We arrived in Bangkok on the 14th November after two quick flights from Colombo and Singapore. It was very hectic at the airport trying to find a decently priced taxi to get us to Khao San Road where all the backpackers are based. Finally we found a taxi driver who wouldnt overcharge hugely, didn't look drunk and seemed fairly normal. We arrived in Khao San and found a really well priced hotel just off the main Khao San busy street. It had a great room and a swimming pool on the roof top which was perfect for cooling down in the [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka 1st November. There was a taxi waiting for us at the airport to take us to Nicky and Sunil's - Caroline's aunty and uncle - it was great to see some familiar faces for the first time in a long while now! Sam has very kindly given up her room for us and so we are feeling well very looked after. We spent a couple of days seeing some of the sights in Colombo, then we bought 2 tickets for the Observation Carriage on the train to Kandy. We planned to make Kandy our base [View Full Entry]

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As I write this, we are spending our last night in India. We are due to fly to Sri Lanka at 9:45 tomorrow morning. It just doesn't seem possible that over 6 weeks have passed since left from heathrow to arrive here. We've spent the last week in Varkala, a beautiful and quiet beach with a number of hotels, bars and shops set along a cliff top. The place is so relaxing and so clean as well. A really nice place for us to bring to a close our trip around India. Yet again, we found an incredibly cheap hotel (the [View Full Entry]

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So after plenty of offers we got ourselves a houseboat for the night. Allepey is the main place from which to explore the backwaters of Kerala and known as the Venice of the East we were pretty excited. Our houseboat, or 'rice barge' hand made from wood and bamboo had a covered seating area and bedroom with ensuite bathroom, and came with a driver, an engine man and a personal chef! We set off from Allepey and spent the next 22 hours on the water. We drifted along canals and lakes, lined with palms trees, rice field and villages. It was [View Full Entry]

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After a gruelling 16 hour train journey, we have arrived in Kochi, Kerala and have begun the final leg of our Indian tour. It has gone so quickly - there is so much to see in India! We hopped off the train and made our way to the ferry to take us across to Fort Cochin. We looked around for a bit and have found a nice hotel to stay in, pretty much central to all that is going on here. The evening we arrived, we both felt that we deserved a treat - there was a massage parlour just around [View Full Entry]

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We are now staying in a bamboo beach hut!!!!! on the beach, only about 10 metres away from the sea. Most nights we fall asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on to the sand. Arambol is the most laid back place we've been to so far. Not too much going on, a fairly quiet village which seems to have been slightly taken over by backpackers. We feel a little fresh faced, most have been here for months have acquired long facial hair and dreadlocks. But it's so friendly and we've had the most amazing time. The beach is picture [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Goa still with no idea which beach to head to, queued up at the taxi stand, read down the list and decided on Baga. It was described in the lonely planet and being very touristy, Cangalute just a few miles down the road is apparently package holiday central. When we arrived the place seemed so quiet compared to everywhere we'd been to and because of the high number of tourists in the high season there were plenty of places to eat, drink and sleep nearby. We checked into a hotel that was again recommended by the lonely planet [View Full Entry]

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So we decided to leave the beautiful Rajasthan (we could have stayed for so much longer) and put ourselves on a 17 hour bus journey to Mumbai. As we drove in the city itself looked much more cosmopolitan than the likes of Delhi, although the sites of the slums was something we hadn't quite experienced. We had the usual panic as the bus stopped by the side of the road leaving us with no idea where we were. But there were plenty of taxi drivers on hand to scream and shout and pull for our custom. So we got in and [View Full Entry]

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We arrived here last night at about 9.30pm - it was a long and sticky bus ride again, but hey, we got here. Checked in to a hotel with really nice view over the Lake Pichola, there are some beautiful views at sunset. The air is much fresher round here and not so smelly as some other places. Today, we visited the City Palace and museum - they were setting many posh chairs and silk throws in the grand courtyard ready for the celebration they having tonight at 5pm to worship the horse (it was quite exspensive to attend so are [View Full Entry]

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We hopped on a 'Super Deluxe' private bus from Jaisalmer for a 6 hour journey to Jodhpur. (Super deluxe = crap but not too crammed with bodies). The journey was surprisingly good, very hot, but I think we may have finally started to cope with the heat. We found ourselves a great guesthouse with even friendlier staff than the last and a brilliant view over the city and of the Meherangarh fort. We spent our first night admiring the view from the highest table on the rooftop terrace, sipping ice cold beer by the candle light. (chris) Jodhpur is known as [View Full Entry]

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