New Year Greetings

Happy New Year and a happy, successful and healthy 2009 to everyone!
We are in the middle of the jungle and had a quite surreal evening with a karaoke and dancing with some fireworks - great stuff - hope you enjoyed your celebrations too! We also had some good floating down the river experience on inner tubes. I had to be pushed most of the way as my hands only just reached the water!
We think we managed to send a few text messages but reception will hopefully be better in Krabi where we drive to today so we'll try ringing later.
Lots of love Ann and Iain

Thailand

Spent 3 days exploring Bangkok - Royal Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun....all amazing places with hundreds of steps, carvings and gold. The Thai seem very fond of gold and all their temples and statues seem coated in gold or painted gold! The river ferry boats reminded us of the water taxis on the Grand Canal in Venice.
Following a night in a less posh hotel than the Sheraton we joined our new group down to the jungles and beaches of Thailand. Unfortunately for us they had all been together in northern Thailand treking so we are an add on! We spent the next two nights on rafthouses in Kao Sok National Park - a majestic place with towering limestone cliffs and the oldest rain forest in the world (allegedly). The journey took an hour by longtail boat across the lake to a dozen or so bamboo huts floating on platforms on the lake. The way to the loos was over planks balanced precariously between metal platforms and was very squeaky and noisy when one had to cross over in the middle of the night! The swimming was great as was the kayaking and a 3 hour walk up to a viewpoint was challenging but not too bad (for Ann) as the steepest part was clambering over rocks and most of the path was under the forest canopy. It was very humid and plunging in the lake was welcomed by all when we got back! The lake is manmade (a dam for hydroelectric power flooded the forest) in 1980 and unlike Halong Bay (which it resembles somewhat) it is almost deserted apart from some fishing villages of half a dozen floating houses and a few tourist rafthouse places so it felt totally isolated. Iain went out at night swimming and says that the stars were magnificent. We are now at Treetops for a night - still in the jungle but in houses built around trees. The whole complex will be great when its completed but there is still a lot of construction work going on and the pool has no water in yet. Luckily there are en suite facilities so Iain won't have to navigate the steep stairway in the dark! We have just come back from floating down the local river on inner tubes and are about to go and get ready for the festivities tonight! Mobile phone connection is patchy so if we don't manage to wish people Happy New Year personally please don't get upset! Also the time difference means that when we celebrate midnight it will be about 5pm your time. Have a great time everyone and all the best for 2009..lots of love Ann & Iain

Happy Christmas

A happy Christmas to everyone - it's very strange to be sitting in the hotel internet place with hot sunshine outside and Christmas carols wafting from the speaker system!
Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom were as spectacular as the guidebooks portray and we were amazed at the sheer size of it all! We also visited some 11th century carvings on the rock base of a stream and waterfall after a 2 Km walk under shady trees on a rocky uphill path. The walk would have been enjoyable of itself but the carvings were well worth a visit. On the way back we explored a small but exquistitely carved temple and a landmine museum, which reminded us of the tragic history of this beautiful country.
As in all South East Asian countries corruption is rife and politics uncertain, with a small percentage of rich people holding the power which means that unrest is likely to continue (e.g. Bangkok) .
We had an early start yesterday (5am) for the long journey to Bangkok through the border and into Thailand. The contrast with Cambodia is immediately evident as you cross the border with Thailand appearing much more prosperous and westernised.
We are staying at the The Royal Orchid Sheraton for 3 days as a Christmas present to ourselves and our 7th floor room has the most wonderful grandstand view of the river. We were sat watching fireworks over the river when we came in last night, having had a farewell dinner with our group. After 4 weeks together we finally say goodbye to our great guide Mr Pong this afternoon as he is taking a group of us around the Royal Palace. It is his day off but he wants to show off his home town to us! As a group 8 of us have been together for the full 4 weeks and really have got on together really well so we are very sorry to say farewell!
We hope Doreen et al are getting better and we hope to give you all a ring tonight (your morning/afternoon!). If we don't manage it have a great Christmas and a happy New Year... we will be in Kao Saok National Park in a raft house on a lake at New Year so unlikely to be able to contact people then. Lots of love Ann and Iain

Saigon and Phnom Penh

Saigon is manic with more motorbikes than we have ever seen - 50% of the population of 10million own one. Having enjoyed an afternoon in the hot springs and mud baths of Nha Trang after doing some sightseeing - white Buddha and Pagoda, Champa tower - rather like a mini version of Angkor Wat - we caught the overnight train to Saigon and arrived after a couple of hours sleep at 5am. We than had an excursion to the Cu Chi tunnels - a heavy place but rather vamped up for tourists. Had to have a rest then, so started to catch up on sleep. The following morning we travelled to the Mekong Delta and had a superb lunch of various seafoods - including elephant ear fish - with artistic sculptures of fisher folk made out of cucumber! We spent the aftyernoon on a boat visiting various cottage industries - very interesting to see how they make floor tiles, bricks and palm leaf rooves. We stayed overnight in a homestay which was better equipped than our previous ones although we all slept together in one room in army canvas cots. After an early breakfast we were rowed in twos on sampans to see a bonsai garden and then visited a floating market and a sweet factory where they made poprice - like popcorn - and cocnut candy - all very basic and health and safety would have a field day but it tasted good! Back on the coach to Saigon and we visited the Reunification Palace - a white elephant completed in 1966 which is now just a tourist attraction and used for conferences. For example the library contains a random assortment of books, in Vietnamese, French and English. We walked our feet off the next day but the Pagoda and the Cathedral we wanted to see were both closed! The War Remnants Museum was somewhat biased as you would expect apart from the journalists photos and copy which were distressing but interesting. There were also many drawings by children on the subject of war and peace on display, not all politically biased.

Now we are in Cambodia, in Phnom Penh, after a very random border crossing. As soon as one crosses the border there are many huge casinos/hotels cheek by jowel with hovels and rubbish. We drove through many miles of flat plains, many rice fields but also areas of apparent barren land. There seem to be many schools on the way into the city - and hordes of school children - presumably reflecting an increasing birth rate post war; but sadly also many handicapped youngsters. The streets are much less busy and one can usually walk on the pavements which makes a welcome change after Saigon. We walked this afternoon to Wat Phnom, a hill where an old woman called Penh discovered a Buddha statue in a log of wood, from which the city got its name. It has a fine Stuppa and Buddhist temple which show an interesting mix of Hindu influences and Buddhism. As to be expected there is a lot of new building work including many new pagodas and temples. Thats all for now, so lots of love, and we will try and update in Siem Reap next week. Happy Christmas to everyone.....Ann and Iain

Dear Hilary, Lizzy and Iain - good to speak to you the other day...hope Iain has a good birthday party and that we manage to get to speak to you all at Christmas when we are in Bangkok. Love to you all including Andrew, Erin, Phoebe, and Ryan...xxxxx Mum and Dad

Hue, Hoi An and Whale Island

Well, we had drizzle in Hue but enjoyed a day on a river boat dodging showers when we got off to see various mausoleums of long dead emperors and magnificently decorated pagodas and had a great time. It is amazing how dry one can stay under a plastic bag mac! Iain took a spectacular slide down some slippery steps but fortunately didn't even have a bruise to show for it - just more dirty washing! We then travelled to Hoi An - a lovely relaxing riverside resort with several interesting temples and halls where we stayed for two nights enjoying excellent seafood and relaxing in the riverside bars after having done the cultural bit. The sun came out for us so it was very pleasant especially as the hotel had a nice pool - in which we had a swim at 10.30pm despite the coolness of the water it was very refreshing! I also took the opportunity to have a bit of a haircut (which Iain perfected), and a massage - the lass was a much better masseuse than hairdresser! Then we had a ten hour coach drive to Whale Island which we reached via a boat journey of 15 minutes. A beautiful place which we all found very relaxing and no-one wanted to leave. Snorkelling was not great as the sea was plankton soup but many broght blue starfish and spiny sea urchins. We had a lovely 2 hour walk around the island as well. Now we are in Nha Trang for a day (look it up, Alan!) on the coast before taking the overnight train to Saigon tomorrow. Lots of love to everyone - Ann and Iain

Good to hear from Hils and Lizzy - can you get Iain to check in?
Lizzy - we're not sure about your music system - if you don't find it we'll take a look when we get home (on 25th Jan). Your Dad thinks it may be in his office. I've run out of credit on my phone but will try and get a Vietnamese Sim Card and ring soon if I can. The main problem is the time difference! Iain - we'll try and ring you on your birthday but if we don't manage it because we are in the Meekong Delta then, take a look at your bank balance on 16th and have a very happy birthday. Give Erin and Phoebe a hug from us...missing you all even though we are having a great time! loads of love Mum and Dad

Halong Bay

We have had a wonderful time in Halong Bay. Sailing around spectacular limestone karsts rising out of the South China Sea, on an excellent boat with private double cabins with tiled bathrooms. After a lunch of fresh tiger prawns, crayfish, octopus and grilled fish we relaxed on deck and then when the boat stopped we all went kayaking - our first time but it was very stable and we enjoyed it. Sea kayaks are apparently bigger and more stable than the small ones you see on TV doing white water racing. Unfortunately Iain had decided not to risk losing his glasses so couldn't see much and I had to yell steering directions but he still veered to the right! The sea was warm but there are so many boats in the bay it is beginning to get polluted and the current was strong so we didn't swim much. We had sea food again for dinner including stuffed crab and various prawns and fishes prepared in different ways and after a fairly reasonable night's sleep we sailed on to moor up and visit the largest cave yet discovered in the karsts. Unfortunately the boat had to dock at Halong Bay before midday so that was all we were able to do - we were hoping to go kayaking again! We also had to have lunch at 10.45 which seemed a bit strange but the food was so good that we coped! Once back in Hanoi (3.5 hrs drive) we repacked and sent a parcel of clothes etc to Hilary (just in case it turns up before we get home) and all went out for a meal in the evening. Today we went to say hello to Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Min) as he is now returned from his makeover in Russia. He looks good for someone dead for forty years! Then we visited the Museum of Fine Arts and the History Museum - both excellent and very interesting. We're back at the hotel again now and going out for a meal together before we catch the train at 11pm, so that's all for now. Lots of love Ann & Iain

Treking

Well - we're back in Hanoi having been out in the hills on local homestays for the last two nights. First night was unbelievably cold - even with clothes, sweater, fleece and two thick blankets cum duvets! But the walking was through lovely countryside, paddy fields and mountains; an easy 2hr incline on the first day followed by 15Km the second day, most of which was down the mountain - my muscles are still complaining and even Iain felt it! After an easy walk this morning and an excellent lunch in another white Thai village we had the 4 hour drive back to the city. The homestays were in Humong and White Thai village houses which had a large room for mattresses etc where we also ate. At least we were warm the second night and the washing facilities were marginally better! I'm glad it was only two nights though - makes you appreciate the creature comforts like a hot bath! The food was cooked by a couple of chefs who travelled with us and was excellent - amazing to see how they produced the meals in the homestay's kitchens over open fires and where you had to mind your head because of the stalactites of congealed smoke and grease of ages! Many houses (especially those of the white Thai) in the rural areas are built on stilts so the livestock roam underneath - very noisy at 5am! The hill tribes still worship their ancestors but 80% of Vietnam is Buddhist.
In Hanoi we have already spent a day sightseeing - a magnificent temple dedicated to Confucius (the original university and host to this year's graduation ceremony that afternoon), Ho Chi Min Mausoleum (he is back from a makeover in Russia but the mausoleum was shut so we will go and say hello on Saturday), the One Pillar Pagoda and the market where we bought flip flops and a torch that doesn't work! I also have had a beautiful Vietnamese over-dress and trousers tailor made which look fairly spectacular and I intend to wear at Christmas!
The market seemed to be mainly children's clothes in vast quantities and reflects the fact that the population, like most of SE Asia is weighted towards children. Here, as in India the Government is trying to limit the population growth but being quite unsuccessful in the rural areas. The economy appears to be growing with a lot of new houses (these look very strange as they are tall and narrow and contain one room on each floor due to rates being based on the width of the frontage).
Our first impressions are of the amazing number of small motorbikes and the lack of litter as compared with India. Roads are generally better and we enjoyed walking around the streets without being pestered (so much, anyway). Hanoi is much more laid back in feeling and considerably quieter than most cities we have been to recently.
Finally we are pleased to hear that Bangkok airport is open again without bloodshed but we feel considerable sympathy for anyone who had been stuck there including a woman who was supposed to be joining our tour and hasn't yet managed to.
We are off to Halong Bay for a night on a boat which should be good, and will be back for a day in Hanoi on Saturday before we take the overnight train to Hue (I think it is Hue but I don't have the itinerary to hand) so goodbye for now. Do keep in contact by posting - we love to hear from you all! Lots of love Ann & Iain
PS: Andrew:Tell me a few brands that are okay for you and I will see what I can get!

Vietnam

Greetings from Hanoi! No time to update now as we're off treking - back Wednesday when we should be able to do a new post. All well with us...lots of love Ann & Iain

Lakshadweep Islands

Firstly we only heard about the troubles in Mumbai yesterday on the plane over to Kochi (various papers available in flight reading) - obviously the main feature together with the unexpected monsoon conditions in Chennai. Thankfully we missed both and as we fly out from Kochi to Hanoi tonight, as we understand the troubles are continuing we hope the flights won't be too disrupted so far south.
We are both very well and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Bangaram. Formerly known as the Laccadive Islands we took the train very uneventfully to Bangalore and got to the airport to discover Jet had cancelled their flight to Agatti (main island). No problem they organised seats on the earlier flight with Kingfisher only for us to discover when they eventually phoned our agent that he had already done so and was waiting for us to get in touch! 4 seats for us then! Shame he hadn't left a message for us at the airport; anyway from Agatti (one runway with sea either side and an open thatched hut as the transit lounge - lovely!) there was a 90 minute boat ride to Bangaram and we saw dolphins and turtles en route. We are quite laid back these days so didn't worry when the boat conked out halfway! Soon the problem was solved with the longest screwdriver we had ever seen and we arrived on a perfect coral island in the cloud. Thunder and lightening that evening and very humid (90-100%) but food was excellent and wine was good if quite expensive! In the morning we were woken by the sounds of massive winds in the palm trees followed by monsoon type rain and the management came around to our hut with a large umbrella for us to use to get to breakfast! By midday the skies had cleared but it remained cloudyish and humid. We had a good 2 hour snorkel in the bay and saw loads of different fishes. Next day we did more snorkelling - morning and afternoon at different reefs in the lagoon and saw some 3 foot long fishes that scared Ann when one swam right under her, and lazed apart from that. Our third day dawned bright and sunny and much less humid- just like on the pictures - and we took a boatride out to a shipwreck and some further reefs. As Iain said - it was like swimming in an aquarium! We also swam with lots of turtles in the afternoon. Iain says I should be fit now for trekking in Vietnam!
We arrived back in Kochi and are staying at a lovely (but expensive) hotel in Fort Kochi right on the waterfront and with a beautiful garden and pool which we are about to go back to until we go to the airport tonight. We were just in time for our sunset cruise last night - the colours over the water were just unbelievable..... we were only out in the boat for 40 minutes but probably took as many photos!
We remembered that one thing we forgot to mention in our blog about our drive in the hills around Ooty, bearing in mind our previous comments about roads, was that a jeep overtook us too fast, got scared when a bus came in the opposite direction and went into some spectacular skids, teetering on 2 wheels and ending up on its side. We were all shocked but they soon righted the jeep and gradually everyone clambered out - just a few sore heads but no injuries - probably saved because there were so many of them squashed into the jeep and Ann's services weren't required, thank goodness!!
Fort Kochi is quite a picturesque little place with Chinese fishing nets and fish stalls but is dwarfed by the extended city of Kochi itself. Vasco da Gama used Kochi as a base and was buried here for a while, there is obvious French influence in architecture and the British did some major engineering work to make the harbour which is now being extended to take container ships and become one of India's major ports. The round the world yacht race is calling here in a couple of days and they are frantically trying to tidy up the beach and harbour area.
Anyway the pool calls so that's all for now... Loads of love Ann & Iain
PS: Hils, Andrew, Erin & Phoebe: We can't believe Phoebe is standing already - but we're very glad she's sleeping so well for you. Thank Erin for her present but if she eats them before we get back that's alright! What brand of fags does Andrew want? Is Paul okay? Also Iain - he hasn't texted us back yet? Loads of love Mum & Dad

South India finale

Hi again! I've managed to change settings to allow postings from anyone so it is easier to post comments and keep in touch - thanks Lizzy. We are off to Kochi again today and tomorrow fly out to the Lakshadweep Islands for some down time. Energy levels are not bad considering somewhat disturbed sleep last few nights and slightly upset tum. Not too homesick yet but thinking of you all so do post a comment or text now and again - although reception is somewhat haphazard. We enjoyed a beautiful 7 hours scenic drive up to Ooty (at 2,500m) although towards the end we were driving through cloud forest and it was raining. The drive down to Mysore the next day was also very scenic and through a reserve and a National Park in the sunshine this time! We saw wild boar, deer, elephants and monkeys. Mysore Palace which we saw yesterday is possibly the most magnificent building we have ever seen and the columns and stained glass came from Glasgow! It was built in the early 1900s to replace the original 600 year old palace which had burnt down. The city of Mysore itself is again properous and somewhat quieter, with greater Hindu influence compared with Kerala. That's it for now but we will try to update when we return from the islands in about five days time. Lots of love Ann & Iain

South India update

It rained today - well a few drops anyway! Humidity 90-100% so we are here in a cool internet cafe taking a break.
We had a great stay in Periyar Tiger Reserve - no tigers and precious little wild life but a beautiful hotel and the early morning walk in the reserve was lovely; as was a boat trip on the manmade lake there (48 square Km). This was constructed by the British as a leisure/fishing place and we saw nesting cormorants, otters, turtles, deer and a water snake! Then we drove to the Kerala back waters - a maze of natural and man made waterways with some very large lakes and rivers. We stayed on a luxury houseboat - a converted rice boat with two double cabins and three staff. Food was great and they even went into a nearby village to buy us a bottle of Indian wine! This is excellent but costs more than the meals themselves! For example today's lunch cost 65 rupees (less than a pound) but our wine last night cost 800 R. We had a very relaxing day on the boat away from the sightseeing and the towns but there was no air conditioning in the cabins so we didn't sleep so well. We are now in Kochi and we return here on our way back from Bangaram. Kochi is a large and growing industrial and modern city with a growing port for containers. IT and tourism figure greatly in the local economy; the latter especially in Kerala as a whole. Kerala is very popular both with Indian and international tourists as the landscape is rich and luscious, with many paddy fields on the plains and the backwaters themselves are very scenic. We had an interesting visit to a spice garden and saw many spices growing and Iain got attacked by mozzies! Spice is still a major export with tea, coffee and rubber - the tea plantations especially were extensive on the hillsides as we travelled to Kochi. We go to Ooty tomorrow which is in the major tea growing area and higher so should be less humid! It is obvious that Kerala is more prosperous than most of India and it also boasts the highest literacy rate of 97%. It is even more obvious here that Chistianity is the major religion which is surprising given that the Kerala government is Communist. Apparently they take turns in government every five years so the Communist government is tolerant of different views and faiths. That's all for now but we'll try and post in Mysore before we disappear to Bangaram; if not it will be when we return to Kochi en route for Hanoi. All our love - Ann and Iain

South India

Well we've been in South India for several days now and it is interesting how different it is from the north. Greener and with more palm trees and rice paddy fields and a lot of rural communities. Towns and cities tend to be as mad and dirty as up north but the temple complexes have to be seen to be believed! Roads are under construction everywhere and in a seemingly haphazard fashion with dual carriageways suddenly changing to single carriage ways and then into original dirt track which makes travel somewhat longer and more bouncy! Bamboo and palm are utilised in every conceivable way from thatch, fencing, plates and curtains. Our guide is actually from the north and speaks Hindi so has nearly as many problems with the language as we do. Differences in religion are very apparent with Buddhism and Sikhism less widespread than in the north and with Christianity and Hinduism predominating. We are just about getting to grips with the major Hindu deities now but only with the main ones as there are thousands of them!
We liked Mammalapurum best - lovely hotel by the sea with some amazing temples and monuments. Pondicherry and Thanjavur were interesting and we are now templed out as we have seen 5 temple complexes in 3 days! Today's was the most extensive and took about 2 hours just to wander around the tourist parts! Tomorrow we are off to Kerala to stay on a nature reserve and then on a houseboat so we're looking forward to that. Our coughs appear to be better -touch wood. We hope everyone at home is well and that the weather isn't too bad - it's cloudy here but very warm and humid. The monsoon has not been as severe as usual either here in the south or in the north. We should be able to update again when we reach Kochi in about 4-5 days time so until then lots of love to you all...Ann and Iain

Nepal

As the travelogue says"Nepal is a land of snow clad peaks, lush green valleys, jungles and forests" to which I would add dusty towns, temples and many small abodes of mud brick, stone and wood scattered throughout the countryside.
It is quite different to Rajasthan and Kathmandu is a quieter (relatively), cleaner (relatively) and with less obvious poverty than Delhi. We travelled on roads for most journeys where ancient buses and trucks ruled rather than cows; their exhausts contributing to the pollution especially in Kathmandu itself. Progress is slow especially on the hills where landslides and flash floods have damaged the roads (road signs with pictures of trucks falling over the edge are frequent!) In rural areas overloaded carts, animals and people provide further hazards as do school children who seem to be on their way to or from school at all times of the day. The fact that they are wearing new uniforms suggests that the country is placing more importance on education. Although the President is a Maoist some sort of coalition seems to exist and there is a general attitude of 'wait and see' politically. Hedges and walls are less evident than in India but where walls exist they are unsurprisingly made of river-boulders. These general impressions of Nepal have been dictated by Iain..I am now going to briefly tell you what we've actually been doing.
We were only forty minutes late with the train from Varanasi so we were in plenty of time to catch the Kathmandu flight. We met our guide Arjun at the airport and he took us under his wing and was extremely helpful throughout, as was our main driver. We stayed at the Yak and Yeti - very plush and expensive by Nepalese standards but comparable to an ordinary hotel price wise in the UK. We visited the main Durbar square of Kathmandu which contains many temples with wonderful wooden carvings around doors, windows and roofs. We collapsed back at the hotel and after a bowl of soup (too tired to eat!) we were asleep before 9pm.
We then visited a couple of famous sites around Kathmandu - one Buddhist temple site and monastery on the top of a hill and one Hindu with many stupas and temples which also had burning ghats on the river banks where they were cremating their dead. We also visited a lived in mediaeval town where many of the original buildings and temples remain or have been restored - very atmospheric and interesting.
The following day we had an amazing drive through spectacular scenery to Pokara where we stayed at the Fishtail Lodge on the edge of the lake. Very beautiful and great views of mountains when it's clear. Unfortunately we hit a cloudy day when we got up at 4.30am to go and climb for half an hour to a viewpoint where we should have seen the sun rise over the mountains so we didn't! It even rained a few drops in the afternoon!
Our next drive was equally fascinating (the last 7 Km by landrover through 3 rivers!) - to Chitwan National Park where we stayed in a jungle lodge - rooms okay but no electricity, although we did have showers which sometimes ran warm. It was a friendly place in a beautiful situation.
We did 2 elephant safaris but didn't see any rhinos although others had seen two the day before. Surprising lack of animal life (and insects, thankfully). The canoe ride down the river was great but not long enough! Walks with the Rangers were good but again we didn't see anything apart from birds, deer, wild boar and a crocodile.
We flew back to Kathmandu yesterday on a 20 seater plane and had another early start this morning to fly to Everest and back at 6.30am. We didn't get as close as I thought we were going to but Iain took some good pictures of the really spectacular mountain range as we flew past.
Apart from a 24 hour bout of the runs we've been reasonably lucky so far but Iain has now got a cold and a cough (which he thinks he caught from me) and is irritating him somewhat (he says a lot!). We hope you are all well and we'll update you all when we next get access to Broadband!
Lots of love Ann & Iain

Hi everyone - good to hear from you..fancy snow in Uppermill - it's about 35+ here and getting more humid now we are in Varanasi. Alan - I've corrected the typo and it should now read leopard; Iain says they are not many leotards in the desert! Can you tell us how to change the settings Lizzy? We have not been affected by the unrest in Bombay and Assam and other places, so we're still here - India is huge! To get back to our narrative - we didn't much like Pushkar - very chaotic and pushy but the Hindu ceremony we took part in on the bank of the lake at sunset was atmospheric and touching. Jaipur was mad...colourful, dirty and very crowded - but the fort and city palace were spectacular. Then we went to Agra and saw the wonderful Taj Mahal - although it was somewhat misty due to all the fireworks set off the previous night to mark Duvalli (not sure how to spell it Alan!) . We loved the baby Taj - the inlaid marble was even more intricate and beautiful and predates the Taj Mahal and the crowds of tourists were far less so it felt more peaceful. We also went round part of the huge Red Fort - the biggest in India and very impressive although the British destroyed a lot of the inner buildings. We are taking far too many photos and although we have 10 megs will probably have to buy another card in Bangkok! We then had an overnight train to Varanasi - an experience we don't want to repeat too often but at least the train wasn't too late getting into Agra where we boarded and was only 2 hours late in Varanasi! Went to visit Sarnath where there are many archeological remains from where Buddism was born and Buddha preached his first sermon. We then managed to get down to the Ganges for the night time ceremony of fire where with thousands of spectators, 16 priests invoke the Goddess of the Ganges and her blessings. We watched from a rowing boat which at 5.30am today took us up and down the Ganges past the Ghats where one could see all the life of the river; people washing, swimming, washing clothes and praying. The edge of the river is filthy with rubbish but it doesn't seem to put them off. The two end Ghats are where bodies are cremated and are appropriately termed the Burning Ghats. We returned back to the bus through filthy but interesting narrow back alleys. We are off after lunch to see three temples and then it's an overnight train again to Delhi and straight on for us to Kathmandu - we just hope the train isn't too delayed! We will try and post again in a few days but it may have to wait until we return to Kathmandu in 7-8 days as Pokhara and Chitwan are unlikely to have broadband. Do let us know how everyone is - Phoebe must be growing apace! Lots of love from us both Ann & Iain

India impressions

Well - we're nearing the end of our sojourn in Northern India and now seems a good time to formulate our first impressions of India, the country and the people.
Firstly - cows rule the roads.
Secondly - all lorries bear a sign on the rear saying 'Blow horn' and all transport - lorries, cycles, bikes, tuc-tucs , cars etc - obey this injuncion incessantly - very necessary given the style of driving; overtaking on either side especially on bends and when encountering nomadic bands of Indians driving their herds of goats towards the south!
Thirdly - smells (good and bad), dust (everywhere) and vibrant colours (saris and materials vivid in the sunlight).
Rajasthan is a land of contrasts - richly decorated and intricately carved palaces and temples, cheek by jowl with dilapidated hovels. People are friendly in the villages but often less so in the towns where subsistence living makes begging of all forms commonplace; although the middleclass are actually increasing and the government subsidising schools so that you see the blue and white school uniforms everywhere.
Although we have been close to the Pakistani border there have been no obvious problems and the vast majority of people of different religions live harmoniously together as usual.
Areas of semi arid desert and greener more pastoral areas, mountains and plains make this state both varied and fascinating. Although quite green at the moment the monsoon rains were lighter than expected so there are likely to be problems later.
Tourism is also reduced at present and unemployment rising as the population grows beyond 1.2 billion. This causes pressure on jobs such that 1600 applicants for one engineering or computing job is commonplace.
Finally Iain must mention the walls! Mostly well built even though often of granite (the area is famous for marble and granite) and he has even seen a lunkey! Some walls are formed by inserting oblong slabs of stone into the ground and other field boundaries are often formed by dead hedging and even some hedge laying.
Whichever hotel we stay in we find there is something 'wrong' somewhere however plush it tries to be - but that's India and has its own charm! Examples in our current three star hotel are dodgy light switches, rickety toilet seats and no curtains in the bathroom.
Anyway it's eggs and more eggs for breakfast - boiled, fried, scrambled, omlette except here in Pushkar where no meat, eggs or alcohol is allowed.

After testing how many we could fit in a tuc-tuc to go to dinner - the answer is eight (actually usually three) - we had a long drive to Bhenswara where we stayed in a wonderful hotel - a former Rajput warrior's home - now a heritage hotel - with a small pool and wonderfully huge rooms! We chickened out of the leopard safari by jeep (they didn't see any) and sat around sipping Indian merlot (expensive but good) and listened to two Indians performing local music until the others arrived back for dinner. We are a group of eight (3 Aussies, I Kiwi and 2 Swiss)and get on well together... Next day we drove to Ranakpur and another lovely hotel with even better pool. Visited the Jain temple complex - amazing marble carvings. Introduced the two Swiss girls to Boggle this evening! Tuesday saw us driving to Kumbalhgarth fort with the allegedly next longest wall to the Great Wall of China. This is a large area filled with temples, a fort and palaces - all now disused but fascinating to wander around. We could have done with longer but there you are .. We are now in Udaipur - staying at a hotel without pool this time - on the banks of the lake. Went to a folk song and dance performance last night - very colourful - including a desert dance by a woman carrying nine pots on her head! Today we visited a Hindu temple and the palace and gardens full of fountains fed from the lake.. we have taken lots of photos but we promise to only show the edited version! Udaipur is a mini version of Delhi and when we go out we tend to be mobbed by friendly children wanting to know our names, where we come from and strangely they seem to want autographs - can't think why!! We are getting used to the heat and although I had a cough for a few days that seems to be settling. The noise and bustle are amazing but our hotel room is on the quiet side of the hotel! That's all for now, folks....hope to update again in a few days..lots of love to all Ann and Iain

Well we're here now in Jaisalmer - a wonderful desert yellow sandstone city in the Thar desert enjoying temples, forts, palaces, sunshine, great food and a lovely pool. Didn't like new Delhi so much but a visited a couple of Hindu and Jain temples which were very beautiful with carved fretwork of stone and marble. Our tour guide Karon is a great guy and has taken us to many interesting places already including some very good restaurants! In Jodphur the highlight was the famous Merhranger Fort. We have stayed in a variety of places already ranging from this palatial hotel to a small exquisite heritage hotel in a rural village of Chandelao which was a large converted house. The village children are great - all smiles and greetings, unlike in the city where the children are all wanting money, pens etc. Jaisalmer is much more to our liking - smaller and less hassleing. I have bought a couple of wonderful bedcovers from the women's co-operative there and am having them shipped to UK - takes about four months. Tomorrow we have an eight hour drive to Behnswara (a rural village, I think) so I probably won't be able to update the blog for a few days. We hope everyone is well...lots of love Ann & Iain

Well, we're on our way! We are currently in the lounge at Heathrow awaiting our flight to Delhi tonight. we just got the train at Manchester by the skin of our teeth - doors closing as I jumped aboard! we'll do our best to keep this blog updated...time and computers permitting. all good wishes to all our friends and family...lots of love Ann & Iain

Iainanntravels

Hi everyone - only two weeks to go till we set off on our adventures. I'm not sure how often we will post to our blog but we will try to keep it reasonably up to date! We set off for Delhi on 11th and then tour around part of Northern India before travelling to Nepal on 1st November.