Our month in India...

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Where to start...

After travelling for nearly 24 hours (most spent in doha airport on the loongg layover) we welcomed the upgrade to business class with open arms, looking rather our of place, we made the most of the free champagne, beautiful food and seats which you can recline into a bed without worrying about someone spitting their dummy out behind you, we arrived at chennai airport. Having waited for our luggage for nearly two hour, we found the exit and stepped out into what can only be described as of of the biggest culture shocks we've experienced. the heat was around 35 degrees at 8pm in the evening with humidity that made you feel choked, we were immediately approached by what seemed like hundreds of people trying to get you into their taxi. Overwhelmed to the point of tears, we got into a taxi and after some reassuring words from lol settled into the journey... For about 30 seconds! The way they drive on the roads is mayhem, using horns instead of indicators or mirrors it was definatley a terrifying experience for the hour we spent trying to locate our hotel which we had booked for 3 nights. We headed through areas of heartbreaking poverty and arrived at our hotel, in one piece. We were tired after not sleeping for 24 hours so got our head down for a few hours with the air on on full blast. Upon waking that afternoon, we decide to try and take a walk to get our bearings. no maps available so we took our chances and headed left into again yet another enormous culture shock. naievety at its best. Seeing people lying half dead in the streets and steeping around huge piles of rubbish rotting away was a huge shock to the system but something we went on to learn is not all that shocking when in such an area. We went back to the hotel shaken and decided to get out of there as soon as possible. time was getting on but we decided to pack up, pay whatever the rate was and move to a hotel in what seemed a better area in chennai. We arrived at the clarion after an hour of driving with a lost taxi driver and spent the next 3 nights in a sterile hotel with not much to do. It was pretty stupid of us all in all to not of researched this more but there you go. We booked a flight over to Cochin, as this is the place where we fly out of in a months time in hope of finding something more for us. We arrived at a calm airport and a 45 minute drive over to fort cochin to where we would stay for the next 6 days. a pretty like town, where the infamous Chinese fishing nets are located we spent a few day wandering round, taking in the sights and taking a tuk tuk trip to Jew town, the temples, the traditional laundry house and spice markets. The food is amazing everywhere, curry being the obvious choice, which we have had every day- it would be rude not to indulge in all the fresh and locally sourced food on offer. We spent one evening watching kathakali which is a traditional form of dance in Kerala and very impressive! Another day was spent on an 8 hour backwater trip, spending half the day on a large house boat, picking up fresh coconuts to drink and stopping at local businesses to watch them making rope and lime powder. Then onto a remote island for a traditional thali lunch cooked by the locals. We spent the rest of the day on a canoe with 5 others going down the small side streams and taking in the local villagers going about their daily washing and building. after a little research, we decided on varkala for our next destination with a two day stop over in kollam. not much to report on the part of kollam we stayed in, a sort of smaller version chennai. Then an hours tuk tuk drive down to varkala. Heaven. We arrived again after our lost tuk tuk driver took us on an accidental tour of varkala to bamboo village where we set up home- only meaning to stay for 3 days and move on, we fell a little bit in love with the area and the people so decided to stay for the rest of our time- 2 weeks. We had a basic hut made from bamboo, with a cold shower which was amazing once you got under it, for cooling you down! We spent the first few days enjoying the beach, playing in the waves and unaware of the strength of the sun. Sunburn alert!!! Lol spent the next two weeks covered in blisters, sore skin and peeling like a snake! evenings were spent again enjoying the local food- fresh fish cooked in a tandoori oven was the froNt runner! we found a bar where everybody was super friendly and up for a good time, putting on traditional dance shows, music and entertainment. Before even knew, it was time to pack up and head back up to fort cochin. Always time for one last culture shock, we took the train. Having been advised to book sleeper tickets, we kind of expected a little bit of calm on the journey. We were wrong. Trains in India are absolute madness! Overcrowded, we found ourselves next to the toilet for the first hour of the 5hours ahead. Lol managed to snoop out a seat ( they are like bunk beds) on an upper bunk. we spent the next 5 hours with me huddled up and finishing off a book while lol stood due to fear of cramp, in the door way, chatting to locals and sneaking a read when possible. Arriving in cochin we took a 45 minute taxi ride back over to fort kochi where we are currently sitting in a local cafe, beer in hand while we await the flight to bali this evening!

India, you have been a learning curve, a culture shock and an experience we will never forget!

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