Notes from South India

Waiting drives you mad

2010-01-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sat in the Internet cafe waiting to check in for the Dehli to Helsinki flight which we can do in 20 minutes.

This is the part of any holiday that I hate, the waiting around to get home, the worst is waiting in airports to catch your next flight. At least this time it's not Heathrow for 5 hours!

we have spent the day being lazy, eating and lounging on the beach. At one point I even thought it may rain today but the clouds cleared up and it turned out to be the hottest afternoon we have had. The sea has been just as rough knocking us both of out feet on more that one occasion. Good job there are not many English around as we both stood swearing at the horizon as bigger waves kept appearing.

Tonight we have eaten a feast, Chris had a whole black snapper covered in tikka then cooked in a tandoori oven. It was huge, glad i didn't see a fish that size in the sea as I wouldn't have gone back in! I had tandoori chicken that was three different colours to match the Indian national flag! Didn't taste as bad as it sounds. Even treated myself to a G&T, it was a George Barr measure and a half! All the food and a few beers came to 900rs, so about 12 quid. Can't really complain when a G&T in town would cost about 3 quid but this is the most expensive meal we have eaten but i don't think many pubs will take rupees back home.

Going to stop at the little shop on the way back to the hotel for a can of Kingfisher to drink on the balcony and leave the packing till morning.

Really looking forward to a soft mattress, hot shower and trainers but would gladly carry on sleeping on a bed of bricks, ice cold showers and having dirty blistered feet for another 5 months. Sounds like another trip is already in the planning!

N&C

Last Day and More Pictures...

2010-01-15T01:23:00.000-08:00

This is our last day in Agonda, and in India also. Well, we have to fly to Delhi tomorrow and spend the night there but we can't really count that as we wont get chance to see much!

We have relaxed a lot here it is really nice to be able to sit on the beach with hardly anyone else around and no trying to sell you bracelets and bongos, although I dont think it will be like this for long. There is a lot of empty land here just begging to be built on and I think maybe in a few years it will start heading the same way as Palolem. There are already quite a lot of people coming here for the day who are on package tours in Palolem and some people have started to come here for the standard two week beach holiday. I'm glad we came now.

We have managed to upload a few more pictures from our travels through Udupi, Murudeshwar, Gokarna and Agonda. You can see them at www.flickr.com/chrisleechphotos. Other than that, wait for the slide show when we get home!

Try to post again whilst in Delhi, otherwise, see you back in the rain and snow!

N&C

Peaceful Agonda!

2010-01-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

This is our third day in Agonda, it is very quiet and we wish we had come here earlier. The beach is gorgeous, white sand, really wide, warm sea. You actually get about half a mile of it to yourself it is that quiet. There is very little to do other than lounge around on the beach, drink and eat! IT is so hot here though you cannot stay on the beach all day. Today it is 95 degrees, wispy clouds and a bit of a breeze. We went on the beach this morning, came off for lunch and are planning to go back later for sunset and have a swim.

There are not a lot of places to eat here, around 20 i would say scattered along the 2km stretch of beach. Last night we found a little Greek cafe that just sells Souvlaki and Greek Salads. Couldn't believe it, and couldn't resist so went straight in. It is ran by two greek people who import all the food from Greece. It really was just like being in a quiet greek taverna somewhere like Thassos. If it wasn't for the cows and pigs wondering around I would swear we were no longer in India!

Not eaten Indian food for a few days which has been a welcome relief to the digestive system. A place near our guesthouse does tandoori chicken cooked in a big barrel of flames and smoke so going there tonight for Chicken Tikka and Chips with Naan bread washed down with a few large Kingfishers which are less than a quid a bottle here in Goa. The cheapest place yet.

We have a really nice (by Indian standards) balcony overlooking the beach so have been sitting on there playing cards and drinking beers at night, cant imagine it will be any different tonight.

Hope all is ok with everyone, most certainly not looking forward to Sunday when we have to come home to the cold!

C&N

Israeli Raves, Cheese Spread Pizzas and the Great Escape

2010-01-11T02:43:00.000-08:00

Not been bothered to do a post for a few days because frankly, we ain't been doing much! Just lazing around and trying to relax but also being a little bit boring!

We had six days in Gokarna in total. Gokarna turned out to be a bit of a dissapointment, we both feel that. It was not the idyllic paradise we thought it would be and maybe once was. The beaches were ok, the sea was wild and funny to swim in and the food was so-so (the chips chilly were fantastic!) but the people ruined, the majority of them anyway. All faux hippy types, playing didgeridoos and bongos, pretend meditating on the beach and generally thinking they are flower children when in fact most of them are posh Aussie kids, Israelis, or Middle Class Americans spendng all day acting like prats and generally being annoying. It was like if you took the weirdest people from something like Woodstock or Glastonbury and shoved them on a beach you would get Gokarna! Nikki even said most of them probably cut off their dreadlocks and put on suits and go to work as investment bankers when they get home.

We generally just ignore everybody else after John and Lorraine was gone. Nikki was ill all day on Saturday after bad pasta so I walked into town on my own and got Puri Bhaji and a coke. We weren't sure when we would leave but last night we got in bed at around 11pm after a meal of Kingfish Tikka and Cheese Spread Pizzas (It was like Vietnam all over again with the 'cheese' burger, the cheese was Laughing Cow) and the bar/drug dealing den that backed on to our room started pumping out Israeli dance music. They had some kind of Israeli themed rave going on and all the annoying bastards converged onto the bar. It pounded out music until way after 3 am and we didnt get a wink of sleep. They were actually playing "I don't like Cricket, I love it" at one point and one guy was in some sort of trance in the space between our room and the bar and other Israelis were circling round him throwing beer on him. Somewhere along the line we packed our bags and when it got light we left Gokarna to get to Agonda, in southern Goa.

It is very different here than Gokarna. It is still touristy but extremely low key. Only a few places to stay and eat, and very Indian still and compact. The beach is very wide, white sand and really mad waves pound you when swimming. We've learned so far in the trip not to judge a place on first impressions, but hopefully it will be a nice relaxing week we can spend here without any problems!

The west coast of India, even Kerala to some extent, is pretty touristy, but I guess that is due to it's beaches and beautiful lush environment. Looking back at places like Madurai and Pondicherry, two dust dens, they are completely different worlds to the places we've been at recently. But I think that just goes to show how varied this place is. One train ride can take you from a dusty temple town with chai stalls, idli sellers and hot sticky restaurants, to a white sand, palm fringed beach with coconut and pineapple sellers and pizza and beer! Weird how it all unfolds in front of you and you only appreciate places when you look back at them on the screen of your camera.

Off to find a bar called 'Sunset Bar' where you can... watch the sun set of course.

C&N

Chilling out in Gokarna

2010-01-06T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well we finally made it to beaches of Gokarna. But not before doing a couple of other things along the way.

In Udupi we had to take shelter from the heat right after writing the last entry. It was 40 degrees and way to hot to be walking around a dusty temple town. We had an amazing lunch at one of the only restaurants in town, Woodlands. I had a thali and Nikki had a curry and a bread basket (5 different types of breads! The pig! I chose the mini thali at 30 rps (45p) thinking it would be mini. It was not. came with 5 different currys, breads, papadams, and a mountain of rice! Struggled to eat it all then had to help with the bread basket over on the other side of the table. Washed it all down with 4 pepsi's and it came to about 2 quid. Ridiculous really. At night we went to see the temple procession. The priests come out with the temple deity which is like a little statue of the temple god, this one was Shiva. They put it on a golden chariot and bang drums, chant and light fireworks around it whilst wheeling around the town. It was a lot of fun but like all things in India it was a bit farcical. It was supposed to start at 7.15 but it didn't until 9.15! We waited for two hours but as it was the only thing in town to see we had to wait! The crowds were quite bad and people kept coming standing near us having pictures taken with us as if we were tourist attractions. Someone came over just to touch Nikki's shoulder.

The next morning we woke up with bad throats due to the legionnaires disease we had surely got from the dust ridden air con vent. Nikkis throat dwindled away but mine stayed. Took loads of paracetamol and bought some antibiotics from the chemist. On its way out now. We went to the bus stand early to find the bus to Murudeshwar which is a little temple town by the sea 70km from Gokarna. We wanted to spend a night there. The buses, we were told, went from just outside the main bus stand on the right hand side so we waited there for a bit. No buses came past. Nikki asked at a shop and he told us no, it was other side of the road. It wasn't. We asked a taxi driver and he told us the bus left from down a side street on the other side of the road. During all of this farce we were followed by a begger tapping us and saying "Gaa!". No idea what that means I told her to "GO AWAY!" but she didnt. Oh well. We took 5 minutes to buy some water and think about what we were going to do when a man said there was no bus anyway to Murudeshwar, you had to change at "???" and then again at "???". We couldnt understand the places he was saying. By this time we were wringing wet through with sweat. Trying not to get wound up. We ended up grabbing a taxi driver and negotiating a fare of 1300 rps to take us on the 100 km 2 hour trip to Murudeshwar. It should have been cheaper but he wanted a price for the round trip as it was so far away. Annoying but its been like that everywhere. Felt a bit bad getting a taxi but sometimes you just don't have a choice. The scenery was fantastic up the Konkan coast. Sometimes you had sea on one side lapping at the road and on the other lakes and backwaters with fishing nets and canoes. Beautiful.

Got to Murudeshwar at around 1pm. The hotel we were staying in was India's version of luxury. It was really the only option in town. It was on a rocky headland over the sea and we got a sea view room with balcony for 20 pounds a night! It even had a bath and a mini bar! Reluctantly we went out of the luxury hotel room and into the town to see what we could eat. Had puri masala at a beach cafe and then walked along the beach. Loads of Indian daytrippers were on the beach, bathing fully clothed in the sea. We even saw some camels here. We went back to the room for a bit of a nap as it was sweltering. Eagles were flying around our balcony so we sat and watched them soar for a bit but my throat by this time was killing me. We went out for sunset to see the giant Shiva statue which is perched on a hill above the town. It is massive and the worlds biggest Shiva statue. It's gold and silver and really impressive. We watched the sunset up there. Some nitty kid latched onto me though and was touching me with nitty hair so we didn't stay up there long. Didn't really feel like eating much that night but went out for a masala dosa and Nikki had cheese on toast.

Th next day we went early to the train station to get the 9.25 train to Gokarna where we would meet John and Lorraine as previously planned months before. The ticket booth didn't open until 9am, and it was 8am so we sat in the morning sun on the platform until it opened. Train didn't turn up til 10.25 so it was either exactly one hour late or the times had changed. The train was packed to the rafters we had to squeeze in one of the open doorways with our bags trying not to get in the way or fall right out of the doors. When we got to Gokarna we got a rickshaw to town and met up with John and Lorraine. Walked with our rucksacks to Kudle beach where our room was. It was 2.5km, all uphill, no shade and very hard work. The roads aren't really made for rickshaws or cars so walking is the main option. The beach was lovely, really wide, white sand, clean and warm sea. No sunbeds ruining it or places blaring out music, just shacks doing food and drinks. Paradise! Our room was nice, in a nice little guesthouse. You can hear the sea but can only see it if you look through the trees. There is a four poster bed with a mozzie net and a little varanda with a bench outside and a resident dog that seems to have taken a shine to us. It sleeps on the mat outside our door and if you shift it, it comes creeping back within minutes. We just let it be now. That first day we went back into town to eat and then had some chai at a beach shack, by this time it was sunset. We went back to the room to wash and chill out then out again for food around 9pm.

Yesterday we went on the beach, did a load of swimming in the sea getting battered by the massiv waves. I got sunburned on all my back and shoulders. Serves me right really. The beach has some resident cows that eat the pineapple stalks people leave. One approached our stuff while we were in the sea, looked at us, then trampled over all our things. It turned out to be the ''evil cow" that Lorraine had warned us about. A lot of people try to sell you things on the beach, mostly necklaces. But there are some good things too like the Pineapples. 40rps and they cut it up for you and its so refreshing. The cows come along later and eat the bits left over. Must be a good change from bricks and newspaper.

John and Lorraine left today for Goa as they are leaving son to fly home via Bombay and Delhi so we're on our own now which is a bit sad because it was nice to see people. We're supposed to be leaving too on Sunday to go to Hampi and then Goa but to be honest I don't know what we're going to do. The last 2/3 weeks of traveling through Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnatika, from Chennai to Gokarna has been so tough, very hard work and tiring but really rewarding. We both need to relax now and spending 11 days on a beautiful beach at 10 quid a night doesn't seem that bad in all honesty!

C&N

Bloody Hot in Udupi

2010-01-02T22:27:00.000-08:00

Had a chilled out final day in Cochin yesterday. We were able to keep our room at the family home until 9.30pm which was great because our sleeper train to Mangalore did not leave from Ernakulam until 11.35. We toyed with the idea of getting the ferry accross to the mainland but this was cutting it fine for the last ferry, so not wanting another "running for the train" episode like last time we got a taxi at 9.30 which got us to the train station for 10pm. The family we had been staying with waved us off from the street. There were about 6 of them including some we have never seen! They were shking our hands and the old granddad of the family said "We will remember you in our hearts, for all our lives". They were really sweet and we expected them to start waving minuture Union Jacks as we drove off but alas, it wasnt to be. They looked very sad though that we were leaving them. Maybe it is just like that when you share your home with strangers who enjoy your food and your property. They were proud of their neighbourhood and homestay and rightly so.

The train came more or less on time. There was no one in our beds this time when got on! Unfortunately someone had used our luggage space though to store all their stuff. Nikki was livid and crammed it all under the seats, pushing our bags under with force and squashing all their boxes. No one around owned up to it being their crap but that's India for you sometimes! They came and shifted it around 2pm, waking everyone up in the process and generaly being ignorant. Nikki tutted at them and they skulked away quietly.

We were travelling in an AC car this time instead of just sleeper. Actually prefer sleeper 100%, the AC cars are just as manic yet somehow less fun. You dont get as many Chai sellers on and the windows are blacked out instead of being iron bars. Plus, there were loads of cockroaches in AC class, all crawling on the ceiling and over our bags. I was heaving at them but Nikki folded back all the seams of my bag until the last of them had gone. Why can we never have an uneventful journey???

Got off the train in Mangalore at 9am. Was going to get a rckshaw to the bus stand to get to Udupi but a rickshaw driver pointed out an orang coach in the distance, "Orange bus, Udupi" He grunted. We hopped on this 'luxury' coach and the driver got us to Udupi in 1 hr. He was leathering it down the highway I swear there was fire coming out of the back of the bus. It was like being on the big diper at times. I had to swap places with Nikki at one point because a woman didn't want to sit next to me, haha, I'm thinking it was the beard. Can't have been anything else.

Checked into our hotel in Udupi. It's ok. Fairly clean and has AC. It has to be at least 35 degrees possibly even 40. Much hotter than Cochin. Not a cloud in the sky and no breeze. We came to Udupi really to see the gods being paraded around the temple, a nightly thing which happens around 7.15. We've been to the temple already once and met a guy who once made a documentary for the BBC about Udupi, and then translated it into German. Some young lads wanted their picture taken with me one by one, each holding my hand (bizarre) and i got repeatedly hit in the stomache by a child begger with a tin dish! Nikki got whacked in the legs by the very same girl.

India is... different! Some days we both absolutely HATE it here and get a bit fed up, but you can always count on something happening to make you laugh and lift your spirits. For example, waiting at the train station last night, people were actually going out of their way to stroll by and stare at us, agog. It gets annoying after a while but one woman, a serial starer was annoying me especially and i could feel a mist of anger creeping up my skin, until Nikki pointed out her uncanny resemblance to the Honey Monster. It was true, she really did look like the honey monster. It made us really laugh, which made her stare even more.

We're off to find Masala Dosas now. They were invented here apparently so they should be good. Then I think we will get an hours sleep before heading back out into the town and seeing the procession. Tomorrow it's onto Murudeshwar and we can just feel the beach getting closer and closer...

Michael Jackson is in Heaven with the Pharaohs!

2010-01-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve in Cochin was a bit mad, everybody partying (no booze at all involved either) by the side of the street and in their houses. People blowing trumpets and blasting out 80's music. People wheeled out stuffed Father Christmas dolls like Guy Fawkes but we couldnt work out whu Father Christmas was making an appearance on New Years Eve! Kids were collecting money for them in small tins but we had no idea what was going on. We saw Santa walking a tightrope, skiing and even once tied to a tree while some kids were punching him! That's India for you though.

We walked around a lot and everyone was very friendly, shaking our hands amd saying "Happy New Year". One guy asked "Which country?", "England" We said. A look of delight appeared on his face, "Ah... Tony Blair!" he replied. Bizarre! But it made us laugh.

On New Years Day there was a massive carnival and most places shut just to see it. It rolled past our street at around 4pm and it was completely bizarre. Everything is bizarre here. From what we could gather the floats should represent traditional Keralan/Indian things, like dancing, food, Ghandi, art etc. But every float seemed to be themed on Michael Jackson. There were even a few Michael Jackson impersonators. Some floats just blared out Beat It and Billy Jean while random people followed it moonwalking and dancing. One float had Spiderman tied to a palm tree but we have no idea what that one was about. In case you are wondering about the title of the blog, there was one float which was themed on ancient Egypt, there were pharaohs and puramids and even a sphynx... and of course a Michael Jackson impersonator body popping at the end to Bad. Nikki said aloud "Michael Jackson has nothing to do with ancient egypt!" An old man turned round to us and said "Ah yes, but Michael Jackson is in heaven with the Pharaohs...". I guess that explains it then! It was the funniest thing we've heard so far.

Most things didnt repoen at all after the carnival so we struggled to find a place to eat. Ended up eating at an expensive beachfront place and the food was a bit rubbish. Could have done with a New Years Day buffet at Nikki's nans because we went to bed hungry. Saying that though, we did stop at a bakery and bought some Pan Au Chocolat and some pastry twisty things but we got chased down the road by two puppies who kept jumping up at the bag as we walked (jogged) away. In the end Nikki "dropped" the bag by "accident" and the puppies or some very lucky cow probably had a feast! Makes a change from it having to eat cig packets and bricks.

We've got a train to Mangalore tonight at 11.30pm and the homestay have said we can check out whenever we want so today, we're gonna stroll around, eat some lunch, maybe see the Dutch Palace and then head back for showers and rest up before getting on the Sweatpit Express up the coast. I can alsmost smell the BO and feel the dust on my skin now.

Fort Cochin has been fun but the amount of tourists here is unbelievable compared to places on the East Coast. Looking forward to reaching Mangalore and then Udupi and getting off the beated track again. Meeting John and Lorraine for a couple of days in Gokarna on Tuesday, looking forward to getting to a beach we can swim in rather than worrying about Hepititus from touching the water. Might even have a few beers too!

Bye All

C&N

A Few Pictures...

2010-01-01T22:34:00.001-08:00

We have managed to upload about 20 pictures to my flickr account so if you get chance have a look, and yes Ryan here is a quick one of the budding beard, although it is in more of goatee stage unfortunately. As it grows, you will be told...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisleechphotos/sets/72157622994251971/

This link should point straight to the India set, if not, go to www.flickr.com/chrisleechphotos/ and they are all there.

The Keralan Backwaters and Fort Cochin

2009-12-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

We've not been able to update for a few days as we've been staying in Kumarakom, a village in the backwaters of Kerala. We arrived on 28th December. We almost missed the train from Madurai to Kollam as the platform never appeard on the noticeboard so we assumed it hadn't arrived. As the time of departure grew ever closer a man approached us, a supreme court judge from Madras. He asked us where we were going and rushed over to the enquiry desk to ask what platform we were leaving from, "Train leaving..." he said. Bemused, I went to the enquiry desk myself and passed the guy my ticket ans asked which platform. He went white, then shouted "Go, train leaving! Platform 3!". We dashed to Platform 3 with our bags heavy on our backs. The train was already full, whistling ready to leave. I got to our carriage and threw the bags on and threw myself in, Nikki was right behind me and did the same. No sooner had we got on the train pulled away from the station. Couldn't believe it. We were lucky that a guy decided to talk to us otherwise we would have surely missed the train and had to stay in the dust-den that is Madurai for another night.

Got to Kollam in Kerala at about 9am. The difference in scenery from one state to the next was very apparent. Tamil Nadu was pretty dry, dusty and a bit... blah really. Kerala is so green, palm trees, swamps, rivers, grass, mango trees and spices all over the place. The people seem genuinely friendly as well.

Got a bus from Kollam to Alleppey, where we planned to catch a ferry across the lake to Kumarakom. The bus was so overcrowded. Should seat around 40 people I worked out, but half way into the journey there were easily 60-70 people on board. My toes were being stood on all the time, baby's were being thrust into me and Nikki was being crushed into the window. It was funny, looking back, but very uncomfortable and bit worrying at the time. People were clinging on to the outside. We had our backpacks on our knees and we felt like it was a thousand degrees. Was happy to get off at Alleppey. We found the boat jetty and I asked at the deks if there is a ferry to Kumarakom. The guide book said there are regular ferry's. Of course there was no such ferry, and the guy just looked at me with a blank expression saying "Kumarakom ferry? No, no no". There was a ferry to Kottayam, near Kumarakom, but that didnt leave for another 3 hours and we just wanted to get the hell out of Alleppey. We hopped in a Taxi outside the jetty and paid 800rps to get to Kumarakom. It took about an hour and half to get there. Wonderful scenery through the backwater villages.

Got to the homestay at around 2pm. It was extremely secluded. Really quiet, no traffic noise and no mitherers! Just birds singing and crickets chirping. The house was right on a canal with goats and ducks in the gardens. The family were very nice and very modern. They were Christians so there way of life was quite different from the Hindu people we have come across so far. The food they cooked us was superb, whole fried fish, veg curry's with coconut, stews and loads of breads. Best food so far easily.

We spent two days there just lazing around in the gardens reading and drinking chai. It was really relaxing. On the second night there were a couple more guest there and they made us play charades with the family. It was quite funny as I didnt know all the little signs like 'The' and 'A' but Nikki was a pro.

We took the canoe out on the backwaters which was nice, just a little trip but still managed to get a bit stuck in some undergrowth!

There were some REALLY annoying english people at the homestay with us. Words don't describe the woman but I've been perfecting an impression which I think goes a long way to describing her. She lived in the south of france and never let you forget about it. Thry pronounced all the Indian town names wrong but still insisted they were right, even when told otherwise by Indian people themselves. The woman got right under my skin and the guy was a bit of a drip. I tried to keep my temper with her and did really well, but on the last day I ended up snapping at her over the bus timings. Idiot that she was. Was glad when they left and we got on our way to Kochi.

We're in Fort Cochin now, we'll be here two more nights. Very nice here. It used to be a British enclave and has kept lots of it's colonial character. Last night we went to see the chinese fishing nets and watch the sun go down. There are lots of Thomsons type tourists here on trips from their beach resorts. They seem far too clean. We've travelled here all the way from Chennai and we are so bedraggled now, thanking god for clean undies that we are washing with medicated soap in the sink! We must look a right state compared to that lot.

I haven't had a shave since we arrived. The beard is coming along nicely, if just a bit patchy! If I get chance I will upload a photo. I'm aiming for the Brian Blessed look by the time I get back.

We're having a good time anyway. Travelling here makes you a bit weary. It's hard work I think but it is rewarding. The inbetween travelling has been quite demanding especially when you are tired. Things like waiting for trains and buses and ferrys seem to suck all the life out of you but when you get to where you are going it all seems worth it.

Not sure what is going on here tonight, lots of westerners around so I'm sure they'll be some sort of firework display down by the beach or something. We'll probably be in bed by 10 anyway!

Happy New Year everyone

N&C

Farewell to Madurai and Tamil Nadu

2009-12-27T01:59:00.000-08:00

It's now time for us to leave Madurai and move on to Kerala. We had a great time yesterday exploring the massive temple complex that is here (the only thing that IS here to be honest) and eating plenty of food! Why our holidays always revolve around food I dont know!

The first day here we were really tired. We had a wonder around the town after lunch, noticed that you get really mithered here from all sorts of people but it's ok, I guess if we wanted to have trousers made or buy chessboards and wooden snakes we could do so easily! We went back to the hotel for a snooze and then nipped out to a little chai stall down the road where old men were congregating sipping chai. I braved it and queued up while Nikki waited in the wings somewhere. I was in the wrong queue obviously but a nice old Indian man told me what you had to do. Bare in mind that the chai stand was no bigger than a shower cubicle, but you had to queue up at a little desk and say what you wanted (either chai or coffee), you pay the man behind the desk 6 rupees per drink and you get two green tokens. You take these to the chai men (one does the washing, one does the elaborate pouring and one does the handing over of drinks) and then you take your chai, which is about 3000 degrees celsius and do what all the other Indian men are doing, wolf it down whilst burning the inside of your mouth. It was quite funny because we were a bit out of our comfort zone but about 10 people got involved in making sure our order was heard and we got what we wanted. It was probably the highlight of our time in Madurai and it was nice to experience something real and rewarding and forget about all the beggers and touts. We talked the men about where we were from and where we were heading before heading back for a shower and then tea on the rooftop restaraunt.

Yesterday we went round the temple complex and got away with not paying (no one asked us). It was difficult to get around the temple because some shrines were off limits to us 'Foreigners' as the signs said it. We spent loads of time on our balcony taking pictures of street life. Last night we ate on the roof again but it was bloody chaos because a few tour groups had come in and the kitchen couldnt cope. It took 2 hours for our food to come but we had a great table overlooking the temples and we sat there chuckling at people and sipping pepsi's.

Today we checked out and had a wonder, found a supermarket that sells western snacks such as pringles and cadburys. Bought a feast for the upcoming journey, chocolate (gone already), pringles, cashew nuts, cookies, and some panda shaped biscuit thingy's that we scoffed in Vietnam at some point.

We've got a train to catch tonight at 10.45 which gets us to Kollam in Kerala at 9.05am. From there we need to get a bus to Alleppey (2hrs) and from Alleppey we need to get a ferry across the lake to the village of Kumarakom where we'll spend a few days relaxing in the backwaters in a homestay we booked before we left. Got a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a LONG day. Might be no access to the internet until we get to Kochi on 30th December, so have a great New Year everyone.

C&N

Getting to and Escaping from Rameswaram!

2009-12-25T01:54:00.000-08:00

Got an unreserved train to Villupuram from Pondicherry. Unreserved basically means there is no seat boking it is just a free for all, but thankfully this train was rather quiet. We got to Villupuram at around 8pm and had 3 hours to wait for the train!

Got mithered a bit at the station. A man who spoke not a word of English came over and started chatting to us. We're ok with that, it is nice sometimes to try and cross that language barrier but god he was annoying. He just stood there saying things in Tamil and broken english. He wouldn't leave so Nikki said "Just ignore him and he will go away" I tried to tell him that him waiting around was pointless and in the end he went away scowling and watched us from afar for the next 3 hours!

Train never appeard on the board for departures so feeling a bit nervous, I sent Nikki over the bridge to the enquiries desk, good Husband that I am. They said it would be here soon and it was. We got on at 10:45 and there was someone sleeping in our beds. I shifted them and they reluctantly moved on. We both got very little sleep on the train and Nikki got bit by a mozzie and her lips swelled up! After a antihistamene administered by me, it went down. We pulled into Rameswaram at 9am and immediately decided we would leave after one night. It was so filthy, rivers of waste and plastic rubbish lining the streets with a couple of dead dogs thrown in for good measure. We were the only westerners in town and felt very aware of that, although that didnt bother us. We saw a building called "Shelter for the Minorities" and thought about stepping in but in the end decided to leave it. Why does everyone watch us here? We're not that interesting! We even had our picture took a few times!

The temple, which was the only reason we came, was not strictly open to non-Hndus but we could have gone in if we wanted but it had rained quite heavily and the rivers of filth and mud running through the main corridor was enough to put us off getting barefoot and trudging through it.

The hotel was a laugh. Lots of Indian pilgrims here watching what we were doing. Decided not to eat here after a dodgy lunch we christened "Dystentry Material". Although we were perfectly fine after it. For tea on Christmas Eve we had a bottle of Coke! Met a really nice Keralan family in the hotel reception when we checking out. The little lad took our picture and when we said we were from Manchester he was joyous. He was a United fan, and most of his family were. Although one of his cousins was a Liverpool fan which we quickly booed! He brought his family to talk to us!

Caught a ramshackle bus for 50rps the next morning, Christmas Morning, and it took 4 Hours to get us to Madurai, which is where we are now. We had a bottle of water for the journey and the Indian famiy next to had a feast. Even had Dairy Milk. We were so hungry our mouths were watering. We went to a hotel in a Rickshaw and got a room for 2 nights here. They have a rooftop restaurant and we ordered a feast straight away - Naan Breads, Rice, Papadams, Two Curries, a bottle of Coke and a bottle of water - 350rps (4 pounds). We will eat even more tonight.

Off to see the temples now and have a wonder.

Enjoy your Christmas everyone.

C&N

About to Leave Pondicherry

2009-12-23T01:05:00.001-08:00

Leaving Pondicherry to take the night train south to Rameswaram. Pondy has been kind to us so far but last night was a bit of a bust. Seems to be few places to eat here that aren't either very shady or very expensive. Ended up walking around for a bit then eating Crisps for tea. Not the culinary highlight we were hoping for.

Went to the temple to see the temple elephant blessing people and then got an early night, taking advantage of the clean room and hot water at our hotel.

Today we ate at a rooftop place for breakfast and then stayed in the room with the a/c on before reluctantly heading out into the 40 degree heat! Had some chai at a cafe on the seafront, then a thali at a place a bit like a diner. It was very good.

Sorry it is not that exciting but Pondy isn't that exciting. Lots of French Expats here side by side with some horrible poverty - people sleeping in the street wrapped in nothing but towels etc.

We need to leave for the train station around 6pm. It's quite likely that we won't be able to get any internet access now until we get to Madurai on Boxing Day, so to everyone at home, have a great Christmas and don't get too drunk!

C&N

Mamallapuram to Pondicherry

2009-12-22T02:00:00.001-08:00

Decided to get the bus to Pondicherry before getting the overnight train to Rameswaram. We asked at the Bus Station when the bus would leave but after a wobble of the head and a gesture which sent us in the wrong direction we ended up going to the Tourist office to see if they could provide a timetable. Of course they couldnt, but assured us buses left every 20 minutes from the main bus station.

The next morning we got up early after been awakened by people weeing in the alley next to our hotel room so we went out for Masala Dosas again, they are like pancakes filled with potato curry. Very nice and only 20rps (about 35p). We packed up our rucksacks and headed to the bus station to wait for the bus. A new man was at the information desk who told us that buses left every 30 minutes from the main road, outside of the village! We got a rickshaw to the main road and waited on a featureless corner of the dual carriageway until, after about 5 minutes, a bus came hurtling along and picked us up. There were few seats so we ended up getting split up. Nikki was at the front with a great view of the road and reckless driving going on and I sat in the middle while a man asked me a billion questions about what I was doing, where I was going, and how I was getting there.

Arrived in Pondy at about 1pm, got a rickshaw to the hotel, who tried to charge us 150rps for the short journey when we knew it should only be 50. We bartered them down to 80rps. We had already booked to stay in the Executive Inn, just north of the town. Rickshaw driver told us there were no rooms there but we insisted we go.

Pondy is ok, doesnt seem much to do here. There is a canal running through it which is filled with poo and wee and really stinks and the place is a bit bizarre but ok for one night. Very frech influenced here and has some nice looking places to eat. We're going to eat at a pizza place tonight that has a wood fired oven. We're not bored of Indian food yet but from what we have read it's diffucult to get authentic south indian food here.

Got an email of Nikkis mum and dad saying they were fine and heading to Hampi, we will meet them in Gokarna in a couple of weeks.

Tomorrow we will get the train to Villupuram where we will catch the overnight sleeper train to Rameswaram. We plan to spend Christmas there but not sure how Christmassy it will be. It's a pilgramage place that people call the Varanasi of the south so we will see!

Forgot to say, a man on the beach in Mamallapuram asked where we were from, and when we said England he was delighted saying he was friends with a very famous person from England. We wondered who he meant... Maybe David Beckham, Robbie Williams, Prince Charles.... No... Lester Piggott. He even knew he had gone bankrupt so he must have been telling the truth. Bizzare!

C&N

Hello from Mamallapuram

2009-12-21T02:38:00.000-08:00

Finally made it to Mamallapuram at 4pm India time, thats 11.30am, UK time. We were absolutely shattered, last slept on the Friday night at the Airport Hotel. Didn't get a wink of sleep on the plane as usual.

Delhi airport was ok, had to transfer to the domestic terminal which wasnt the farce we originally thought it might be. Flight to Chennai was an hour late.

Got a taxi to Mamallapuram, a beach town about 60km south of Chennai. It took two hours and after terrible traffic, people selling father christmas masks, and the smell of fish, poo and burning rubbish we finally got here.

It's ok here, boiling hot, pretty touristy but only by India's standards, and not THAT cheap. Although it cost us 1 pound 50 last night for byriani, naan bread and a lemon soda each!!

Lots of cows here, and pigs, and goats and dogs!! Roaming around the street owning the place. The beach is good fun, lots of fishing boats and the standard mitherers. Today we went to the shore temple and to see the rock carvings (The 5 Rathas). We also walked through the gardens where all the other carvings and caves were. Saw some monkeys and more goats and dogs.

Leaving Mamallapuram tomorrow to go to Pondicherry, about 2 hours by bus. Guy at the Bus stand made no sense when we asked him if we needed to buy a ticket and what time it left, just wobbled his head and pointed vaguely in the direction away from where all the buses were. Sure we'll be ok though.

Hope everyone is ok at home, and enjoying the snow.

Chris and Nikki

-10 in Helsinki!

2009-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hello from Finland. Not got anything interesting to say really other than the flight is on time to Delhi, we landed 30 mins late because of a build up of flight traffic, and its absolutely freezeing here. Had to leave the plane and walk across the snow to a bus, even the bus was frozen.

Had to sit near some kids going to Lapland, they weren't too annoying but the grandma was an idiot. Reading Mr. Men at the top of her voice. We called her Jackanory.

Another 1010 taxis disaster on Friday. Driver didnt even know the way to the hotel at Terminal 2, and then missed the junction so we got a tour of Stockport.

It was good staying at the hotel before hand, ate a massive breakfast this morning to set us on our way. For once was chilled out before we went away!

Just checked in for our flight from Delhi to Chennai so hopefully all will go to plan and we should be at our hotel in Mamallapuram by 10am tomorrow (uk time)

Goodbye

C&N

A Month in South India

2009-10-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

This blog is about our trip to southern India, where we will be spending a month travelling around the coast as well as venturing inland from Chennai to Mumbai.

On the way we plan to visit places such as Mamallapuram, Pondicherry, Rameswarem, Madurai, Trivndrum, Kollam, Kochi, Mangalore, Udupi, Gokarna, Hampi and Goa.

We leave for India on 19th December 2009 and we will keep this blog updated so our friends and family can see how we are doing and what we are up to.

C & N