Been super busy, and slack on my blog!!

Hello :)

Just realised the other day that have not updated my blog in ages or put hardly any of the photos up from the last 4 weeks!! Sorry!

I left Goa and travelled up through Mumbai to Gujarat. I spent some time in a city called Ahmedabad - which is really old and has many beautiful havelis. The architecture is amazing, saw lots of old Mosques and temples there. Also found the people in Gugarat are so friendly!!I was really suprised, after the rumours about the pollution levels being so high that they have Oxygen masks on the streets - I found it to be quite a clean city!

After Gugarat I made my way to Rajasthan. First stop at a city called Udaipur - wow! It is set on the lakes, which contain many floating palaces, in the mountains. Visited the City and Monsoon Palaces, and many cultural museums and workshops, art schools and local families. Saw traditional dance shows etc tec. It is fab there - I recommend anyone travelling to india to take time out in Udaipur (as well as everywhere else!)

Am now in Jaipur (the Pink City), again there are many palaces, forts, and Jantar Mantar - a huge observatory with massive Sun Dials. Off to Agra tomorrow night and should get there Friday morning to see the Taj Mahal.

Oh - have seen so many elephants and camels here!!! It's fab!!!

Well - all i can say is I have a ton of photos to upload from Goa and all the other places I have been - but short on time as so busy sight seeing (only 4 days left!)

So will get them up prob when I get home!!

Hi! I'm still in paradise lol!

Wow, it is so beautiful here! I was going to take time to see some more places down south, but because it is just about monsoon I have decided to stay in Goa another week or so.

I have done quite a bit this week. Arrived on Sunday and spent the day looking around and running down to the sea to take a lot of dips, spent Monday sunbathing also :) I'm still admiring the views when I wake up every morning.

My beach hut is facing the beach, so I take some time to chill out and lie in my hammock just watching the sea.

On Wednesday I hired a moped and drove up and down the coast near Palolem. I saw an old fort called Cabo de Rama, with very beautiful deserted beaches - they remind me of the Bounty adverts! It was great to see all the surrounding villages and towns, and the Goan way of life. There is a huge fishing industry here, and for that reason it is not a poor state. The Portugese in fluence still shows in all the villas and architecture!

Last night I saw the most amazing thing!! At about 1am a group of us were drinking in a bar, and someone came up and asked if we wanted to see something really cool. So we went to the sea and swam about until we were about half way between the beach and the island. It is new moon at the moment so it was very dark - was a bit cautious about the mini adventure.

But it was so worth it! They have a type of bioluminescence organisms called dinoflagellates living in the sea, and when it is disturbed it glows. So when you swim or move your hands or feet under the water the area around you lights up and sparkles like hundreds of little green stars in the water!! It was so amazing to see, I wish I could have taken a photo of it!

Well I'm off to sunbathe, lie under a palm tree and eat a coconut, I only have two and a half weeks left and will make the most of it. I'm planning to hire a car and drive to Panjim the Capital of Goa, as they have Saint Francis in the Basillica. Chat soon!

Palolem Beach in Goa :) So you gonna come for hols or what??

Photos From Varanasi - At Last!

Bathing Ghats

2,000 Year Old Sunken Shiva Temple

View Down the Ganga Ghats

The Sunset Ceremony on the ghats of the Ganga

Pics From Sarnarth & Sarnarth Deer Park

The Shrine at the temple.

The Buddhist Temple at Sarnarth

What Reindeers get up to when it's not xmas!! This one is laughing!!

The Bodhi Tree - exact place where Buddha taught his many lessons after gaining enlightenment.

Buddhist Stupa at Sarnarth, where monks used to walk round clockwise while praying. Over 2,000 years old.

No tow trucks in india!!

A Bike ride for 2..... or is it 3? Check the little one at the front!!

Pics From Simla

Simla!

Simla Town Center - Very British!

Simla - Hill Top Station

Palolem Beach - Goa (paradise on earth)

Hello!!

Bollywood was not as glamorous as I thought, they wanted me to stay a few weeks, but I only have 3 weeks left - so I kindly declined and have moved down to Goa.

I'm staying on Palolem Beach in Goa - it so so beautiful here!!! I have a beach hut in the palm trees facing the beach - complete with hammock on the deck outside!! The beach is clean, with fine white sand, the arabian sea is warm and bluey/green and hundreds of palm trees line the coast. Am going to see the lagoon tomorrow, so will get some pics up soon!! Promise!!

Thinking of staying here for 1 or 2 weeks!! Sigh... ok then, I'm off for another sea food BBQ on the beach!!!

Take care!!! (I have the biggest grin on my face - wish you were all here to share this with me!)

OK SO SEEING AS I AM HERE FOR 2 WEEKS - IF ANYONE IS FANCYING TAKING A BREAK RIGHT NOW, GET YOUR TICKETS BOOKED AND COME JOIN ME!!!!!! The airport is only half an hour away and about 4 pounds by taxi, accomodation is less than 2 pounds per night, and it is 30p for 2 bottles of beer. If that doesn't sell it to you, will put the pics up tomorrow!!! XXX

Dr Bombay, dr bombay!!!

Hello!! Mumbai/Bombay is really fab!!!

I have been staying in a tourist area called Colaba, and also in the Bollywood areas of Andheri and Bandra. It's been amazing and have met so many people here!!

Was planning to move on to Goa tomorrow but have been offered some work here, which I am going to take - will give you all the details in an email!!

I saw Elephanta Island where they have carbvings cut out from the stone in the caves - reminded me os the Medusa statues in the old Sinbad films!! Was amazing - pics to follow!

Hope you are all fine, missing all my friends and family very much!!!

Where have I been!!?? lol

Hi!!

This is my third attempt to leave a post, I have tried in three different places in the last 2 weeks and each time there was either a power cut or the computer just switched off can you believe it!!??

After Manali I headed down to Simla which is a hill top station -was very nice there, but only stayed there for a couple of days before going back down to Delhi and then to Varanasi.

Varanasi was extremely hot -about 45-47 degrees C and humid also, so only stayed 4 days there!! Managed to get lots seen and done though. Went on boat trips along the ganges (Ganga) river. Varanasi is a holy place, and there is a lot going on there. On the river there are many Ghats, for different purposes.

I saw the sunset ceremonies, and also the burning Ghats where they hold open cremations of up to 300 people per day. I wont ever be able to forget the smell of the place, of the water of the river and the corpses, cremations etc.

I couldn't quite believe some of things I was seeing. People waiting to die in hospices, just so they die in Varanasi. Also the bathing in different areas of the Ganga. We saw (in this order!!) A burning Ghat, A sewage pipe, People washing their clothes, 20 Buffalo wading in the mud and water - and then... people bathing!!! AAAaargh!! Couldn't quite work that one out, opted out for taking a dip!!

Went to see the place where Buddha taught thousands of years ago, and also saw the Bodhi tree, the national deer park and the oldest Jain temple in the world. Was very peaceful in the gardens there, and saw my first elephant and peacocks in India!!!

I then spent 27 hours on the train to come to Mumbai to escape the heat - it's only 33 degrees here :)

Have loads of pics to post, so will get them up soon!!!!