Apologies for the radio silence folks, I've been happily distracted by visits from my family; first from Emma and her husband Richard, who I met up with in Goa and then by my parents who came here to Delhi from where we did a few side-trips as well. Had a fabulous time and promise to fill you in soon, in the mean-time here are the photos of Goa to be going on with! Hope everything is well with you all X

A world of meaning in just one wobble! When I first arrived in India my communication with the local people frequently resulted in confusion, frustration and dead ends. Much of this, I believe, can be attributed to the infamous Indian head wobble. See example: Me: Is this the way to the YWCA? Local: Head wobble Me: Yes? Local: Head wobble Me: No? Local: Head wobble Me: Do you understand English? Local: Head wobble Me: I give up! Other questions such as &qu...

Gloat of the day! Now that it is officially summer, the swimming pool round the corner from me has opened its doors to the public. I went for the first time today - it was utter bliss! The staff on reception did look a bit non-plussed when I asked them when the busy times were; "It's not really the season yet Mam" they explained. Apparently only strange foreigners and teenaged boys are crazy enough to swim when it's a mere 30 degrees. So apart from a ...

Stuck in Nepal Ever heard of the town of Narayangarh in Nepal....no? That's probably because it's nothing to write home about - the main road to Chitwan Park cuts through its middle, it has the usual shops, dhabas and a collection of rather seedy hotels. Pass through is what most people do in Narayangarh and that was exactly what I intended to do before a series of road blocks stranded me there for two days….Two days is a long time to spend in Narayangarh. ...

Same, same….but different. This is apparently what travellers arriving from India say about Nepal. It is also what Indian vendors say when you ask for a product in a different size, colour…and then they produce something that bears absolutely no resemblance to the item you wanted (er….since when did a lime green and purple patterned nightdress look like the light blue top I asked for in a different size?). Personally I think Nepal is very different to...