Two months have passed and we are sitting in the departure lounge in Kolkata waiting to board our plane to Thailand.

India has been an amazing experience. From the chilled out beaches of the south to the chaotic cities of the north. We have loved it all, although it has shocked everyone of our senses.
We have heard that India has three major problems. Population, Pollution and Politics. This couldn't be more true. India is the second most populated country in the world, second to China. In the cities they live on top of each other whereas in the country you can drive for miles without seeing anyone. You can imagine, with over a billion people in this huge country, how much waste there is. People throw all of their rubbish on the floor. No one worries where it is going to go, some people burn it at the side of the roads which doesn't really help and you see huge piles of rubbish all over the place with cows and dogs rumidging through it chewing on bits of plastic.

We will never forget the smells of India. We first noticed it when we stepped off the plane in Mumbai and we are wondering what the fresh(ish) air of Thailand will smell like. The smell of incense has choked us all over India and other than for religious reasons it is only really used to cover up the other smells. Other than rubbish dumps the streets are used as toilets and farms. There are goats and cows all over the place adding to the stench.

Once you have learnt to manage with it and breath as little as humanely possible and only through your nose you can enjoy wandering the streets and seeing how the Indians live. Its another world.

We have seen some beautiful things an some not so beatifull. The scenery has been amazing, it changed from beautiful beaches and backwaters in the south to stunning snow capped mountains in the north, desert and scrubland in the west to chaotic old cities in the east.

Most of the people are friendly, some too friendly and you can't help but feeling they are trying to con you some how, unfortunately some of them are. The men seem to be more intimate with other men than women but they seem amazed when they see a white woman, trying to take photos or brush bye. We have been in hundreds of family photos as the token white people which has been very entertaining at times. We decided to join in and get a photo too.
The politics are ridiculous. When you see the word "government" in front of something you think it will be regulated, cleaner and safer but this is not the case. Government buses are filthy and maintained enough to run but that's about it. In the UK we have a huge problem disposing of car tyres when they are worn out but Pete thinks we should send them to india where they could be sold as new. Most cars here are on their last legs. Things are maintained only enough to keep them running, nothing is properly maintained. When people decorate, as we saw everyone doing so for Diwali, they just paint over whatever is on the wall. They don't prepare it or repair cracks and holes, they just slap some more paint over it.

India does have it's bad points, as you have heard but it's not all bad. You quickly come to terms with the smell and the dirt, and once you do you can enjoy this huge sub continent. The buildings are amazing; you can't comprehend how they managed to build such amazing temples and forts with the most intricate details. You also can't understand how some of them are still standing.

It is also unbelievable how some people live for so long, especially when they bath and drink in the filthy rivers and live in such swallow conditions. There is so much disease in India we are pleased to leave without catching anything too serious. Aids is a massive problem here as is diabetes. You can understand why when you taste the food and drink. Every cup of tea is served with a minimum of three sugars as standard, sugar cane is crushed at the sides of the roads as a refreshing drink and the sweets and cakes are coated in sugar or deep fried.

We can't help but think that a little education on all of these points could help with preserving such a beautiful country.

The most shocking thing for us was the amount of homeless people, many without arms and legs and other disfigurements. The divide between the rich and poor is huge, most of the population just scrape by but seem happy doing so.

We have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cities, learning about the fascinating history, meeting local people and finding out about their lives and the food. Its the only country we have been too that shows complete extremes at both ends of the scale. We will definitely return. Much love to you India, we will miss you!