ANURADHAPURA Finding accommodation can sometimes be a challenge - especially with the 3 wheeler drivers trying to "help" you ... which really means take you to a place where they get commission. After some heated discussions, we finally made it to a nice guesthouse and then set out on bicycles to explore the ancient city of Anuradahpura. First a short history lesson... Sinhalese kings ruled from palaces here for over 1000 years and it first became the capital in 280BC I haven't been on a bike for years so it was a wobbly start but a great way to get around [View Full Entry]

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First some definitions so you know what you're looking at ... and for me when I look back... Devale A complex designed for worshipping a Hindu or Sri Lankan deity Dagoba Buddhist monument composed of a solid hemisphere containing relics of the Buddha or a Buddist saint. Also called a stupa Vihara/Viharaya Buddhist complex including a shrine containing a statue of Buddha, a congregational hall and a monks house Vatadage Circular relic house consisting of a small central Dagoba flanked by Buddha images and encircled columns Bodhi tree Large tree under which Buddha sat whe [View Full Entry]

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Was so excited to be going to Sri Lanka, but didn't have the greatest start .... Arrived in Colombo after my flight was delayed and then had to pay more than a days budget in taxi fare to get to the hotel. On the way my driver nearly drove off the rode several times because he was so tired and in the end had to pull over and splash water on his face to wake up... not happy! Got to the hotel to find An really sick and as the night progressed she got worse with a temperature of nearly 40 [View Full Entry]

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7 hours on the train and I was in Chennai. After finding a hotel and freshening up I headed straight for the beach ... well it's been 2 weeks since I've seen the sea! Check out the photo - not sure if it really captures what I could see but there were thousands and thousands of people on the beach. Very few were swimming as it's not really that kind of beach, but there were people everywhere just hanging out. It was pretty cool and as I was walking across the sand a guy about 17 walked straight up to me [View Full Entry]

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Arrived in Hassan mid morning and found myself a nice hotel, (with room service), dumped my gear and went for my usual reconnaissance of the town. Bloody hell it was hot ... after 2 minutes walk I was sweating profusely. After some research on line, a visit to the tourist office and the bus station I was all set for an early start the next day. HALEBID Hoysalewara Temple is similar to what I saw near Mysore, only bigger. Hoysala temples are so completely different to any other temples I've seen in India (like one big sculpture) ... the detail is [View Full Entry]

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After 3 superb days in Kodai I arranged to jump on an overnight bus to Ooty. With ten hours drive ahead of me, on terrible winding roads, all I wanted was the comfy recliner seat I'd paid for. The bus was 2 hours late and as I was the last on there was only one seat remaining right at the back, squeezed in between 4 other people - and no reclining seat! I'd deliberately tired myself out going for a huge walk that day so I could sleep on the bus but it was hot and stuffy and I couldn't get [View Full Entry]

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After 5 months of travelling I've come to understand that big cities aren't for me. After only 1 day in Madurai I was on edge and after 1 hour in Kodaikanal I was back to being relaxed again. I know I have to experience the cities whilst I'm here as they have some fantastic sites ... but for me it's better to get in and out again in a day or two ... maximum! First impressions - Kodai is much cooler (hallelujah), there seems to be a lot more wealth here and there's a lack of other tourists ... YAY! (but [View Full Entry]

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I arrive in Madurai at 5.30am after taking the overnight train. Over 1 million people live in Madurai. It was a bit of a shock to the system after being in a small village the past 7 weeks. Overcrowded, dusty, cars, rickshaws and bikes everywhere, horns sounding 24 hours a day and every 20 paces someone begging for money or trying to sell you something. Relentless! Still, it's worth a visit just to see the Sri Meenakshi Temple complex. These temples have to be seen to be believed. Beautifully multicoloured from top to bottom carvings of gods, goddesses, animals and mythical [View Full Entry]

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I hate to say it ... but it's true ... nothing lasts forever! I've had the most fantastic 7 weeks here in Kovalam. Staying in one place for a few weeks really gives you a different experience to moving every couple of days. The locals start to get to know you and you become a part of the community ... it's really really nice! The last week was really tough though as saying goodbye is never easy. It's so sad to think "this is the last time I'll ..." * practice yoga with Shiva my teacher * help out at S.I.S.P [View Full Entry]

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Time for another overnighter!!!! This time we took a new Enfield - very fast - to Kanyakumari which is the most southern point of India in the state of Tamil Nadu where the Bay of Bengal meets the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Why do people come here? For sunset and sunrise! It's also a very spiritual place with pilgrims coming here to bath in the sacred waters. The 2 hour ride there was really nice, but hampered by the fact that Jelle lost his camera ... (there's a story there but I'll come back to that). Anyway ... [View Full Entry]

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