Kim Taylor
Kim is 21 and is desparately seeking escape from drab old Blighty. On the 1st of Feb he'll be flying to India for 3 months on his own. Crikey!kimalicious
He's stocking up on Immodium and preparing for the worst (and best).
Travel Blog Posts
May 8th 2008
Things are just about coming to a close for me, so this will be my final blog :( In a nutshell my last few weeks took me down from the snowy heights of the Himalaya down towards dusty deserts of Rajasthan. Admittedly my timing is abysmal, deciding to hit Rajasthan as temperatures here soared to over 40 degrees C (when I could have gone in March!). A lesson painfully learned when your body screams for a simple cold shower and all you get is hot water! This is Jodhpur, and its very hot indeed. The city is dusty, polluted and not without the standard malodorous city scent. Yet in spite of the crippling heat and the manic chaos Jodhpur still has a great deal of appeal. The rickshaw ride into the heart of the city gives ... read more
April 8th 2008
Drowning in the sprawling crowds that flood most of India, and gasping for unadulterated air, Kim finally goes bananas and decides to get lost in remotest Himalaya. Tucked away in the most isolated Himalayan India neighbouring Tibet is the region of Spiti. Location: The middle of nowhere, Population: sparse, Inhabitants: goats, donkeys, yaks and maybe the occasional homo sapien. Perfect :) Comfy and overly-well fed, I pottered around in the quaint hill town of Shimla for a week, and it was here I met the amiable bunch of travellers who ultimately I was to go trekking with. What was I getting myself in for exactly? I can't say I really knew. Himalayas, yeah I've heard of them... The trek lasted for 5 days and involved another 4 days of jeep travel just to get there and ... read more
March 10th 2008
On the 26th of Feb I arrived back at Kochi train station with no idea where I was going to head next. In all directions I had possibilities awaiting me, but for some reason no where had grabbed my attention. Not being able to make my mind up I sat in the station for a long time feeling a bit in a rut, everything felt like it was at a standstill. After a good hour and a half in the station cyber cafe I had made up my mind. I would head to the hills. Funnily I had not realised that the entirety of my journey bar the brief stint on the backwaters had been spent in India's congested chaotic cities. Getting to the countryside was firmly on my agenda, and with it came the elusive ... read more
March 3rd 2008
Blog seriously overdue! The last few weeks I have been enjoying the delights of the southern state of Kerala. It is my favourite part of India to date, the scenery is the most beautiful I've seen, the Keralans by nature are very friendly people and I feel quite safe and comfortable here. Feb 19th I arrived into Cochin- An ex-colonial trading port which was throughout history occupied by the Portugese, Dutch and British. As such it has an interesting history and rather alot of western architecture which can make you feel like you're not in India! I'm alone again and it feels liberating to be solo once more. However it wasn't long before I was befriended by the locals. Upon my arrival, a pint-sized fellow named Yoonas made random conversation with me whilst ambling alongside. I ... read more
February 18th 2008
It seems like over a week since the last blog, so much to catch up on! I am currently relaxing in lovely lovely Kerala, and it seems like the entire journey so far was just a big prelude leading up to this, but more about that later. Blanks to fill. After the horrendous experience at Bellary, we finally got to Hampi. In what seems like the middle of nowhere in barren middle-India is an ancient ruined Hindu settlement littered with temples and shrines set amongst astonishing rock formations. A few people I met compared it to Angkor, with its countless ruins and temples. You could spend a while here and discover something new everyday. We arrived and found ourself a cheap guesthouse. I'm paying 120 rupees a day, that's about £1.50 ..! Plus... looming over the ... read more
February 10th 2008
Goa was pretty nice, but unless you like sunbathing, there wasn't an awful lot to do there. After a few days we made the decision to get to a place called Hampi- site of some astonishing Hindu ruins. The train journey took about 8 hours, and was one of the most memorable yet! Travelling eastwards through the hills of the Western Ghats, the scenery was stunning. We also had some excellent conversation in the form of a cheery indian family and a Malaysian Phd student. Perhaps the conversation was a little too good; when it came to our stop at Hospet we must have nattered right through it because we completely missed it! Was a little annoyed that we'd have to wait an hour till the next stop of Bellary. The ramifications of missing the stop ... read more
February 6th 2008
Just a quick update- got my ticket to Goa (yes!) so got up very early to Chatripathi Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai's main station. I had no idea where to go or what to do, so looked a little lost. A (seemingly) helpful man dressed as staff asked where I was trying to go and took my ticket- big mistake! He escorted me to my train and right to my seat, and just when I was about to tip him for his kindness he demanded 100 rupees! Felt like a bit of a melon for getting duped, but oh well! The train ride itself was a great experience. The train to Goa takes over 11 hours, so it's quite a journey. I sat with a nice Indian family, who talked to me and gave me bits of food. ... read more
February 4th 2008
Namaste! Ive just had a cold shower, and trotted off down the marg (street). Its quite warm outside so I feel nice and fuzzy with a belly full of curry. The last few days have been something of a bewildering experience, but I feel alot better for it. Where shall i start? Felt completely lost after the first blog. Wasn't in the best mood and I think jumping straight into the madness of Mumbai without a shred of experience, a timid consititution and no support was always going to be difficult. The most enjoyable part of the journey thus far had been the cheesy bollywood flick I saw on the plane. I found leaving the hotel a little intimidating, especially since I hadn't seen another westerner since the airport. I didn't really want to spend the ... read more
February 2nd 2008
Hello friends. I miss you. I am alive and, well, a little stressed. Ok quite stressed, but I'm trying to stay chirpy. The last 12 hours has been something of a bombardment. Got off the plane on time at noon today, and had my first glimpse of real-life India as I stepped out of the station. First thing is, so many people... Everywhere! Managed to get a prepay taxi to escape the throng but it didn't really change. Mumbai's streets are so busy, I don't think we really have a licence to use the word choc a bloc over in UK when you see how tightly packed the traffic gets on the streets over here. Amazingly it still moves along. One thing you can't fail to notice is how every driver on the road has one ... read more
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