letter from india

Dear All

It was nice to hear it was snowing,ha ha, we are on the beach again now in Goa soaking up the sun we have a lovely little hut on the beach for 3 pounds a night with en-suite! and clean!!

We have been having a wonderful time travelling about we have been to a place called Madurai and seen these beautiful temples called Sri Meenakshi. covered in riots of colour also got blessed by an elephant there which nearly puts your neck out as he donks you on the head with his trunk.

Then we went to Madras/ Chennai which we didn't really enjoy as we had 24 hour check in and as we had checked in at 6.30 am the previous day meant that we also had to check out at 6.30am not so bad but our train to Bangalore was at 10.30pm, we stowed our packs at the left luggage at the station and wandered round the city went to the beach not the nicest, then sat in a park for about 4 hours.
Being the spectacles of some high amusement of the local kids who kept us entertained, not sure who was entertaining who though.

We stayed in Bangalore for a couple of nights with a couple we had met and hit the nightlife
in Bangalore it was great we went to a really cool rooftop bar that could of been in London and it was full of India's rich and glam young things.
You also had to be rich and glam to afford the drinks so we only stopped for a couple.

We moved onto Hampi which has been the highlight of the tour ruins hundreds of years old, boulders strewn all over the landscape and monkeys everywhere. I will put the photos on line soon.
Bryan hired a motorbike and we rode around all the ruins which was a relief as it was so hot there.
The place was great, though, we stayed across a river next to paddy fields the place didnt even have electricity during the day and was then only on for about 5 hours a night.
So some very romantic candle lit meals.

Then on from Hampi to Goa, I had been dreading this ,moment as i had heard it would be overcrowded with British Louts, but i have been pleasantly surprised, it is a haven a large bay with about 70 bamboo huts and restaurants along the front.
We step right out of our hut onto the beach we are staying in a place called Patnem in Palolem in Southern Goa.

love

julz