Hello Sydney, hello Mardi Gras

Sorry to have been pretty rubbish at updating blog entries for the past few weeks. Lack of Internet connection in the rain forest made things slightly difficult as you can well imagine. Will need to fill you on a few more jungle stories but will first fill you in on where in the world I am right now.

Left Matang wildlife centre in Borneo last Tuesday after a totally amazing 4 week stint there. Couldn't believe how emotional it was saying goodbye to the other volunteers I met, the keepers at the centre and of course all the animals - has been such a fascinating, fun, and educational time. I hope that at some point in the future I can return. I would highly recommend the project to anyone who has a love for animals and those beautiful orange apes.

So from Kuching flew back to Singapore where met up with Mandy and George for the evening and then a super early rise at 5am to get my flight to Sydney. Now if you've been tracking my blog you'll remember my disastrous arrival into Mumbai with the loss of my baggage....now my morning at Singapore airport was almost on par. Arrived at duty free planning to stock up on goodies and discovered that both my debit card and credit card were declined. Not too much of a panic really at this point as blocking of cards has been pretty regular occurrence. What was bizarre though was that my phone which had previously been working fine wouldn't let me call out. Weird. Decided to log onto Internet banking but the system wasn't recognising me either. Starting to panic now - felt like there was a conspiracy against me - was like I didn't exist!! I think I was still half asleep too so my ability to deal with the situation was pretty poor. Thankfully had a few coins in my purse which was 'just' enough money to speak to my saviour at Barclay's who helped me out. Was extremely happy to board my flight in the nick of time and get out.

Arrive in Sydney later that day and meet a smiling Katherine at a hotel on Wentworth St. Katherine has been travelling round Oz for past 6 weeks so had plenty to catch up on and do so until the early hours of the morning over a drink or ten. Meet a lovely guy called Jason from NZ over for the Mardi Gras weekend who becomes part of our drinking party for the next couple of days....

So obviously quite excited at prospect of Mardi Gras, have heard lots of rave reviews over the years. Head down to Liverpool St at about 5pm to get a good position at the start of the parade and end up standing on the same spot for the next 5 hours (my feet and back have never hurt so much....). Parade kicks off with about 300 scary looking dyke's on bikes before the main procession starts - lots of beautiful oiled up gay men in tiny swimming trunks dancing to disco tunes....not really a bad sight to watch. Sadly this is kind of about the extent of the parade so after a couple of hours need to get out to rest feet and back....this is where the fun really started. After heavy drinking the previous night decided not to booze, however every other soul in the crowd had been and while waiting for Jason to finish watching the parade me & Katharine witnessed some hilarious drunken activity. Mostly young kids and mainly girls brawling! Several times somehow almost ended up in the line of fire....these guys take no prisoners. Found it interesting that Mardi Gras is meant to encapsulate peace and love and equality but didn't really end up seeing much of that after the parade.....and I thought booze Britain was bad....heh!

Pictures convey more than words ever can...

AMAN DORIS



TINGSAN MAMOO

Sunny Bears

So feel I should fill you all in a bit more on the animals at the centre other than the wonderful orang-utans. Next in line for me are the Sun Bears - sadly there are only about 10,000 bears remaining in the world which makes them a hell of a lot more vulnerable even than the orang-utans. I'd never even heard of a Sun Bear before I arrived here, however am now a convert! There has been no major studies compiled about the bears which makes their rehabilitation all the more difficult, adding to this they don't breed very successfully which obviously isn't helping their numbers grow.
So the Sun Bears are fairly small and very cute - they have a dog likeness to them (albeit with 3 inch killer claws) and are brilliant climbers. One of my jobs here is to monitor the bears - there are two large enclosures each containing 4 bears - the 'hill bears' that are Gummi Bear (he has no teeth, either rotted or were pulled out before he arrived at Matang), Heather, Gabbi, and Wong - and the 'quarantine bears' who aren't actually in quarantine but the names stuck that are Bernie, Corrine, Situ, and Jo. Monitoring involves recording what the bears do every 2 minutes, half an hour for each bear - this may sound easy but keeping your eye on them when they go afar can be rather difficult. This research is probably the only of it's type happening in the world so feels pretty special to be involved with it.
A funny observation occurred while watching the quarantine bears. Every morning a coconut is hoisted 12 metres up one of the trees in the enclosure, Sun Bears in the wild are natural climbers and spend the majority of their time including sleeping time in the trees. Now all 4 bears can climb however Situ is leaps and bounds ahead of the others and can shimmy gracefully and expertly up the tree to get the coconut prize. Bernie, Jo, and Corrine can climb but not quite so elegantly or easily - saw old bear Bernie slide rather clumsily down a tree after attempting to reach a papaya fruit at about 3 metres. However Bernie is not stupid. I'm watching Situ descend down the tree with her prize and suddenly Bernie darts out of nowhere and is waiting at the bottom of the tree for Situ to come down. Just at this point my ipod shuffles onto Holsts Mars from the planets so have a perfect soundtrack for the upcoming war that is about to commence. At this time Corrine (fat bear) has also appeared at the base of the tree to welcome Situ. As she draws close on her descent she notices her greeting party and on landing tries to manoeuvre past the other bears to feast alone on her coconut. Nope sorry Situ, you've done the hard work but Bernie strikes out and grabs the coconut and runs to a feeding platform to indulge himself. Poor Situ leaves the only male to consume her prize hanging closely in the background looking really sorry for herself and not daring to intervene. The bears are solitary animals so 'sharing' is not a word that exists to them. Have to put my hands up to Bernie though as although the worst climber he's learned the best trick of letting the others do the hard work and reaping the benefits - one clever bear!!

The beast that is Aman

Dominant male numero uno is Aman. He is one utterly fabulous beast. He's probably my favourite orangutan....but only just as they are all beautiful. He is massive. Just to give you some perspective his hand can probably fit round a bowling ball.... He's 20 (so a bit young for me) and recently had an operation to remove cataracts from his eyes which made him almost completely blind - he's a new male. He's shed 30kg and is lots more mobile and a fan of the ladies too. Although if a female orangutan is put into his enclosure he would most likely beat her around, chase after her and generally abuse her...and then have his wicked way, nice guy eh....ha! It is unlikely that Aman will ever be released from captivity due to his age and the low chance of his survival in the rain forest. He would probably climb a tree straight off oblivious to the fact it can't support his weight and crash to his death. All the keepers at Matang are brilliant and the animals are at the heart of everything they do so Aman is in a good home.

Matang Life

This is my first Borneo blog, no Internet in the rain forest... Have been here for 10 days now and am well on way to becoming a jungle women. To be honest I think I had prepared myself for the worst and everything has exceeded my expectations. Accommodation is a good sized hut set on a road with 10 huts facing each other. There are 9 volunteers in total including me - 8 girls and 1 boy (lucky Will) and 3 of us each sharing a hut. Everyone from different backgrounds but a really good team. No hot water but had kind of got used to that after India....although the water is super cold here, been a good wake up call before head to work.
So Monday - Friday my day consists of the following.

8am - 10am: Animal Husbandry
No, I'm not marrying an orangutan every morning. We have to clean out the numerous night enclosures every day. Friday was particularly bad after drinking too much vodka and rice wine the evening prior. Hosing down slushy sun bear poo trying not to retch was pretty tough, made even worse by hitting my head on a belian wood bear platform (strongest wood in the forest). Ooof.

10am - noon: Sun Bear Monitoring/Enrichment/Construction
Any one of the above. Sun bear monitoring involves watching the sun bears. They are the smallest of the bear species and the most endangered, more so than the orangutan, and unfortunately the world knows little about them. Currently no one is studying the bear's behaviour so feels pretty special to be able to contribute to research.
Enrichment is basically providing entertainment for all the animals! Tis pretty fun really. Make food parcels that the animals have to work hard to open. Doris the orangutan was given a rubix cube although broke it straight away. She was gutted. Poor Doris. The orangutans have immense strength....I would probably be mauled if ended up in one of their enclosures - especially the beast that is Aman, the dominant male number 1.
Construction. So far have built a new python cage. You can imagine my delight in this job. When the snake was moved it was measured at 12 feet long....i was standing well clear! Still walk as far away as poss from the snake cages. Just keeping fingers crossed our construction work isn't shoddy and there's not a 12 foot python on the search for dinner.... It's sodding hard work though. 35 degree heats wearing boots and work wear, carrying planks of wood into the jungle, sawing, hammering.....

noon - 2pm: Lunch
Nice.

2pm - 5pm: Sun bear Monitoring/Enrichment/Construction

So far have really enjoying every minute, I've got plenty more to blog about the animals....

Durian Fruit

Beware - stay well clear of this fruit.

During buffet dinner Mandy advises me to avoid eating anything with Durian in. It's a big fruit that grows in Asia and the Singapore people love it!! Deep fried in savoury dishes, in puddings, wherever in fact....

After dinner check out a kooky ice-cream parlour called Udders. Although I'm not about to buy any ice cream after 4 plates of food at dinner the smiley guy behind the counter is willing for us to sample his delicious ice cream.

He sells me into the Durian Deluxe ice cream - because of his beaming smile i couldn't say no.....
I have no idea what excrement of any sort tastes like but this stuff I would imagine would come close. I am retching. Quickly wash down with some Tiramisu ice cream (which is divine). Mandy finding hilarious. Sadly the durian repeats on me for the rest of the night.

Sample at your own risk - you have been warned.

Spic-and-Span

HUGE culture shock.

India equals chalk and Singapore equals cheese (and a fine one at that). I rock up in my India travelling garments which felt good and comfortable in when left Mumbai, with my Nike zooms on felt I gave my outfit a modern twist, but hello Singapore, hello developed world, hello me the traveller bum. Don't actually care but it's quite amazing how much these countries contrast.

Singapore is so clean and expensive to what I have been used to.

Hop in a taxi and arrive to a warm welcome from Mandy (little Sarah's mum). Her and her boyfriend George have lived in Singapore for a couple of years and are loving the relaxed and non-crazed life as well as the agreeable weather.

Now the food was good in India but actually Singapore is on par. Head out for dinner in one of the hundreds of hawker centres here. Super good food and super cheap prices. I'm in! Mandy takes me on a mini evening tour of Singapore, see Raffles Hotel (super colonial and gorgeous building) and look out on panoramic views of Singapore from the 70th floor of yet another nice hotel (can't remember name right now) - sip on a scrumptious blue cocktail while looking out at the neon lit night sky.

The next day I am on a mission to find a pair of boots for the jungle. Should be easy right in what is one of the shopping Mecca's of the world. Or maybe not. Rock up to the infamous Orchard Road which houses about 20 mega malls. Find it difficult to see a shop that's not Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton or some equally extravagant designer (and even Topshop, Gap, Zara). Finally find a sports shop hidden in the top corner of one of the malls so thankfully my only obligatory buy has been sorted...phew. Then can relax and check out Chinatown and Little India (of course I had to do this one).
For dinner Mandy takes me to one of the many buffet style restaurants here. Basically for $40 dollars you can eat as much as you like......food heaven. Oysters, Tiger Prawns, Sushi, Sashimi, Crocodile soup (possibility ate this by accident, thought it was chicken - hoping don't get any bad karma when with the crocodiles in the jungle....) and a further plethora of culinary delights. I have two full plates of mains and two of puddings. Fatso.

Goodbye India

I am back to Mumbai to get my flight to Singapore via Bangkok. Now I thought I could just hang out in the airport for 12 hours and catch up on Internet, calls home etc. but oh no am told this is just not possible unless I wish to sit outside the airport on a metal chair.....for 12 hours - I think not. End up forking out £40 for a hotel somewhere in the slums surrounding the airport. Air conditioned, hot water, and a TV....whoop luxury! Also manage to get a couple of hours kip as flight at 5am in the morning.

So this is it.....good bye India. Actually have a tear in my eye writing this as have enjoyed India immensely, a million times more than I ever thought I would. So many things have been new to me and alluring - the diversity of the country, the people, the food, spices, smells (some better than others), road mayhem, the cow's, the weather - I could go on and on and on. All I can say is that I recommend India to one and all. I will most definitely be back as I feel like I have only read the first couple of pages in what is a long and breathtaking novel.

Nameste.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

So on my penultimate evening in India I decide to go and see Amma at one of her Brahmasthanam temples as she is currently on tour in Kerela. Known throughout the world as 'Amma, the Mother of all'. Motherhood, in its ultimate sense, has nothing to do with bearing a child, but with love, compassion and selflessness. It lies in totally giving one's self to others. Seeing the whole world as an extension of her own self, Amma is ever ready to fore go her own body's needs in order to bring a smile to someone's face, wipe their tears or to simply listen to their sorrows. The sweet manner in which she laughs and jokes with people, shares in their success and failure has endeared millions to her throughout the world.
Amma is also known as the hugging mother and she has been known to individually hug over 50,000 people in a day!!!
Apart from what I have explained above I did not really know much more regarding what I was going to be involved in during the evening ahead...
I arrive to a crowd of people heading down a long narrow road towards the Brahmasthanam, mainly local Indian's to Trivandrum and the odd Westerner dressed all in white (who I can only presume are avid followers of Amma). Amma's face is postered everywhere, there are book stalls, food & tea kiosks, and then one of the biggest cow's I've come across yet ambling down the street-now in my past cow experiences people are blind to their presence however this cow is really causing a stir and people are eager to get out of it's path so followed suit, I mean it was one massive cow!
You have to realise that I am fairly confused about what the hell is going on for the majority of the evening (nearly 5 hours) and there is a massive queue at least 1/2km long when I arrive however once purchased a ticket (51 rupee's in cost) I get told to walk straight through?!
I collect my clay pot of Ganga water covered with a coconut leaf from the Temple and take a seat next to some Indian women. There are hundreds of chairs all arranged in lines vertical to the stage with tables in front of each containing individual simple pots containing oil and wick, leaf, incense, and food. Later discover that these are all simple offerings which are made prior to meditation. Puja then commences....Puja is ritualistic worship of the Divine performed to keep us in harmony with cosmic forces, thereby removing and overcoming the sorrows of life and bringing spiritual upliftment. By doing puja, thoughts and vibrations of spiritual forces are created around us. These spiritual forces work to eliminate the negative influences in our life and help surround us with positive energy which can bring us peace of mind, material prosperity and enable us to more clearly touch the Divine, our true nature. WOW! Ha! Only down side of the evening is the whole thing is spoken in Malayalam so I do not understand the prayers recited, instructions for the puja, songs, mantra's (although these can be learnt over time) etc. So basically understand nothing - feel a bit like a lost puppy. Thankfully a very sweet Indian lady next to me helps me through a little and tend to just follow suit with what everyone else is doing.
She also tells me that Amma will individually hug everyone in the crowd plus those queuing outside and will most likely be there until 6am until she has seen everybody who wishes to meet her....incredible. Sadly I am too confused by the whole affair and decide that I would rather come back once a little more educated on Puja and the rituals to get my hug from Amma. I will most certainly be back at some point in the future. The whole evening is rather magical and omitting the fact that I am totally clueless still enjoy the evening. Only negative is that after the Puja has finished, each of the 2-3000 worshipers need to take their pot of blessed Ganga water back to the temple - so basically thousands of people scramble to get there first so they can be in early line for their hug with Amma. STAMPEDE! Actually thought I might suffocate - by the time get free I am ready to get my tuk tuk back to the safety of the hotel. Stop to buy a book on the way out though so can do a little reading as clearly need to.

And then there was one....Moi

Had to bid farewell to Agnes at 6am this morning - her 2 week holiday is over. We've had a whirlwind journey around Kerela and it's been brilliant. Agnes - thanks for your great company and your kindness. Hope you enjoyed all those local trains, buses, and crazy tuk tuk's we dragged you on... Most people go back to England after India having tasted the spiritual meaning of life however you go back as a convert to electronica music - keep it hip & happening girl!

Currently sitting at cyber cafe off promenade at Kovalam beach. Bit burnt - why does this always happen on your last day somewhere?! I think all the British holiday makers who used to do Benidorm in the 80's have come here..... It's a beautiful beach regardless and really not such a bad way to spend my day.

Amma is on tour in Trivandrum later so going to see her for a big old hug!

Slumdog Millianier

So me & Aggie are back in Trivandrum & meet Ashley at the Greenland Lodge - a sweet re-union! Get myself another pedicure & a manicure which are much needed, a good hour a half is spent by 2 Indian ladies buffing & filing my hands and feet - i am getting treated like a Queen. Nice job ladies.
An old teacher of Ashley called Migs and his wife Sarah are in town so we all meet for dinner and then onto a showing of Slumdog Millionaire (or Millianier as spelt here) at one of the many cinema's in Triv. Skip the long queue full of Indian men as they have a ladies only queue (note not many Indian ladies at the cinema) - a savvy couple of Indian men take this opportunity to get us to pay for their tickets!!
The film starts with rapt applause from the audience (which is fairly cute) and continues at poignant moments throughout the film. Sadly a few initial scenes are not subtitled but kind of work out what is going on (will have to watch again at home to fill in the blanks). What an amazing film and brought back a few memories of Mumbai, including getting ripped off at Victoria Terminus station by our dear friend Sandy....

Go watch if you haven't already!!!

Paneer Butter Masala

In the profound words of Depeche Mode. Paneer Butter Masala. Just can't get enough..... someone please re-create. Beware of horrific calorie content (even though i'm told that sunflower oil is non fattening....hmmmm - really?)

PANNER BUTTER MASALA (Serves 4)
One tin of Paneer cubes
6 Red Onions finely chopped
2 pieces of Ginger finely chopped
6 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
1 Green Chili chopped
6 Cardamom seeds
6 Clove
Piece of Cinnamon stick
1 Star Anise
Black pepper corns
Handful of Cashew Nuts
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Coriander Powder
1/2 teaspoon of Chili Powder
pinch of salt & pepper
2 tomatoes peeled and chopped

Open a tin of Panner and drain excess water. Deep fry until golden brown and then put to one side.
Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in pan and add finely chopped red onions, ginger, garlic, and chili. Once browned add Cardamom seeds, clove, cinnamon, star anise, black pepper corns, and cashew nuts to pan - followed by turmeric, coriander powder, chili powder, and a pinch of pepper. Heat together for a few minutes and then put into a blender until a paste is formed.
Put mixture with a little water back into the pan - add cubed tomatoes to pan and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Finally add the previously deep fried Paneer and simmer for a further couple of minutes.
Dish is complete. To serve add massive dollop of butter (heart attack alert) and some fresh coriander.
Nice served with coconut rice.

Yes please!

Varkala Sunrise

Have not really felt the need to booze in India but arrived in Varkala with Aggie and feeling a little hot & bothered fancied a nice cold mojito. Slowly discovering why I'm probably not craving alcohol here. An electric green drink with a few limp floating mint leaves gets delivered to the table, maybe it will taste better than it looks - wishful thinking as it totally doesn't. A few nights later we venture to a place called Kerela Arts Cafe and try again on the old liquor front - we are recommended to try something called a Varkala Sunrise by the Nepalese waiter....this time a little more palatable and like turbo fuel.....wahey! Beggar's can't be choosers right. Get treated to a show at the Arts Cafe a little later. After the Indian Classical musicians have finished they turn up the speakers and blast out some old dance tunes where the local Indians jump up on the stage and proceed to dance with more energy and erratic moves than a firework factory struck down by a spot of arson. I almost split my sides with pure amusement. One guy even has to change his outfit as the first one is completely sodden with sweat. All the dancing boys are enjoying immensely and is really sweet to watch.

Varkala is really cute. It's restaurants and shops are lined up along a clifftop walkway a couple of km's in length which overlook beautiful beaches and rolling waves that would be deemed surf worthy by those who dare try. A mixture of different types of people - slightly older holiday makers - (many of whom choose to sit around the pool in our resort day in day out, which don't get me wrong is lovely and make the most of the pool, but with such an amazing beach and view just 5 minutes away baffles me) - backpackers from far & wide - some funny local Indian characters.
Although sadly being a beach resort prices are rather inflated. Get my daily fix of Diet Coke though at least...ha ha.

Me & Aggie decide to take a cooking course with an English guy called James we met the previous day. It's run by a local Egyptian/Indian (and very handsome) guy called Khan who takes a shining to our very own Aggie. Sadly Aggie doesn't share his affections and tells him so the night before our cooking class. So we end up cooking in near silence scared to ask any questions as Khan clearly isn't too happy about the knock back (there is a poor American girl called Samantha also taking the course who isn't entirely sure what the hell is going on). Clock up a few more delicious recipes which will post my favourite shortly....someone please cook and report back to me!!! Thankfully Khan lightens up a little bit when his friend Raj arrives and we all sit down to enjoy the feast cooked. I'm still absolutely abysmal at making parotha's....

Days spent sunbathing, doing yoga, drinking fresh juices, swimming, eating fresh fish, generally bumming around......entirely delightful although after 7 days ready to venture back to the city.

Farewell

A sad day....
In Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerela, for one night before me & Aggie part ways with Ashley. We are heading to Varkala beach about 1 hour away to laze on the beach in the sun while Ashley will be focusing her mind & body at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari.

Ashley - you have been AMAZING! Going to miss you dearly on my travels as we've had a lot of fun.

Much love lady & good luck with the rest of India & Thailand. May Hercules and Love Affair be with you....heh. x

ahhhh the sweet smelling cardamom hills

From one beautiful place to the next. Kumily is posed up in the mountains about a 5 hour drive from Munnar and is the gateway to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary where you can go on treks, tiger spotting (although later hear this is a total con and you're more likely to win jackpot on the lottery than spot a tiger), and rafting tours. It's also a centre for spice trade and cardamom is rife here - one of the first things you smell on arrival (even with my cold) - gorgeous.

Me, Ashley, and Aggie arrive at the home stay (called The Green View on Thekkady bypass road - real nice and have hot water for the first time) just in time to see the migration of the bats. Scramble quickly onto the roof of the building and watch for the next 15-20 minutes 1000's of bats flying across the darkened sky. It's absolutely crazy and they are pretty big too - a couple going in the wrong direction - stupid bats!

Only going to be in Periyer for a couple of nights so decide against venturing into the sanctuary, plenty of jungle action and creepy crawlies coming up for me in February. We decide to check out the local Kathakali performance and take a cooking course.

Kathakali is a unique Kerelan form of ritualized theatre. Kathakali actors have to train for years to learn the elaborate hand gestures, facial expressions and choreographed movements, as articulate and precise as any sign language. The costumes and makeup are magnificent and extraordinary. Accompanied by a drummer, cymbals, and a singer the Kathakali actors perform a story with only dance and movement and no speech.

We arrive just in time to catch the actors applying their makeup (most performances you can arrive early to watch). The colours and expertise of men are amazing. So vibrant and all from natural sources. They then dress the male actor which takes about 20 minutes in itself - there are about 40 layers to his costume plus jewellery and head dress on top....makes me hot just looking at him!
Before the performance starts we get another little performance which nearly knocked all westerners off their chairs in fits of silent giggles (so childish I know). Haven't really witnessed the farting tendencies of Indians yet (maybe this is regional to the North perhaps as this guys is from Delhi) but wow this guy let out a belter even raising his left cheek to release and then looking pleased with himself afterwards. Needless to say my sides were hurting before the show even started.

We get an introduction into Kathakali before the performance starts showing us some of the different facial expressions used for different emotions - my face just hurt watching them. Incredible.
The story plot was a bit vague (not sure if this was the leaflet translation we were given or the story itself) but regardless the performance was colourful, stunning, and lively. If you get the chance to go to one of these performances make sure you go!

Shortly after Kathakali myself and Aggie get picked up by tuk tuk and taken to our cookery class. The class is at a family house just outside of Kumily and in Indian style the whole family is there while the 5 of us are taught. The house is very basic with no running water and we have to cook at one point with candle light (in Kerela there is an energy saving power cut for 30 minutes every day - can you imagine if they did this in London?!) but the family are very welcoming and keen to make sure we have a good time. The only family member who speaks English is the brother so the majority of our learning is done via watching the mama in action. Learn to cook bean curry, lady finger (okra) stew, vegetable noodles, paratha (although pretty sure will never be able to make these well - i still struggle with pancakes), chicken masala, and potato curry. Most inspired by the fact that everything is cooked from raw ingredients including the coconut milk made from squeezing water out of freshly grated coconut and the curry pastes made using an old pestle and mortar in the garden. Ashley and English girls also staying at our home stay arrive later to sample our kerelan culinary delights. The food is all delicious & sleep well that evening with a nice full tum!

Tea Plantations at Munnar

So it's been a while since i've updated the blog & also haven't written anything in my journal so am going to try and recount last weeks fun & frolics as best I can... From where I left off, Aggie has arrived and we've booked an overnight trip up the tea plantations high in the hills of Munnar. Set off at a horrid hour in taxi via an elephant training centre. At about 8am the elephants are taken down to the river to bathe. There's 5 in total, 2 adults and 3 babies....the babs are dead cute and the adults incredible & huge. All seems a bit set up for the tourist tho, all shackled together and whacked if they even slightly step out of line. Such a shame as so beautiful...secretly hope that elephants hit back at mean trainers but to be honest they are none the wiser about their cruel set up. Set off in taxi again set for Munnar. Experience what will become blindingly obvious is Indian sat navigation. First of all we assume the taxi driver is lost as about every couple of km's stops to ask someone where the hell he's going (get slightly worried when a couple of guys both point in contradicting directions)- however this continues pretty much for the rest of the journey and for every subsequent lengthy taxi/tuk tuk drive following. In future do away with the expense of Tom Tom's and adopt the Indian way - although with UK honesty & warped humour you'll prob never end up in your desired destination....ha.

When start getting close to Munnar the scenery is stunning. Rolling hills overlapping each other completely covered in tea crops which appear in a jigsaw pattern and look real green & pretty. Go to a tea museum where they serve us a cup of masala chai out of a machine....authentic.

Stay over night at a little home stay nestled in the hills which overlooks a valley with a little separate tree house perched on the edge. Extremely tranquil and serene! Ash ends up in the tree house accompanied by a massive spider which gets removed fairly quickly....you're a soldier girl for sleeping in fear! See probably the most gorgeous sun set yet....flame red setting behind the hills....ahhhhh. In the morning visit a view dams - it actually felt like we could be in the Lake District....slightly weird. Back to the lodge where get fed another amazing home cooked kerelan thali. I need to do a cooking course pronto. Super amazing food.

Into the Kerela Backwaters

Left Arambol early doors to travel by train for 14 hours from Margao in Goa to Ernakulam nr Cochin in Kerela. Paid over the odds for train so me & Ash were expecting some super swish train to pull into the station (we are slow learners). Train is identical to other train we took except this one is absolutely vile....has been travelling for 48 hours from Dehli and is deeeee-sgusting - 48 hours of grime & food rubbish everywhere. Not really drinking at the moment as with hang-over prob would have brought up breakfast on the spot. Thankfully they clean things up a little and the train journey goes by quickly with the help of some sweet Norwegian girls and an English couple. Arrive in Ernakulam at around 2am in the morn and thankfully have phoned ahead and reserved a room at a hotel named the Maple Regency. Unfortunately tuk-tuk driver is not entirely sure where the hotel is so end up lost in the early morning deserted streets. Start to worry that we might not actually make it to our hotel but run into a couple of cops who lead us by police motorcycle escort to the hotel and help us get in....actually feel quite regal.
Next day venture over to Fort Cochin by ferry - really cute town, very colonial and lots of art galleries and beautiful buildings. Not massive amounts to see but do spend a while watching the fisherman with their huge Chinese nets. One of the fishermen spots my camera and beckons me over to him. End up standing on the wooden Chinese net while the men are operating it....slightly scared yes but get some great pics for a small charge (nothing is free). The Chinese nets are really old (think date back to 18th century) and look like something out of sci-fi film. The guys manage to successfully catch a minnow....big catch! They are really pleased though - apparently monsoon season is when the fish flood in.
Next day take a backwater tour. Bus picks us up at 8.30am and takes us about an hour out of the city where we get on a house boat - really beautiful long boats that glide slowly down the river...this is absolute bliss! So peaceful and serene, time to just kick back and relax. The waterways are deserted apart from the odd fishing boat and house boat and all the land in view is a sea of coconut trees. We stop off at a village where we are shown aloe vera, cardamon, cinnamon, coconut tree's and a process whereby clam shells are crushed to produce calcium powder. So many shells but what happens to all the clams?! Find out later as they bring out clams mixed with ginger, cardamon, and other delicious spices wrapped in banana leaves....an explosion of the taste buds begins.
Float slowly further down the river and stop for lunch. Get served a traditional kerelan thali on the boat. This again is super special. Rice, veg stew, chili tomatoes, coconut beans, coconut pumpkin, and ginger raita. All the spices work perfectly together....divine.
We then move onto a smaller boat as move into the narrower waterways. Stop off to see local women spinning string out of coconut hair....ruined by the annoying Italian group who feel the need to clap them after they finish. Gay.
Next watch a guy whizz up a coconut tree and knock off about 20 coconuts. This is where find out that some Kerelan men don't wear anything underneath their sarongs.... Drink coconut juice and eat the jelly. A foodie finish to a relaxing and very foodie day - could get used to this.

Masala Chai

I had my first ever full cup of tea while in Arambol & wait for it....loved it! Although Masala Chai isn't your usual builder's brew as contains lots of sugar, cardamon, milk, and other loveliness. It's a start though on my journey to officially being an adult.

"I wish we could sit down together
And have a cup of tea
But since we can’t
When you have this one I hope you’ll think of me."

Tea poem - unknown source :)

Arambol bliss

Leave Mumbai after 4 days. A totally amazing city full of life & vibrancy but quite draining so looking forward to heading down to Goa for some chill out time. Board our 12 hour train to Pernam nr Arambol in Goa at 6.30am at Victoria Terminus station stepping over the many sleeping bodies on the floor, I guess it's preferential in here than on the streets outside.

Longest train ever been on, so many carriages. Thankfully share a carriage with two lovely Indian guys we end up passing the journey by with chatting about India and their families. You will never go hungry on an Indian train. Endless number of men walking down the train offering you Chicken Lollipop's, Biriyani's, Dhosa, Chai, Coffee, Cold drinks....I actually didn't eat any as worried bout Dehli belly but next time for sure.

Me & Ashley arrive in Arambol early evening - a vast contrast from Mumbai. Will be checking into Ave Maria guest house the following evening but have to put up with expensive and worst room ever for first night. There is one main road that leads down to the beach which contains stalls, restaurants and cafes. Lots of hippies - white dreads galore (Rina, you would be in heaven, ha!), stacks of heavy drinking Russians and many relaxed folk milling around. Plenty of yoga classes, Ayurvedic treatments, and spiritual sessions of one form or another. Take part in a 2 hour Iyengar class one morning on building rooftop - divine setting but in pain for 5 days after, contemplating possible hip replacement surgery...maybe it was the hanging inversion German yoga teacher had me in suspended from a bamboo pole for 15 minutes, I wonder?

On first evening me & Ash wondering down main road and bump into Joseph (who met in London just before left the country) who knew was going to be there when we there. It's a small place right! Joseph, Alex, Martin, Joseph's Ma Fiz, and Dave are all staying in Arambol and spend the next 5 days relaxing on the beach, laughing lots, drinking lassi's, and eating some amazing food (kingfish, pizza, pasta, dal fry & coconut rice, tuna, list goes on...) - a totally wonderful experience and missed them all dearly when they left for Kaloor and we left for Kerela. Had such a brilliant time, thank you guys!!!

Sure none of you will care to know but the tan is coming along nicely although it's dazzling effect is spoiled by the numerous mossie bites (good i hear you say).

It was Dave's 32nd birthday on the Sunday in Arambol and we went to a lovely French restaurant called La Place where sampled a bit of pan-asian cuisine - restaurant next to the beach and feels like could be in the med. To be honest Goa feels nothing like what I expected India to be and is a million miles from what we experienced in Mumbai. On the walk back to Arambol witnessed the sun setting. In space of 15 minutes, the fire red globe eases down out of the sky until it sinks and disappears into the sea - oh my god, never seen anything like it. Amazing.

The day finishes with fireworks that Fiz had purchased. Now these are no garden fireworks and when they go off almost fall off the log sitting on in a scramble to move back....stunning though, felt all tingly afterwards.

The sea is beautiful here too - lots of swimming and actually just plain floating in the warm water.

Bite me

I have 50 mossie bites on my lower left leg alone....can't even face counting the rest. Was a really lovely roof terrace bar though....

Chowpatty Beach & Elephanta

Decide to venture to Chowpatty Beach which is a couple of km away from where we are staying in Colaba. Ultimate goal is to get some good Indian food. Taxi along the seafront promenade and are shocked by the number of people out - groups of boys, girls, families, & groups of friends all just hanging out on the 2 km stretch that is Chowpatty. It must be about 8pm but the beach is packed with people eating, drinking shakes and hanging out. It's a crazy scene. Lots of extended families out too which is so sweet to see - Indian's are big on family. Lots of begging - quite common to turn around and their is a small child hanging off my bag....

There are a few restaurants but stumble upon one with a queue outside & hope that this can only mean good things. Restaurant full of Indians, again we are the only foreigners. Order food (sorry don't remember exactly what for you foodie lovers out there) & is the most divine Indian meal ever had! I will spit on Brick Lane next time I am there.

Next day venture to Elephanta island which about an hour boat ride from Gateway to India. It's a super hazy morning and reminds me the scene in King Kong where the island suddenly appears through the mist....although in this case there is a monstrous oil refinery and oil tankers which pop up first. The island is a breath of fresh air after 3 days of Mumbai smog hell. A lush green island with a cave constructed in the 8th century containing 9 panels depicting Shiva in different aspects of his history and the Trimurti, three faced Shiva is stunning! Our guide thankfully turns out to be the most thorough and spends 1.5 hours talking through each panel. Most of the other tours have already finished and back on boat to Mumbai. The other amazing thing on the island are the numerous cheeky monkey's swiping food out of peoples hands and basically being totally mischievous!

Look at me i'm Sandra Dee

So first things first, we are ignorant tourists - big eyes, camera to the ready, gleaming white skin, and lonely planet jutting out of bag. Walk to Gateway to India where get mobbed by Indian men (& only men, no women about) offering costs for tours etc. Manage to struggle free as just on a gentle meander round area to get bearings. It's pretty crazy in the daylight, it's only 9am and already a healthy hustle bustle going on, traffic all over the shop, people begging for money (this is constant and mothers use their young children to beg), people pulling fruit carts, several holy cow's, and 100's of dog's scratching themselves and generally dogging out. Some really stunning architecture - Bombay University, Prince of Wales Museum, & also the Victoria Terminus train station where we meet a wolf in sheep's clothing, Sandy. Oh Sandra Dee. Obviously jumps on our case as we are looking well & truly confused about how on earth one might book a train. Ah, she's from Birmingham, immaculate English accent and despises Indian's that rip of tourists (Ha! she is an A star con artist, days later we find out she added 100% commission to herself for our train ticket)
We arrange to meet the next day for a tour of the city (again for what we later find is a small fortune more than should have paid - but thankfully in India so doesn't break the bank). Regardless of being ripped off, actually pleased we paid over the odds as boy could she spin a story (she met Brangelina, Princes Will & Harry, Kylie you know....) & probably has the worst gutter mouth have come across in India - fecking hilarious. Get shown red light district, dhobi ghats (where wash & dye clothes), Gandhi's house, & numerous other land marks.

She then takes 1000 Rps off me (bout 12 GBP) to ride me to and from the airport to collect my luggage. She falls asleep in the taxi and by the time we arrive she sleepily tells me to meet them over somewhere she's shaking her fist. Pick up luggage and 30 mins later Sandy & taxi are nowhere to be found. Get mobbed by male taxi drivers (they swarm in on you like locusts) & after 30 mins of pestering decide best to head back to hotel....slightly aggravated by whole ordeal but happy to have bag back so all overlooked.
Next day meant to meet Sandy to book more train tics (oh yeah...) but miss meet time as running late off boat from Elephanta island.......and who do we bump into in the evening but Sandy!! The only person we know in this huge mental city is walking (fuming) down the road towards us. She waited for 4 hours for me outside the airport altho my mind reading skills aren't that finely tuned so missed out on the fact was meant to walk 1km out of airport to find her. She's not happy with me and think better to ask for my taxi fare back. Manage to avoid buying any more train tickets and we escape into the evening smog. A lesson learnt for us indeed!

One way ticket to Bollywood

4th January 2009
What a difference a day can make! From the comfort of the balmy harlesden ski chalet to the early morning chaotic & humid mumbai airport (via - 16 degree's Helsinki). Shed a few tears as took off over London - a sad goodbye to everyone I know & love in the UK. There were a few more tears at Mumbai but these were of the slightly more selfish kind as my luggage turned out to still be in Helsinki. Nightmare. Was slightly embarassed by my watery outburst but control went out the window - i'm shameless - note to self to toughen up. Plus side was taxi pick up sent from the hotel had waited 2 hours outside the airport for me....what a diamond. This is the first taster of how lovely and patient the majority of Indian people are. The sun was still not up as I was driven to the hotel & the streets of Mumbai were pretty much deserted of traffic, altho numerous men, women & children walked/slept on the streets. Driving = reckless....wierdly feel quite safe although have been brought up in a family of wannabe racing drivers.

Met the beautiful Ashley at Bentleys Hotel in Colaba region of Mumbai. Like a ray of sunshine after my super emotional entrance into Mumbai. Decided no point in sleeping, far too excited now so head out into the city.