The Andamon Islands

to see our photos from the Andamon Islands click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015661&id=1112916442&l=f1b4cdaeaa

We flew to Port Blair from Chennai. Port Blair is the capital of the Andamons, and is mainly public buildings and ferry terminals. Stayed one night, then caught the ferry to Havelock, where we stayed fot 9 nights. As part of the Meet and Greet service, we were picked up in Pt Blair, and taken to the ferry, then taken to the resort.

We stayed at Island Vinnies resort, which operates in conjunction with DiveIndia. the resort is on the beach, amongst the coconut palms. Had a tent with an ensuite (and an iron roof), and heard the occasional crashing of coconuts.

the diving ran very smoothly. Peter had 12 day dives and one night dive, which has more than doubled his experience. He went to some excellent sites. One day we both went snorkelling from the dive boat, and saw some amazing coral. Almost met nice people from all over the world, common interest diving.

We had a package that included all meals, and we ate most of them there, but they did not have a beer license, so we had to go down the road on a few occasions.

Havelock is very isolated, my mobile phone did not work, I did not see the internet (though it was available in town), did not see a paper or TV, and in the middle of it all, the Mumbai bombings. Snippets of news came through, but we had lots of difficulty differentiating fact from fiction. The police and army presence increased, and the army visited every resort with lists to check their records were correct. We even had a navy ship standing off Beach no 7, which is "the beach" in Havelock - another one of the best 10 beaches in the world.

We hired a scooter to get around, we were on Beach no 3, and beach 7 was about 10km away. Beach 7 was definitely the best beach for swimming, though beach 3 was good until you saw beach 7.

On the way home, the meet and greet was reversed, we were driven to the ferry, picked up in Pt Blair and taken to our hotel, then picked up this morning and driven to the airport. This was really great. We will have very fond memories of our 11 days in the Andamons.

to see our photos from the Andamon Islands click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015661&id=1112916442&l=f1b4cdaeaa

Chennai and environs

to see our photos from northern Tamil Nadu click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015659&id=1112916442&l=b2f4b840cb

After 2 days in Chennai, we decided to escape!! Chennai is just another big city, with a huge urban sprawl. Did a city tour and had a bit of a look around. Some parts look quite ok, but other sections of the city are quite foul -literally, and you can smell the river from 1/2 km away. We stayed near the station, and they were redigging the drains, and it was definitely in one of the foul parts of the city.

Took the bus to Pondicherry, formerly a French colony. We seem to have left India again!!! croissants and coffee for breakfast!!! Fillet steak for dinner!! We are staying in a guest house at the beach with a balcony and a view north. Looked at a room in the same building on the front with a view north and south, but that was 3 times the price, so half the beach seemed like an excellent option.

Last night we walked around, to the Sunday market and the promenade at the beach. We are sure that all the residents must have been at one or other of the locations, both were packed!!! At least the locals get out and enjoy their surroundings.

Today we have been walking around the back streets, and are currently in an airconditioned internet cafe with iced coffees!!!

Back to India tomorrow!!!
We are off to the Andamon islands on Thursday 20th, so you may not hear from us for a while - I think it is pretty isolated over there.
Just think of us in our hut on the beach, Peter will be scuba diving, and Pam will probably be in her hummock!!!

to see our photos from northern Tamil Nadu click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015659&id=1112916442&l=b2f4b840cb

Goa - are we still in India??

to see our photos from Goa click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015738&id=1112916442&l=0fb3ec5cc2

left Hampi on the overnight sleeper bus - we had been warned and took a seat, a sleeper bus has uppler and lower beds, and you get thrown around as you go over the pot holes and bumps. the roads were better than we have had, but still a ong way from perfect.

When we arrived, we wondered if perhaps we had gone through a border crossing and not noticed, we seemed to be in a different country. Because it was a Portugese colony until the early 1960's, the architecture of the main cities is Portugese, and there are huge catholic churches everywhere. Because of the European package tourists at the beach, there is obviously a lot more money around, and the people speak excellent English, and most wear western dress.

We stayed in a guesthouse in the capital Panaji for 4 days, did a government package tour of the north of the state, visited the churches in Old Goa, took a boat trip on the river. Very easy, and quite relaxing. Now we have moved to Benaulim beach in South Goa, to a hotel with a pool!!!, and a beach about 10 minutes walk. Hence, we have hired a scooter for 2 days. We have both been a bit off colour, so it has been good to have a few days down time to recuperate.

Off to Chennai on the train tomorrow!!!

to see our photos from Goa click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015738&id=1112916442&l=0fb3ec5cc2

Hampi

to see our photos from Tanjure and Ooty and Hampi click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010841&id=1112916442&l=b29d708fcc

what an amazing place!!! A 13-15th century series of palaces and temples set amongst a boulder-strewn landscape. the king at the time collected land taxes, and spent 50% on the army, 25% on public building, and 25% on the people. He was much loved.
Everywhere you look, you find another temple or palace or ruins, all made from the big boulders whuch adorn the landscape. And we arrived just in tme for another festival, a small scale version of the Mysore Dussara festival, with elephants, parades, performances etc. And hordes of people. We would have preferred not to have the festival. Most of the hordes were locals who came from all the nearby villages, and just slept rough (by the river, or in the temples). The area is quite dry, and there was a huge amount of dust, which was not kind to Pam's nose. They had coracles (round woven boats) on the river, and we took a trip on one of them. We had heard the praises of Hampi sung load and long by fellow travellers, and actually changed our plans to go there, and were very glad we did.

to see our photos from Tanjure and Ooty and Hampi click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010841&id=1112916442&l=b29d708fcc

temples, train, tea

To see our photos of Tanjure and Ooty, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015740&id=1112916442&l=7913b1f92a

The final day at Madurai was very quiet, they finally stopped selling and went home!!!!
Since the temple at Madurai was completely under renovation, decided to go to Tanjure, another World Heritage listed temple town. The temple here was not painted, and was in very good condition considering its age. We were very popular with the locals, as soon as we sat down to rest, the hordes would come to talk to us, have their photo taken with us, or ask Peter to take their photo. They seem obsessed by cameras here, and have no hesitation in coming up for a look at photos on your camera. Wanting their photo taken with us seems to vary, but especially in the temples we get overrun with requests to be in a photo with them. It doesn't hurt us, but I do not understand why they would want our photo.
Tanjure also has a palace, but it is very run down, still we climbed to the top of the bell tower for a good view over the city. This part of Tamil Nadu is very flat (Cotton country) and very hot.

From Tanjure, we took a day bus to Coimbatore, which is quite a nice town, but wit no soecial features other than being a major junction for road and railways. The next morning saw us on the train at 5.15 am to catch a train, so we could then transfer onto the toy steam train which goes up to OOty. The toy train was bugger than we expected, with 3 carriages, and enough people for 4 carriages. Still, with perverse Indian logic, we all got on, though some of the clients were rather upset. It seemed that reservations did not count for much. So, up the hill we went stopping every 20 minutes or so to take on more water and admire the views. As we got higher, we went into tea country, which brought back memories of Munnar!! Also, lots of excellent views, even though it was a bit hazy. Arrived at Ooty about 12. Ooty is a fairly spread out town, which does not seem to really have a centre. If you were staying there, I am sure you would get to the different sights, but most things were more than walking distance. After a light lunch, we caught the bus back to Coimbatore (3 hours, rahter than nearly 7). still it was a fun day.

Then it was time to hit the road again, a day bus to Bangalore ( turned out to be about 11 hours as we got stopped for about an hour as a minister was opening a new bridge, and all traffic ceased. Of course, in typical Indian way, When the traffic wasn't moving, people drove up the other lane (for the people coming in the other direction), which created complete gridlock, and took quite a while to sort out. decided not to stay in Bangalore, so caught the night bus to Hampi, and got there about 6am, rather tired.

To see our photos of Tanjure and Ooty, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015740&id=1112916442&l=7913b1f92a

Madurai at Divali

to see the photos of Madurai at Divali festival, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009701&id=1112916442&l=f3d45a03f6

The bus from Kanyakumari to Madurai was slow and wet due to recent rains, and since we have been in Madurai it has been chaotic!!! Today (27th October ) is the final day of the Divali festival in the south of India. the workers get a month's pay as bonus at this time of the year, and then go on a shopping spree. It seems everyone gets new clothes, pots, pans, housewares, electrical goods and gold. Since it had been raining for several days before we got here, the hawkers and shops only had 3 days to sell their goods, and the public the same time to buy theirs. Madurai is a textile centre, so lots of people come here to do their shopping. The shops were still open at 5 am this morning, but now (midday) everthing is closed, and people have gone home to celebrate with their families and let off fire crackers!! The fireworks have been going off all day and night for the last 3 days and nights!!
The reason we came to Madurai was to see the temple, but it is undergoing renovation and all four towers are covered with scaffolding and coconut mats. Cant see a thing. The palace is also undergoing renovation, and the sound and light show advertised everywhere hasn't been going since Jan 2007. At least it hasn't rained, and it has been fun going out and mingling with the hordes. We are as much of an amusement to them as their celebrations and excitement are to us.
Having a quiet day today, and have finally got this blog up to date!! We will see if we can get a bus out with the crowds tomorrow.

to see the photos of Madurai at Divali festival, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009701&id=1112916442&l=f3d45a03f6

Varkala, Kovalam, Kanyakumari

to see the photos of the beaches at Varkala, Kovalam and Kanyakumari click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009697&id=1112916442&l=0332e9d9ec

We left Alleppey on the ferry to Kollam, an 8 hour journey on the backwaters. About half way down, we went through a lock, travelling from fresh to sea water. Below the lock, much of the area had been devastated by the tsunami. Because it was salt water, we no longer had the displays of washing to keep us entertained, but saw more fishing and diving for sand and mussels.
Also passed the Hugging Mother Ashram. This is a number of multi-storey buildings, where anybody can go and live the simple ashram life, and maybe get to meet the Hugging Mother!! Also saw lots of Chinese fishing nets, but most of them were made of steel, rather than bamboo.
From Kollam we went by bus/autorickshaw to Varkala, one of the recognised beach resort areas in Southern Kerala. It was tourist central at the beach (the locals tend to live inland), with more foreign tourist than we had seen before!!
Stayed in a Bali style bamboo hut, and spent some time with Ulf and Maria from Sweden who we had met on the ferry from Alleppey. Varkala has a nice beach, and cliff top accommodation, restaurants, walks and the perennial shops and vendors. Unfortunately like most of India we have seen so far, it did not have rubbish bins, so rubbish was just tipped over the cliff edge. It was a shame to see such a beautiful place ruined by plastic bottles and rubbish.
From Varkala we travelled south to Kovalam, another beach, but no steps to climb down to get to the water. We decided to catch the train, a poor decision, since the 10.30 am train left at 1pm!!! Still we got there, were hijacked by a autorickshaw driver who took us to his preferred accommodation option. It worked out well as we got a room on the beachfront in a half-finished block for a very reasonable rate. We had great balcony, where we could sit and watch life on the beach!!! Lots of fisherman pulling in nets, also fishermen collecting mussels in boats made from about 4 or 5 shaped tree trunks and tied together with string. These were assembled to go fishing in, then broken down and placed on racks to dry after. Every restaurant had fresh fish out the front - Peter could choose a fish and get it cooked in his preferred style. Unfortunately, despite the garnishing being correct, the fish was usually very overcooked, and Peter gave up on the prawns!!! The last night we went to an upmarket restaurant where the cooks could cook seafood, and Peter had a great meal of mixed seafood shashlicks!!! During this stay, we were dodging the rain, but it didn't really worry us as we had our own private viewing balcony!!

One day we walked over the southern headland to see what was on the other side, and found a huge fishing village, with hundreds of boats, a fish market, 3 mosques and a huge Catholic church. The fish market was buzzing.

From Kovalam, we took a bus to the southern tip of India, Kanyakumari. One of the highlights of this place is to see the sunrise and the sunset, however in our 2 days there we did not see the sun!!! - let alone a rise or set. Also bought the second umbrella there. Even so, we were glad we went, they have a temple and a statue on islands just off the tip (ferry boat trip to visit), plus memorials to Gandhi and some other freedom fighter. Lots of Indian tourists here - it seems it is a place that is important for them to visit. Once again, we had a sea view, and could watch the fishing boats leaving in the morning and returning 2 or 3 hours later with their catches.

to see the photos of the beaches at Varkala, Kovalam and Kanyakumari click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009697&id=1112916442&l=0332e9d9ec

Alleppey (Alappuzha)

to see us lazing around in Alleppey, click on the link below


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009143&id=1112916442&l=4b055dc6b6

Took a 12 hour government bus ride from Mysore to Alleppey. This was a great improvement over the private bus we had taken from Mysore to Kochi. The government bus is allowed in the public bus stations, and make regular toilet and food stops, in comparison to the private buses which are often not allowed into the bigger cities, and drop you off at some intersection on the outskirts of town, and tell you to take a taxi the rest of the way.

Alleppey, the famous backwater town, where everyone goes for their houseboat trip. After arriving early in the morning, we found accommodation at Sona guesthouse, which was simple, but quiet, cool, and with a very helpful host Joseph. There is not much in the town itself, but it does manufacture umbrellas there - and we got to find out why.

We looked around town, went to the beach - watched the locals paddling, and walked down the beach past lots of fishing boats. Joseph asked us if we wanted a houseboat, and how luxurious we wanted it to be, then recommended us to a couple of boat operators. (and I am sure he got some commission for this, but it is better to go with a recommendation, than choose from the multitudes yourselves). One operator was unable to take us on the day we wanted, but the second one was available, and convinced us to take 1 2-night trip. We are easily persuaded, but it proved to be an excellent decision.

Our houseboat came with a crew of 3, the captain (who sat out the front, steered, and rang a bell when he wanted engine changes), the engineer who lay next to the outboard motor and responded to the bells from the captain!!!, and the cook, who prepared the feasts for us and spoke a little English. What was missing was the commentary in any understandable form, waving of arms and nodding of heads can be difficult to interpret!!!! The houseboat was comparatively small - only one bedroom with ensuite (some were up to 5 double bedrooms), a dining/lounge room at the front where the crew slept at night, and a pokey bit out the back where the meals were prepared.

We headed off into the canals. Near Alleppey, we seemed to be in a procession of houseboats, and it is not even high season. Because we had a 2 night trip, we ventured deeper into the canal systems, and so often were the only houseboat in sight!! The second day when we were more isolated was especially nice.

The canals are often higher than the fields, so it was strange to look down several metres to the people working in the rice paddies. There are whole communities in the backwaters, with cottages on tiny strips of land on the levies. The schools had boats rather than buses to get the kids to and from school, and there were lots of canoe-style ferries, and a few motorised ferries for longer distance travel. Life on the canal took place in front of us, which gave us lots of great photo opportunities. We regularly heard the crack of washing being flogged on the rocks. It seemed ongoing all day, not just a morning routine. Everything happened in the canal, daily ablutions, clothes washing, dish washing & pan scrubbing. The chooks, goats, cows, dogs and cats roamed around as well, there were shops, schools, lots of churches and church schools, adn then there were the workers - diving to the bottom of the river to collect sand and mussels, transporting rocks, hay, timber, rice, farm machinery etc. there was plenty to watch as we sat idly on our lounge chairs.
After 2 relaxing days we returned to land and the life of the budget traveller.

to see us lazing around in Alleppey, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009143&id=1112916442&l=4b055dc6b6

Mysore Dasara

to see our photos of Mysore Dasara festival click on the link below



http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009142&id=1112916442&l=a2ba06b9f6

The Dasara festival is a festival of lights, and the town was illuminated magnificently every evening.

The first day we slept for much of the day, then went to the flower show. The main exhibit was a flower elephant. You will notice there is an elephant theme here.
That evening we went to the palace for the evening concert. Getting in was the first problem. The show was scheduled to start at 6.30 but they didn't open the gates until nearly 7pm. The crowd was restless, and surged forward as the gates were opened. It was good to be through the gates and out of the press. Everyone was supposed to be security checked by a scanner, but the crowd surged through and either side totally out of control. The police stood back and watched.
The palace was amazing, lit by thousands of lights. No power saving lights here.
The concert was Hindu music ensemble, sitar, drums and wailing, then HIndu dancing accompanied by similar music. Volume was reasonable, so we had a pleasant evening.

The next day Pam succumbed to the Delhi belly, and spent the day in bed. Peter walked around town, visiting the market, taking lots of photos. That evening we went for a ride around town to see the lights. The city is magnificent, and most of the maharajah's buildings are now public buildings, impressive architecture.

The following day was the big parade - Pam was Ok, but well medicated to make sure she could last several hours away from the toilet. The paper said that there could be no mobile phones and no bags at the palace. We had bought tickets so we could have a seat at the palace and at the parade ground in the evening. We lined up and went through security - about half the people either had a bag or a mobile phone, and there was no attempt to enforce the ban. It seems that when it gets too hard, the police just sit back and let it happen. So despite the huge security presence, it was mainly ineffectual.

The parade was fantastic, lots of elephants, floats, bands, acrobats, marching soldiers, horses, white bullocks pulling carriages. It lasted over an hour. The military component - tanks, jet fighter on a trailer etc were not allowed in the palace, but joined on the end of the procession outside the palace gates. the patriotic crowd was very impressed with the military display of might.
We sat in our expensive seats (we had a gold pass for $A180 for the two of us), and watched the ceremony from under our shaded canopy. Watching the crowd was also entertaining, they kept on rearranging the plastic chairs, blocking walkways and creating typical Indian chaos. There were also plenty of police with their whacker sticks for crowd control.

After the parade, we went back to the hotel for a rest, then Nagendra, our guide, picked us up at 6pm to go to the parade ground for the grand finale. Getting there was a little traumatic - the vehicular traffic was completely gridlocked, so we had to abandon the autorickshaw and walk the last bit. We gathered outside one of the gates(locked), protected from the crushing crowd by a stationary car. The crowd continued to build, and it was oppressive for us, and must have been terrifying for the children there. Most Indians are short people, so we could at least breathe some fresh air. Still, the gates did not open, and eventually the police in riot gear decided to move the crowd away from the entrance. We moved on with the crowd, and were guided to another gate, which was open, but the security check line was huge. Nagendra managed to sweet-talk the police, and get us foreigners to the front of the queue. Once inside, a policeman decided that Peter's camera was a security risk, so he had to remove the battery from the camera and put it in his pocket before he was allowed to proceed further!!!
The highlight of the big finale was the army motor-bike stunt riding display, using Indian Enfield bikes. They managed to get up to about 10 people balancing on a bike. There was also horse show-jumping and dressage, mass dancing (Olympic opening ceremony style, but nowhere near as professional), laser show promoting Karnataka (the state), but we saw the reverse side of the screen. We stayed for a couple of hours, but left beofre the fireworks at the end. This way we avoided the crowd, and could get some dinner back at the hotel. We still saw the fireworks, but from the roof-top restaurant at the hotel.

Overall, Dasara was a great experience, we were very glad we went, and is one of the highlights of our India trip.

to see our photos of Mysore Dasara festival click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009142&id=1112916442&l=a2ba06b9f6

Kumily, Kochi and Kannur

to see our photos of Kumily, Kochi and Kannur, click on the link below


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009141&id=1112916442&l=8d0e2282b5

Kumily is adjacent to the Periyar National Park, so we got up early and took the 7am boat trip on the dam there. This is the best chance of seeing wildlife, and we did see some elephants in the distance, some bison by the water, wild pigs and a few birds. It was a pleasant 2 hours on the water. Then we were convinced to do a "Cloud walk". This meant we were driven by autorickshaw up a hill until it was too steep for the rickshaw, and then we hiked about an hour to the top. I retired about halfway up the hill, no view was worth the climb. Peter and the guide walked to the top. The view was quite nice, but didn't compare with the views in Munnar. We then went back to our accommodation and lazed around talking to tourists and drinking tea.

Periyar is on the main tourist trail, and is very nice, but Munnar is spectacular!!!

The next day we then took a bus down to Kochi, and went out to Fort Cochin, the main tourist area.

Went to a Kathakali concert - this is where they have elaborate makeup, and very stylised dancing, much of which is eye movements. Interesting to see once. Came home past the Catholic cathedral - all lit up and decorated Indian style.

Fort Cochin is quite touristy, so we had french toast with fruit, and coffee for breakfast at an art cafe. It was the first place we have been that could be relocated in Australia. We then toured the sights, the Jain temple, Dutch palace, Jewish synagogue (Peter not allowed as he was wearing shorts). That afternoon, visited the rest of the sights, Dutch cemetary, the old fort, and finished up at the beach. Half of the population of Kochi seemed to be at the beach, waiting for the sunset. Although the beach faces west, they rarely see a sunset over the water horizon as there are usually too many clouds over it. The folks were all dressed up in their finery, the cows were chewing their cud in the middle of it, children were trying to fly kites. We were as big an attraction to them as they were to us.

The next day saw us on our first train ride - to Kannur in the north of Kerala. We had booked seats in an Air-conditioned coach. Very relaxed trip - progressed about 50km an hour, and the best thing about the train is that it had a toilet (always a problem on long bus trips).

In Kannur we stayed at the Mascot Beach hotel, which had been grand in its day, but was in need of some serious maintenance. But it was on the cliff overlooking the water, and our room had water views, so we are not complaining. Each evening they set up the tables and chairs on the walled cliff walk, and we dined in style.

Kannur is the location where they had the only Muslim king, and the area is still very Muslim. Not a beer in sight, even at the hotel. decided not to have the local alcoholic poison (toddy) which can send you blind.
Also very little English spoken. About a dozen european tourists staying at the hotel, as they run Aruyedic massage courses there. We decided we should finally try one, so were oiled from head to toe for an hour. It seemed more a circulation massage, but was not unpleasant and I am sure is good for the skin. Difficult to stay on the table when you are greased from head to toe.

We had an outing to the river about 20km north of town, to the Hindu temple on the river and saw a Theyyam performance there. Also visited the local snake farm (snakes ok, but it was also a sort of zoo, including a "persian cat"). Like all zoos in Asia, it was better left alone. Also did a 1 hour trip on the river amongst the coconut plantations to kill some time between the snake farm and the theyyam.

Then it was time for another night bus ride, this time back to Mysore, for the Dasara festival. The road was atrocious, and we got to Mysore at 4am.

to see our photos of Kumily, Kochi and Kannur, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009141&id=1112916442&l=8d0e2282b5

Munnar

to see our photos of Munnar, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008275&id=1112916442&l=7f56d8f5eb

After a night bus ride to Kochi(air-conditioned and freezing - 10 hours), then a day bus ride to Munnar (public bus - no windows, 4 hours), and a taxi ride we arrived at our resort in Munnar. This was a luxury week, in a timeshare resort - Club Mahendra Lakeview. The hotel was very fancy, and since it was 20km out of Munnar, we were somewhat captive. We had a kitchenette, so did our own breakfast and lunches - and went to the restaurant for dinners - excellent Indian food, very rich, so only needed one meal a day. Restaurant very fancy - even had a resident magician to entertain you at your table.

The resort is set amongst tea plantations (about 4000 feet high), and has a view over a hydro dam. The views are magnificent, and it was very pleasant sitting on our balcony watching the world go by and the women picking the tea. In the morning and evenings the valley below would fill with cloud, but it was clear above the clouds.

The resort had an amazing number of staff, and we were the only non-Indians there. There were plenty of people to bow and scrape to us. I guess it is easy work, but lots of the staff seemed to stand around doing very little most of the time. The resort also had activities scheduled which we avoided like the plague - but there were lots of families there and they seemed to enjoy them. There were also lots of tours that seemed very tame to us but seemed to be a new experience for the city folk, eg a speedboat ride (in a plywood boat that looked about 30 years old), trekking ( most Indians we have met don't walk very far).

We decided we should do something with the resort, so did a night safari to Chinnar National Park, and were surprised to actually see something. We saw elephants, bison, deer, mongoose, owl, rabbit, snake. This started at 9.30pm and we got back at 8.30 am, so slept most of the next day.

There were locals at the gate who were also offering trips, we went on a Jeep safari into the tea plantation, almost to the top of the second highest peak in southern India, and the Kollukoluma tea factory (this tea is the highest grown tea in the world,and is hand-picked.) The tea plantation was just in Tamil Nadu, (we started in Kerala). The views were magnificent. They can grow tea on slope up to about 80 degrees. This trip was definitely the highlight of the week.

We also did a trip to a spice plantation and the dam - as in the rest of the world, no photos allowed of the dam wall due to security risk. It was interesting to see all the spices growing, there is heaps and heaps of cardamon everywhere. We had also seen lots of tree-houses, and found out that at the spice planation a couple of men sleep in the tree-house each night to scare away the elephants when they come.

We went for a few walks, and are amazed at the influence of Christianity here. When the cars reverse, they do not beep, but play Silent Night or equivalent. There are large impressive churches (amongst the cottages the locals live in). Some of them have shrines (Virgin Mary) that look almost Hindu. Even the drivers going past them will bless themselves. Also lots of buses with religious messages
"Blessing", "Jesus", "Mary" etc. Many cars have rosary beads hanging where the dice should be.

Munnar is also a honeymoon destination, and the honeymoon couples were dressed in their finery - black leather cowboy hats are the current in-thing for the guys, the girls would often have western clothes that didn't quite go. They all had their photo taken a a waterfall nearby. Not that we can throw stones, they probably think that we look pretty funny.

We took a car from Munnar to Kumily - 3 hour drive, about $A35. It was a nice way to do it. Having a day off today to catch up on things, but mainly to sort out our Westpac credit card - which they had put a block on because we had bought some air tickets from India over the internet. Of course they rang to tell us after we had left, so our automatic payments have been bouncing. Thanks Ellie, Nick and Karen for all your help sorting this out.

Planning a day in Periyar National Park tomorrow, so will be up early to get the 7am boat trip

to see our photos of Munnar, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008275&id=1112916442&l=7f56d8f5eb

Mysore

Mysore is a great city - a grand palace, lots of statues, circular intersections surrounded by circular buildings with circular statues in the middle. Also lots of temples. Did a city tour in autorickshaw, coffee in the maharajah's guesthouse (where he put his guests so they didn't stay at his house) up on the hill overlooking the town. Very grand, horse and carriage with liveried driver out the front, formally dressed staff (Indian English style) and very ornate rooms and halls all getting a little bit decrepit. Still magnificent though. Now a state run hotel.

At the top of the hill, a temple overlooking the town, 1000 steps up and down for those pilgrims who are serious (putting a coloured thumbprint on every step by those who need the most enlightenment), a ride to the top and 300 steps down for the ancient aussie tourists. At the top we saw the temple priests and untold extras, getting a huge carved wooden temple cart out of the garage. It looked like it was ready to fall over. No doubt we will see it all decked out in its finery when we come back for the Dusserah festival in 3 weeks time. After 300 steps saw Nandi, a large black statue of a bull.

Back down in town we spent an hour at the palace, needs a day to do it justice. Magnificent building, enormous grounds, home of the Maharajah. At least here they value their impressive buildings and are trying very hard to keep them up to scratch.

It all got a bit much, so called it a day, and Peter collapsed for the rest of the day - ok today though. We started sorting through the medical kit, but decided only rehydration medicine was necessary.

Today we went out to the countryside, and saw 2 temples and another palace. Buildings were good, but the country views were even better. Rice fields, coconut and banana plantations, sugar cane. Stopped and watched sugarcane being squeezed, then concentrated by boiling in great big woks (3 metres across) before being poured into moulds and dried. Also saw washing being flogged on the steps by the river, and pots and pans being scrubbed with sand and river water.

Food is good, today we had fried vege rice and butter chicken, 2 cokes, a bottle of water and 2 chapatis for about $6...and we couln't finish it. they even brought tomato sauce for us to eat with it, but that didn't seem quite right!!!

Driving on the roads is better here, but still is an Indian speciality. In Vietnam, traffic lights are for decorative purposes only, but they do work here, probably because there is a policeman on every corner of the intersection. Lane marking are for decorative purposes here. Roads are as many lanes wide as can fit at any particular time, and the largest vehicle gets right of way. At one stage today we were driving up the freeway the wrong way for about a km looking for a way through to the other side!!!!

The Indian women look fantastic in their saris, even the poorest in the fields are colorfully dressed and very regal in appearance - when you can carry pots on your head, your posture has to be good.

Trying a night bus tonight - leaves at 11.30 pm. 10 hours to Kochi. Should be an interesting night and hopefully we get some sleep and a few loo stops

Adelaide to Bangalore (Bengaluri)

to see our photos of Singapore, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007863&id=1112916442&l=472919b6f0




to see our photos of Bangalore and Mysore, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008027&id=1112916442&l=b31bb0594b

Flight from Adelaide to singapore was easy, and we caught the local train (MRT) to Little India for the grand price of $1.80 each - Sydney folks, what do you think of that!!

We had booked our hotel over the internet, and found that made it $10 more expensive - so much for the modern world. the hotel was adequate, very close to the train station, and very reasonable for us. I am guessing many of you would not have liked it.

It was mid-autumn festival, so all over Singapore there were lots of chinese lanterns and decorations. We ambled through chinatown, ate at food stalls, visited temples, ate at more food stalls, and eventually collapsed at night - pam took a couple of days to adjust to the humidity.

On monday we went to the electronics superstore building, roamed around and got hassled by many merchants. We checked the price of wide angle lense for the olympus and it started at $90, very quickly to $75 at the first shop, yet they were asking $190 at the next one, and being real generous and dropping it to $170. We bought a camera battery, then found more food. After lunch we went to the end of our train line (all underground), and emerged into the daylight in the new suburbs - blocks and blocks and blocks of apartments (15 stories or so), linked by an overhead light train system which went around in a loop - no drivers.

MOnday night we left Singapore for our Tiger Airways flight to Bangalore, where we arrived at 10pm. Brand new airport, 40km out of town, so a taxi into our hotel near the bus and rail station - fairly basic. the hot water arrived in a bucket at 8am, we had already had a cold wash. Breakfast was Masal Dosa - rice pancakes stuffed with potato and pea curry, and sweet sweet sweet white tea.

This morning we walked down to the bus station - hundreds of buses - and to the train station - you need to know exactly what you want to do so you can fill in the form to make a train booking. Have decided to go by bus as airconditioned buses go to Mysore every 10 minutes.

At the station we allowed ourselves to be hijacked for a city tour, and spent the next 2 hours sitting in smoggy traffic until we eventually escaped to go for a walk and sightseeing. got dragged to 2 souvenir shops (rugs, carvings, silks etc) and kept on declining to go to more. Have spent the afternoon wandering around, and are taking a well earned break in the internet cafe waiting for beer o'clock and more food. Food is good. This Bangalore we have seen is crowded and chaotic. Haven't met anyone we have had those lovely phone conversations with in Australia (you know the ones that try and ring you at tea time) This may be Silicone Valley of India, but that apparently is a close estate where you need a permit to enter. Haven't seen where it is. Have however seen the cricket ground, and the driver knows all the names of the key aussie cricketers.

India looks like it will be fun, as long as we keep our sense of humour.

to see our photos of Singapore, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2007863&id=1112916442&l=472919b6f0

to see our photos of Bangalore and Mysore, click on the link below

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008027&id=1112916442&l=b31bb0594b

India trip

Begins on Saturday 13th September when we fly to Singapore.

Then its off to Bangalore on Monday 15th September.

From there we travel around southern India until mid November, then it's off the the Andamons so that Peter can go diving.

Leaving Chennai on 3rd December, going via Singapore to arrive in Hong Kong on 5th December.

Leave Hong Kong on 15th December, coming home via Singapore and Perth to lob in Adelaide late on Tuesday 16th December -provided it all goes to plan.

Oodnadatta track

In mid-August, Peter, Pam and Bill headed north, to the Oodnadatta track. We had a great couple of weeks, lovely day, cold nights.


The photos are posted on facebook - click on the link below


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006634&id=1112916442&l=6d3f9857fc



Enjoy!!

Heading South

The holiday is over and on Sunday 20th January we are heading back to Adelaide. So it is goodbye to the Sunshine Coast and Hello Adelaide.