South India - Travels Begin Again!

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Dear All

Wow, I’m so excited! I am writing from my mini travel-laptop which after three years I have charged up again, and along with all my travel gear and equipment, have packed into my trusty backpack. Tomorrow, I pick up where I left my travel career behind three years ago, and hit the road once more! To India, the South: Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Indeed, it has been three years since I last counted countries. The day after arriving back from Burma, country number 71, in August 2012, I suddenly had the inspiration that then was the time to buy a house, something for which I had been saving for a number of years. And amazingly within four days, I found it, my dream-home (no exaggeration…), made an offer, and had it accepted. Two months later I moved in to my beautiful end-of-terrace Victorian cottage in Croydon, and spent the rest of the year investing well-spent time and money into my new home, and thus had to put the travel career on hold. I had also recently moved sideways into teaching Religious Studies rather than Geography, and decided it would be very useful to get myself educated in the subject. Thus, in September 2013 I also began a two-year part-time MA in Religious Education at the Institute of Education in London, studying alongside my full-time teaching at a small school in South London. I have only now, since five days ago, completed this MA, and after two years of pretty much blood, sweat and tears, working Monday to Friday, studying at the weekend, and writing assignments and a dissertation during my holidays, have come to this most amazing place in my life right now where I am freeeeeee!! Completing the MA is certainly a load off!

Anyway, to cut a long story short, my travel career was postponed for the last three years, but indeed no longer…! Tomorrow I pick up my backpack again, and continue where I left off exploring this wonderful and beautiful world in which we live. To ease myself back into it, I am only travelling three and a half weeks this time, and to a country already visited (so sadly won’t be moving up to number 72 just yet…). But having only been to the North of India before, I will be exploring the southern tip of the country.

Tomorrow I fly to Chennai (Madras), and the rough itinerary is as follows: Chennai, Pondicherry, Trichy, Madurai, Cape Comorin, Kerala, the Nilgiri Hills, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Mysore and Bangalore. On the 16^th of August I am due to return to London from Bangalore. I am very excited to be travelling again, and of course will be updating my travel blog as I go.

But before I fly, I post the traditional pre-trip photos of my trusty travel companions, and their contents, which will be accompanying me on the journey.

So, thanks for reading, and I look forward to writing more blog entries as my trip unfolds.

Bye for now.

Alex

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Comments

[RENanDREW]

Congratulations on finishing your MA!
We travelled to India earlier this year and had a fabulous time. I'm looking forward to re-living it by following your blogs. Safe travels! :)

[alex waring]

Thank you!
Thank you for your lovely comment. I have just had a quick pre-flight look at your blog, and look forward to reading through them whilst travelling myself. Particularly the blogs from the South, your photos are incredible (love the one of the Taj Mahal). Thanks for this link! All the best :)