The question of the day from Malcolm is: In one word, describe India. Kevin - dirty Malcolm- filthy Dick - chaotic But, it is more than all of these and is; Incredible; Historic; Polluted; Burgeoning; Noisy; Smelly; Friendly; Overcrowded; Colorful; Dusty, Surly and much more....... I'm glad that I have made the trip. It has been an assault on the senses and we've had laughs, frustrations and wonder. Monday, November 8 On the road again, today we are heading to Agra and its a six hour road trip. Myself and Dick get lots of photo's of trucks and overcrowded jeeps. However, there is a bonus, we see herds of camels being driven up the road and presume that they are going to the Pushkar camel fair. About 40km from Agra is the ghost town of Fatehpur ... read more

I've just had a two week sojourn in the Yorkshire visiting my mother, sister Ann and her family. There's no blog and I didn't do too much except spend time with my Mom. However, I did manage to get down to the Blues Bar in Harrogate on Saturday nights. I n addition, I enjoyed dinner and beer in York with two other independent Russellite Travelers (Heather Hebblethwaite and John Garret).. I'm now starting to head towards home, but first it's Bangkok and India. The ticket to Bangkok starts in London. My friend Ian Binks kindly offers me a bed for a two nights to allow me to catch up with old friends, Dennis and Sue, Marian Reese and Ian and Annette Wheeler. On Saturday, 16 October the flight leaves LHR and arrives in Bangkok on Sunday, ... read more

The last time I saw Francoise and Raymond was in Fiji approximately two years ago. Kathy, Sue and Stephen had spent time with them before arriving in Carcassonne for the birthday bash and had told me about the fabulous time that they had. Now, it is my turn..... Tuesday, 14 September, 2010 I'm on the bus from Tarragona; it arrives at Gare St Jean in Bordeax approximately two hours late. Luckily for me I managed a sleep along the way, however I am ready for a refreshing shower. Raymond greets me and takes me to his house, I shower, and we have lunch. Francoise is a nurse and a carpenter, and herself and Raymond have been working on renovating a house on the property, this is where I stay. The main house is against the cliff ... read more

The week to ten days that I spend with two old friends, Jane and Mike, who I have known from my early 20's, is all about laughter, memories, food and beer. We have 35 years to catch up on and manage it very well. Friday, 27 August, 2010 Kathy has gone South, Stephen and Sue have flown to London and I take the train from Barcelona to Tarragona about 70 minutes south. The train is full, however I'm one of the lucky ones that manage to get a seat. It hugs the coast and I see lots of high rise apartments; the journey takes just over an hour and when I emerge from the carriage, Jane and Mike are waiting for me. Hugs and kisses over, we retire to a bar for a well deserved beer. ... read more

The Locaboat experience is to be shared by, Kevin, Caroline, Stephen, Sue, Kathy (All Russell-ites) and Brenda, Russell and Gary (friends of Stephen and Sue's from Auckland). The representative of the company explains the ins and outs of the boat and is rather sheepish as he tells us that the boat has a holding tank, but there are no pump-out stations on the canal. All of the effluent goes into the River Baise and the Canal Garronne. Yes, the turd police are lacking and what has worked for centuries continues into the 21st century. There are several companies that are running very lucrative boat businesses on the river and the Garronne canal, and we Kiwi's are very surprised that there is not a single pump out station or even a pump-out truck. What is also surprising ... read more