It ain't half hot mum

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Hi All

Arrived safe and well if a little frazeled after the flight. Didn't get in untill midnight so took a taxi to the hotel. Opted for the Air Con car as even at this time of night it was still very hot and it was only an extra quid. It turned out the AC involved the driver opening his window and telling me to open mine! Not sure I got full value for my quid there.

Mumbai (Bombay) is, as I expected it would, be hectic to the point of mayhem. Organised chaos without the organisation is what i'm seeing. I'm going to be back here at the end of the trip for the flight home so made this a bit of a flying visit. Took myself round to the "Gateway of India" one of the cities sites and just round the corner from my hotel. Watched a cricket match at the Oval Maidan. Had a look at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the one that was set on fire by Pakistani millitants in 2008 I think, only saw it from the outside as secruity is very tight now and they don't seem keen to let the likes of me in...bloody cheek.

Moved on from Bombay after to few days and headed to Pune (Poona). I came here mainly because its called Poona and with a name like that you've got to have a look. Its quite a big place so I've been using auto rickshaws to get around. A trip in ones is more of an experiance than a mode of transport. Traffic here is bad, very bad, but the auto rick drivers are compleatly bonkers. Every journey is some hair raising bottom clenching nightmare.

Spent my time in Poona taking a look at a few temples and the Aga Khan palace which is where the British kept Gandhi prisoner for a couple of years during the independance movement.

Looking for a place that was a bit less hectic and more relaxing i've moved down the coast to Panji the capital of Goa. I flew here as it only cost a bit more than the bus fare and was a lot easier.

Coming down an escalator at the airport there was a bit of a scream and I turned to see this tiny little old lady bouncing down the steps bones snapping like dry twigs all the way. I managed to stop her but unfortunatly not untill she hit the bottom. They carted the poor old thing away to an ambulance but she wasn't looking very good to me.

Anyway only just got here so will tell you what its like next time.

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