Hi,

So we left off in Varanasi which was as unique as people say it is. We watched many cremations on the burning Ghats and unintentionally sat with some children while their grandmother was burned. They were more interested in talking to us than anything else, although they did go over to her to take some pictures on their phones. Our next stop was Bodgaya, the place where Buddha achieved enlightenment. It was a bit disappointing as it was a really dirty place full of people trying to get money out of you. The temples were beautiful though as each Asian country has one, e.g. Japan, China, Bhutan, Burma etc. We didn't stay there long.

Our next stop was Darjeeling, an old hill station full of tea plantations where the rich used to go to cool off. We rode the 'toy train' there which is a narrow gauge train, running along the road. It was very slow compared to a jeep but the views as we went up the hill were amazing. Darjeeling was a really nice place, full of amazing Tibetan hospitality and lovely views (when the cloud cleared). It is in the foothills of the third highest mountain in the world and that is mega mega high. We also saw Everest in the distance, although it was just a dot and you had to really believe it was there in order to see it. We went to the zoo in Darjeeling which was really good. They only have species local to the area and the enclosures are in original forest. They have breeding programmes for the animals and are reintroducing them.

We travelled down to Calcutta and have been here a week. We have had enough of sharing our rooms with insects so have checked into somewhere a bit nicer. We have spent the week trying to arrange our visa for Bangladesh and re-entry to India so we can get our flight home. We still haven't managed to do this last bit so we're just going to go to Bangladesh and hope we can get back in. We're going to the cricket world cup today, South Africa vs Ireland. Matt is going to wear his England shirt though so no one confuses us for South African supporters.

We leave for Bangladesh tomorrow and then hopefully we have a week there before we fly home.

See you soon,

Katie and Matt