And so it continues, crazy india!!

Ok so we are about half way through the planned trip, well scam! It's our 1st wedding anniversary, and therefore booked to stay in a palace for the night, in a quiet part of the city, with a pool (indoor mind) but anything will do, how exciting!

Prior to this Mr handsome (tuk tuk driver) took us to a fort, 'Amer' fort and palace. Built in 1592 but in amazing condition. Like our castles in wales, but it's never been attacked, therefore remains intact! Massive hills to climb to get there, offered us an elephant ride to the top, james wanted to walk as usual! Didn't think it was fair on the elephants anyway. We needed a guide, two approached us at the same time, wanting to show us around, we suggested they arm wrestle, but settled with a flip of a coin. They thought this was hysterical. Anyway the nicer one won and told us 'I will really miss you,' as we were leaving bless him. He's in the pic, with a red spot and his eyes closed haha.

We started the journey to our posh hotel. First impressions are good, greeted with a complimentary glass of coke, very Indian. Having checked out the pool, the room and the gardens, it was nothing like it was portrayed in the website photos! Such a shame as the hotel we come from was nicer! Fortunately we found an amazing cafe next door, selling cakes and coffee, yum!! The evening meal turned out to be quite nice, they even threw In some local dancing and a puppet show. We did however go back to the cafe next door for a well enjoyed glass of wine and more local dancing, I even joined in, check out the pics! We had a lovely anniversary! :)

Still in jaipur.... Before leaving the hotel I was given a complimentary massage! If only I had know it was a deep tissue one, how I didn't bruise in don't know. Should have sent James!
Having only one day left in jaipur we decided to visit the 'Monkey Temple.' Despite me being freaked out the whole way there,(due to there being no one else around, convinced I was gonna die) which involved a half hour walk it was pretty cool. Whilst some guy in a temple put a yellow spot on our head and a piece of string around our wrist, whilst chanting, a cheeky monkey had pinched one of James' trainers. He wasn't impressed. Low and behold the temple man found it, suggesting we take a picture, random! There were monkeys everywhere, obviously I know being a monkey temple, but they were a little crazy. I decided to feed one monkey nuts and take a selfie until he spat at us. Didn't go near another! On the return journey we were followed by 4 young Indian lads, relating to themselves as famous wrestlers! They clung to us for the whole half hour. Obviously they wanted money, but were quite entertaining.

The next two days were spent in a place called Jodhpur, still in Rajasthan area. Train journey was pretty decent, sat in right seats with air con and spent the 5 hours chatting to an Indian GP. Longest ever time slot with a doctor! Hotel was horrendous, run by young, rude, useless lads, so skipped breakfast and waited an hour for a McDonald's, realising they didn't do breakfast. So burger and chips for brekki it was! Rest of the day spent seeing the sights, another fort, and our favourite trip to date, a village safari. We were taken out into the sticks in a jeep, meeting with several families, one that lives off the land, and drinks opium for energy, he drank while he talked with us however no offering thankfully! He did however show james how to put on a 10m turban (pics to follow). We met with another two families one who makes clay pots, I had a go and was useless and another who makes rugs. These rugs are transported all over the world and have featured in vogue magazine( couldn't afford one). He also showed us pics of lots of famous people who have been to his home. We did however buy a wall tapestry made by a group of ladies. It takes them 3 weeks to make one, due to the amount of sequins and detail. So my bag is now heavier and we are £20 down. Nice though. The trip concluded with seeing some wildlife along the way and being dropped off in a shabby restaurant for a curry ;)

Onto Udaipur...still in Rajasthan.
5 hour bus journey, with no air con, was pretty brutal, particularly when the 5 hours turned into 8! No sleep due to the driver playing banging Indian music, which the locals loved. Passed through some interesting villages however and over mountains with amazing scenery! It was worth the trip, spending two days walking around lakes in what we can only describe as India's Tenby. Although our hotel was average, upon being given the menus and offered only 5 meals out of 50 we decided to leave, ending up in a 5 star hotel, having pasta. Really not getting this backpacking budget malarkey.

A 'big day' for James, his first run in 2 weeks, was having withdrawals! He managed 5.5 miles around the lake and made it back. Phew. Today we watched a local dance show which was great, you can see in the photos get lady carrying all the pots on her head..pretty impressive! We dined in a cool restaurant with real travellers with dread locks, and ate on the floor on mats. Back to reality....not for long as the day after we spent the day by the pool of the 5 star hotel, again still not getting it!! Spent time in European cafés eating salad and tuna which was a treat and watched the sunset over the lakes.

Mumbai...aka Bombay....
16 hour train journey awaits with dread having met with mice and cockroaches on the last sleeper train. But actually we were impressed, clean sheets a blanket and nice people. Slept well and played cards with a family until we arrived. Don't think they were happy I won most games, hehe. Didn't know what to think of Mumbai, having not really planned to visit due to stopover city for a flight to next destination. Hotel booked called travellers inn. This is the first destination where we are in charge of hotels and transport...should be fun! Very hostel like, which is what we need to get used to however very expensive, due to being in city!

Our first day consisted of seeing the sights including, the gateway to India, the port, the sea for the first time, however you can't go in it, too dirty, the Taj Mahal palace hotel, and eating burger (buffalo meat as they don't eat cows here) and chips in an American like bar! Ended the night with a cocktail and a beer :). Having heard the slum in which 'slumdog millionaire' was filmed was near by we thought we would take a look. A young boy who lives in the slums gave us a tour, meeting us at the hotel and taking us to the slum by train. He told us the local trains in India get so busy that 10 people die on them a day, due to being crushed. Fortunately it was a Sunday and fairly quiet. On the return journey, without a guide to inform us we sat on the ladies only coach :/ and was informed of this by a very large lady, who we soon realised was a man in drag. I told her we would jump off and move carriages, she shouted, 'no no don't jump,' thinking we would whilst the train was moving! Eventually we moved to be shouted at by the police as we did, oops!

So the slum.....where do we start. Our guide informed, us that 2million (government say only 1 million) people live within 500 acres of land. It was first established in the 1800's. We were first taken into the commercial area and showed how plastic, aluminium, cardboard and paint pots were recycled. The conditions these men and women were working in were awful. The guys recycling aluminium were sat in tiny rooms, with furnaces going all day, the guide told us their life expectancy is very low, very sad. They got paid however, which a lot didn't, and given medication for their chest. The guys recycling plastic get £2.50 a day. He also took us to the mini factories where clothes are made, where mainly the clothes, bags and suitcases we buy in the UK and particularly jeans were made. Whilst walking through the very narrow alleyways, the smell was awful and electric wires hung very low, he told us people hang their washing on them to dry, not good! Rats ran across the floor and people were washing out of big drums of water. We were then taken to a little air conditioned shop where leather bags were sold. They gave us a cup of chai (Indian tea) in hope we would buy something. We didn't.

He then took us to he residential area, whereby we passed a river full of sewerage, which bubbled due to the chemicals in it, the smell was unreal. The guide told us the water flows directly into the sea and is not treated, probably why no one swims in Mumbai waters! The residential area was even more crowded, with alleyways where we had to duck down, families were living between furnaces making clay pots and the air filled with smoke. We walked passed an area where Children were playing cricket on mounds of rubbish, didn't stay long due to likelihood of being pick pocketed. We were then taken to the office where our guide worked from. He and several others set up the tour company and aim to promote Dharavi and the slums to help fund their further education and also to alter peoples perspectives of the slum as negative. Although it appears the people are living in extreme poverty they have phones I pads, tv' etc however choose to remain in the slums having lived there all their lives. Unable to take photos or post to internet due to many of the workers being illegal immigrants and the wives of men not knowing of the horrendous conditions they work in. If you google Dharavi slums you can see loads there. What an experience! Hard to describe unless your there yourself!

Having failed to find the laundry area on the coast where over 2000 women wash clothes all day we returned to the area in which we were staying! When getting dropped off we noticed swat cars and fires and all sorts of commotion. I asked a man what was happening and he told me a shooting. Panic!! We later realised it was a film shooting, a Bollywood film. Pretty cool to watch.

Ok so one more night in Mumbai and then we move on to south India! First stop kochi, in a place called Kerala. Hope you enjoy reading. Much love Roanna and James xxx