Indian Trains. We love them. In our time here we have taken short hops in A/C chair class, slept (on the whole very well) on the sleepers and squeezed and shoved our way in to stand in the general seating section. We had yet another different experience on the Margao-Hospet train. On the morning of departure we had no ticket,and so queuing for a standard seat was the only option. Evidently one of the most popular routes in India there were already people hanging out the doors when the train pulled in. So when the empty luggage carriage stopped in front of us we hopped in. It was very spacious, if a little hard on the old posterior. We waved goodbye to a bemused Durks, and 8 long hours later we arrived in Hampi. It was ... read more

We were looking forward to getting to Om beach having heard such good things about it. The 600km journey to get there, as always in India, took a little longer than expected... First there was a train and stopover in Mangalore. A pleasant relaxed city, with good food, and a good medical system as it turned out. On the morning of our departure I took a reluctant Lewi down to the hospital. I felt that after the previous evenings discomfort he ought to have his ear checked out. Forms were filled, and patiently we waited along with 40 others in a partly constructed waiting room. Only 45mins later the doctor called us through. After a brief consultation he selected a hooked implement and, with a wince from Lew, pulled out the biggest clump of wax I ... read more

It was time to leave the beautiful Andamans behind and board our flight back to the mainland. We had quickly become fans of the languid island lifestyle and were reluctant to return to the frantic pace of the mainland. But the time had come and we were headed for Chennai. It was a hot and hectic morning and after checking our bags into the station luggage room we stumbled out into the city and into an Egyptian styled bar. It was swanky and we had a couple of hours to kill before our sleeper train to Kochi so we dove in and were amazed at the choices...and the price, such an increase from Little Andaman! We had a strawberry and mint flavoured hookah pipe and a watermelon cooler. This was a popular place filled with Chennai's ... read more

The journey to the beautiful Andaman Islands was an interesting one to say the least. A jeep with no clutch, a train with cockroaches to touch and a night in Kolkata where you sweat too much. But we made it to Port Blair, getting off the plane with a sigh of relief and excitement at the island adventure that awaited us. The Andaman Islands that sit 1000km east of mainland India were not originally on our itinerary, but who needs itineraries when you’re in India. Since landing in Delhi people had told us of the little secret that is these deserted islands and after being in the cold Nepali mountains we decided to find some cheap flights and go there, which subsequently enabled us to see Darjeeling. The even colder Darjeeling left us yearning for sun ... read more

On from Pokhara. Durks had departed to go to Mumbai to begin his teaching course, and after spending a few more days in Pokhara planning our forward travel and eating dinner with our rafting buddies we took a 8 hr bus journey to Kathmandu. The driver of this bus was a maniac and we breathed a sigh of relief when we were able to disembark. We decided to go to "Freak Street" an old hippy hangout right next to Durbar Square as opposed to the more touristy Thamel Area. But our late arrival into town meant we had some difficulty finding a room, and eventually settled for a good priced but very damp and dank smelly room. I think this brought on Lewi's hayfever which was pretty terrible, using rolls and rolls of toilet roll for ... read more