We spent Tuesday (Sept 3rd) sorting a few things out in Mysore in the morning before a 5 hour car journey to Bangalore. Pretty uneventful other than the monsoon down pour for the last hour of the journey. Flash flooding all over the India equivalent of a motorway. (There are no lanes on any of the roads here, at least none that are used, it is just a free for all.) Didn't see any of Bangalore other than the hotel as we got there in the evening and were leaving f...

So we got to Mysore two days ago now and it is hectic compared to the calm, relaxed Kerala! The traffic is manic. There are tiny roundabouts dotted all over the city and people will just drive into them then battle their way to the exit of choice. We stopped in traffic on the first day here because the palace elephants were being taken for a walk. There are also cows everywhere. It was normal to see in Kerala as it would be by the roadside in the country, but her...

We spent the rest of the day in Munnar (where the last entry finished) going to a tea plantation and a spice plantation in the mountains. At the tea plantation we watched an 'educational video' (like being back at school..) about how the plantation had changed over the years, and the way that green tea and black tea is made from the same leaves at different stages of growing. We had a really helpful guide who then showed us around a spice plantation, explaining h...

We have been in Munnar for a couple of days now and it is like a whole different country! It took about 6 hours in the car to get here - some of the roads were terrible and about a month ago there were landslides due to the monsoon, so the drivere - thankfully- took his time. The journey was great as we were able to see forests, a wildlife sanctuary and elephants working on the way, and the driver kept stopping for us to get a better look.The place we are stayin...

Have been on the island now for a couple of days and it is so peaceful. We're making the most of it as according to others who have been to the north the rest of india wont be so relaxed! The homestay is located just on the water so there is plenty to do here. as food is inclided we have had some interesting breakfasts - rice noodles, banana fritters and lots of cury - which Ive skipped for a couple of days!At the homestay we were able to explore the backwaters...