Varkala is one of the most amazing places I have been to in south India, especially in terms of beaches. There is golden sand nuzzling against stunning cliff tops and a fab surf. Given the fuss and madness of the north and the cities it was a joy to be able to relax here for a couple of days. Our days mainly consisted of lazy wake up and breakfasts, sunbathing, shopping, more sunbathing then dinner. We also tried body boarding. On the first day we were rubbish b...

It took a 7 hour train to get to Madurai. This city is one of South India's oldest cities and has been a centre of learning and pilgrimage for centuries. True to form we spent some time wandering around and shopping. We found a covered market which was based in a site that looked ancient. Looking up into the roof there were amazing designs carved into the rock. It actually detracted us from the goods! The main site in Madurai is the Sri Meenakshi Temple complex...

Mamallapuram was the first beach we saw. It was also our first taste of the heat of the south! Even though though the sand was a gorgeous white, the heat drove me into shacks along the beach to watch others sweat in the sun whilst enjoying food and drink in the shade! The beach is also an working beach so it was fun to watch the fisherman haul in their catches and repair their nets. The village is listed as a World Heritage site and is famous for it's ancient ro...

Flying into Chennai, the 6 of us who had carried on from the north met up with our second group and leader. We had little time here to explore or appreciate the city before moving onto the south but the highlight was being able to see the sea and beaches for the first time. This was fantastic and certainly brought a sample of what was to come.

An overnight train took us from Varanasi to Calcutta, the last place in the Northern India trip. It was also one of the girls in my group, Laura's birthday. Our leader had got us party hats to wear and a cake for her to enjoy on the train. It was absolutely quality. The whole of our carriage when they realised there was a cake gathered round to sing her Happy Birthday and also to take her picture. It was a warm and happy environment. Entering Calcutta was like e...