Our own houseboat in the Keralan backwaters!

So we took a taxi to Allepey an hour and a half south of Cochin and sought out a houseboat to hire. We walked around the boat jetty and looked at quite a few, negotiated a price and within half an hour we were underway for 24 hours! We hired a boat for the two of us that was pretty big. It had two double ensuite bedrooms, a downstairs seating area and an upstairs balcony with chairs and table and big cushions to lie on. You have a chef and the captain with you and you cruise through the canals at a slow pace. It was amazing!

Another houseboat but this is what ours looked like

This is ours with me on the balcony!

Our very own two storey houseboat!

Definitely the best thing we've done so far and although expensive by Indian terms it was worth every penny. We lazed around all day in the blazing hot sun looking at the locals villagers going abouth their daily business. The food was the best we've had in India for lunch and dinner.

A local village

We stopped at a local stall to buy some fresh tiger prawns for dinner that were huge and still alive when we bought them so you couldn't get much fresher.We ate far too much and both had to lie down some more when we had finished! We popped up our mosquito net in our room and slept under that as we'd already seen a lizard and didn't want another repeat of Kathmandu! I would recommend this experience to anyone, it's a MUST do if you get the chance. We could easily have spent a week on there!

John enjoying a coconut!

Finally some sunbathing time

We have now moved on to Kollam which contrary to Lonely Planet's description is not that nice so we will spend the night her and move south again tomorrow to the beach for a few days. Pictures to follow for the South as we can't upload them here.

South India - Peace at last!

We decided to fly down to the state of Kerala in the South in search of some well earned peace and quiet. We stayed 2 nights in Fort Cochin, moving accommodation after the first night because it was a horrid mosquito infested building! Kerala is so different to the North. The religion here is mainly Christian and there are a lot of churches, shrines and catholic schools. Fort Cochin is a sleepy, small town that is very laid back and friendly. We could walk everywhere which made a nice change so we walked down to the beach to see the old Chinese fishing nets and the locally caught fish of the day. The food is quite different down here, much more spicy. We were amazed at how little hassle we got when walking around, the people seem a little more reserved and it was a nice break from the comstant bombardment in the North.
Kerala is full of coconut trees, its very humid and home to tea plantations in the hills where they also grow a lot of spices and cashew nuts. The most famous thing about Kerala is its backwaters so we decided to try and hire a houseboat to cruise through the canals and see some of the local villages.

The Chinese fishing nets at Fort Cochin

Jaipur: The Pink City

We took the train to Jaipur and stayed in a homestay which is the Indian equivalent of a guest house. The owner and his family were very welcoming and we enjoyed some fab food here. Jaipur is a pretty chaotic and large city but the old part is where the name the pink city comes from as it's surrounded by walls and gates painted in pink. Most of the houses are painted pink too to keep with tradition. We had a small adventure on the first day when using the internet in  a cyber cafe as one of the locals got chatting to John and we ended up going back to his house for an hour to meet his family and have a cup of chai!
The old city is made up of well orgnaised and laid out streets for a change but it was buzzing and busy, full of lively bazaars selling marble, bangles, kitchen utensils and books. Each street has its own theme. Diwali preparations (the Hindu festival of light which is the equivalent in terms of celebration of our christmas - the biggest festival of the year where families and friends give gifts, have fireworks, food and parties) were well underway with posters in windows, gift boxes available to buy, decorations on stalls and lights strung all around.
The Palace of the wind was beautiful with coloured glass decorating windows and doors. We also visited the City Palace and the lake palace, rising out of an otherwise still lake and Jantar Mantar, the observatory. This was our favourite part as even though it was built between 200 - 300 years ago the architecture looks almost modern and all the structures in the well kept gardens are astronomical instruments. It was a peaceful place, modern before its time.
We ate at a fantastic Peacock restaurant on a rooftop, that was an oasis in an otherwise bustling city.

The Pink City

Fruit and Veg at the Bazaar

Ther view from the Palace of the Wind

The lake palace

Jantar Mantar's sundial

Tiger, Tiger!

Next stop, Ranthambore National Park to go on a half day safari. Another early morning start which is unheard of for us usually!  We managed to get a place in a jeep with 5 of us rather than a 16 person canter so we were pleased.  The park was surrounded by hills and the terrain as scrub land with trees and grasses.
We bumped along our way along rocky tracks and the guide pointed wildlife out as we went. John and I found it hilarious. I felt like it was a ride in a Universal studios film set with a guide who sounded fairly bored by most of it, repeating name of animals over and over again. We didn't actually expect to see a tiger. Then somebody said, 'Tiger!' There was a tiger about 50 metres away having it's morning drink from the river. The guide saw it but the driver carried on until the guide shouted, Tiger, Tiger' and gave him a couple of whacks.They seemed as surprised as we were to be honest. Suddenly, the ride improved, 'Hold on tight!' he shouted as the driver threw the jeep into reverse and turned it. With wheels spinning and dust flying we set off after the tiger who had started slowly walking away. John said he felt like he was on the set of 'The professionals!' We followed her as she loped unhurriedly through the trees, almost camouflaged back to her cubs. We watched until she went out of sight.  No photos I'm afraid as it was all happening at high speed!
We saw monkeys, deer, antelope, peacocks and a variety of birds including a vulture. Everytime the guide saw another vehicle or park ranger we had to stop and confirm that we'd seen a tiger and tell the whole story again. John and I found it absolutely hilarious, as did the German couple with us and we were all crying with laughter. It seems we were very lucky ...for a change!

Spotted deer

Agra and the Taj Mahal

We arrived by train at 3am, tired and cold after another extremely long train ride. That evening we went to an Indian bazaar where the locals hang out, no other westerners in sight. The smell of hot food was enticing but we stayed away after recent illnesses! We wandered down a side street and came upon a lively area with large statues of Hindu gods on a stage. Families were talking excitedly, children were weaving in and out of the small crowds. We were pounced on and welcomed and interrogated in a friendly way as only the Indians can do. The locals were thrilled we were there and very proud of their culture. Everyone wanted to shake our hands and then they wanted us to go up on the stage. John went up and I tried to keep out of that one but they were having none of it and pulled me up there and then insisted they have a photo with us. Out of nowhere appeared a local photographer with a large camera and snapped our photo. As we left the children were all asking our names and shaking our hands and then running away giggling.
We got up before sunrise the next day to visit the Taj Mahal before the huge crowds. I can see what all the fuss is about it is an amazing wonder of white marble rising from perfectly kept gardens and surrounded by equally elaborate gates. Jewelled designs and words from the Quran decorate the building's exterior. Inside light filters in through the lattice work to cast a glow in the building. We then visited the Fort and John made friends with the squirrels and I was harrassed as usual by locals wanting to take photos of me! 


    

Varanasi and Viruses!

We arrived back in Delhi from Kathmandu which by the way was the most security I've ever seen to get on a flight!!  5 times we had our bags checked before boarding the flight! We were then straight off to the train station to catch our first India train to the holy city of Varanasi. It was about 13 hours long on an overnight sleeper but longer if you account for delays which are frequent in India, unsurprisingly! What an experience. We travelled in 2nd class air con which wasn't exactly the height of luxury and both barely slept a wink all night. The whole process was difficult as everything is in India. Our train was not listed on the board, we had to ask a number of people before somebody told us which platform to go to. We then had to get hot and sweaty as obviously it was the furthest platform away. When we got there it was confusing to know where to get on. Once you've done this once it's fine but the first time was completely confusing! There are no announcements to tell you where the train is stopping which can be difficult when it's dark. So we woke up for the time we were supposed to be arriving and then an hour and a half later we reached Varanasi!
We were seemingly staying in an oasis in an otherwise chaotic city, slept, had a swim in the pool, chilled and I had a massage.
Varanasi is situated on the Ganges river and is a Hindu holy city where thousands of pilgrims come all year round to bathe in the water at one of the many ghats along the river bank. There are also cremation ghats were families come to cremate their dead and many people also come to the city to die as this is though to release you from the circle of life and death.
Varanasi is a maze of tiny streets in the old city leading to the array of ghats on the Ganges. The river is muddy and wide, built up on the Varanasi side and mud flats on the other. We decided to take a trip down the river at sunset. We stepped aboard the wooden rowing boat just before sunset as the light was waning. Our guide rowed up river as we watched pilgrims descend the steps of the ghats to bathe. Fires burnt at a nearby ghat cremating bodies as families watched.
Aarti lamps were floated on the water by Hindus in boats. We rowed down river to a ghat to watch the evening Puja ceremony. Holy men took part in an elaborate ceremony involving music, prayers, candles and incense. All working in unison, repeating moves over and over again in all directions. The smell of incense filled the night air as hundreds of people looked on. Young boys were fishing from a nearby boat.  As we rowed back after the ceremony the moon hung low in the sky casting an orange glow over the river.

The Puja ceremony

John and I were both unwell while in Varanasi so perhaps our accommodation and its food were not such an oasis after all!  The hotel were also incompetent as we were leaving which resulted in us missing our train, us arguing with them, them not caring and then us having to bribe officials at the train station to get a ticket out of Varanasi that day to Agra!

Annapurna trek - is that a rat in the ceiling???!!!

We caught a 30 min flight from Kathmandu to the lakeside village of Pokhara on Yeti airways (yes that's right - YETI! - much like a small Aurigny). Pokhara was beautiful, warm and laid back. A welcome rest after the chaos of Kathmandu. We set off for our trek the next morning with our Nepalese guide and porter to carry our bag. The day began with stunning weather; clear and warm. After a 90 min drive to the base village we set off at a leisurely pace. Although we couldn't have done much else due to the heat and continuous uphill walking. Even after much preparation in Jersey, this didn't quite prepare us for trekking in this heat with a heavy rucksack on. (It probably wasn't that heavy to be honest - but seemed to get heavier with each step uphill!). 
We trekked uphill for 3 hours with a stop for lunch. The weather was clear and hot for most of the way but the heavens opened for the last half an hour with a torrential downpour soaking us to the skin. To make matters worse it was all steps (for those of you who know it was like the climb out of Bonne Nuit for 3 hours!). Needless to say John had a head like a boiled turnip at the end of it :-)
The accommodation was a teahouse lodge in the hills and ours was a plush one by all accounts!  Our room was one of the best and actually had a shower with lukewarm water and a toilet that flushed. We showered, put on dry clothes and rested but John's back was feeling the effects of the relentless steps.
After a simple but delicious dinner of Dal Bhat and a beer we went to bed early as the locals do to prepare for our early start the next morning. We spent the night mostly awake listening to scratching and scrabbling in the room above, then the rat trying to gnaw its way into our room through the ceiling which we both enjoyed!
The next morning John's back had not improved and we made the decision to shorten the track from 5 to 2 days by trekking back down the hill. We thought that this might happen but needed to try and it was an amazing experience anyway but not worth risking the enjoyment of the next few months to continue.
We spent the next couple of days admiring the views of the Annapurna mountain range, sightseeing around Pokhara and took some great photos which will follow as it's difficult to connect our camera to the PC at the moment. Unsurprisingly, during this time John was sick too!
Next installment - Varanasi
K & J

The view from our tea house in the hills and below our tea house with the rat in the ceiling!

Downhill at last!

The Peace Pagoda

John rowing our boat across Pokhara lake

The view of Pokhara and the Annapurna mountain range in the background from the Peace pagoda