Kemcho everybody We left Mumbai to spend a week with Ginas family in the state of Gujarat. Arriving in the city of Surat we were welcomed by Ginas aunt, grandmother and great aunt and uncle. In Gujarati ( and I think in most Indian languages) there are specific words used to denote each relation eg aunt and uncle including whether they are from the paternal or maternal side so as to avoid any confusion - a very sensible idea especially when Indian families ...

Our introduction to Mumbai was seen through the eyes of an expat rather than of a tourist as we spent 2 days with Ben, an American friend living there. As such we spent a day lolling by the swimming pool supping Gin and Tonics at the Breach Candy Club - a members club in the posh part of town overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed lunch at a 5 star hotel, danced the night away at some uber-fancy nightclubs, dined at swanky restaurants and Nick went to a tailor to get ...

Getting off our houseboat at Allepey and bidding a fond farewell to the crew, we took a taxi from Allepey to Ernakulum, and then boarded a train heading up to Calicut. After a scenic and quaint 4 hour journey, in a compartment with friendly people and a very attentive tea wallah, we jumped into a taxi for a 3 hour trip into the hills to a village called Tholpetty, just outside Wayanad Nature Reserve. A late night arrival at somewhere new is always slightly eerie ...

Welcome to this, my first blog from our travels, although as always Bryony has beaten me to it by completing one on this site before me. If you're reading this, it means that you've been put on our email list of people we think may be interested in what we have to say. If you don't want to continue to get updates when we put new material on this site, please reply to us saying 'thanks but no thanks' or go onto the www.offexploring.com site and update your prefere...

Welcome to this, my first blog from our travels, although as always Bryony has beaten me to it by completing one on this site before me. If you're reading this, it means that you've been put on our email list of people we think may be interested in what we have to say. If you don't want to continue to get updates when we put new material on this site, please reply to us saying 'thanks but no thanks' or go onto the www.offexploring.com site and update your prefere...