Well, arrived in India on the 21st in Mumbai. I then spent two hours travelling from the airport to Mumbai station as the city is so big. The taxi ride itself was a bit of an eye opener! we drove through one of the slums and saw all sorts of vile things! In one part someone would be going to toilet on the road and 10 meters down someone would be washing thier face in the same water!

Arrived at a hotel in Mumbai next to the station called city palace where we spent the day sleeping. We left Mumbai the same evening by night train to travel to Agra. This was a 24 hour journey which was pretty hard work! We were in 'sleeper class' which is where all the working class indians stay. It was ok but there where no windows and i spent most of the night freezing! You dont get any sleep in this class either as there are constantly people trying to sell you things or begging for money.

Finally arrived in Agra at 7.00 pm the following day and managed to get a room in a nice claen hotel called Miya. Our taxi dirver offered to take us sight seeing the next day to all the local sights (apart from the Taj as its closed Fridays)

We rose early Friday morning and speant the day looking at Agra's historical forts. Agra fort is amazing and it was a really enjoyable day. I think we were most impressed by the monkeys living at all the sights!

Had an early night that night and a nice curry at the hotel. Agra isn't too nice a city so we didn't want to wander out anywhere plus we had to rise early for the Taj Maham the next day.

Saturday we rose at 5.30 am to catch the Taj at sunrise. Was brilliant and well worth seeing although it was quite misty and would have been better at sunset. Kelly encoutered her first bout of Dehli belly and threw up at the side of the Taj. Then a crow ate it and we took a photo!

At 10.00 am that day we took the bus to Jaipur. This was a rubbish bus and we where pretty sure we had been stiched up by the travel agent as he told us that it was a delux air con bus and there was nothing delux or air con about this bus! The journey took 5.5 hours and im sure it would have been about 2 had it not been for the constant stops. The bus took a'toilet' break half way though although there was no toilet! The men took a leak round the back of the resturant and women had to go in a concerete cubicle with no toilet, no hole no nothing just on the floor! and it stank!!! To make it worse they were cooking everyone's lunch about 2 foot away!

Arrived in Jaipur in the evening and got a skanky hotel room which was filthy as the nice one next door was full. Decided we wanted to go on safari the next day so booked tickets for that.

Ranthanbourne national park was our destination and after a very pleasent train ride (we had air con class, which is like first class NOT skanky sleeper class!)

The town we stayed in was a total dump and the cheap hotel we has was not too nice! we booked a monring safari (another early start!) and hit the pit.

We were picked up at 6.00 am by a big canter from the hotel for safari. It was frezing! However very enjoyable with lots of wildlife. Didn't see a tiger so booked to go out in the afternoon. Again very enjoyable but still no tiger. We booked again for the next day and our final tiger spot. Got up early and wrapped ourselves up like Eskimos. Once again, no tiger, although i did see a leopard which was pretty cool! Decided not to go out again as i was getting a bit bored and if i saw one more samba dear i was going to kill the guide ("SAMBAR DEAR, SAMBAR DEAR, SAMBA DEAR")! Thus returned to Jaipur that afternoon.

Booked tickets to Udiapur from Jaipur for that evening AC class!!!!

Arrived Udaipur at 8.00 am next morning. Decided to spend 3 days here as it was very nice. It is a small town on a very pretty lake. It has some very posh hotels in the middle of the lake which where used in James Bond film 'octop**** .

They have cashed in on the whole James Bond thing and at 7.30 every night each hotel plays octop**** You can hear it echoing thoughout Udiapur! although it is fun to spot the places in the film you have visited. I swam in the pool from ocotp**** and went up to the castle they shot at. Also went on a boat trip round the lake although they would not let us commoners near the hotel!

We were also taken to see some rubbish sights by the taxi driver including a folk museum and puppet show! Which was meant to be funny but was about as much fun as an Indian bus trip! Also went to some graveyard where the kings and queens are which was crap as it was in a very poor state of repair. Visted a temple which was pretty good, although i find hinduism slightly tacky!

After several days in Udiapur it was Goa time and we both could not wait! It was a grueling journey bus bus to Mumbai overnight. This was hours late as Indian people cant change tyres! we then missed out train from Mumbai to Goa. we had to get a taxi and chase the train to the next stop and luckly we made it! The train journey was sleeper class again and was filthy! I saw a rat and cockroaches!

Needless to say we where very happy to get to Goa. Although North India was a great experience and i would even go as far as to say i would do it again!