On our last day Mumbai we went to Elephanta Island. We walked to the Gate of India and then took a ferry to the island, which took about an hour. The ferry was an experience. In true Indian style they just pull up next to other boats and ask you to walk from boat to boat until you reach the one which you need to be on! We then left the busy port by crashing into other boats rather than taking the long way around, so their boat driving is just like their car driving! We got there safely and the island was great. There were several stalls and shops and then some great caves with huge sculptures in and some cannons up Cannon Hill. See the photos, as my descriptions would not do the sculptures justice. There were also lots of monkeys on the island. After our searching for them in Goa we were now surrounded by them. One stole my bottle of water and hissed at me when I tried to get it back. So, I let him have it and he sat there and unscrewed the top and drank it all!

We took the ferry back and then a taxi to our hotel to collect our luggage and make our way to the train station. We arrived and eventually found the enquiries desk as they don't assign first class cabins until they know who is on the train ie tourists, couples,males, females, etc. Anyway, as we are married we knew we stood a good chance of getting a 2 berth cabin rather than a 4 or 6 berth, and we did get one. We were so excited to have our own room. It was great, we had bunk beds, a wardrobe and tables. The beds were really comfy and we got bedding and nice pillows. We were also able to lock our cabin, so did not have to worry about the security of our stuff, and we were able to get changed. All of these things may seem very small, but make a huge difference on a 18 hour train journey. The toilet was also a little cleaner, with liquid handwash (a rarety in India). There was even a small amount of toilet paper (an even bigger rarety in India) but that didn't last long. We had a bell to ring if we wanted anything, but the staff didn't speak much English. I slept for about 12 hours, it was so comfortable. The only downside was that the food was a lot more expensive, so we know for future that if we get 1st class again we shall take our own food. I'm pleased we worked up the 2st class, as it wasn't really luxurious, but compared to Sleeper Class and 2nd Class AC it was amazing!

Have arrived in Jaipur now. We had a bit of a strange ride to our hotel, as we were unsure if we had got the right pick up rickshaw. but everything turned out fine! Hotel is great and we have a fantastic room, but I'll write more about that when we have seen more of Jaipur.

Hope all is well, Maggie x