Leaving for Jaipur/Jodphur and Ajmer

Since we last spoke we had just landed in Mumbai. From there we have had some quite adventurous days. Mumbai we visited Elephant Island on a boat, which looked very much like LOST island. We took a boat from Mumbai Harbour (the area where the Taj Hotel is situated, Obahma was there last week) We trecked to the top of the hills of this Island, fed some wild monkeys bananas looked at some caves and came back. We walked right to the top and it was about 35 degrees heat ridiculously hot! Amazing views of Mumbai harbour from the island. We came back and rested by sitting on Colaba causeway eating street vendor food (a mix of puffed rice, nuts, spices, coriander, chilly lemon juice and crackers mixed in a bowl and eaten out of a paper rolled on a cone with a big crisp) Coloba causeway is a stretch of harbour that reaches right round the edge of the city and watched the sunset which was pretty awesome. The next day we went to the national park in the city which is HUGE. Very hot and I was warned off sitting on the roadside... so I didnt get bitten by a wild snake... great place to get away from the city for a day and spend some time walking round a lovely big park with boating lakes etc

From there we arrived in Delhi on the overnight sleeper train which was an experience in itself. 22 hours on a train a cabin shared with 6 people three bunks on each side. The trains used to be military trains everything was run with military precision. Meals snacks and drinks provided all the way lights out at 10 and on at 6am for breakfast. A brilliant and quite fun way to travel through the country. Booking them is another matter. The downside to Dehli is the scams EVERYONE especially in the train station and around is out to take your money. Everyone is trying to sell you something .Now me and Kit really have not blended in here. We have people coming upto us to take pictures with us it seems not many blond couples have visited Delhi before. So after 5 wasted trips to dodgy places and walking out we eventually managed to book our tickets out of Delhi tomorrow. So on our last day here we have spent time visiting a famous place of worship called the Lotus temple (shaped like a lotus flower) which was beautiful and a brilliant piece of architecture. Then wandered round the New Dehli part of the city and had iced coffees sat in the green area sunbathing. Dehli has been a place of opposites amazing sites, some lovely people then there are those very nasty people who are just out to trick you! It is also the DIRTIEST place I have ever been poverty is incredible....we did see an 80 year old lady lift her skirt and pee on the floor in the middle of the street.. the best thing is no one here bats an eyelid.. its just crazy. Then the other side of it is seeing the rich people walk past with their suitcases going to work......
Tomorrow we are north bound to Rajastan the desert area of the country- to go to a camel festival in the desert... 200 000 people go every year - lots of sellers and buyers and music etc something we have lucked out on as its on once a year for 5 days and it falls in line with our plans,....we spend 4 nights touring Rajastan including the pink city of Jaipur and watch the Ghats and meditation om the salt lakes of Pushkar and the temples in Ajmer. Then onwards on the 21st to Varansi to sail down the Ganges.... :-)

Think thats all for now. We are missing everyone at home we are in on piece here and very much enjoying every minute... always a challange but always loads of fun

speak to you soon Kit and Dupers
xxxx