Well unashamedly we did nothing in these last few days. We managed to get some good sunbathing, ate quite a lot, had more henna done, Laura had a wax- just lots of general pampering and preening. Goa has a real hippy feel about it, there´s nothing to do but relax and chill out in a hammock. I had the best prawns ever there. On the second day we were sunbathing from 12 until 5pm- I was liberally applying the sun cream...every half an hour- determined to be bronzed, not burnt. About 5pm we left the beach because we were both feeling ´hot´. I got into the shower and I was a complete lobster. Burnt to a crisp where my bikini had been. I had been dousing myself alright- dousing myself in Factor 15- not 30 which ... read more

Train: Ahmedabad tp Goa. Journey to Goa Leg 2. So we got on the train at 11am as planned (been quite lucky with delays so far, only had the one) and tried to get settled. We knew we wouldn't be put together in the same cabin this time, but Laura stayed with me until whoever was in my cabin arrived. It was so quiet- then an entire family tipped up. 3 sets of mums and dads and 5 kids all squeezed into a four man cabin. Laura made a swift exit to hers. I'm using this holiday to catch up on my reading because I don't really get the chance at home. I've just started the Twilight books so I buried myself in that. About 4 hours later Laura pops her head round declaring she's had ... read more

We didn't see any sights yesterday, just basked in the luxury of having a fully functioning toilet and hot water. We had some tea and then went and watched a film- felt a bit like home really, but just what we needed. This morning we were up relatively early to go and see the City Palace. It's definitely become more hotter the more south we've come- good news as Goa is even further. Hopefully it will be ok to show a bit more skin down there- keeping covered up is killing us- and making us sweat ridiculously! This morning wiped us out a bit so we headed back to the hotel for a bit food and a little lie down. (This travelling malarkey is knackering, honestly!). About 4pm we decided we'd have our first Indian massage ... read more

So we decided to make use of the festival and head to desert for a camel ride and see what the 'nice programmes' we heard so much about entailed. Cue Laura in fits of laughter as I made my way on the back of this spitting camel. Anyone that knows me knows I am not an animal person- particularly after the mini panic attack that time I was on an elephant in Thailand (which again entertained Laura). She is au-fait with all this 'riding animal' behaviour... growing up in Wales prepares you for this type of thing. The only experience I had was when my uncle tied me to the Kyza the dog when I was bout 4. So we were on the camel for an hour anyway. The novelty wore off after about 20 minutes. ... read more

Eventful day today! Woke up early because the man that runs the hotel organised a trip to Bishnoi village for us- a local community of indigenous Indians. We visited a clay-pot factory where I made a splendid wonky bowl. We then went on to a typical home where everyone has opium for breakfast. Me and Laura were offered some but politely declined. We looked around another home where a man makes carpets and rugs from scratch- he was even using the old-school looms! This finished just after lunch where we got the bus to Jaisalmer...what a bus that was! First of all they have ordinary seats, then above them little cabins where people sleep. Each cabin fits 2 people but in true India style a whole family was shoved in there. Then there's the 1 foot ... read more