Trivandrum, now known as Thiruvananthapuram ( although no one appears to be able to say this!) 15.3.10Our last full day in India started early with a local train journey to Trivandrum. For the first time ever, we arrived at our destination early, which was a relief as the train was stuffed full of commuters (think London underground in rush hour in 45 degree heat with large backpacks!)After a short wait in the blazing sun for a tuk-tuk, we dumped our bags at our ...

Varkala 6.3.10-15.3.10As our time in India was drawing to a close we decided that we needed some serious relaxation time at the beach to wind down from all our travels and adventures. It was a four hour train journey from Fort Cochin to Varkala, a seaside resort set on a towering red cliff. It's a relatively undeveloped place, catering for local tourists as well as a range of Western travellers.We arrived without any accommodation booked and had decided that we w...

Cochin 3rd- 6th March The travellers re-unite (hope someone remembered the gin!) Jo arrived in Cochin after an 8 hour journey by bus and train, travelling local class while Nikki flew from Delhi with a budget airline……both journeys, however, were on time and we arrived at our home stay (which was great) within 20 minutes of each other. We stayed in Fort Cochin which is the mo...

Ooty 26th Feb- 3rd March Jo Four hours and thirty six hair pin bends later, I finally arrived in Ooty, an old colonial hill station which is another popular destination with Indian tourists who want to escape the heat of the lower plains. It is a strange mix of local life, beautiful scenery and Blackpool style attractions! The place still has a strong British influence with many churches and a large Christian population living alongside the Hindus and Muslims...

Delhi 3 27.2.10-3.3.10NikkiThe latest return to Delhi was by sleeper train from Varanasi. The station was as crowded and chaotic as the city, but somehow Dinesh found us a quiet corner to wait and the train turned up on time. Before retiring to our bunks (trunks?..they are stacked in 3's not 2's!) we were determined to finish the last of the gin. We had Limca, our substitute for tonic but no glasses for the four of us. Just after I returned from binning two empty...