Varanasi

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So, i finished up with a couple of days in chitwan national park and once again nepal did not fail to impress me. This region is reffered to as the Terai and is basically dense jungle filled with wildlife.
Whilst there I took a river trip in a dugout canoe, a guided walk through the jungle and an elephant safari. I saw various species of insect and birds, some monkeys but best of all was the crocodiles and the rhino-saurus'.
A pretty special experience was taking a bath with the elephants, i had a nice play with them and i just hope they dont forget me.
I had such a great time in nepal, everything about it; the people, culture, food, scenery, activities - i could go on. It is definetly a place i would like to visit again. Then there is india...

I have been in india for a couple of days now and my relationship with the place has been pretty much like; well a relationship. Ninety percent of the time it is a pain in the ass and a lot of hassle then the other ten percent you experience some of the good stuff. It took about 18 hours on local buses to get to varanasi, it is a crazy place and every now and then you see or experience something which captivates you - all part of a fascinating culture. Then you walk a little further down the road, have a strange bowel movement, get hassled by touts and rickshaw drivers and then get cow sh*t splattered up your leg.

....okay, due to a power cut there has been a bit of a time delay but just in that hour i have seen something amazing. It wasn't any kind of hindu ceremony, it wasnt any of the great art or architecture, nor was it any of the open creamations on the ganges, something even more incredible. It was ... Brad Pitt. Dressed down with a camera trained on him and checking out the market. Of all the things, i am in the hub of indian culture far removed from the western world and i bump into one of hollywoods most famous faces. i got in on the shot aswell, acting in a purely proffesional manner of course. Watch out for me in the next big blockbuster. Honestley, this place is full of surprises!

Just to answer some questions. I have met quite a few people along the way and friendships have lasted from a couple of hours to a few days, however i am still travelling independantly and on my own itinerary and at the moment i prefer it that way. Accomodation and food, have been in the budget category. I have been pretty much eating the local stuff, so a lot of rice, breads and curries. Nepal, was great for food and has some amazing bakerys and kathmandu does western food really well, which is nice for a change. It also has the best pizza i have ever had at place called fire and ice.

Oh yeah, something else i found quite amusing is when asked by indians "which country?" and i say 'near' London, there standard response is: "ah london - Lovely jubbly, top banana, no worries chicken curry."

Anyway, this is the most i have ever written since my GCSE history exam so i am going to shut up now. Please enjoy the phots.

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Comments

[Dad]

Brad Pitt
He doesn' look anything like Brad Pitt. He looks more like an Indian ice cream seller called Gaylord.

[Ness]

Where is the picture of Brad Pitt???

[Gareth]

Amazing
hey tom, the trip looks amazing. i'm jealous as hell mate. keep up the rockin blog - i look forward to the next installment. god speed!