What an experience we've had.... it's been beautiful, it's been disgusting, it's been heartbreaking, it's been inspiring, it's been humbling, it's been amazing. India conjures up a heady mix of emotions... and, boy, it's hot!! Crossing from Nepal into India was an adventure, to say the least. Despite being bamboozled at the border, we managed to get to Varanasi in one piece, with our luggage intact. It wasn't quite the tranquil, holy Ganges scene that we had imagined. There was cow muck and rubbish everywhere, and dozens of beggars lying in the street. It stank. We made a quick trip down to the burning ghats (open cremations), which weren't particularly pleasant... it was complete chaos down there! Pretty rapidly we decided to cut our losses, booked onto a sleeper train, and made a swift departure to Agra. Agra is home to the Taj Mahal and was a welcome contrast to Varanasi. The Taj was stunning and we even managed to take the 'Diana photo' with us sitting on the famous bench! Next stop was Jaipur (The Pink City), where we shopped for England. Soooo many beautiful bedspreads, textiles and clothes at dirt cheap prices. We probably doubled the weight of our rucksacks in the space of an afternoon! Jodphur (The Blue City) was our next port of call. It had an amazing fort overlooking the city. Unfortunately we never actually got to see the view from the top as Claire was ill, but we admired it from the blue rooftop terrace at our guesthouse. Next we headed to Udaipur, home of The Floating Palace, where 'Octop**** was filmed. Apparently they show the film every night, but we gave it a miss. Instead, we splashed out and had a drink at the palace. It cost more than a night's accommodation but it was very nice!! We had a rough train journey to Goa as Emma was very ill. Not pleasant to have Delhi belly on a 24 hour journey, especially when we were the main focus of attention, being the only Westerners on board. Still, we made it to the beach at last... Time to chill out.... Love, the girls xx