Day 8 We had a relaxed morning this morning; waking up naturally, which was a refreshing change! Although we were awoken in the night by a random phone call. I answered it half asleep. It was all in Indian, I just kept replying that I didn't understand, but he continued to rabble on. Very frustrating, T found it very funny! lol We packed our bags ready to move on again. We met with Kate and Nicola for our final breakfast before parting our ways. It was a hearty English breakfast this morning, well, as English as it gets in India! Cereal, fruit, toast with jam and tea. We set of for Bangalore, which is abut 150k. We have a couple of stops on the way. The first stop was after only 10 minutes whilst still in ... read more

Day 6 Today we leave Munnar. It is a 6am alarm, for a 6.30 leave. We decided to go to the reception a bit early to allow time for last minute Facebook and messages whilst we still have wifi. Tom and I aimed to get some breakfast before leaving, this task didn't prove to be easy! The restaurant didn't open for ten minutes, the guy really struggled with us wanting to pack up bread and go! Although we got there in the end! We have the pleasure of a 200k drive which will take about 9 hours. In UK, that seems a bit strange, but the reason it takes that long is because of the very narrow, winding mountainous roads. We are heading for Mudumalai where we have a jeep safari booked at 4.30pm. On the ... read more

Day 4 Today allowed for a late start. Very exciting .... Santa came this morning; we all got chocolate! Including Najim. Today, as it is Xmas eve, I am wearing my Santa tee shirt. I stick out like a sore the... Lol. Although it is bringing a smile to others.... After an enjoyable breakfast, we set off at ten thirty for 90km drive to Munnar. We were all very appreciative of Nicola's efforts to enhance our long journey by downloading the top 100 Xmas songs for us to have playing throughout the journey. On the way we stopped at an amazing viewpoint, but sadly it was still overcast, so you couldn't take photos, that didn't take away how beautiful it was, the only drawback is that I can't share it! We stopped off a couple more ... read more

Day 2 We were asleep by about 8.30! ... And slept solid through until the rude awakening of the alarm at 6.45. We were both up and about, showered, re packed, and at the breakfast table by 7.15. I was surreal, on the rooftop, eating gorgeous banana pancakes, and drinking tea in such tranquil surroundings in the morning. Perfect. We settled our bill, which was more than reasonable at rs 850, was very reasonable for 2! Considering I had turned up very early in the morning and gone to bed! Tom was told that an American lady was in his room! Today we are setting off on a week long private tour. This was a last minute arrangement by Tom and a couple of UK girls, in conjunction with a lot of help from their CEO. ... read more

Final Word Where to start? This trip has been the best by far. It has made me think hard about so many different aspects of my life. I definitely experienced a spiritual awakening that I didn't really know could exist in me! I must give my sincere thanks to Ankur, because without him being the person he is, my experience would not have been as valuable to me as it was. The group - diverse. I got on with everyone in the group, but all on different ways. I also shared different levels of friendships with different people. The important thing is that everyone played their own part to making it the experience of a lifetime. I consider that I have spent a month of quality time with quality people. I can note a few highlights ... read more