HAPPY NEW YEAR! (Slightly late.. Playing catch-up!)

Vital Vitamin D for the body a week on the beaches in India! & Relax!

Began our coastal adventure in Mumbai, had ourselves set up in the Travellers Inn, highly recommended... Well... A flight delay (Suprise!) led to us being late for check-in, be warned in India they'd sell your Grandmother if you were late in collecting her from bingo!! Our room had been sold to the next "traveller"... Brilliant! 11pm, tired from a day travelling, stuck with a very friendly & helpful employee of the Traveller Inn... NOT! Customer services finest ;)

However, we were given a room for the night, thank you kind people The room was small, unclean & had a wonderfully musty fragrance! The bedlinen was dirty & the bed, well it would've been more comfortable sleeing on the floor! Despite being soooo tired I did not sleep! Good start Mumbai!

After another pleasant conversation with, apparently the boss... We checked out! & up graded to the first 5 star hotel in Mumbai (now there are many... but this was the first one of its kind!!) AWESOME!!!! A pool... The best breakfast ever!! Right on Julu Beach! A Wedding! TV with UNITED game on that evening! A quite wonderful shower & amazing clean and comfy bed! Ahhhhhhhh

Some backpackers we proved to be, ha.. But one night of luxury...

Mumbai had a really great atmosphere. Sometimes you only need a few minutes in a place & you can already get the feeling for it (Similar to that of Delhi only the opposite feeling!). Mumbai had a vibe, although very busy but was no where near the hectic craziness of Delhi!

We saw enormous poverty in India whilst travelling around and through places & we saw the same in Mumbai. It always amazes me that we still see such extreme living conditions in the world. Take East Africa, the level of contrast between rich & poor was huge. But the community spirit in these "poor" areas out weighs any that can be seen or experienced in the "richer" areas. I have never seen people care about one another as much as I did in Kenyas villages & slums. Always supporting one another, no matter what was thrown their way they could always appear the other side smiling! This is something everyone should learn from such people. Look out for your neighbour. Care for each generation. Work together. These people are the hardest working by a long way. I really do admire them & look up to them & their attitudes & beliefs...

We only had a day & a half in Mumbai & spent most of that walking on the beach or sitting by the pool.To be fair we were templed put by this point & were in great need for relaxation ;)

The beaches on an evening in Mumbai came alive with people! It was absolutely incredible to see so many groups of varying ages making use of the beach for, walking, jogging, playing cricket, football, acrobatics, swimming! They appeared to stay there all night as early in the morning the beach again was packed! There was a really friendly atmosphere here & a great community spirit. I definitely liked Mumbai...

Onward to Goa... Which is not India! Goa is like an Island on its own. The airport is certainly Indian.. But thats all... Its seems that this is where Russia goes in the winter! We stayed in North Goa at Morjim Beach, a great place! Beach bars, great food... & the best hostel in India! Newly opened Wanderers Hostel! Hit the jackpot with this place! Filled with backpackers either at the beginning of their travels or part way through, excited, adventurous! Very Young! HA.. A great base for 4 days on teh beach doing very little other than lying in the sun, eating, swimming in the sea, lying in the sun, drinking cocktails, beers... Watching the sunset.. Ahhhh

The locals were incredible, they had sussed that the majority of the cudtomers were Russian, so had learnt Russian! Quite amazing! Of course English too was widely spoken, but to have the skills to learn Russian too! I take my sunhat off to you all! Money sure does make the world go round & this was clearly important to the resort/bar workers.

We had a great time setting freworks off from the rooftop at Wanderers on New Years Eve.. It was just great to be in flip flops & shorts/t-shirt! Warmer climates mean you dont have to own as many clothes.. That is my reason for wanting to move back to the sunshine... That & people are happier...

A great Christmas & New Year break, great adventure & a little luxury!

Back to Berlin & back to work...