Rameshwaram is the eastern most tip of India, the closest to Sri Lanka I can ever get. A lot of Tamil refugees come to Rameshwaram on small boats sailing through the gulf of Mannar. It is actually an island which is now connected to the mainland by a bridge that was completed only 20 years ago. The people who live here are mainly fisherman who reside in straw houses in sandy little villages. We were lucky enough to take a day trip there from Madurai because of our driver. It took 3.5 hours each way and highways are non-existent in this [View Full Entry]

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We couch surfed in Madurai for 2 days with a guy who let us stay at his guesthouse even though he wasn't there to meet us. I've come across surfers like this before in my travels but this was a little bit different because not only did we have a place to stay without the host, we also got full use of his personal driver! It was the real royal Indian experience. At first David and I felt quite uncomfortable with people addressing us as sirs and madams but sightseeing Madurai in an A/C car was definitely something we got used [View Full Entry]

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Spending a night on a houseboat is one the list of 10 things to do before you die. Of course it all seems a little over rated, right? WRONG!! For 4500 rupees David and I got a one bedroom houseboat equipped with 3 men for 24 hours. These men drove the boat, cooked us food (lunch, tea, dinner and breakfast) and took care of us as if we were royalty. They also took us to the toddy shop on the banks of the waterways to pick up some local liquor made from coconuts (I'm still not too clear on how exactly [View Full Entry]

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The state of Kerela is known as God's own country due to its lush greenery and beautiful backwaters. The first change I noticed was the language; I was lost yet again amidst the signs in Malaylam which are just as curvy as Tamil yet so different. The plan was to only spend a night in Cochin but somehow it turned into two, mainly due to laziness and the fact that we somehow managed to gain an extra day on our itinerary. David and I stayed at a homestay which felt more like an overpriced motel room. There was nothing homely about [View Full Entry]

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It was due time to escape the heat; I have been immersed in it for over 6 weeks! Like all Indians do in the summer time (and as the British Raj used to do) we also headed to Kodaikanal, a hill station close to the Kerela border, 2000 and a bit more feet above sea level which took the bus over 2 hours to reach the top. You can notice the change in temperature instantly! The air is fresh and hills are filled with clearing mist, especially in the morning. We felt this was a good place to splurge so we [View Full Entry]

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After a night in Mahabalipurum David and I headed down the ECR towards Pondicherry which is a former French colony and is considered an autonomous state where French is actually an official language. We had planned to take the state bus to Pondicherry like we did from Chennai to Mahabalipurum (and it cost a whole of $1 for 2 people!!) but you really need to know how to jump onto buses to do that since the bus will only stop for a whole of 5 seconds. So after a failed attempt at that with out backpacks in tow, we gave into [View Full Entry]

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David met me in Chennai to travel the south of India together for the next 2 weeks. After a couple of nights in Chennai doing absolutely nothing but hanging out with couchsurfers, we headed south on the East Coast Road towards Mahabalipurum. It's a small fishing village that seems to be quite popular with the hippie backpackers. The entire village caters to the tourist but on a very laid back note. Mahabalipurum is known for its stone carvers who are known to be the best in the entire country. It also has a few stone temples from the Pallava dynasty (we [View Full Entry]

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I flew into Trichy from KL yesterday and rathar than explore the city I chose to find a hotel and crash. I spent last night at the KL low cost terminal which is not that great of a place to sleep and knowing I had to take an overnight train to Chennai the following night I felt that sleep was definitely the priority. Believe it or not, but traveling can be exhausting! My idea of India has been created through the numerous Tamil movies I have watched growing up. This is the reason towards my deep desire to explore this country, [View Full Entry]

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Malaysia wasn't on my list of places to visit on this trip but it just so happened that the cheapest flight to India was out of Kuala Lampur (Air Asia). Now that I have spent a couple of days here I'm really glad that I had the chance to explore KL which seems to be the Toronto of Asia due to its diversity in cultures, languages and cuisine. As soon as I stepped into the airport I felt the assimilation begin; Indian Tamils make up part of the cultural fabric of KL so I was taken for a local from the [View Full Entry]

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Phomn Phen is a small capital city which has heaps of character. It has loads of colonial French architecture and people from all walks of life. There are streets lined with beautiful, giant houses as well as half dressed street children trying to sell you books and covered in filth. Contrast seems to be a key theme in Asia. Corruption is quite common so anyone can basically get away with anything. This also means that as a tourist you aren't really better off than anyone else. I felt eerie in Siem Reap walking around after dark, but this eeriness has taken [View Full Entry]

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