Hi all,

Got up today and had a lazy breakfast at a local cafe. I am staying in a bazaar area very close to the railway station and where most travellers hang out.

Got chatting to an Israeli and also a guy, Simon, from Colchester. Was a good laugh and breakfast turned into a 3 hour chatting session about buying Indian made Royal Enfields and shipping them back to the UK. Now theres an idea.

Then in the afternoon a taxi tot he airport to catch my flight to Chennai (Madras), only to be told at check in that my ticket had been cancelled as my name on the ticket did not match the one on my credit card when i booked it online! (Stephen and Steve). Still they ahd spare seats so booked on and paid the outrageous price of 40 quid for a 2.5 hour internal flight with Indigo airways. great flight and good new plane and service.

Got to Chennai and then into town and dropped off by the Tamil Nadu Government Tourist Corporation Offices (better known as TNTC)..they are open 24 hours and checked that my 14 day "Sunny South" tour was going the following morning.

Great luck, that afternoon they had had a 12th person book which meant it was going at 6.30am tommorrow, bad news was that as the numbers were low then the bus/coach would be a mini version and have no air con!!! Oops. Still the price came down from 16000 to 9500 rupees. think thats for a 14 day guided tour and includes hotels room with ensuite for 14 nights for.. 126 quid, under a tenner a day! Christ India is cheap!..good news too because if I dont like the tour, I will just bail off at a local airport or train and go and do something else.

It was now 9pm so checked into a little hotel just accross the road as need to be up early tommorrow!

Hoep alls good at home!

Steve