by people on pilgrimages.
It was a beautiful day, very sunny, and we had a great time walking around the gardens, where there were some monks wondering around.
After our walk we went to the museum which was interesting, one of the better ones. Soon we returned to the hustle and bustle of Varanasi, stopping at a glass bead emporium on the way. We said a final goodbye to our Varanasi tour guide, who wore a furry hat on cold mornings.
Jay and I had a snack in our room and I dozed for most of the evening, vaguely watching HBO, an American channel, which showed awful films. Somehow I did actually get to sleep properly, despite dozing for five hours, at 10PM.
Day 5 - Varanasi - Friday the 12th of January:Had a mini lie in (9am), got a shower, checked out of the hotel and ventured into town. First stop the travel agents to look at flights down south. Once we checked prices Jay and I got a cycle rickshaw, to the centre, the first one I attempted, which was so scary. Its really like you're going to fall off. I much prefer tuc tuc's! Although it is somewhat nice to be out in the open air, you do feel too exposed.
We had a wonder around the markets, by the ganges, again and walked around the narrow back streets for bloody ages, at least an hour and a half. We were looking for the German bakery and eventually we found it. It was actually worth all the wondering, because they served half frozen sprites, mm, yummy!
We attempted to get a cycle rickshaw back to the hotel which was easier said than done. It proved to be a right ordeal because the rickshaw driver wasn't entirely sure where our hotel was, but after 40 minutes of him trying his best, we got there, much to everyones relief.
We had to catch the train that evening, so we were on a time scale, but it ended happily, thankfully. Before we left for the train station we booked our flights, so that is all settled.
Jay and I departed at 6PM to catch our train from Varanasi to new Delhi station. When Jay and I got on the train we found we were seated/sleeping in the same compartment as 5 from the group we were hooking up with, the next day, to start the tour. We had loads of fun getting to know each other.
The five are:
Maddy and Dave - From Wales, run a caravan park, and only live an hour away from Jay.
Roma and Chad - American's from Alaska, had a total culture shock coming to India since they'd never been outside America before.
Matt - An Aussie traveling on his own, whose done a fair bit of traveling before.
Everyone seems really nice and we spent the evening chatting. Our tour leader, Bicki, is hilarious. A complete mentalist who had us playing crazy games until well past our bed time!
Day 6 - Delhi (again) - Saturday the 13th of January:We check back into the hotel, have breakfast and decide that the six of us (excluding Matt who doesn't feel very well) would do some extra sightseeing. Bicki organised a car for us and we went to a tomb. Can't remember the bloody name of it but it was interesting and we had fun walking in the sun. After that we went to a palace, mini Taj Mahal apparently, which was pretty. Then we went to the Lotus temple which was nice, despite it being obviously modern (and looking like a vague copy of the Sydney Opera house). We all looked inside and in the information centre.
That evening we went to the market where the whole group formed. There are 15 of us in total. It was great fun getting to know each other. Besides the 5 there are:
Margaret: A crazy American, who lives in New York. She's a flight attendant, and a Leo, who has so many Adele tendencies its hilarious.
Hannah: From Norway, studying law. She has done a lot of traveling despite being in her early twenties.
Daniel and Carola: From Zurich. They are starting their world tour with this north India tour. They keep themselves to themselves but are clearly very nice.
Kaz: Another young twentysomething, from London, also a law student. She's crazy, we have a similar sense of humour and coincidentally we both keep our rupees in plastic bags.
Anna: From Ireland. She's retired but very eccentric and funny.
Anne and Ash: Mother and daughter, also from Ireland. Haven't chatted to them that much but they both appear to be up for madness.
So yep, thats the group, quite a mixed bunch, from everywhere!
Day 7 - Delhi (to Agra) - Sunday the 14th of January:We had a very early morning (i.e. leaving at 6am) to catch the train from Delhi to Agra. It was quite cold in the morning again and it was even more freezing on the train because none of the windows shut tight. I had a cup of chai tea to warm me up, which was nice. All of us had more fun chatting and watching the world go by. When it was time to get off it was a nightmare because of people trying to hop in the seats we were getting out of before we'd got our luggage from underneath them! It was so, so hectic and crazy. We eventually got off, somehow, and we got the coach which took us to our hotel. We had a little while before our excursion to the Taj Mahal so we (thats Maddy, Dave, Margaret, Anna, Jay and I) went to the red fort which was amazing. Very vast and beautiful. I got asked to be in three photos by India families, because they are so fascinated by blonde Westners!
We got back to the hotel and ate lunch at Pizza Hut, which was next door to the hotel. There ended up being a big debate over a picture of a pudding on the menu. Some people thought the picture was of Ebony and Ivory and some thought it was the chocolate brownie special. Typical madness from the bunch of traveling lunatics.
At 3:15 we left for the Taj. Everyone was quite excited. We got our tourbus to the entrance and then got on the battery bus which takes you near the Taj, since they don't allow any cars/bikes which may damage the Taj with pollution. After much faffing we got there and ooh-ed and ahh-ed, as well as loads of pictures.
Some of the India's were quite violent about getting people out of their pictures out of the Taj, which was hysterical to watch.
Kaz, Hannah and I wondered around together. We went into the Taj its self which was actually quite disgusting because it smelt gross. You have to take your shoes off our wear shoe coverings and as a result it smelt of cheesy feet! Unbelievably the three of us agreed that that will be one of our lasting memories of the Taj, haha.
When we came out of their we proceeded to get stalked by Indian men. At one point three seperate groups were all staring at us and one group even decided to stalk us around the grounds of the Taj. But there you go, we are so fascinating, clearly. (Note the sarcasm)
That evening we went to another hotel for dinner. I had the buffet selection which was pretty good. I had fun chatting with Margaret, whose ever so funny and knows an insane amount about India. She's a hardcore Bollywood fan and adores the whole culture of the place.
Day 8 - Agra (to Jaipur with a fort in between) - Monday the 15th of January:We had a shortish bus journey to our next place of interest; another fort. We had the most hysterical tour guide, called Mr Khan. He was a complete eccentric who had such a way of story-telling. You had to be there really, but we all couldn't stop laughing. Although it was easy to imagine how incredible the fort would be in its day. The details on all of the buildings is so, er, detailed.
After our tour we went back on the bus for a few more hours of traveling and then a stop for lunch at a nice restaurant where we ate out in the sunshine, which was lovely! Finally the weather is feeling really warm, during the day, although it is still cold at night.
Then more traveling on the bus, through rough terrain, with mountains all around, we got to Jaipur.
Bicki recommended we ate at a vegetarian restaurant, down the road. It was so fabulous! You got to see all of the food (like a bowl of each) before you ordered, so you knew exactly what you were going to get. It was incredibly reasonable as well, and it had a lovely atmosphere.
After that Kaz, Hannah and I attempted to do some shopping but failed because they only did stuff made to order, in the shop that we went in. So the three of us ended up going in this jewelry shop next to the resturant, which Bicki had also recommended. It was insanely cheap and did some amazing stuff, as well as some cosmetics, which were also crazily cheap. I had my first shopping spree - I was in heaven and got a Primark-like high, haha!
We got back to the hotel and I had a wonderful cup of chai, in the cafe there. The layout of the place was like an open community and the cafe served lovely food, as well as having a nice seating area.
Day 9 - Jaipur - Tuesday the 16th of January:A full on day of sightseeing was planned. We ventured out early so we got to the Amber Fort at a reasonable time, which was rather amazing. Spent quite a while looking around. Later we went to the observatory which was even more fantastic! We worked out Jaipur's exact local time from one of the sun dials, as well as seeing the worlds biggest sun dial. Then it was time for two museums. One full of stuff from the old royal family, the second full of textiles from the royal family, including this massive cape worn by one of the old kings who was 7ft tall, with a 4ft wide chest! He sounded like a scary giant, but we all got very excited over that story.
Most of the afternoon was left free for us to shop around the many bazaars. First off we went to the famous sweet shop called L.M.B where we sampled some sweets. Some of it is so insanely sugary, it's gross, but some of the other sweets that I tried were pretty good. The texture of most of the sweets is like marzipan.
I got a selection of stuff, as did a few of the group, so we all shared and swapped various sweets. After we'd eaten more sugar than our stomachs could take Kaz, Hannah, Margaret and I we went shopping. I just bought a pashmina, after Kaz and I got harassed by a salesman. But we saw lots of nice things, as well as having fun trying on many Indian shoes, none of which I could get to fit because of my big feet.
That evening we went to an authentic south indian restaurant, where nearly all of the food was insanely spicy. Some of the group ordered a 'special' soup as a starter which was so spicy they could barely eat it!
Kaz, Hannah, Matt and I ended up sitting at a table togther, where we had an hilarious time. Matt had been ill for the past few days, so we perked him up with the three of us girls being insane, engaging in many odd conversations.
Day 10 - Pushkar - Wednesday the 17th of January:We trooped on the bus again to Pushkar, traveling through even more beautiful countryside. One of my favourite journeys on the bus so far. India, on the whole, is so inasnely flat, apart from a few rocky hills.
The bus arrived in Pushkar at lunch time, so we ate our lunch (a yummy veg curry), at the beautiful hotel we were staying in, whilst oohing and ahhing at the sceneary.
We had the most amazing view out across the mountains, all around! The hotel also had a vast rose garden and we all got given a single rose on arrival.
Afterwards we walked into town which was lovely. It was quiet and not too busy. A very laid back atmosphere - something which we hadn't had much experience of so far. Bicki gave us an orientation around the centre of Pushkar. The main part is one long street with lots of stalls along either side, although there is a beautiful lake, behind it all, where certain religious ceremonies take place. The group spent a fair while wondering up and down the street, with a pitstop at a nice cafe by the lake, that afternoon.
After I'd done some shopping on my own (whilst most of the group went off climbing a hill) I met up with Anna in the evening and we dined outside at a resturant called Moondance. It wasn't long before most of the group joined the two of us. I had mexican food, for dinner and It was actually fantastically good, plus the fact that the whole setting was lovely, albeit chilly because I'd forgotten my sweater, so I had to borrow one of Ash's shawls.
Day 11 - Kherjala - Thursday the 18th of January:Today we were in for a treat.. The hotel is an old palace, which was completed in the 17th century. It's breath takingly beautiful, quiet and peaceful. They even have a swimming pool, which Maddy and I were very pleased about because we'd been wanting to have a dip all week, because the weather was so good.
Maddy and I made a pact to go swimming, despite the fact the water would be still freezing, that afternoon. So after lunch we got our swimming costumes on, whilst everyone else around the pool tentively dipped their feet in. I was the first to launch myself in, after a brief toe in the water to check the temperature. Everyone was so surprised that I received a round of applause. Maddy joined me and then Dave, although they exited rather swiftly because they thought it was too cold. It started to feel warm once I'd been in there for ten minutes and after half an hour it was toasty. But soon after the 30 minute mark I called it a day and went for a shower.
That evening the group of us went to a temple on top of one of the hills to watch the sunset. It looked amazing! You could see the flat, dry, land stretching out for miles and miles. I do like a good view.
We walked back to the hotel (getting stopped by some of the village children on the way) and had a lovely dinner, where Matt, Hannah, Kaz and I ended up seated together again, where discussions of many odd topics occurred, like weddings, wedding rings, children, as you do.
After dinner Jay, Hannah, Kaz, Matt, Dave, Maddy and I went on the rooftop and had a mini party of our own, under the stars. We enjoyed one of our first clear views of the sky, which was very pretty indeed. Although down in the village there was the sound of odd music that continued all night. It was only the next morning that we found out the 'music' was in fact wailing women mourning the death of a villager.
Day 12 - Chandelao - Friday the 19th of January:The next morning we had a late departure to Chandelao, so we set off at a nearly reasonable 10am, although I had a bad nights sleep, despite the wondeful setting, mainly due to the wailing.
The hotel in Chandelao was nearly as beautiful as the last one. More of rural India. There was an optional jeep safari that afternoon but I was feeling tired, after my bad nights sleep, so I opted out and stayed at the hotel, as did Daniel and Matt.
Matt and I ended up walking around the village together, which turned out to be an interesting culutral experience..
We decided to go down by where the women collect their water and ended up in an odd situation with an India girl. She mainly spoke Hindi but she was interested in the two rings that I was wearing on my right hand. She took one of them off and put it on her finger and then gave me one of the rings she was wearing. I am sure this sounds mighty odd but it is very common for the locals to be extremely interested, especially when you are in a village where Westeners are few and far between. Anyway, to cut a long story short the girl would not give the ring back, despite the fact I had handed hers back. Matt and I asked her repeatedly but she wouldn't give it and she walked off. Matt couldn't believe it and wanted to pursue her, but I figured there wasn't a lot of point because even if we did catch up with her there wasn't a lot we could do, short of grabbing her and ripping it off her finger, which didn't seem ideal. So we both went back to the hotel, where Matt had the brainwave of showing the guy at the reception a picture of the girl that he had taken, before she walked off. Just like any rural village everyone knows each other, so unsurprisingly they knew the girl and within the hour they had got the ring back from her, thankfully.
All in all an interesting experience, but one I don't think I would be too keen on repeating!
After all that drama I took a fantastically hot shower, which is a difficult thing to find, on tour.
That evening we found ourselves having dinner on another roof top, under the stars, with another clear sky above us. Matt, Kaz, Hannah and I were on the same table yet again, which resulted in more oddness and lots of laughter.
Most of the group got to bed at a fairly reasonable time, although I was up until 11PM talking to Bicki, our tour leader, about his arranged marriage and rural England. It's so fascinating to hear about arranged marriages from someone who is actually about to engage in one. Its easy to see how so many misconceptions are made, but I think it is only because our culture is so vastly different that it seems weird, to us Westerners. After the conversation it all made a lot more sense to me.
Day 13 - Thar Desert - Saturday the 20th of January:We had a few hours driving to do before we got to the desert. We stopped on the way to see two temples, although I am now sufficiently bored with most temples, so I only went into the one, as it was free. Our lunch consisted of pakoras from a reliable road side source. Definitely the best pakoras out of the whole tour! We trooped onto the desert, via bus, and eventually arrived where the camels reside. It was quite a scary prospect to ride one when you are actually face to face with a camel and you realise just how big they are. It didn't help that we also saw the only female camel, of the bunch, run off with a man clinging on to the back of her, as she was trying to get away from the male camels (I think), although it was very funny at the same time. Anyway, it is a bit daunting when the camel stands up, but that is also one of the most fun bits too because of the danger factor. My camel was quite little, we think it may not have been fully grown, whereas Kaz's camel was huge. Apparently the camels were on heat so they do a lot of foaming at the mouth and letting their tongue loll out of their mouths, which was completely disgusting. Maddy got blessed with a very noisy camel who wouldn't stop grunting and snorting, I nearly fell off because I was laughing so much.
Eventually everyone was on their camels and we were away. I must say this camel business is quite boring, and painful. We had a break after 45 minutes and I could feel that my bum was really bruised already. During our little break we climbed up an extremely steep sand dune, which was quite amazing, and saw tracks from snakes and a beetle, doing beetle-ish things. On the way back down the sand dune Jay decided to do a comedy run/roll, despite the fact he is old enough to know better, but it was ever so funny.
Then it was time to get back on the camel, something which my bum was dreading. The second leg was better than the first, because they got the camels to canter and that was really fun, a lot better than their normal walking speed. Just before we arrived in camp Anna got thrown off her camel, which was quite dramatic. I was a few camels in front, so I didn't see, but thankfully she was alright and wasn't bruised! Despite the fact Anna is in her sixties she was undeterred! The group concurred that the reason why Anna wasn't hurt was due to the fact she was wearing her magical white coat, something which she never seems to be without.
It was such a relief to get off my camel. My poor bum. I couldn't sit properly for the next three days, and even after that I still had an 'interesting' bruise, which some of the group were also blessed with.
Our camp was fantastic. The tents had proper beds in and we had a full working bathroom in each one. Yes, thats right.. A flushing toilet, a working shower and a sink with running water! Amazing.
Our evening in the desert was very pleasant and we even got a campfire, as it got dark, which we all crowded round, although we lacked enough wood to keep it going. Towards the end of the night Matt went about his impression of our hilarious fort tour guide, Mr Khan. Everyone was helpless with laughter - Maddy and I couldn't breathe. Definitely perfect desert entertainment.
Day 14 - Jaisalmer - Sunday the 21st of January:We had a quick breakfast outside, in the desert, where they had marmite and marmalade which tasted weird, because it was out of date.
After breakfast we got a jeep, through the desert, back to the tour bus. The jeep ride was really fun, but sadly only lasted ten or so minutes. I quite fancied whizzing around for a few hours.
We spent the morning traveling through more desert, by road, until we arrived at Jaisalmer. That afternoon we had a quick orientation around the city before having dinner at a resturant caled The Trio. The food was good, although Margaret ordered a desert bean, with capers, which looked scarily similar to camel shit and most of the dinner was spent laughing at it.
We also got the pleasure of some Indian music as we ate and Matt even joined in, on drums. It was particularly hilarious when one of the other musicians placed a turban on his head.
That night some of the group had another mini party in Dave and Maddy's room, accompanied by rum, before retiring to bed.
Day 15 - Jaisalmer - Monday the 22nd of January:Bicki gave the group a free day to roam around the city. I was going to have a lie-in but couldn't sleep past 8:30am, so by 9:45am I was making my way to the internet cafe, two doors down the road. Unfortunately there wasn't any electricity to power the computers until 11am, so I went back to the hotel to read my book on the roof, although five minutes after I had sat down Matt, Chad and Roma turned up for their breakfast, so I wasted some time with them, chatting, and by the time they'd finished it was nearly 11:30am. After I'd updated my journal and replied to some emails, at the internet cafe, I ventured into town, on my own, in a tuc tuc. Jaisalmer is fairly difficult to navigate from the hotel, so a tuc tuc was the easiest mode of transport. I walked through the streets, then had a drink and some chips at a roof top resturant, where the sun was beating down relentlessly.
Afterwards I went shopping, through the winding streets, and bought a fantastic camel leather bag/satchel for only Rs 430 (thats about 5 pounds). Jaisalmer is the only place that seems to have shops dedicated to camel leather products and unfortunately I've found nowhere since where I can buy more of them!
That night the group had a quiet evening, at the hotel, where everyone discussed what adventures they'd endured that day.
Day 16 - Jaisalmer (to Jodpur) - Tuesday the 23rd of January:It was a long day of traveling ahead, so we left bright an early at 7am. The journey went surprisingly fast with the help of music, scenary and chatting to Margaret and Matt.
On the way we nearly drove into various animals; a few goats, a cow and two massive eagles, with a wing span of 4+ feet. Our bus driver is a hero.
The bus arrived at the hotel just after lunch and that afternoon we had a tour around the fort. It was actually a really good one. I wasn't so enthusiastic about going at first, because forts don't vary that much, but they had some fantastic rooms there which were still in tact and you had an audio commentary which was brilliant and it was more fun than having a tour guide (unless the tour guide in question is Mr Khan, of course).
Once we'd finished going around the fort Kaz, Hannah and I walked from the hilltop, where the fort is positioned, into town, to the market. We didn't find too much there, and there were a lot of guys hassling for various things, so before long the three of us got a tuc tuc back to the hotel, which took much longer than it should have due to being driven by two boys who had no idea where they were going, but we got back to the hotel eventually and ate dinner there. Another fairly quiet evening, where we got treated to a good roaring fire outside, that kept us nice and warm. The evenings are cold in the north and even with a jumper on it tends to be freezing, so fires are very necessary if you want to stay up past 8PM chatting!
Day 17 - Jodpur (to Udaipur) - Wednesday the 24th of January:Another long journey on the bus. This time departure was a slightly more reasonable 8AM. We spent a fair few hours on the bus, I forget how many, before stopping for lunch at the Jain temple. We ate simple food with the pilgrims (its all you can eat for Rs 20 - about 30/40 pence), which was a great experience. The food was actually really yummy, although the locals found us Westeners fascinating, so it felt a little like we were on display! Plus they were penalizing us for being westerners and giving us small portions. Poor Kaz had to ask about forty times so she could get her fill, as they kept serving her the teeniest amounts!
But they served the most wonderful chutney. It was similar to mango chutney but made with a different fruit, the name of which escapes me. It was delicious anyway and I wish I could've bought a jar home.
After we'd eaten we made our way into the Jain temple its self. It has to be one of the most impressive ones we'd all seen so far. There are hundreds of pillars inside and each one is different. Some are similar but every single one differs slightly in design. It is difficult to photograph because it is so impossible to get across the vastness of it, but hopefully they will give you some idea, when I upload them on my return.
We then set off again for the second part of our journey, this time through rougher terrain. The bus climbed many steep mountain roads. The sceneary was amazing and it was one of the most interesting bus journeys we'd had so far.
When we got to the hotel there was another mini drama.. On the bedsheets there were rat droppings, so Jay called in Bicki to investigate, then the staff all piled in and discovered that the rat in question was very much dead, in a corner! It was so hilarious, albeit disgusting, but as Jay said; there has to be some good stories that you can tell when you get home and the rat story is one of them.
After the hotel hassle we had an orientation around Udaipur.
The layout of the city was easier to navigate, from the hotel, than Jaisalmer. We took a look at the lakeside and the lake palace hotel, which is beautiful.
Then it was time to eat dinner at a resturant which was right beside the lake. The view was great and the food was yummy, so we had a nice evening. Matt, Hannah, Kaz and I walked back together. Before bed the four of us chatted in the hallway, read our horoscopes in the paper and educated Matt and Hannah on the delights of Jade Goody, with pictures on Kaz's blackberry.
Day 18 - Udaipur - Thursday the 25th of January:That morning the group had another tour of a temple then a tour of the city palace, but Kaz, Hannah and I didn't fancy the temple so we skipped that and joined the group just for the palace tour instead, which wasn't too bad, some lovely rooms.
Then the three of us ventured to an internet cafe, that Bicki had recommended for masala tea spice (something which I drink obsessively here), so we went and bought some of that. Whilst we were there the three of us got chatting to a guy. Kaz was asking him if he knew anywhere that sold punjabi suits, because she wanted one to wear to a wedding that she was going to back home. And to cut a long story short we ended up getting a tuc tuc to a local clothes shop, out of the tourist area, with the guy and had a great afternoon looking around the more local area of Udaipur, away from most of the Westeners. Kaz got her suit for an alright price and Hannah bought a lovely gold ring. The guy got given commission by the shop for taking us there, which the shops give secretly, but the guy gave Kaz and Hannah the commission he had earned because he was just helping us out, which was nice!
We then went to the cafe that he worked in and talked about the Indian culture and how different Mumbai is as a city, because he used to work there, at a Nandos! Who'd have thought that Nandos would exist in India, but there you go.
Eventually we found our way back to the hotel. I spent the evening talking to various people and had dinner with Matt. Then Hannah appeared and Matt challenged her to a game of pool, because I was refusing to play, which was hilarious, especially since Kaz came in at the end and sabotaged it.
Day 19 - Ahmedabad - Friday the 26th of January:Another early morning. This time to catch a 'local' bus (i.e. not our own private tour bus) which we were all dreading because the buses you see driving around here are normally packed and look like they might fall apart at any moment. But when we got to the bus station we were all pleasantly surprised and the bus was actually alright. Here we left Anne and Margaret who were going back to Delhi, so now the group was 13.
The 13 of us piled onto the bus, which had surprisingly big and comfy seats. I felt a little sick when we'd left, although I managed to sleep for most of the first half of the journey.
Half way through we had a break at what you'd call a roadside cafe. That was an experience.. It was grotty and the toilets were open-ish blocks, which stank, even by Indian standards. Kaz somehow braved them and reported back that they were indeed disgusting. I was very glad I'd made sure to not drink too much water, so I didn't need to pee.
The second half of the journey was better and I didn't feel as ill, but I didn't sleep much more.
Soon after we arrived at the hotel most of the group rushed off to the Ghandi ashram, apart from Daniel, Carola, Matt and I who stayed behind, so we all had lunch across the road from the hotel, with Bicki. The remainder of the afternoon was spent looking at Matt's photos on his iPod, from the trip, and not much else.
We had dinner at a nice place called The Green House, which was a little like tapas. We all shared dishes of stuff and had a big feast, which was yummy, although sadly it was our penultimate group meal, before the rest of us left.
Day 20 - Ahmedabad to Mumbai - Saturday the 27th of January:This time we had to get up in the middle of the night to catch our train to Mumbai. Everyone was in the lobby by 4am, to get our private bus, with our jolly driver, for the very last time.
We were on the train by 5am, which was nicer than our last train journey, as long as you ignore the fact that Ash had a cockroach run up the wall beside her and Jay and Dave saw a mouse run the length of the train carriage, but at least the seats were reasonably comfy.
At 2PM we got to Mumbai. I had managed to sleep a little but it wasn't as comfy as the bus. The group piled into the old fashioned taxis, which run throughout the city, three by three. Matt, Hannah and I won the taxi race by arriving first, not that we are competitive, or anything.
The three of us, plus Kaz and Bicki, ate lunch at the restaurant before heading to India gate, minus Bicki but plus Ash. We walked around for ages looking for bangles to go with Kaz's punjabi suit. The part of Mumbai that we saw was much nicer than I anticipated, and it was interesting to see how multi-cultural it was.
After we'd found Kaz's bangles we decided to have tea at the Taj Hotel, which is insanely posh. We all had fun dreaming that we were staying there. It was amazing inside and the chai was good, so it was a good experience and I do wish we'd eaten dinner there because although it was expensive by Indian standards, when you converted the prices into pounds it was about the same as dinner out in a nice pub, back home!
Once we'd finished our tea it was time to meet the group at a western restaurant, the name of which escapes me. It had the atmosphere of a bar, with loud western music to match, which was quite a joy to hear, because for the past three weeks I'd only had music on my iPod to keep me contented.
Just after we'd ordered our food they started playing Tracy Chapman - Fast Car which resulted in me having a big, overexcited, spaz at Kaz. Could not believe they played that song when I was so far from home.
The food was fairly good, although I didn't eat too much, because I was so full from the chai that I'd had only an hour ago. I had to present Bicki with the tip money, which I'd been nominated to collect from everyone, so I had to do a mini speech, after which Jay presented me with a leather bound book, that has an embossed Ganesha on the front, in which everyone from the group had written a message to me, as an early Birthday present. It is a really brilliant gift and I am going to put the other mementos I have from India inside it, like a scrapbook. It was a great idea though, so I was really chuffed.
After dinner Matt, Anna and I got a taxi back to the hotel and some of us had drinks in the bar. I was sorry to be leaving everyone, because we'd had such a great time. But we topped off the evening with Matt giving his, now legendary, impression of Mr. Khan The Tour Leader, and of course everyone was in hysterics.
Day 21 - Mumbai (to Madurai) - Sunday the 28th of January:Dave, Maddy, Matt, Jay and I had our very last breakfast together. We first said our goodbyes to Dave and Maddy, although I am pleased to report I should see them sometime in May, where we are planning a mini party, at Jay's. After we'd finished breakfast Hannah and Kaz emerged. And eventually the last of us where in the lobby where we said our final goodbyes, to the remainder of the group. Then off Hannah, Jay and I went in a taxi to India gate. We decided to explore a little more since Hannah didn't have to leave until lunchtime either. We made a little stop off at Victoria Station, Mumbai, which is meant to be one of the most beautiful stations in the world and I think it lives up to that title quite well! It is an amazing building, although in a difficult position to photograph, so on the whole you'll have to take my word for it.
Then the taxi dropped us off near India Gate again, so we could have a look around the markets. I also needed to get a suitcase, so I could fit in my clothes plus everything that I'd acquired/bought on my way around India. Jay managed to haggle one down for me for only Rs. 450, bargain. Hannah, Jay and I wasted a few more hours in the market, including a visit to an Indian supermarket which was lots of fun. I bought a few packets of the Indian biscuits (called 'Good Day', they are ridiculously sweet but yummy and a snip for only Rs. 5 - 10 pence or so), as well as having a look at the local various local foods. Afterwards we went to a fairly Western cafe, which reminded me a little of Planet Hollywood, to have a drink and I was excited to hear that they played a Gotan Project track.
After our Mumbai adventure it was time for us to go back to the hotel, have a snack in the hotel restaurant, pick up our bags and then Jay and I had to catch our flight, to Madurai.
The taxi ride to the airport was a fun one. It was nice to see more of Mumbai. I had low expectations of the place because I'd heard it was highly polluted and hectic but compared to some of the other cities we visited it was reasonably bearable and it had the interesting culture difference, I would also go as far as to consider revisiting it!
Anyway, we caught our plane to Chennai safe and sound, had a little wait at Chennai which was fairly awful because Chennai airport is fantastically boring, then made our transfer to Madurai. We arrived fairly late in the evening, but we got a taxi to our hotel alright. The outskirts of Madurai seemed scarily peaceful, which was bizarre.
That evening we watched some television and stumbled across a truly odd Indian dance show. A little like X Factor but for dancing. There were these odd interludes where a hideously obese judge would start singing an odd song and everyone else would do backing vocals. A truly cultural experience..
Day 22 - Madurai - Monday the 29th of JanuaryThe first in weeks where we have absolutely nothing planned at all, bliss. It was also my birthday but I can't say it'd have had a different day had it not been my birthday, so very average really!
Got up at 9am, had breakfast, then walked around the city for a while before getting a rickshaw around the outskirts of the temple, which looks fantastic.
I then found a great internet cafe next door to the hotel, so I well and truly quenched my internet thirst.
I also drank my very first fresh coconut, where they just chop the top off and give you a straw to drink the milk with, very yummy, although not ideal to carry around because they are very heavy.
Most of my afternoon was spent watching telly, mainly a film I can't remember the name of. After which we had dinner on a nice roof top next door to our hotel. We got to bed reasonably early because we'd booked a tour for the next morning, around the temple, at 7am.
Once we'd turned the lights out we were surprised to find that our ceiling displayed a starry sky, made from glow in the dark stars! It was rather fantastic and looked almost realistic.
Definitely won the award for Best Hotel Ceiling.
Day 23 - Madurai - Tuesday the 30th of January:Up at the ungodly hour of 6:45am, for our tour. We had our first ever female guide, since arriving in India.
Firstly we went around the Sri Meenakshi temple, which is rather amazing. Its impossible to describe so you will just have to wait for the pictures. Once we'd finished looking around the temple we had a quick coffee (or chai in my case) and coconut macaroon break, because none of us (including the tour guide) had had any breakfast. We then got a tuc tuc to the flower market and I got given two strings of flowers by one of the stall holders, which smelt wonderful. After we proceeded to the local vegetable market, which was interesting. A huge diversity in the food. There we worked out that the carrots in north India are different to those in the south. North Indian carrots are very red and have a sweeter taste than the orange ones, whereas the ones in the south are just the same as the ones that we have back home.
The afternoon was a boring one. Once we'd got back to the hotel we had lunch, at the hotel next door, I went on the internet again and then we watched loads of terrible television in our room. I managed to doze off whilst watching an Irish film they were showing on HBO. Soon after I'd woken up from my dozing haze Jay and I ventured out into the heat again, where I popped into a tailors to order some shirts to be made, for Dad.
Jay and I then got majorly lost trying to find our way back to the hotel. We must've spent about forty minutes trying to get back, but we did actually get there eventually.
It was early evening when we arrived at the hotel and we found that HBO were showing Resident Evil: Apocalypse, despite the fact it was only 6PM and its an 18 certificate. It was hilariously bad though.
Had dinner at the hotel next door, again, although I am insanely bored with curries and my want for Western food is bordering on desperate.
Got back to the hotel and watched yet more HBO. This time something half decent; Matilda! Which I haven't seen in years.
Day 24 - Madurai - Wednesday the 31st of January:Had a lie in (9am!), got my first hot shower in days, which was lovely. Then we got a tuc tuc to the Ghandi muesum, which was very interesting. It was mainly reading boards which told the history of India and Ghandi, with some photos, but one of the main attractions was the museum has the original loin cloth that Ghandi wore when he died. It was a little creepy to see though because it is in a darkened room, which is painted black! Interesting none the less.
Afterwards we went to the Ghandi book shop where I bought his autobiography and a beautiful Ghandi quote book, for Mum.
Then we returned to the hotel, Jay went off exploring whilst I lazed in the room, watching more awful films on HBO and in the end I resorted to watching The Bold and The Beautiful, on another American channel, which had me in stitches. I haven't watched it since they used to show it on channel 5, in the UK, about 5 years ago.
At 6PMish it'd cooled down enough outside for me to be motivated to leave the room, so Jay and I went to the temple, which had a very different atmosphere now darkness had fallen. We spent a good while walking around, which was interesting. We even saw two Indians have a very heated argument in Hindi. Where are the subtitles when you need them..
Jay also gave a beggar some money, but as he was getting out some coins a Rs. 20 note fell out and just as Jay went down to pick it up the beggar had already picked it up and was hurriedly walking off with it. I find the behavior of some of the beggars terrible. Most of them see it as their right to get money off you and some are terribly persistent. It would be much easier to not be so disheartened by it if I'd never heard the stories of some of the beggars, especially children, making a fortune out of it. Although Madurai in particular has a very high unemployment rate and of an evening I saw more people sleeping in doors ways than anywhere else that I can recall.
Day 25 - Madurai to Trivandrum - Thursday the 1st of FebruaryUp at dawn (5:45am) to get a taxi to the airport. Lots of waiting around, all very boring. The first flight was a non-event although I did actually get some bread with the in-flight meal that didn't taste mainly of sugar, like the normal Indian bread, for once.
We had a four hour wait at Chennai which was twenty times worse than the last wait. It was so mind numbingly boring, especially since the airport has about five shops in total.
My highlight was a trip to the food shop. I bought a vegetable pasty, a packet of tomato flavored Walkers (called 'Lays' here) and a mars bar. All of which were fantastically yummy, particularly the pasty which tasted like it could have been from Britain.
Anyway, eventually we got our flight and arrived in Trivandrum, palm tree city!
We got an ambassador classic taxi to Kovalam where we had to lug the suitcases down to the beach, across some sand, then up a fairly long path. Jay was kind enough to dump me half way through the journey at a cafe and proceeded to take the cases one by one, to save my arms, so I bought him a fresh lime soda in return. I got to enjoy the view as I drank. All of the cafes are on the beach, so every cafe has a sea view, which is fantastic. Its amazingly beautiful.
We ate dinner at a restaurant called Nirvana where the service was deathly slow, even by Indian standards. It took an hour for our food to arrive, mental, but it was yummy, as the food is fairly Western here, due to the main population being Western tourists, on holiday.
Day 26 - Kovalam - Friday the 2nd of February:Biggest lie in of the holiday so far; 10am! Got dressed and headed out for breakfast at the German Bakery. I had mini sausages, made from goats meat, with slices of french stick. More bread that doesn't taste sweet; yum! I also had some chai which was really good and spicy.
Afterwards we went to the beach, hired some sun loungers, an umbrella and thats is where we stayed for most of the day. I actually managed to lie there for four and a half hours (although not in full sun, might I add). The weather is perfect. Its hot, but there is a constant cool breeze. Sweaty, humid but not unbearable.
We also ate our dinner at the German bakery but that was disappointing, especially compared to the breakfast, but it was just nice to have some western food.
Once we got back to the hotel we amused ourselves with the diabolical Without A Paddle on HBO, marvelous.
Day 27 - Kovalam - Saturday the 3rd of February:Another fairly lazy day. Got up at 9:30am and spent a few hours playing Zuma and reading my Ghandi autobiography that I bought. I popped on the internet before having a lunch of pakoras. I've also befriended the internet man who was chuffed with the Rs 10 tip that I gave him.
Once I'd got back to the hotel soon after it was time to leave for the backwater tour that Jay had booked the previous day. We got a pre-booked tuc tuc to the river, then a boat in which we leisurely floated down the river. It was beautiful and I took way too many photos of palm trees. Along the way down the river we stopped at a place where they make coconut rope and I got to have a go at doing that, which was actually quite fun.
Dinner that night was fantastic. We ate at a place called Fusion. I had a mozzarella and tomato salad with a margarita pizza. I was highly excited about the fresh, uncooked tomatoes, as I hadn't dared eat any anywhere else.
Day 28 - Kovalam - Sunday the 4th of February:Got up at 9am and packed my suitcase because we had to move accommodation, to down the road, that day. Jay went into Trivandrum so I ate a fantastic breakfast at Fusion; normalish bread with nutella(!!) and a cheese omelette, with a cup of chai, of course. It was very yummy.
I read my book there for a good while, as well as enjoying the view of the waves breaking.
Afterwards I had a good wonder up and down the shops, on the beach, but it is so expensive here compared to the city markets, but not surprising when most of the tourists don't venture further than the Westernised beach area.. But I did cave and buy some scarves, because they were still fairly cheap in the scheme of things, despite being over-inflated price-wise.
Mid shop I bumped into Jay, in one of the mini beach supermarkets. After a little relax in our new, very basic, room we decided to go for a swim. The sea was fantastically warm but on the coast there is a strong under water current. When the big wave gathers the pull of the tide nearly pulls you over and the current of the wave often tugs you under, sometimes the force is so great that you turn upside down all because of the current. It was fun none the less but clearly dangerous. We went back to the hotel, had showers, then went out for dinner at Fusion, again. It was delicious again. This time I had roasted vegetables, with garlic bread and a creamy carrot salad.
Day 29 - Kovalam - Monday the 5th of February:Got up at the reasonable hour of 8:30am, had breakfast at Fusion (surprise, surprise) and watched the fisherman tug in the nets from the sea. Breakfast was fabulous again.
Jay and I watched the goings on, on the beach, for a considerable amount of time, before getting a tuc tuc into Trivandrum with the plan of going to the zoo there. We walked around the gardens, trying to work out where you could buy a ticket from, we sorted to asking the guard on the gate who then told us it was closed, haha, smoooth. So we just sat in the gardens there for a while, reading our books, before having a cup of chai then returning to the beach. The road from Kovalam to Trivandrum is beautiful and one of the least bumpy and well kept roads we've travelled on, in the whole of India.
That evening we found ourselves at Fusion again, where I ate a pineapple curry (well I had to have one on my last night, didn't I!) with a delicious kerela cocktail (minus alcohol). We got ourselves to bed early because we had a hellishly early morning the next day.
Day 30 - Kovalam > Trivandrum > Doha > London > Home - Tuesday the 6th of February:Jay and I got up at the insanely early time of 4:45am. We'd booked a taxi to pick us up from the hotel between 5AM to 5:15AM. We packed up the last of our stuff, checked out and then waited. But by 5:20AM the taxi hadn't arrived, so we decided to walk to the end of the beach and see what taxis were waiting there. It was about 600 yards walk, with my 18.9kg heavy suitcase, which was quite a trek, but slightly easier because it was during the cool air of the morning. Having to lug something so heavy so far in the heat of the day is unbearable!
Anyway, we got to the end of the beach and found only a tuc tuc driver who could take us to the airport, so we piled all of our 43kg's of our luggage into his tuc tuc somehow and start the half an hour drive to Trivandrum. Amazingly the tuc tuc makes it up the extremely steep hill that leads up to the main road, from the beach, despite the heaviness of all that is in his tuc tuc.
We check in at the airport and everything goes smoothly, apart from a security guard trying to get us to the back of the queue because they wanted to let people do the security check who had earlier flights, because we were jumping the gun, according to them, but we kicked up a fuss and didn't have to do a load more queuing.
The first plane journey from Trivandrum to Doha was relatively normal. We had one inflight meal, I managed to sleep a little, but we had no tele-visual entertainment.
We arrived early at Doha, and our change was just long enough for us to go to Costa, have a frescato and a bite to eat, before getting on our final plane home.
The second plane was meant to have The Devil Wears Prada and X Men 3 on their in flight entertainment, according to the magazine, but when I actually looked they didn't have it, much to my annoyance, so I settled for watching Marie Antoinette, which I did thoroughly enjoy. A fantastic period piece with amazing costumes. I'll definitely be watching it again. I also put myself through the torture of watching Material Girls, which was terrible. But other than that I read my book and listened to my iPod.
We arrived early into London Heathrow, and I was mightily excited about seeing the UK again, although we had to wait an extraordinarily long time for our baggage. Something which I find extremely tedious. I then met Dad at the gate outside, and once we got in the car I found I had my own food package; salt and vinegar crisps, some buttered french stick and a salad, complete with dressing, which was delicious!
I got back home and rolled into bed at 10pm, exhausted, because it was 3am Indian time, and I'd been up nearly 24 hours, because of the time difference. For some weird reason the next morning I woke up at 5am GMT, but I've now thankfully managed to correct my sleeping pattern and all is well with the world.
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