Merry Christmas! Hitting the tourist trail.

---

Well we spent christmas in style this year in a small village/backpacker heaven called Mamallumpuram (spelt something like that).

We had booked a hotel but yet agian it turned out to be a dump so we found a very nice hotel as a treat for christmas. It cost about 5 times what we would normally pay but it was air conditioned, had 24 hour hot water, a TV with english language mive chanells and we had use of the hotel pool. On arrival we put up our 4 inch tall christmas tree that Racheal had bought, put up the tinsel and prepaired christmas stokings that we made out of pillow cases. We weren't going to let this christmas go by un-noticed!

Mamalumpuram is right on the beach and is very touristy. It was a tottal cultuer shock at first as we haven't been anywhere like this in India. The streets are lined with hippy shops selling tie died t-shirts annd everything imaginable to decorate a truly hippy house. Nothing that is very Indian really but it's all lovely. Me and Rach were instasntly suduced by silk chinsese style wrap over dresses which we both had to have. Sam and Racheal also got to satisfy thier sea food lust with freshly caught smelly stuff (although it didn't actually smell as it was all fresh). Meanwhile I got to feast on fresh salad and chips.......pancakes and omlets and pasta and garlic bread, all the things you just don't get any where that isn't a backpacker place.

Christmas day. Woke up late, got Racheal, opend christmas stockings. Gorged on stoking food, including fizzy apple juice which substitued champagne and whatched tom and jerry and friends. Wondered down to the pool and went for a swim then read on sun loungers for a few hours. Back to the hotel for a hot shower (such a luxuery here) then had to choose which of my combination of my three outfits i was going to wear. We went out for christmas dinner about 3pm. I ended up with spagette and cheese and garlic bread for my christmas dinner. All very nice.

Then we went to the orphanage for thier christmas show. This we so sweet. All the kids had learnt dances to bollywood music and performed them for a hanful of tourists who they had given flyers to. It was all very cute and christmasy.

Christmas night was spent in true christmas style eating chocolate and whatching christmas films. Finally hit the pillow about midnight after a very good christmas day.

Boxing day was spent in similar style by the pool and wondering along the beach to look at the shore temple that makes this place famous. It's very pretty and lovely at sunset. Overall the place is really nice and although it is a touristy place it is also still a working fishing village which is nice.

So to everyone at home, i hope you had a good christmas and have a great new year. Photos will come when i find acomputer that can handle them.

Much love
Jen

---